“Hey, boss,” Jason said, walking in. He wore dark work pants and a Bond Garage shirt that all the employees had. Not many wore them though. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Got two inspections and oil changes this morning if you want to get started on that. I’ve got to work on the car from that accident last week. Simon will be here soon and he’s got an all-day job I need him to do.”

  There were parts he needed to fix now that Stew was able to get the damaged metal off. He’d fix what he needed to and then Stew could start to work on the body repair next. It normally took weeks for a car to be repaired here that’d been in an accident, but it took weeks off the island too.

  Things had to be done in stages and he was thankful he had the space and the guys to work on more than one car at a time with body damage done to it.

  Everyone started to work and he moved to the back to take care of what he needed. He’d be working on this car all day he was sure.

  Or so he hoped until Jason came out to get him three hours later. “One of the cars that needed the inspection is failing it,” Jason said.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked.

  “Tires and brakes. Both of them.”

  He had a feeling when he saw it on the lot. “Let me come check it out and see whose it is.”

  There was nothing he hated more than calling someone to tell them they failed an inspection and what it’d cost to get it repaired.

  He’d never fail someone if they had a little bit of wear left on their tires. He’d tell them about it and that they need it fixed or it’d fail the next time. Not everyone had the money and it’d give them time and warning.

  When he got up front, he was wiping his hands on one of the many rags he kept everywhere and punching keys on the plastic-covered keyboard. He saw this owner had been told last year that both of these things needed to be replaced before the next inspection. This time he didn’t feel so bad calling and letting them know.

  He went to his mother’s office. “Can you do me a favor? I need a price quote on tires for this car.” He handed over the piece of paper with the make and model on it. “They need brakes too. I know I’ve got the brakes and tires in stock, but off the top of my head I’m not sure what the prices are for them.”

  Which was another problem. He couldn’t release this car back to the customer knowing it failed. But it’d sit here if the person didn’t want to pay for the tires he had in stock and it’s not like he could keep all that much inventory here. If the customer wanted something else, it’d be time or a courier to the mainland.

  His mother looked it all up on the computer. “Do you want me to call and let them know?”

  “Would you?” he asked. “I hate to leave it to you.”

  His mother laughed. “Your father did it all the time. I’ve got a way with people. Plus I see here they were told last year. This shouldn’t come as a surprise.”

  “It shouldn’t, but not everyone thinks it’s going to happen.”

  He went back to work and his mother made the call for him. When no one came back to him, he assumed the customer agreed to the work because it was after lunch when he finally came up for air. He’d felt eyes on him and stood up from leaning in under the hood to see Dopey staring at him.

  “What do you want?” he asked his dog.

  Dopey barked. “He’s hungry,” his mother said. “Can I feed them for you?”

  “Sure,” he said. “I lost track of time. Sorry, buddy. Tell Grandma to give you an extra treat.”

  His mother laughed. “One of these days maybe I’ll get a grandchild that doesn’t have four legs.”

  One of these days maybe he’d find someone that he could be with.

  Avery popped back into his head like she’d been doing all weekend.

  He briefly knew her story and how she ended up here and with Josie. He couldn’t imagine having his life change so drastically like that, but they both seemed to have it under control.

  If half the people on this island had their shit together like they did, life would be much easier.

  He shook his head and went to wash his hands and eat his lunch quickly and get back to work.

  When he went to the front, he’d seen Jason up there working on putting tires on the car that failed the inspection. “How is this coming?” he asked.

  “Almost done. I don’t think they were happy about it and I’m glad your mother is going to check them out when they come in for it,” Jason said.

  “It’s the price of owning a car,” he said. “We all know it. Not much that can be done.”

  “I know,” Jason said. “I don’t get it, but not everyone has the money or wants to spend it. I know Sandy.”

  “Sandy?” he asked.

  “Sandra Mission. It’s her car. We went to school together. This is her car from high school. She’s kind of an airhead.”

  The car was about eight years old. This meant that it was pretty new in high school so someone had to have bought it for her most likely.

  “Maybe now she’ll pay attention to those things.”

  “I doubt it,” Jason said. “She was probably fine with your mom calling her. She’d give me shit I’m sure. I wasn’t her type. You know, the ones she turned her nose up on.”

  Yeah, he knew that type well. Those that could do something for a person but were not good enough to be more than of service.

  “Then I guess she got what was coming to her by being forced to get her car fixed or not get it back,” he said.

  Jason laughed. “I know. I don’t know why I let that stuff bother me. Everyone has to do what makes them happy in life. She was always so mean and miserable to people she didn’t like back then.”

  “Life is full of people like that,” he said. “Just push it off.”

  “I wish I was more like you. Everything rolls off your back,” Jason said.

  Carter shook his head and went back to work. No one ever said they wanted to be like him.

  12

  Keep Her Head Up

  “Mom likes purple and pink,” Josie said.

  “She does,” Avery said. They were at the flower shop on Saturday when it opened and were picking up flowers.

