“Let’s go inside and look it up.” I motioned for him to follow.
&nb
sp; “Might as well leave it on the rack. You can’t drive it.” Major started following us as we walked into the shop.
Chapter 3: Samantha
There was no reaction when I arrived at the shop and called out for some form of assistance. I walked towards the glass doors that appeared to lead to some sort of office. When I got close, I could see three guys inside huddled over a computer terminal. They were so engrossed in it that they must not have heard me drive up. I could see two of them pointing and shaking their head as the one pushing the mouse started moving things around on the screen. It looked like they were obsessed with whatever was on the monitor. One of the men appeared to be a bit better dressed than the other two. He had slicked back hair that was almost black in color and a white button-down shirt with a purple tie. The other two were a little more ragged in appearance, and looked to be a little older. I assumed they worked at the shop—one of them was surely Steve, the brother of the sheriff I met on my way into town. I pulled the door open and heard the bells attached to it start to ring as they dangled freely against the glass.
“Hello?” I called out as I stepped into the dimly lit office.
“Oh, hi!” A man with a striking resemblance to Jesse stepped forward and smiled. “Welcome to Steve’s Repair Shop—I’m Steve. My brother said you would be stopping by.”
“Word travels fast.” I raised my eyebrows.
“Come on, let’s have a look at that tire?” Steve walked from around the counter, leaving the other two guys staring at us. After a moment, they turned back to the computer screen.
“I don’t know what happened. It just blew out.” I walked behind Steve, who moved a bit faster than me. When we got to the car, I popped the trunk.
“Damn, this thing is destroyed.” He reached in and started running his fingers across the rubber. “I might have something used I could get on here so you have a tire, but your rim really needs to be replaced. I’m not sure I have a fit for that handy. I can check with some junkyards or I can order a new one.”
“How long will that take?” I looked up at him after he slammed the trunk.
“I could put a tire on that rim today, but I wouldn’t trust it to get you far. If I replace the rim it will be a day or two, depending on what I find. Do you want new or used?” He put his hand on the trunk and looked to me for an answer.
“If I have to wait, I guess I’ll just get a new one.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Can I drive it until then?”
“Yeah, it will be fine around town, just don’t go trying to hop on the interstate or push it over fifty-five.” He chuckled slightly.
“I won’t do that.” I shook my head back and forth.
“So you’re Mrs. Grant’s granddaughter?” He leaned against my car and tilted his head.
“Yeah, I came to Granite Falls to handle her estate because my father isn’t feeling well.” I looked down at the ground for a moment and sighed.
“Sorry to hear that. I didn’t know Randy very well, but I remember him from when we were kids. Do you need anything else—besides the tire?” He stepped back and looked at my car as if he was looking for something else that might be wrong.
“No, I don’t think so.” I shook my head back and forth.
“So, are you going to introduce us or keep her all to yourself?” The door to the office opened and the other two men stepped outside.
“We’re just talking about her car. Ms.—sorry I didn’t catch your name.” Steve turned towards me as the two men approached.
“I’m Samantha—Samantha Grant.” I extended my hand to the first one, who was well dressed compared to the other two.
“I’m Joe Danvers.” He took my hand with one of his and wrapped the other around it as he shook. “I’m the mayor of Granite Falls.”
“The mayor?” I blinked in surprise. “Very nice to meet you.”
“I’m sorry about your grandmother.” He kept his hands-on mine as he talked. “If you need any help with any of the arrangements, please come see me at City Hall.”
“I’m Major.” The other guy extended his hand. “I work here with Steve and do whatever else needs to be done around town. Are you planning on selling Mrs. Grant’s place?”
“I don’t know. I was just going to check on things, handle the arrangements, and then leave it for my father to figure out once he gets better.” I removed my hand from the mayor’s grasp and shook Major’s hand which was so big it practically engulfed mine. “Everyone here is so friendly.”
“Yeah, it’s a small town.” Mayor Danvers nodded his head. “We don’t get that many visitors, but we try to roll out whatever hospitality we can.”
“I hear Axe has already rolled out his version of hospitality.” Major chuckled. “Be careful with that one.”