“I might be able to just pay cash for it. I’ve been saving for a long time.”
“Do you want a car or truck?”
“I think I should get an older car.”
“Do you want something sporty?”
God, I feel like I’m joining the military.
“Bob, how about you just take me over to the cars and let me have a look.”
Bob talked nonstop, and Becky was on the verge of telling him to shut up. Chloe could tell by her snarl. Finally, after what seemed like a five mile walk, they arrived at the back of the lot where the older cars were parked.
“How about that one over there?” Chloe pointed. Becky gasped. It was a small, very used and rusted brown car. One of the tires was flat.
“That one doesn’t run right now. We just got it in. How about something like this?” Bob led the girls to a used Taurus. Chloe and Becky peered inside. It was dirty and had cigarette burns on the seats.
“You’ve got to be kidding me…” Becky blurted.
“Can you give us a few minutes to look around? If we see something we like, we’ll come and get you.” Bob stared the girls up and down a little bit more before asking them their first names. Finally, he left them in peace.
Becky grabbed hold of Chloe’s arm when her friend wandered towards a car that had holes on the doors and a mirror hanging off. “There are some rules, Chloe. Have some dignity!”
“I can’t find a car in here. There’re a hundred of them at least. I want a beater, not something that’ll give me a disease when I drive it.”
“Let’s go get a paper and look up some vehicles. I don’t like Bob. I want to kill Bob.”
“Get in the Jeep.”
Sitting in a small coffee shop, Chloe circled a car in the paper with a pen. “This one looks like a strong possibility. It’s pretty old but not in horrible shape. Ready to head over there?”
“What if the guy’s a whack job? No one will know where we are. We have to have a plan, Chloe.”
“A plan. Okay, here it is. If they come at us, I’ll throw a wad of cash on the ground. That’ll stop them.” Laughing, the girls drove off.
Becky couldn’t believe the change in her friend. Her spirits were brighter, she was determined, and her laughter was real. She couldn’t figure out if Chloe was doing this to get closer to Matthew, or doing it for herself. But at this point, it really didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to let anyone ruin this for her.
The girls parked in front of the small, beige sided house, and stared at the front of it. On the porch were geraniums in planters, a Big Wheel, and a collection of assorted toys.
“This is the car, the one with the sign in the window. It looks great on the outside."
“This isn’t so bad, Chloe. I mean, I wouldn’t be caught dead in it, but it’s the best beater I’ve seen. Do you think it has enough rust? I don’t see any dents either. Maybe it’s too good.” Becky looked concerned.
“No, look down here. There’s a little rust on both sides. It’s ugly, but look how clean it is inside.”
“Okay let’s go knock on the door. After we knock we step off the porch just in case.”
A woman answered. She was older and had a couple of young children next to her. She said the car belonged to her daughter, who passed away from an illness and left the two young children.
“It’s expensive raising the kids. I'm asking for two thousand, but I’ll go down to eighteen hundred for the car. I really need the money. It still runs pretty good."
"I'll take it!"
Chloe smiled to herself as she drove the old blue Impala to a side street by her house. She couldn’t get caught inside this car by anyone who knew her, or she’d get ratted out in a heartbeat. She couldn’t risk it.
“That was nice, Chloe. You really did a great thing.” Becky hugged her.
“She needed the money.”
“Well, I think paying ten grand for this beater was amazing.”
“What’ll be amazing is finding a place to hide it. I can’t use this car until I’m actually at that apartment.”
“Keep it here for now and pray no one has it towed in this neighborhood. And you’re absolutely right.”
“Right about what?”
“That sexy man standing next to the truck while he changes his shirt…” Becky laughed as they climbed out of the car.
Chloe spun around on her heels. “Oh my God, he can’t catch us over here with this car. Start jogging. Hurry!”
Becky knew better than to question Chloe when she was full of panic. She began jogging next to her friend in Matthew’s direction.
“If he talks to me, Chloe, I might pass out. What a beautiful specimen…”
“I know right. He’s not only the best eye candy I’ve ever dreamed of, he’s a sweetheart to go along with it. We’re getting close, so try to act like you’re out of breath some.”
“Chloe, it’s nice to see you again!” Matthew walked towards them and the girls stopped in fake surprise. He glanced down at their feet. Sandals and heels to jog in?
“It’s great seeing you again, Matthew.” Chloe introduced him to Becky, while acting out of breath.
After a half hour of small talk, Matthew found himself staring at Chloe. He was intrigued by everything about her, but the fear of his wall coming down was making him want to leave. “I should get home and hop in the shower. It was nice to meet you, Becky.”
“Wait. Matthew, would you like to come over for a swim? The water should be nice and cool. I’ll even whip up some dinner.”
I am starving, and jumping in that pool would be great. No harm in a couple of hours with new friends. “Wow that would be fun. Let me call my buddy John and ask him to peek in on my father.”
The girls waited for Matthew to get back out of his truck. Becky took off ahead to speak to the guards so there wouldn’t be any issues. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief when she reached the poolside without being questioned. The last thing she needed was to be called ‘Miss Burlington’ in front of Matthew.
“I don't know why I didn't think of this, but I don’t have any swim trunks.”
“My dad has lots of them. I’m sure there’re some in the pool house that’ll fit you. Let me go find a pair.” Becky smiled like a good hostess.
Chloe was so glad her friend was playing her part. She owed her one. "Will that roof take much longer to finish?"