He handed me his business card and winked at me. “I’m Gavin Tillery. If you don’t call the cops, then I’ll buy you a new car.”
“Is this some kind of joke to you?”
He didn’t reply. He just got into his BMW and sped off.
I examined the damage to my bumper and realized that it wasn’t so bad after all, but I was still pissed about the whole incident. It irritated me that someone could be so incredibly cocky.
With my hands resting on my hips, I stood there fuming, watching him weave in and out of traffic.
Why would some jerk want to buy me a new car because of a stupid scratch? I’d believe it when it happened.
2
Gavin
Iwas exhausted after the long flight from Spain and was thankful to be back home in River Valley. There was nothing like pulling up in my driveway and seeing the large cast-iron gates surrounding my mansion. It was located on the outskirts of town, which I insisted upon when Richard helped pick it out. River Valley reminded me of my hometown in Massachusetts, and living outside the city limits made it feel like I had never left.
It had been a successful business trip for the company. I wished that Richard could have gone with me. I visited a few trendy bars where women gravitated towards me like moths to a flame. I had to admit, back when Richard was single, we had quite a bit of fun with ladies we met at bars, but that hadn’t happened in over a year.
I was happy that he found a gal to spend the rest of his life with, but a part of me still missed him being a bachelor.
Richard had helped renovate my house, and now that he was married with a baby on the way, he spent all his free time with his new family. Sometimes he used to come over, and we’d knock back a few beers in my spacious backyard. Afterward, we’d play pool in my game room, watch a football game in the living room, or I'd show him how all of my plants were doing in the garden. But those days were over.
As I walked from my car to the front door, a strong wind gusted in my direction, and I could smell the fresh herbs that were growing. It might have seemed like an odd hobby for a businessman who traveled the world, but gardening helped me come back down to earth and reconnect with nature. I couldn’t wait to use the basil and thyme in some dishes that I wanted to try, and I was even thinking of planting some herbs I’d never grown before while I was home.
Since I was in no mood to unpack, I left my luggage in the living room and decided to make myself a cup of coffee. The maid had done an excellent job of keeping the place clean while I was gone, and I noticed that she restocked my favorite brand and flavor of coffee. Richard and I had tried some delicious blends in Spain last year, but nothing compared to this wonderful Italian roast.
I popped a K-cup into the coffee machine, waited for it to brew, and then tackled the stack of mail on the counter.
As I was sorting through the mail, I looked up at the pictures on my mantle above the fireplace. Most of them were of me with family and friends back in Massachusetts, but the one that stood out the most was of Richard’s father and me. I was in my cap and gown on my college graduation day, not long after I had befriended Richard, and he seemed just as proud of me as my biological father would have been if he were still living. Who knew what I’d be doing if it weren’t for the Truman family?
Mr. Truman owned the company where I was employed, and Richard insisted that I come to work with him after graduating college. It was a rewarding career that I wouldn’t have traded for the world. If it hadn’t been for Richard and his father, I would have returned to Massachusetts and spent the rest of my life alone, settling for a boring career.
I tossed the pile of mail into the shredding bin since it was nothing but junk, including a flyer from an online dating website I had recently googled. Any form of dating would have been such a waste of time for me, though. I couldn’t even remember the last time I had been out with a woman. Whenever someone asked why I was still single, I chalked it up to traveling so often. Working for the Truman family meant that I could be sent overseas at a moment’s notice, and being in a relationship would only hold me back.
I also had a hard time socializing outside of my immediate group of friends, which stemmed from graduating from high school at such a young age. While normal kids my age were studying to get their driver’s license, I was taking college entrance exams.
Even though I was on the same intellectual level or higher than most other college freshmen, I couldn’t relate to anybody emotionally. I was surrounded by young adults who had gone through the entire high school experience and were several years older than me. I had definitely spent a lot of time by myself over the years
After shrugging off those negative thoughts, I realized the coffee was no match for the jet lag that I was feeling. So I laid on the couch and closed my eyes for what I thought would be only a few minutes. Richard had taught me about the strength of small power naps throughout the day. Even a five or ten-minute one could reenergize you enough to power through the afternoon, and that’s what I planned on doing as I dozed off. The last thing I remembered was the sound of my wind chimes in the garden that I had purchased on one of my other business trips.
I woke up much later.
The shift in light outside indicated it was mid-afternoon. My body jolted upright on the couch, and I glanced back at the clock. With wide eyes, I jumped up, realizing I had overslept by a long shot.
I had to be in a business meeting in about twenty minutes, and I needed a good twenty minutes if I were to obey the speed limit.
After I chugged the rest of my cold coffee, I threw my sunglasses on and then grabbed the keys to my BMW convertible. Like Richard, I had a collection of sports cars that I had the luxury of choosing from every day. Since it was another gorgeous day in River Valley, why not enjoy the fresh air while riding with the top down?
My lead foot got me into downtown River Valley with about ten minutes to spare. One of the perks of living in a small town was knowing how to avoid all of the speed traps.
I eased up on the gas pedal as soon as I turned onto Main Street. Quaint shops dotted the street on both sides, and I loved how their signs were bursting with color. As I gingerly drove down the road in my BMW, I watched people eating lunch outside of cafes, walking in and out of independent bookstores, and chatting with each other as they soaked up the sunshine. It was what I loved the most about living in this small town.
The traffic was heavier than usual that day, so I took the time to enjoy the view while making my way to the office. My eyes darted from one side of the street to the other and then back straight ahead. I had never had a problem driving that way before, but when I turned my eyes back to the road, a car was backing out of a parking spot right in front of me. I should have known better than to look away, seeing as how there were parked cars on both sides of the street, and everyone seemed to be downtown shopping.
I slammed on the brakes as soon as I saw what was about to happen.
“Holy shit!”
