Donuts and Detours

by Baganz, Susan M. ;

  “Taking off is my favorite part, the moment the plane leaves the ground and we are soaring through the sky is like magic to me. And landing as well. I enjoy the people I work with and meet.”

  “Sounds great.”

  “But it means I’m not around much to check in on my son. I fly out tomorrow again.” She paused. “Enough about me. Titus tells me you’re a baker by day?”

  “More like by early morning ‘till noon.”

  “And then you come here to work?”

  “Most of the time. I get off work, head home for a nap, and come here. I don’t stay late since I work early in the morning.”

  The door swung open and Titus strode in.

  Cooper jumped off B.J.’s lap to greet him.

  Ty picked him up. “Mom? B.J.? I didn’t realize either of you had arrived.”

  Bethany stood. “I really should get going. It was a pleasure to meet you, Tanya. Safe travels.”

  Tanya stood and wrapped her arms around Beth. “The pleasure was all mine. I hope we get to talk again soon.”

  “You’re leaving?” Titus asked.

  “Yeah. I think you and your mom need some time together.”

  “Are you coming to work tomorrow?”

  “That’s my plan. Still sore, so I’m grateful for a night off.”

  “Did you mow the lawn today?”

  “How’d you know?”

  He touched her nose. “You’re pink.”

  “Oh, yeah. Not a fan of sunscreen and left my cap in the house.” She gave Cooper a scratch behind the ears. “Be a good dog, Coop.” She kissed the pup on his head and earned a lick. “Good night.”

  “Night,” Titus and his mother both said in unison.

  ~*~

  B.J. left.

  Cooper whined at the loss of his favorite person.

  “I like your girl, Ty.” His mother sat back down.

  Titus let the dog down and leaned against the desk as he focused on his mom. “She’s not ‘my girl.’”

  Tanya’s eyebrows rose. “Isn’t she? I beg to differ. That girl is half-way in love with you.”

  “How would you even know that?”

  “Mother’s intuition. And I approve by the way, whatever difference that makes to you.”

  “I appreciate your vote of confidence, but where B.J. is concerned, nothing is certain. She’s skittish. She’s been through a lot and I’m not even sure yet what it all is. She’s not very transparent.”

  “She is where it counts. She’s loyal to you. You mentioned she saved you too, right?”

  “Yeah. She did.”

  “Don’t let this one get away from you.”

  “Mom…”

  “Don’t ‘mom’ me. You’ve been beating yourself up for years over what happened with Carly. She made a bad choice and you don’t need to keep punishing yourself for it.”

  Ty shook his head. “If I heeded your advice, she never would have been in that situation. Ultimately, I’m to blame.”

  “You tried to make it right, but I disagreed with that. It would have been a disaster. I’m not pleased that her choice led to her death, but you need to move on.”

  “I’m afraid I’ll hurt B.J.”

  “How? By being faithful, godly, and loving?”

  “I got so caught up in trying to understand who she is I forgot who I am. She doesn’t know my past. Once she does she’ll hate me.”

  “You said she’s a Christian?”

  “Yeah, but she’s been hurt pretty bad. Once I share that I’ll lose any chance with her. Not that I deserve her.”

  “You don’t give her enough credit.”

  “I don’t want to mess up again.”

  “I think you’ve learned your lesson, son. Move on. Embrace life. Pursue the girl with honor and patience and the reward will be worth the effort.” Tanya rose again, patted her son’s cheek and reached for the doorknob. “I love you, Titus. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “I know, Mom. Thanks for the pep talk.” Titus shoved himself away from the desk to follow her out. “I love you, too.”

  13

  Horsepower is how fast you hit the wall.

  Torque is how far you take the wall with you.

  Ross Bently

  Tuesday was a long day and Titus went on several towing calls. He liked getting out of the garage and helping people. Most were grateful for his services. He slid into a store on the way back from dropping off a car and passenger. The day was almost over, but he needed to be ready to see Bethany tonight. He only hoped she would accept his gift.

