Oscar
makes the offhand comment that he wishes the damn car would get
struck my lightning. Little does he know that later that night, it
will. No one believes the car is unscathed.
They
stood around nodding agreement as Oscar checked his rented car. Aside
from a little soot on the hood, there seemed to be nothing wrong.
Sighing heavily, he went back to his room determined to sleep more,
but his rest refused to come. Instead, he lay awake with visions of
the car's demise playing in his head over and over. He finally fell
asleep around four in the morning. He woke to a phone call from the
hotel manager at around 8:00.
"Mr.
Friedman, so sorry to wake you, sir."
"Yeah?"
Oscar sat up, rubbing his eyes.
"We
took the liberty of contacting the rental company for you. The
representative is here at the moment and would like to speak to you."
"Thanks.
Give me a couple minutes to wake up. I'll be down."
"The
representative is on the way up and should be there any minute."
"Shit."
Cursing,
he hung up and dressed quickly. He was just starting the coffee pot
when there was a knock on his door. Oscar answered, anticipating a
fat, balding man. Instead, an attractive woman in her early forties
stood there in a navy blue suit. Her skirt was flared and just above
knees, revealing a shapely lower leg. Strawberry blonde hair curled
below her ears, brushing the top of her collar. Knowing blue eyes
held his for a moment before she spoke.
"May
I come in, Mr. Friedman?"
"Sure.
Knock yourself out." He held the door for her to walk through.
He
finished setting up the coffee and waited for her to speak. Barefoot,
standing with his hands shoved deep into the pockets of his faded
blue jeans, he looked rather lost and alone. The woman gave him a
thorough examination before speaking. Her voice was sultry and low.
"Mr.
Friedman, the company sent me over as a courtesy to you, sir.
Although I'm not overly sure what they expect me to do."
"Neither
do I, Miss...?"
"Bond.
Jasmine Bond."
Oscar
laughed somewhat derisively. When the woman didn't join him, he
stopped abruptly. "I'm sorry, Ms. Bond. I thought you were
kidding. I apologize. I imagine you get that a lot."
"Unfortunately,
my parents were way too creative with their naming. Be that as it
may, I'm curious as to what you want from the company."
"Obviously,
I want a different car. That one has been problematic since I got it.
The GPS seems to be faulty as well as the alarm. I figured I'd go
talk to the agency today and ask for a different car. I'm going to be
here all week, I need a reliable vehicle."
"What
brings you to town?"
"Business.
I'm an author. I'm here for a book signing tour. I've got three
venues in four days, rotating with other authors under the same
publisher. Would you like to see our itinerary?"
"Sure."
He
dug through his bag, handing her a crumpled sheet listing his
appointed times per venue. Some were scratched through and changed.
"One
of the authors got sick at the last minute, so we're covering her
times as well. So you see why I need transportation."
"Interesting
choices. Who set this up?"
"The
publisher."
"Well,
the most I can do for you is examine the car and take you to the
office so you can see about a new one. I wouldn't hold my breath.
Memorial Day is a busy weekend. I'm surprised we had one at all."
"I
made the reservation several months ago. Even if it's a different
kind of car, I don't care. I need something to go from point A to
point B, and not get me lost in the meantime."
She
smiled, tossing her hair with a laugh. "I understand. Well, when
you're ready, we can go together and talk to Don. I'm sure he'll help
all he can."
"Thanks.
I'd like that. Um, have you had breakfast?"
"I
beg your pardon?"
"Breakfast.
Coffee, Danish, scrambled eggs? My treat. I hear this hotel has a
nice breakfast buffet."
Jasmine
Bond was about to refuse when her stomach growled. She'd gotten the
call to come by here on her way to work and hadn't had time to stop
and get her breakfast. Sighing, she shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
The
food was delicious. Oscar ate well, having skipped dinner the night
before. Jasmine was reluctant to eat as much as she wanted, but he
encouraged her to fill up.
"It
amazes me to see a woman who won't eat until she's full for fear
someone will comment on how much she eats. I like a woman with a
healthy appetite and a little meat on her. Bony women...." He
didn't finish, shaking his head in disgust.
"Don't
like bony women?"
"I
find them—uncomfortable."
"That's
an odd word. What do you mean?"
"I
bruise easy." He shrugged.
Ms.
Bond laughed happily. "You're so silly. Do I dare ask where?"
Oscar
chuckled, shaking his head. "Probably not."
©
2018 Dellani Oakes
No comments:
Post a Comment