The Boy on the Bridge

“Long night?”

“Yeah. My feet hurt. I think I need to buy more comfortable work shoes.”

“Are you walking?”

“Yep. The environment loves me,” I tell him.

“You need to get a car.”

“Agreed. It’s on my to-do list. I don’t have enough for a down payment yet.”

He just sends back, “…”

“Yes, I know you would give me money for a down payment. I appreciate it, but that’s not necessary. Thank you, though.”

He doesn’t say anything back, so I tuck the phone in my apron and start the walk home.

About halfway there, he sends me three links.

“Do you like any of these?”

I don’t even have to click them to know they’re cars, but I check them out anyway just to see what they cost. I’m not sure what percentage I’d have to put down on a car loan. Maybe I’ll ask my mom.

I expect anything Hunter would send me to be far outside of my price range anyway, but I’m pleasantly surprised to find the first car is a used Volkswagen, a few years old with great mileage and a gorgeous midnight blue color. The best part? It’s under $10,000. I didn’t want to spend more than 5k to keep my payment reasonable, but I actually really like the car.

I click the next link. It’s a used Lexus, also blue. This one is a year newer than the Volkswagen and gorgeous inside, but it’s also triple the price. It’s so far outside of my price range, I laugh out loud as I close the window and click the third one.

It’s a black BMW. I see the price first, so I don’t even bother to look at the pictures.

“You like blue cars, huh?” I ask him.

“I can see you in a blue car,” he texts back.

“I actually really like the first one, I’m gonna show it to my mom. It’s a little more than I planned to spend, but I might be able to make it work if I like it enough.”

“Don’t look at the prices, look at the cars,” he sends back. “I wouldn’t have sent you a car I couldn’t buy you.”

“You are not buying me a car,” I inform him.

“Come on, you won’t let me buy you a house, at least let me buy you a car.”

“No.”

“You really like that word, don’t you?” he texts back.

I crack a smile. “It’s my favorite.”

“I’m gonna find a way to strip it from your vocabulary, just you wait and see.”

My smile widens as I text back, “May the odds be ever in your favor.”

Chapter Forty Three

Riley

When the doorbell rings Sunday morning, I am still in my pajamas, sitting on the couch with my mom as we debate what to do with our unexpected day off together.

I was supposed to work today, but Deb called an hour ago and told me not to come in. Apparently, it’s a slow day and they won’t need me, after all.

She also told me there was a change in the schedule and they won’t need me for the weekend shifts I was supposed to work next weekend. It seems a bit odd, but I haven’t worked there long. Maybe it’s not unusual to have a lot of flux in the schedule. Makes it pretty difficult to plan around work, though. Hopefully, this week is a fluke.

I’m a little worried about only having one day of work this week, but Deb assured me I didn’t do anything wrong and I’m not being punished. It’s just a schedule change, that’s all.

“Was Ray supposed to come over?” I ask as I walk toward the front door.

Mom is still sitting on the couch, but she’s cross-legged and sideways, so she looks over at me. “No, he’s working today. He has in-home personal training with this tacky rich lady who keeps trying to bang him.”

I pause and look back, surprised. “And you’re okay with this?”

She shrugs. “She tips well. It’s not like he’s gonna do it.”

When I open the front door, I am a bit shocked to see the flower delivery man. He has an armful of colorful flowers, all different kinds. “What is this? It’s not even Monday.”

He flashes me a smile. “Right? I was surprised, too.”

I take the flowers. Usually there’s a card in the bouquet, but giving them a cursory glance, I don’t see one.

“Here you go,” the delivery man says, nabbing my attention.

When I look back at him, he’s holding a small black envelope.

“He wanted me to make sure you got this, so don’t lose it. I think it’s important.”

“Got it. Thanks… what’s your name? I feel like I should probably learn your name.”

“Ted.”

“Nice to meet you, Ted.”

“Your boyfriend is well on his way to being my favorite customer,” he informs me. “As a boyfriend, I’m not sure if he’s really great or really terrible, but as a customer, he gets five stars.”