She took my hand in a firm grip and shook it. “Laura Swanson. Thanks. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t come along.”
I glanced at the figure in the car. “Is there someone you can call to come get you once we drop off the car?”
“Yeah, there’s—shit. No. All our friends went to this big party in town tonight. I doubt any of them are sober enough to drive.” She chewed on her lip. “Is there some place we can stay? A hotel?”
“Not in town. Closest is going to be at least half an hour away.”
“Great. Just perfect.”
I mulled over the situation. I figured I was a pretty good judge of character, and it seemed like this girl was on the level. I thought of Ali again and spoke.
“Boomer—he’s the mechanic—he’s got a few loaners that he lets us use when he’s working on our cars. Nothing fancy, but it’ll get you back to the city.”
Laura seemed to sag in relief. “Okay. And you’re sure it would be okay for us to borrow it? I can leave a credit card or some cash—” She glanced into the car, thinking about her handbag, I guessed.
“Nah, you don’t have to do that. I’ll vouch for you.” I pointed at my truck. “I’m going to back up closer, so you might want to get in the car for the time being. Wouldn’t want to hit you by mistake.”
She nodded, and I jogged over to climb into the cab. Turning around to watch behind me, I eased back until the tail of the truck was a few feet away from the Honda. When I got out and began retrieving the chains, Laura joined me again. She watched in silence as I worked.
“You must live pretty far out in the country.”
I looked up at her, sitting on the edge of the bumper, her arms crossed. “Yeah.” I attached the chain to the chassis of the car. “Got a farm down the road.”
“Hmm.” She was twisting her ring again. “Is the serpent belt—”
“Serpentine,” I corrected.
“Okay, is that going to cost a lot?”
I shrugged, struggling to my feet. “Shouldn’t be bad.”
“Meghan’s usually good about taking care of her car. She’s going to be pissed.”
“This is her car?” I jerked my chin toward the front seat.
“Yeah. Mine is much older. It’s my boyfriend’s, actually, but he’s overseas.” She smiled, and through the pride I saw a little wobble of strain. “He’s a Marine.”
I was never sure how to respond when someone told me that. “Hoo-ah!” seemed a little weird, seeing as I’d never been in the military. Sometimes I fell into the lame “Thank you for your service.” But now, seeing the hint of worry in Laura’s eyes, I didn’t have to stop and think. “That must be hard on you.”
“Yeah.” She held out her hand in front of her, looking down at the ring. “It is, but it’s part of the package, you know? Brian always wanted to be in the Corps, so it wasn’t a shock. It’s part of who he is, and I wouldn’t change that.” Even in the dark, with only the blinking lights on her face, I could see the love in her eyes. It almost made me feel like I was missing something. I shook it off and finished tightening up the connection.
“Okay, I think we’re set here. You’ll have to ride in the truck with me. And we’ll need to get your friend in there, too.”
“That ought to be interesting.” Laura stood up and opened the passenger door. I watched her lean in and shake the sleeping girl’s shoulder. She finally stirred, and I saw her twist to look up.
“Meghan, come on. The car broke down, and this nice guy is helping us out. You’ve got to ride in the truck.”
I moved closer, thinking they might need a hand. The dome light from the ceiling illuminated a pale face, bleary green eyes and dark red hair that looked like it might have been pulled back at some point tonight. Now it was messed up, hanging over one shoulder.
“What?” The girl blinked at her friend.
“The car needs a new belt. We broke down. You need to stand up and let me help you to the truck.” Laura bent further over and unlatched the seat belt.
Meghan was trying to pull her legs out of the car, but she was moving slowly, as though stuck in quicksand. Laura helped her to her feet, where she swayed for a minute, making me wonder if she was about to pass out. I grabbed one arm while Laura looped the other over her own shoulder. Together we stumbled our way to the truck.
I tried to keep my eyes from straying to Meghan’s chest, where the deep V of her neckline was riding low and tight over a really nice set of breasts. Her black shirt was hiked up around her stomach, revealing a strip of skin above her short denim skirt. She was taller than her friend, for sure; the top of her head reached my chin. Or would have, if it weren’t bobbing around at the moment.