  He was at the garage working when she strode in. He set aside his tools and waved her to the office. Washing off his hands, he joined her there. No Cooper today.

  Entering the office, she turned to face him. “Hey, Ty. It was nice meeting your mom yesterday. You’re blessed to have her.”

  “Hopefully you’ll reunite with your ‘mom’ soon.”

  She shrugged. “So much has happened since those days. I’m afraid to get my hopes up. She hasn’t called yet, but she might be busy, or maybe she changed her mind. I’m trying not to think about it. That was over ten years ago now. I’m not the same person as I was then and neither is she.”

  “Love looks past all that.”

  “Not in my experience.” She plopped into a chair. “You wanted to see me?”

  “Yeah.” He walked over to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out the item he wanted to give her. “I got this for you. No strings attached. I want you to be safe, especially after what happened this past weekend.” He handed it to her.

  “A mobile phone?”

  “My number, Skye’s cell, Pastor Dan’s cell, the garage, and the church, as well as your work, and Adele’s numbers are all programmed in there for you. It’s not the fanciest out there, but it’s enough to help if you have trouble again.”

  She held the phone in her hand, bit her lip, and blinked rapidly. “I don’t know what to say, Titus. Thanks. I really shouldn’t, but I’m grateful for the gift and can’t find any good reason to refuse it. I’ve realized I need one but couldn’t figure out how to afford it. Is there anything I can contribute to your monthly bill?”

  “No. I never use all my minutes anyway. I got a great deal on this. What little I spent is worth it to see you safe.”

  She nodded. “Thanks. What’s my phone number?”

  He showed her where to find it.

  Bethany slid it into the front pocket of her plaid shirt. “Guess I’d better get to work.”

  “Don’t forget the charger.” He handed it over and she stuck it in her jeans pocket.

  She went out to the garage, looked at the job board, initialed the one she was taking and went to work.

  An hour later Miles walked into the shop and Titus met him by the office. “Ty, what can you teach me about cars today?”

  Titus shook his head. “This isn’t a teaching institution. There are technical school classes you can take to learn about these things.”

  A scowl clouded the man’s face. “You refuse to teach me after all I’ve done for this ministry?”

  “I didn’t realize you were giving to the ministry to get something. I thought you were contributing because you cared about helping single moms.”

  “I couldn’t care less about them. I like my work knowing I’m a supporter of this ministry. Makes me look good to them. Maybe you can check out my car? It’s making a funny noise.”

  Titus pulled out a business card. “Call me here tomorrow and schedule a time to bring it in and we’ll take care of it.”

  “You’re charging me?”

  “Once again, this ministry is for single women, not irresponsible, egotistical car salesmen.”

  Miles’s jaw dropped. “I’m a needy, single man. That should count for something. I’m entitled to your help, especially after all I’ve done for this place.”

  “Sorry, dude. I think you need to leave now.”

  “I’ll stop providing parts for you.”

&nb
sp; “I’m fully prepared to find my parts elsewhere. You are not the only person or company willing to give us a handout here.”

  “You’ll regret crossing me, Titus Rickmeyer.”

  “I’ve been regretting working with you for some time now.”

  Miles turned and stalked around the garage, bumping tools so they crashed to the floor as the men stopped their work to watch him. The adult temper tantrum left no volunteer untouched.

  Ty grew concerned as he headed toward the area where B.J. worked.

  Bethany was under a van and as Miles strode by, she slid out tripping him with her feet. Just as quickly she tucked back under the vehicle.

  Miles cursed. The other guys around fought from laughing aloud as the man rose to his feet and went to kick at one of the jacks holding up the front end of the car.

  “Hey!” One of the men shouted as all the workers raced to the car.

  The vehicle wobbled but the well-placed jack held firm.

  Miles stalked out of the garage without a backward glance. Titus and the other men were at the car in a flash, and he was grateful to see that while the vehicle wobbled, the well-placed jack held firm.

  B.J. slid out, pale but unharmed.

  “You OK?” Ty asked as she rose to her feet, wiping her oil covered hands on a rag.

