Big Daddy Sinatra: There Was a Ruthless Man(14)
The man in the SUV that had t-boned her car, was getting out just as he arrived on the scene. The man was angry, as if he had no fault whatsoever in the crash, but all Charles could think about was getting to Jenay. When he saw her car door open, even before he could get to her, and saw her step out of her vehicle, his heart soared.
When she saw Charles coming her way, she, too, felt relieved. “Charlie,” she said as soon as she saw him.
He hurried to her. “Are you alright?” he asked her anxiously as he hurried up to her. He immediately placed his hands on either side of her small arms.
“I’m ok,” she said. “Thank God, I’m okay.”
Charles wanted to hold her he was so relieved. He wanted to pull her into his arms. So he did. He embraced her with a vigorous embrace. Any other time Jenay would have been surprised by this level of affection from a man she barely knew, but not this time. She was shook up. She needed the warmth of his embrace.
“It’s all your fault, lady,” the man said as he approached the hugging couple. They stopped embracing when they heard the nearness of his voice. “You are going to pay for my damage! You’re going to pay for this!”
“First of all,” Charles said, releasing Jenay from his grasp, “calm your voice.”
“But it was her fault!”
Charles grabbed the man by the catch of his collar. “I said calm your voice! You don’t talk to her in that tone!”
When the man saw that chilly look in Charles hard, green eyes, he settled back down. This guy didn’t look like just anybody to him. He looked like one of those Italians that could cause him serious trouble, if not serious bodily injury. “I don’t want any trouble,” he made clear, as Charles released him. “But it wasn’t my fault. She drove out into traffic as if she didn’t see me. She nearly gave me a heart attack!”
Charles was about to go at the man again, but Jenay moved in front of him. “It’s okay,” she said, because the man was right. She thought she had a clearance and went for it. She didn’t even see his vehicle coming. “I have insurance,” she added. “I’ll take care of it.”
And as the police officer arrived, and the small crowd began to disperse, everybody seemed to calm back down. Except Charles. His heart was still hammering. He kept looking at Jenay. He kept wondering why in the world did the thought of her coming to any kind of harm nearly did to him what it almost did to that other driver. It nearly gave him a heart attack too.
After phoning Triple A and having the car towed to a local mechanic’s shop Jenay frequented, and after the other driver and the police were both satisfied with the statements, Charles drove Jenay to her home. She leaned back against the headrest as he drove through the busy Boston streets, and soaked in the smell of leather, and of his cologne, inside his Jaguar.
He looked over at her, and then back at the road. “Take off your shoes,” he said. “I’m sure your feet are still hurting.”
“You’re right about that,” Jenay replied, and gladly removed her heels.
“Sure you didn’t want to go to the hospital and get yourself checked out?”
“I’m positive, Charlie, thanks. I’m okay. I’m a little shook up, I’ll admit that, but I’m okay. I’m just glad my insurance company is going to take care of his car, and mine.”
“You stay on them though,” Charles advised. “They can tell you anything over a phone. You make sure they keep their word.”
She nodded. “I will,” she said.
“So what happened out there? You got distracted?”
“Or wasn’t paying full attention to begin with, yeah. It was totally my fault.”
“How old is that Honda?”
“Five years old now.”
“And you said it was three years old when you purchased it?”
“That’s right. And didn’t have a day of trouble out of it while it was under warranty.”
“Yeah, but that’s how they do you. It’s all about lining their pockets with other people’s money.”
She looked at him. “What about this car? Bought it new?”
He smiled. “Yes, I did, actually.”
She looked around. “It’s nice.”
“I’m glad you approve,” he said, and then looked at her. “I certainly do.”
She ignored his remark, and kept looking around at the car’s interior. “It looks so rich and elegant. Like a real luxury car.”
“Like me, right?” He was kidding.
“Exactly like you.” Jenay was not. Then she turned serious. “Listen, Charlie, I want to thank you.”