  It was hard to believe one year ago today she’d lost her best friend in a horrible accident that changed so many lives.

  “Can we get a bunch of different ones?” Josie asked. “Some for the ocean and some for where I talk to her?”

  “You can get whatever you want.” This day was going to be about the two of them celebrating Colleen’s life.

  They bought their flowers and drove to the beach. It’d just opened. Avery wished she had private access but didn’t. This was good enough. They were looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. The sky was overcast and it was going to rain. Not a great beach day, but they weren’t here to soak in the sun.

  “Mom liked the rain,” Josie said.

  “I know she did,” she said. “She always loved when a good storm was brewing.”

  “Do you think she knows what we are going to do?”

  “I think so,” she said. “She is watching you all the time.”

  She liked to believe that at least.

  Both of them took their sandals off and left them where they’d stay dry, then walked to the water’s edge where the waves were coming up over their toes. Her toenails were a bright purple and Josie’s a light blue. Colors that Josie had picked out when they’d gone for pedicures.

  “Do we put them in the water or say something?” Josie asked.

  “You do what comes naturally to you,” she said. Her eyes were already filling. She needed to start something with Josie here and this seemed like the thing to do. Her best friend loved the water and loved flowers.

  Josie pulled out one pink rose and laid it in the water. “I love you, Mommy,” Josie said.

  There were tears running down her face that she couldn’t control and told herself not to bother. It’d only hurt more if she did hold it back. She did the same thing as Josie. “I love you, Colleen.”

  They both said they missed Colleen and one by one they let a dozen of the mixtures of flowers go into the ocean saying silent words.

  She promised Colleen she’d put Josie first. That she was doing the best she could to raise her as if she were her own daughter.

  When the flowers were gone, she hugged Josie. “Are you okay?”

  Josie nodded her head. “It’s okay to cry. Mommy told me that before. That it makes you feel better even if it feels horrible while you’re doing it.”

  “Your mother was smart that way,” she said.

  They went home and to Josie’s room and each talked to Colleen like they did so often. Today was different though. At least for Avery, but she tried to keep it light like Josie was. She was following the little girl’s lead as best as she could.

  “Can I start to paint my mural now?”

  “Sure,” she said. “Do you want to be alone or do you need help?”

  “Can I do it alone?” Josie asked. “I want to paint the field of flowers that Mom loved. I’m ready to finally start it.”

  “You can do it alone,” she said. “If you need me or want me, I’ll be downstairs.”

  Josie needed to do whatever felt comfortable.

  Avery went to her office to get some work done. But rather than work, she had a major meltdown and was sobbing uncontrollably in her office.

  Her phone rang and she saw it was her mother, but she couldn’t answer it.

  When the text came in five minutes later, it was her mother telling her to keep her head up and call when she wanted to talk.

  That was what Avery wanted to do and be. A mother like her own mother was to her.

  But today wasn’t going to be the day she could talk about it anymore.

  She was rung dry and it was only ten in the morning.

  She finally pulled herself together. When she’d been driving home, she swore she saw Carter on the road in his SUV. She forgot to ask him the other day if he had a truck too and it made her realize how silly she was to not think he probably had more than one vehicle.

  Her hand had started to lift to wave, but she wasn’t positive and wondered if she merely hoped it was him. Maybe because she hadn’t heard a word from him since their dinner almost ten days ago.

  Not that she thought he’d reach out to her. She didn’t know what she thought at all.

  She barely had time to blow dry her hair most mornings, so thinking of a guy was stupid.

  Plus there was Josie.

  Yeah, best to put it from her mind.

  By dinner though, both of them were mentally exhausted.

  When there was a knock at her door, she got up to get it, hoping it didn’t wake up Josie who lay on her bed to watch a movie and fell asleep.

  “Laine,” she said. “What are you doing here?”

  “Bringing wine,” Laine said, holding up two bottles. “I figured you might need it.”

  It was nice to know that she had another friend in the world that understood without her saying a word.

  “I could use a glass. When Josie gets up we can order some dinner.”

  “She’s napping?” Laine asked quietly as they moved to the back of the house and the kitchen.

  “Long day for us both. Emotionally. She fell asleep watching a movie. I’m letting her go.”

  Laine reached her hand out. “Josie told me on Thursday what today was. She was chattering away as we were painting. She was painting flowers.”

  “Yeah,” she said. “She worked on her mural for a few hours today. She’ll want you to check it out.”

  “I’d love to. Let’s pop open the wine and chat.”

  “Thanks,” she said, moving to get a wine opener. Avery was dying for a glass and realized it’d been months since she’d had one. Maybe Easter with her mother? It’s not like she went out on any dates or anything.

  “I know today was probably harder on you than if you were alone, right?”

  “It was,” she said. “Just seeing Josie fed my grief too. Or we fed each other. Does it make me a horrible person that I was thrilled when she said she wanted to paint the mural alone?”

  “No,” Laine said. “You’re young and beautiful. You need to have a social life too. Not that there is one on this island, but you still need one.”

