Hooked Read online

  “Difference between big and small business. We actually care about our employees.”

  “Do you think she’ll actually look for a different job?”

  “She’s not Danny, Marlene.”

  “No, she’s not—”

  “She’s our good girl. She’ll do what she needs to in order to move forward. I believe in her.”

  “And if she ends up waiting tables and not making enough to cover her rent?”

  “Then we’ll help her out, the same as we did Dan.”

  “I guess it’s good we’re not planning to retire anytime soon.”

  “We knew what it would be like. Things are different now. There’s not a lot of opportunity out there, and it’s not like she’s not trying.”

  “I know. I just feel terrible for her. She’s never failed at anything before.”

  “She’s not failing now. The market is down and jobs are scarce. She’ll find something.”

  “Eventually.”

  “Eventually.”

  Jenna didn’t want to hear anymore.

  She was a burden, just like Dan had been. She was the reason they were having a hard time saving and why they weren’t talking about retirement.

  She hated how her dad had called her his good girl, but he was right. She’d spent her entire life trying to do the right thing and working hard to make them proud and not be a burden. Now she was becoming exactly what she’d tried so hard to avoid.

  It didn’t matter what she did, she had to find a job and she had to be self-sufficient. She might end up in a bachelor apartment in a crap neighborhood eating ketchup sandwiches, but she would do it.

  She couldn’t let her parents down. She couldn’t let herself down.

  * * * *

  “Thank you for your time.” Jenna hung up the phone and sighed. After a pause she picked up her pen and pulled her notebook toward her. It only took her a moment to find the company on her list, and she drew a long line through them.

  That was it. They were the last company she’d applied to.

  She’d sent out twenty-seven résumés, had heard back from eleven companies and three of them had given her a second interview. This last company had actually given her three interviews, and she’d been sure she would get the job.

  She’d travelled to the city twice to interview with them. She’d put on her business best and done and said everything she could to impress them, but they were going with someone else.

  “Well, fuck me,” she muttered and threw her pen down.

  She’d been home for five months, and she was no closer to being independent than she’d been the day of her last exam. She had no more prospects, and she was done.

  She was tired of being told no. She hated how her résumés weren’t even answered half the time, and she really hated doing interviews.

  She had no experience. That was the common theme with every rejection. She was fresh out of school, and they all wanted her to have experience. How could she get experience if no one ever gave her a chance to work?

  It was obvious she wasn’t going to get a job in her field. Now she had to focus on getting anything that paid enough.

  She could work for her parents’ company, but she didn’t want that life. She didn’t want to have her parents as her boss, and she really didn’t want to get her paycheck from them.

  Her budget told her that getting a job and staying in town was the most economical. The cost of living was cheaper, and she knew the area. She could get a cheap apartment and work two part-time jobs if she had to. She could make the numbers work, but the thought of actually doing it was depressing.

  She didn’t want to stay in town. She didn’t want to pick up her life right where she’d left off after high school. She wanted her own place and her own life, and she wanted to do it on her terms.

  She knew she was asking for a lot. She wasn’t the only one struggling and a lot of people were having trouble finding work, but she didn’t really care about anyone else at the moment.

  Right now she only cared about herself and how her life sucked.

  She had no friends, she hadn’t had a date since school, and she barely had any money left. She was on the last of her savings, and she would either have to go to her parents for money, or get a crap job to support herself while she looked for something more permanent.

  Her parents would be happy. They’d been hinting for months how she should find any job in the meantime, but she’d been so sure she would find something related to her degree she hadn’t bothered. Now she would have to bother, and she wasn’t even sure she would be able to find something right away.

  Her dad had warned her how people might be hesitant to hire her because she would be overqualified. If a company hired her to stock shelves or flip burgers, then they would worry about her leaving for a better job. No company wanted to put time and money into hiring an employee who would just end up leaving for something better.

  She would have to look for a temp job of some sort, or a contract type deal. She had no idea where to look or what she might find, but it was her only option.

  She couldn’t keep hiding in her room waiting for something to find her. She had to go out and find it, whatever it was.

  * * * *

  “No. No no no no!” She slammed her hand on the steering wheel and fought the urge to scream.

  Her car was dead.

  She’d just come back from the city after looking at apartments. She was half an hour from her parents’ house, and her car had died on the side of the road.

  “Fuck!” She closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. Tears prickled in her eyes as everything hit her at once.

  Every time she tried to move forward something knocked her back. She’d wasted two months waiting for a job that had never happened. She’d spent another three months desperately trying to find something even remotely related to her education and found nothing. Two more months had passed, and she’d finally found something. It wasn’t ideal, but she’d landed a job as a receptionist at a plumbing company. It was regular hours, decent pay, and there were some benefits. It was a family business and pretty small, but it was a job. And it didn’t require her to wear a uniform or a hairnet so she was happy.

