“You want the bad news, or the bad news?”
Delaney looked up from her phone, already feeling the knot of dread tightening in her gut. “What have you got?”
Beau crossed to the desk and hitched a hip onto the corner. He looked tired and more than a little reluctant, which tightened the knot all the more. “Your steering rack is cracked. You have two choices, and both of them suck. Three, really, if you consider ditching the car and hitching back home an option.”
She groaned and dragged a hand over her hair. As if she had a home anymore. “Option number one?”
“There’s actually a recall on that part since it’s a known problem, so I can get you a new one through the dealer, but it won’t be here for five to seven working days, and will take at least a day or two for me to install.”
“Not a chance. I have to be in Florida by Tuesday.” She had thought that by leaving Thursday, it would give her plenty of time to acclimate to her new place before starting work. If she showed up a week or more late, she’d be fired before she ever started. As it was, the outgoing manager only had a four day overlap with her employment.
“You can forgo the recall route and cough up two grand for the aftermarket part and installation, plus the extra cost of overnighting the part from New Jersey.”
She just about choked. “Two grand? As in two thousand dollars?”
He nodded. “Plus shipping and labor.”
Son of a bitch. She knew she should have gotten a Honda or Toyota. She’d been clinging to her former life by getting the Mercedes, which was all fun and games until you had to replace a part. Only now did she remember cracking the headlight on her SLK last year and learning the replacement casing was over two thousand dollars as well, though thankfully insurance had paid for that. She shook her head. You’d think the damn parts were dipped in gold.
“So what I’m hearing is that I am SOL.”
He nodded again. “That about sums it up.”
The back door opened and Georgia breezed in, looking remarkably fresh given the heat of the day and the late hour. Delaney was so shell shocked, she couldn’t even bring herself to greet the other woman.
“Well, hey y’all,” she exclaimed, bussing a kiss on Beau’s cheek as she dropped another armload of books on the desk. “Didn’t think you’d still be here, Delaney. I hope Beau hasn’t had you cooling your heels all this time. No matter what he says, I swear to you that he was raised to show good manners. Ain’t that right, honey?”
Sending her a half-amused, half-exasperated look, he said, “I know better than to contradict a lady. And I was just telling Delaney the bad news about her car, so now may not be the best time for small talk.”
“Uh, oh. I don’t like the sound of that. What’s the bottom line?” She was all business now, tilting her head as she waited for the diagnosis.
“Either two weeks to get a new part in via recall channels, or two grand out of pocket.”
Georgia’s whistled response was impressively high-pitched. “Well, that is rotten. Is that with or without the family discount?”
The muscles just below his cheekbones flexed, and Delaney could imagine how much he disliked being put on the spot. “It’s with the ‘old friend’ discount.”
“Well, you know friends are family ‘round here. Surely you could shave a little more off that estimate.”
“Mom,” he said, clearly not happy to have his mother telling him what to do. “I’m doing the best I can here.”
Georgia started to speak again, but Delaney held up a hand. “No, really, it doesn’t matter. There is no way I can afford that right now, even if you gave me a one hundred percent discount on the labor. I’ll just have to go with option one.”
Maybe she could sleep in the car, since it wasn’t good for anything else. And maybe her new boss would give her all the time she needed, plus a massive bonus and free use of a company car. She tamped down a hopeless bubble of laughter. She was well and truly screwed.
“Excellent choice,” Georgia said, her smile suddenly bright. “Why, you can stay with us.”
“Mother,” Beau barked, widening his eyes for emphasis. “I’m sure we can get her a room at the Beavertail B&B.” He turned to Delaney with a forced smile. “You’d be much more comfortable with your own space, I’m sure.”
“Oh, please,” Georgia said with a wave of her hand, “they don’t even have Wi-Fi there. And my biscuits are ten times better than the hockey pucks they serve for breakfast. Best of all,” she said, sending a wink in Delaney’s direction, “we’re free.”
There were approximately one thousand, seven hundred, and twenty-three reasons to say no—not the least of which was Beau’s thunderous expression—but Delaney didn’t hesitate even half a second. “Sold! Thank you so much.” She sent him her best sorry-but-I’m-not-backing-down smile. “I promise you will hardly even know I’m there.”
Given the state of her checking account, this was by far her best option. Accepting the offer was yet another ding to her pride, but after the month she’d had, what was one more hit?
Georgia’s grin was a mile wide. “Nonsense! What’s the fun in having you there if we can’t enjoy your company?”
“My mother’s hospitality is unfortunately out of proportion to the size of our house,” Beau said tightly, his normal southern drawl stretched thin. “Brendan’s old room is crammed with all his belongings since he gave up his lease before leaving, so unless you want the couch, I’ll just go fetch the B&B’s number.”
The mile-wide grin collapsed to a scowl in an instant as Georgia eyed her son. “Beauregard Clifton Rodney, I raised you to be a gentleman. Of course Delaney won’t be on the couch,” she said, her voice like sugar-topped steel. “You will.”