  The men went back to their various jobs, relief visible in their faces.

  “Yeah. Stupid of me. I know. Don’t antagonize the donors. I’m sorry, Titus.”

  “I antagonized him, not you. You only delivered what was due. The man needed to be taken down a peg. You sure you’re OK?”

  She nodded. “Job’s done. I’ll get the jacks down and head for home.”

  Titus nodded. “You can head out after you wash off. I’ll take care of the jacks. Great job getting them placed. Your expertise saved your life.”

  She went to wash up and check the job off the chart on the wall. More work needed to be done on that vehicle, but at least this job was completed.

  Ty bent to lower the jacks and was putting them away as B.J. walked out the side door.

  ~*~

  Bethany put on her helmet and took off down the country lane toward home. A few miles from the garage, a car motor revved from behind gaining speed. Her little rearview mirror revealed a gold sedan racing toward her. She caught the license plate number. A shiver ran up her spine and she hugged as close to the gravel as she could so the vehicle could pass.

  The first hit shoved her bike forward. The second caused her to veer off the road and somersault, bike and all, into the muddy ditch.

  The car sped up, driving away.

  Bethany was trapped under the scooter. She relaxed and took a deep breath before wiggling out from the wreckage and dragged herself up the incline away from the road. Slowly she removed her cracked helmet. Her clothes were soaked with sludge.

  There was no sign of the gold vehicle.

  Bethany Joelle gazed up at the late afternoon sky. Now what? She definitely wasn’t up to walking home or back to the garage. Her feet were still healing.

  The phone. She had a phone. She pulled it out and flipped it open to find the contacts. She didn’t think twice about who to call. “Titus?” Her voice cracked.

  “B.J.? Are you OK?”

  “No. I got hit. The car drove off. I think it was Miles, but it was an old car. My scooter’s trashed. I didn’t know who else to call.”

  “Where are you?”

  She told him.

  “Call the police. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “Titus, if I report this and they find Miles, he’ll realize B.J. is really me, Bethany Joelle.”

  “Call anyway. He needs to be held accountable. He almost killed you at the shop and would have if you weren’t as skilled as you are. He tried to harm you over the weekend. This has to stop.”

  “OK. If you say so.” Weariness settled in. Bethany called 911 and gave them all the information about the hit and run. They asked her to stay on the line. She lay back into the weeds and closed her eyes. So tired.

  “Bethany Joelle.”

  Ty’s voice pierced her thoughts. Had she fallen asleep? She never heard his truck. He jumped across the ditch and scrambled up the incline to sit by her side.

  She opened her eyes and gave him a weak smile. “Hey. Thanks again for the phone. Definitely came in handy.” She let her head relax back into the grassy weeds. They made a scratchy pillow, but she was beyond caring.

  Titus picked up her helmet. “I’m so glad you wore this. Bethany? Don’t go to sleep on me now. Come on.”

  A siren came closer. Soon a police officer and ambulance were there. She was helped across the ditch to be assessed by the paramedics. They urged her to go to the emergency room, but she refused.

  “I can take her home,” Ty offered. Once the police gave him permission, he took pictures of the scooter before hauling it out of the mud and tossing it into the back of his truck.

  Bethany wasn’t steady on her feet and didn’t mind in the least that Titus had thrown a blanket over his leather seats before helping her into his truck.

  The ride home was quiet, and she fought to keep her eyes open. The sun hadn’t even set yet.

  Titus helped her out of the truck and up the back stairs.

  Adele popped her head out of the kitchen door. Taking one look at Bethany she shot into motion. “Come in. Oh, my, dearie. What happened to you?”

  “Did a little tango with a car that took exception to me being on the road,” Bethany quipped.

  “Let me get you both something to eat. There’s fresh soup here and the bread Bethany brought home yesterday.”

  “Titus, will you stay for a little bit? I’m going to run upstairs, take a quick shower and I’ll be back down.” Bethany started up the stairs.

  “Sure.” He sat at the table as Adele bustled around serving him.