  She’d used the last of her line of credit to put a deposit down on a very small apartment on the outskirts of a good neighborhood. She had a week until she was supposed to move in and ten days before she started her job.

  She didn’t have the time or the money to fix her car, but without the car she couldn’t move or go to work.

  Taking a deep breath, she forced the tears back down and wiped her eyes. Crying wasn’t going to solve anything, and sitting in her car on the side of the road wasn’t really an option either.

  She dug her phone out of her purse and called her dad.

  “Hello?”

  “Dad?”

  “Jenna, what’s wrong?”

  “My car broke down.”

  “Where? Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine, but I’m at least half an hour from home.”

  “What do you need?”

  “What’s the name of the garage you and Mom use, or their number? I know you guys are gone until Monday. I just need a tow.”

  “Do you need the credit card?”

  “I still have room on mine, not that I’ll be able to pay it off anytime soon, but I’ll be fine.”

  “If you need my number—”

  “It’s fine, Dad. I’ll see what the damage is and maybe then I’ll need a loan. Right now I’m okay.”

  “Okay, just give me a minute to get the number. Your mom wants to talk to you.”

  She waited as he handed the phone to her mother.

  “Jenna?”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Are you safe?”

  “I’m fine. Just pissed off.”

  “Do you need us to come home?”

  “No, don’t worry about m
e. You guys have been planning this trip for months. I just need the number for the garage, and I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you sitting out there alone.”

  “I’ll have the car towed and be home hours before you could get here. I’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t know—”

  “I’ll call Dan if I need help. I’ll be fine, Mom.”

  “Okay, here’s your father.”

  “Dad?”

  “Here’s the number, ask for Allan. He always does my car.”

  “Okay.”

  She dug a pen out of her purse and wrote the number down on her hand.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine. My car sucks, but I’ll be fine. Enjoy the rest of your trip, and don’t worry about me.”

  “Call us when you get home, just to let us know you’re safe.”

  “I will. Thanks, Dad.”

  “Bye.”

  She hung up the phone and dialed the number on her hand.

  “Carmichael Auto Service.”

  “Hi, my car died. I need to have it fixed.”

  “Can you get it to the garage, or do you need a tow?”

  “I need a tow. I can’t even start it.”

  “Where are you?”

  “On Highway 2. About ten meters from mile marker six.”

  “It’ll take about forty-five minutes for our truck to get there.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “Have you been to us before?”

  “No, but my dad says Allan always fixes his car.”

  “Allan’s not in today, but we have other guys here. That okay?”

  “Sure, that’s okay.”

  “Can I get your name?”

  “Mine or my dad’s?”

  “Your dad. Unless you want to set up your own account.”

  “I’m moving out of town in a week.”

  “Then we’ll use your father. His name?”

  “Joel Scott.”

  “Okay, and yours?”

  “Jenna Scott.”

  “Hang tight, the truck just left.”

  “Thanks.”

  She hung up the phone and checked her battery. It was nearly dead. She just sighed and leaned back against the seat and tried to relax while she waited for the truck to come and get her.

  * * * *

  When the tow truck arrived, it took some time for the driver to hook her car up. He’d gotten to her in less than forty minutes, though, so she was happy.

  She rode to the garage with the driver, and he dropped her off at the front office while he brought her car around to the garage.

  She’d never been to this mechanic before. She’d never actually been to a mechanic for more than an oil change. With a seven-year-old secondhand car, she’d known this day would come.

  She looked around the small office and went up to the counter. She could hear air compressors and voices, but she couldn’t see anyone.

  She was about to call out when she saw the bell on the counter. She hit the bell and turned toward the wall to look at the TV as it caught her eye.

  “Jenna?”

  She turned at the familiar voice, and her mouth dropped open when she saw who it was.

  “Clay?” She stared at him, even as he was staring at her with a shocked look on his face.

  He looked the same, but at the same time he looked different. She didn’t really know how to describe it. He looked settled and confident, and incredible. His hair was longer than the last time she’d seen him, but not by too much so it was stylish instead of shaggy. He was tanned and he’d bulked up. He wasn’t overly muscular, but he was cut and broad.

  “You work here?” she asked, shaking her head slightly.

  He just gave her a small grin as he looked down at his coveralls.

  “Of course you work here.” She shook her head again and smiled. “How have you been?”

  “Good.” He moved up to the counter. “You?”

  “Good.”

  “You home for a visit?”

  “A long one.” She grinned at his blank expression. “I moved home for a while.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know.”

  “Yeah, it’s been interesting.”

  “So, your car.” He looked down at the ledger in front of him. “Won’t start?”

  “Nope. It started chugging and I pulled over. When I did, the engine just died and wouldn’t start again.”

