"I appreciate it, I really do and maybe later I can think about doing that but not right now. For now, I'll help the two of you because I love working here," Nicole told them. "Now, I have to use the restroom," she added and made her escape, before she burst into tears.
Jasmine and Trinity waited until she was out of earshot to make plans. They knew she wanted it but was scared. They were determined to give her something she could be proud of. Jasmine called Ryan and told him they wanted him to build on an addition. They didn't tell him what it was for, either. They couldn't risk any chance of Nicole finding out about it until the moment it was ready.
They would certainly be keeping her busy over the next month with purchasing all the supplies to fill the new addition. The girls could hardly wait.
Nicole finished her day and headed out of the shop. Trinity and Jasmine left earlier and she'd drug her feet, not wanting to get back to the house early and fight with Ryan.
She jumped into her car and it started once again, making her incredibly happy. It was just starting to get dark out and she was feeling really tired. She wanted a hot bath and her soft bed. She got a few miles down the road and her car spluttered and died. She coasted it to the side of the road and tried to get it going for about fifteen minutes. She finally gave up and settled for walking. The place was only about a couple more miles but it may as well have been twenty with the exhaustion she felt.
She was creeped out by the dark and had to take a few deep breaths, to work up the courage for her trek. She got out of the car and started walking along the side of the road. A few cars passed by her but she kept her head down and they kept going. She would never get in the car with a stranger, no matter how harmless they looked or how great the neighborhood seemed.
Ryan paced by the door, waiting for her to come in. When she was still not there by six he called the shop. There was no answer and he knew she must have left at least an hour earlier. He was beyond angry she'd gone somewhere else. He grabbed his keys and decided to go searching for her. Of course, she refused to take the cell phone he'd gotten her. She refused to use anything he got her. She only wore the bare minimum of clothes he'd purchased because he'd burned all her original clothes. He didn't regret doing that, especially considering how the night ended.
He drove down the route he knew she'd take home and passed right by her, walking on the side of the road because he hadn't expected her to be there. When he reached her car, he started to panic a bit. He jumped out of his car and walked over to the piece of junk. He knew it was going to eventually leave her stranded. It was infuriating she wouldn't use the perfectly good car he'd bought her. Well, her rusted car was heading to the junk yard and there was nothing else she could do but drive the car he'd bought.
He drove back the way he'd come, much slower, praying he'd spot her and nothing bad had happened. He saw her about a mile from her car and breathed a sigh of relief. He pulled up next to her and opened his door.
"Get in, Nicole," he told her through clenched teeth. She should never have been in that death trap in the first place and seeing her walking along the dark road pushed his short temper over the edge of reason.
Nicole took one look at Ryan's face and decided there was no way she was getting in his car. She was still mad at him about their earlier fight and his tone set her own temper to the boiling point.
"No thank you," she said and picked up her pace. Ryan was so stunned by her refusal, she got a few yards ahead of him before he snapped out of it and gunned the engine. He pulled in front of her and leapt from the car.
He said nothing else to her, as he didn't trust his voice. He simply picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. Nicole immediately started pounding on his back and demanded he put her down. They were both breathing heavily by the time he dumped her into his passenger seat. She tried to get back out of the car and he saw red.
"I swear to you Nicole, if you get out of this car, I'll tie you down in the trunk," he threatened her. He leaned over her, his face only inches from her own. She knew he meant what he said. She decided not to test him. She sat back, with her arms across her chest and stared out the window, refusing to speak to him.
Ryan drove increasingly fast toward home. He wanted to throttle her so he knew it wasn't a good idea for them to remain alone. He knew he'd never physically abuse her but he still may say something he'd regret at a later time.
They arrived at the house and he got out of the car and came around her side before she even had the chance to unbuckle her seatbelt. She glared as he reached over and unsnapped it, then took her arm and led her inside.