  Bethany made quick work of a shower and getting changed. She braided her wet hair to keep it out of her face, then threw on a t-shirt and pajama bottoms. Once Titus was gone she’d be in bed. She entered the kitchen to find Ty finishing up his meal.

  “Hey.” He stood as she came into the room and pulled out a chair for her. “Eat something.”

  “Not hungry.”

  “Try.”

  She took a few spoonfuls of soup and the bread. She sipped the iced tea. Leaning back in her chair she shook her head. “Where’s Adele?”

  “I think she’s out in the garden, giving us time alone.”

  “I don’t know what I did to deserve her.” She reached over to him. “Or you.” She pushed her chair back and stood. “Follow me.” She led him to the screened-in front porch, grabbed his hand, and drew him next to her on the swing.

  His arm went across the back of the wood.

  She snuggled up into his side. “Thanks for being there tonight.”

  “I’m honored you called me.”

  She reached to touch the soft, short beard, turned his face towards hers, and gave him a kiss.

  Oh, sweet heaven.

  She closed her eyes as his lips responded and his arms wrapped around her. She savored the sensation his touch and the kiss drew forth. Had she ever felt so loved and wanted in her life?

  ~*~

  After several minutes of overwhelming pleasure, Titus pulled back. “I’m sorry. I need to go.” He stood, and the swing jerked awkwardly. He caught Bethany Joelle before she fell off.

  Eyes dilated with pleasure looked up at him, blinking. “Ty? What…?”

  “I’m sorry. It’s hard—I mean difficult to explain. I have to go.” The screen door slammed shut behind him and he was to the car in a flash. Gravel spit out from under his tires as he peeled out of the driveway for home.

  How dumb could he be? Letting her kiss him? She didn’t understand how weak he was. He’d never told her his dirty past. And now she probably thought he hated her. One more rejection for her to cope with because he lacked the courage to tell her to stay away from him. He was no good
for any woman.

  Why had he allowed himself to fall for her? He knew better. He’d forgotten the past, lulled by the intrigue of Bethany Joelle’s mysteries.

  Tears came and he pulled over, leaned against the steering wheel, and wept.

  ~*~

  Every muscle ached but Bethany’s heart hurt more as the dust spiraled behind Ty’s car. Had she done something wrong? Why did the one guy she didn’t like want to do unspeakable things to her and the one she loved ran from the pleasure of a kiss?

  Loved?

  Obviously not returned. Again. When would she learn?

  Bethany swallowed hard and rose to her feet. Adele had cleaned up the kitchen so B.J. locked the doors and padded up the stairs. Climbing into the warm bed, Bethany was grateful for the window fan that moved the air around.

  Alone. Always alone. And apparently destined to be that way. Her pillow grew damp as she drifted to sleep in an attempt to escape the pain in her body—and heart.

  ~*~

  She dragged her aching self to work, placed stuff in her locker, turned the phone off and set it beside her keys.

  “Bethany Joelle,” Jack sang as he came up to her. He stopped and stared. “Are you all right?”

  She shook her head. “Hit-and-run last night while riding my scooter. It was totaled, and I hurt all over.”

  “Go home.”

  She looked up at him. “And do what? I need this job, Jack. Donuts are what keeps me from living in the gutter.” She swallowed hard.

  “There’s more you’re not telling me. I thought we were friends.” Jack’s arms folded in front of him. His mustache twitched as he waited.

  “I made the mistake of falling in love with a guy who doesn’t return my—”

  “—affections?”

  “Something like that.”

  “A bruised heart can hurt more than broken bones.”

  “I’ll work hard and I won’t complain.”

  Jack frowned. “If you need to go, tell me. You don’t look so hot.”

  “Thanks. I’d say I’ll be fine, but I don’t know if that’s possible. I’ll survive. Somehow.”

  “By God’s grace. Don’t forget to lean on Him in your heartache. He understands. All of creation turned their back on their One true love. He is always faithful even when we aren’t. He understands better than anyone the pain of a broken heart.”