  She snorted. “Not on my radar.”

  “Really?” Laine asked. “Because you turned your head and are looking anywhere other than me now that I said that.”

  Maybe she could talk to Laine about this. Out of curiosity more than anything.

  “I had dinner with Carter Bond over a week ago?”

  “What?” Laine asked, then covered her mouth. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to be so loud. Why are you telling me now?”

  “It’s not like it was a date.”

  “Sounds like one to me,” Laine said.

  “I dropped Josie off for her first lesson. I was at the store and ran into him. I said I’d like to take him to dinner to thank him for everything he’s done at the clinic. We went that night. Just a cafe and had sandwiches. Nothing else. I don’t even know if he’s single or not. Maybe he has a girlfriend or is seeing someone even though you said he’s not married.”

  “He’s not that I’m aware of,” Laine said. “So what else has happened?”

  “Nothing,” she said. “I’m all over the place in my life. I explained briefly how I got Josie. That was the first night I met him. He thought Josie was my daughter and Josie said her mom died.”

  “Bet Carter was all embarrassed in an awkward way he gets.”

  Avery grinned and took another sip of her wine. It was hitting the spot.

  “He was. He almost flushed and I found it adorable. What do you know about him?”

  “Not a lot. I mean he owns his own garage. It’s expanded since I’ve been here.”

  “How?” she asked. “I know it was his father’s before and then his grandfather’s before that.”

  “He told you that?” Laine asked.

  “Yes. But someone at the office mentioned it too. He asked me how I ended up being a vet. If I always wanted to.”

  “And you asked him about the garage. Sounds like date conversations to me,” Laine said.

  She’d thought so too, but then they went on their way and nothing more had happened.

  “Just conversation,” she said.

  “I know what line of the Bond family he comes from,” Laine said. “Not the wealthy one.”

  “I don’t care about those things,” she said.

  “I know you don’t. But people will say that. More so if anyone saw you two eating out. It’s a small island when any Bond is involved in anything. And you’re the new talk of the town.”

  She frowned and had more wine. “I hate being talked about.”

  “Me too,” Laine said. “But I’m the carefree hippie in the eyes of most people on the island.”

  She laughed. Laine was beautiful. Light blonde hair, long and flowing. Her clothing matched that image with the floral dress that was hitting the floor and looked very comfy.

  Laine almost belonged in the sixties in her eyes.

  “You love it,” she said. “You always loved the attention.”

  Laine grinned. “Anything to sell the art. So, Carter,” Laine said. “Doesn’t seem like your type or style.”

  “Because he’s blue collared?” she asked. “I tried the suit and tie type. It didn’t work out.”

  Kurt was almost pretty in his attire. He worked in sales and was always kissing people’s ass. She didn’t care so much as she didn’t deal with him in a work capacity.

  She wished she’d seen through him more rather than spend years with him and have him leave her when she needed someone. It reminded her once again to not rely on anyone. To do everything herself.

  What stung the most was not seeing him for what he was.

  “Not the job or career he has,” Laine said. “He’s quiet. I’ve been to his garage before. Most on the island have at some point. He says what he needs to say and that’s it. You’re upbeat and friendly. He’s nice and all, just not upbeat if that makes sense.”

  “He’s been friendly to me,” she said. She wasn’t going to tell Laine about how Carter was with Josie. Maybe that was a button she needed pushed in her life. To see how a guy could be with a kid that wasn’t his but she was going to raise. Like a package deal of sorts.

  It didn’t seem to matter to Carter. But for all she knew, it could have been him being nice to a new person on the island and a child that lost their only parent.

  “Then you should reach out to him,” Laine said. “Try it again when Josie is with me for a lesson. It can’t hurt.”

  “I don’t need to make a fool out of myself right now,” she said. “I’ll see him again. He brings his dogs to my clinic.”

  But it’d be a while before she’d see him again. Unless Dopey had something coming up, but Doc should be set now for months. She’d need heartworm and flea and tick meds, but she didn’t need to see the dogs for that. They could call and come pick it up.

  “One thing about Carter that I can tell you, is he’s slow moving. Everything he does is slow. The way he moves and talks. That isn’t you either, but if you’re okay with it, then see what happens.”

  “Nothing to be okay about,” she said. “As I said, it was a thank you dinner not a date.”

  “But you want it to be more.”

  “I don’t know what I want anymore,” she said.

  “Which for you is a hard thing to get a handle on,” Laine said.

  “It is.”

  “One day at a time. You’re doing it now and it’s working.”

  “Until it’s not. I’m sorry. I’m not good company today.”

  “You’re entitled to feel this way today,” Laine said. “Your life probably doesn’t feel like your own anymore.”

  “That is exactly how it feels. But in other ways, it’s a great feeling too. Being here and starting over.”

  “Then go with that,” Laine said.

  She turned and saw Josie walking in rubbing her eyes. “Laine,” Josie said, moving forward and hugging her friend. Her little girl needed her friend here today too. “I didn’t know you were going to be here. You need to see what I painted today.”