  “I’ll take a look at it. It’ll be about an hour before I have the diagnostic. Is that okay?”

  “That’s fine.” She nodded, trying to keep her eyes on his and not his body.

  “There’s magazines in the waiting area. The remote should be on one of the tables if you want to change the channel. There’s coffee and water too. Is there anything else you need?”

  “No, that’s more than enough.”

  “Great, well, I should get started on your car.” He looked at her. His dark eyes locked on hers, and she saw a flicker of appreciation in them.

  “Great, thanks.”

  He gave her one last smile and headed into the back part of the garage.

  She just let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding and went to the waiting area. She had no idea how she felt about seeing Clay again, and it looked as though she had at least an hour to try to figure things out.

  * * * *

  Clay went to the loading bay and picked up the file next to her car. He and Darryl were the only two on duty, and they didn’t have any other cars to work on.

  “You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Darryl said as he sidled up.

  “Not a ghost, but a memory.”

  “You know her?”

  “I did.”

  Darryl grinned as he took the file from him. “And I’m guessing you know her, know her.”

  “What are you, five?” He chuckled. “We had a thing. Almost had a thing.”

  “How do you almost have thing?” Darryl asked as he went to get some tools.

  “We hooked up, and after I was an idiot. Then we hooked up again, and this time we were both idiots.”

  “And now you’re seeing her here and thinking it’s time for round three?”

  “No, I’m thinking that after rounds one and two she’d never consider a round three.” He tossed his rag at him. “Now can we stop talking about my almost ex and focus on her car?”

  “Sure, man. Whatever you want.”

  He ignored Darryl’s grin and went back to work.

  He didn’t know how he felt about seeing Jenna again. She was the last person he would have ever expected to come to the garage. Last time he’d checked she was still living in the city and most likely hating his guts. It had been almost two and a half years, and she still looked like Jenna.

  Her hair was shorter. It was only a few inches below her shoulders now, but it was still full and soft-looking. Her eyes were a little sad and almost troubled, but he didn’t know if it was life or the fact that her car was busted. She’d filled out a bit, but it suited her and only made her shapelier.

  She was still gorgeous, and when she’d looked at him there had been more than just surprise in her gaze. He wasn’t sure, but he thought he saw a flare of desire.

  He just shook his head as Darryl popped the hood of her car. He didn’t want to think about seeing her right now. He needed to focus on her car, and then he could figure out what was going on inside him.

  * * * *

  “Jenna?”

  She jumped at the sound of her name. It had been so quiet the noise startled her.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you,” Clay said quickly.

  “It’s fine.” She stood and looked at him.

  “So there’s a few issues. Your starter is shot, your timing chain needs to be replaced, and you have a crack in the exhaust manifold.”

  “That all sounds very bad, and expensive.”
<
br />   “The starter and the timing chain are to be expected on a car this old with this mileage, but the crack in the exhaust could be dangerous.”

  “How so?”

  “It’s been leaking carbon monoxide into the cab of the car. Have you noticed any dizziness or nausea while driving for a long time? Felt tired and had a hard time keeping alert?”

  “Yeah, actually.”

  It was true. For the past month or so she’d felt carsick every time she’d driven for more than half an hour, and she’d never been carsick before. She’d assumed the fatigue was from stress, but apparently it was carbon monoxide.

  “All three need to be fixed if you’re going to drive your car away.”

  “How much?”

  He nodded for her to follow him and handed her a bill when they were at the counter.

  She looked at the amount and then looked at him.

  “Not that I’m not ecstatic, but this seems really low.”

  “I put you under my code.” He shrugged. “Parts at cost and I’ll do the labor for the minimum fee.”

  She just stared at him. “You would do that for me?”

  “You seem to be struggling a bit. If I can help, then I want to.”

  “Thank you. This is beyond anything I could have asked for.”

  “No worries. I’m happy to help. It’ll take about three days for the parts and another day for me to make sure it’s fixed. Is four days okay?”

  “That’s fine.” She nodded. It was cutting it very close, but it would work.

  “Jenna,”

  “Yes?”

  “Do you want to meet up later, catch up?” he asked suddenly.

  “Uh, sure. Yeah.” She nodded, smiling slightly at the invitation.

  “Great. I’m off at seven. I took the mid-shift today. How about coffee at eight-thirty?”

  “That sounds great.”

  “You staying at your parents?”

  “Yes. Still know where they live?”

  “I remember.”

  “Great. Is there a cab company I can call?”

  “Darryl can drive you with the courtesy car while I put in the order for your parts. He’ll be out in about five minutes.”

  A part of her was disappointed he wouldn’t be driving her, but the bigger part was relieved. She was still processing seeing him again, and she’d just agreed to coffee so they could catch up.

  “Thanks.”