Ch. 18
I woke up Wednesday morning. The sun was shining in my face, and I could tell today was going to be a good day. I had all my living room packed from the day before. One room down, three to go. I had big plans for today. I had called Rafe the night before to see if he would help me. I was going to surprise Danny. Rafe was ecstatic at the idea. I couldn't wait to see the look on Danny's face when he saw what I was getting him.
It was a normal day. Almost too normal. It seemed like things were finally starting to quiet down some since everyone came into this time. I was enjoying it. I was done with the drama of all of this. I wanted life to be as normal as it could be. For everyone.
I've started seeing less and less of Emily. It didn't bother me too much. Love was in the air between her and Red. We all could tell their relationship was blossoming. None of us wanted to stand in the way of that. They both deserved to be happy. I wanted them both to be happy. If things didn't work out between the two of them, none of us knew how we would handle the situation. And, by none of us, I meant Danny, Rafe, Evelyn, and me. We didn't worry about it too much, though. We could tell there was something there that the two of them haven't seen yet. It was just going to take them some time.
My day at work dragged by. There weren't any new additions to the collection, today. So, I just sat at the front desk, reading a magazine, and enjoying some peace and quiet. What could I really complain about? I was getting paid to sit around. I was the only one there. Emily had the day off, and Ms. Leslie said she had some business to attend. I didn't care, much.
After work, Rafe was already outside waiting on me. He must have gotten off early. He probably made up some sort of excuse as to why he had to leave. I hopped in the cab of his truck, ready to get Danny's surprise. I had the biggest grin on my face. As soon as I opened the door, we immediately struck up a conversation.
"Hey, Rafe. How did you manage to be here so early?"
He gave a wide grin while putting the truck into gear.
"I said my pregnant wife needed me. They didn't question it one bit. They know I'm a first time father, and every little thing will make me jump."
We both laughed. I decided to roll the window down, and feel the wind through my hair.
"You know, Alyssa, Danny's not going to be too happy with you."
The smile on my face disappeared some. He was right. Danny may have loved to surprise me, but he hated surprises. Especially expensive ones. I just glared my eyes at Rafe.
"I know, but he deserves it. It's something he needs, and I feel like I owe him at least one."
Rafe just shook his head. He knew I was right. He's been there for almost every surprise Danny had given me. Hell, he helped plan most of them. I figured, why not let him help me plan Danny's? Not just that, Rafe was a better negotiator than I was.
"Yea, yea. I know. Hell, in a way, I wish Evelyn would surprise me with something like this."
I just grinned. Those two never stopped surprising each other. Whether it be the pregnancy we all knew about and he didn't, or the engagement party, or quiet dinners alone. They always had something going on. They were the perfect couple. I admired them for that.
"Well, be careful what you wish for. You never know. For all you know, the next surprise you get will her be telling you you're having twins."
I was teasing him. I think part of him knew that, but as soon as I said that, his face went pale. We were stopped at a red light. He looked straight at me. I could tell he was hoping that wasn't the case. He was serious.
"We're not, are we?"
I just laughed, and jokingly slapped him on the arm.
"No. I was just kidding. At least, not that I know of. I only saw one baby on the ultrasound, but you never know."
I was still joking with him. It was true, though. People are surprised all the time by the arrival of twins. They think they're having one, but it turns out, they had two. So, it could happen.
"Just shh."
He nudged me back, and proceeded to our destination.
"Fine. What did Danny and Red say about you leaving early?"
Rafe's face fell some. He hated lying to the people he loved. Even if he did mean well by it. The last time he lied, he nearly got killed. He only lied when necessary. Most of the time.
"Red believed the story. He had no reason not to. He hasn't known me as long as Danny. Danny, on the other hand, I could tell he was skeptical, but he just went with it."
I was probably holding my breath, because I realized I had exhaled a deep breath. I was so glad to hear that Danny didn't question anything. This needed to be a total surprise.
"Good."
By this time, we had pulled into our destination. It was a car dealership. I was in awe at all the different cars. I was thinking of getting a new one for myself, but I had to stop myself. Danny was in a bigger need than I was. I brought Rafe along for two specific reasons. Number one, Rafe could negotiate. I mean hell, he negotiated his way into the military. Evelyn would have taken his wings had it not been for him convincing her otherwise. Number two, Rafe knew exactly what Danny would want. He knew brand, year, color, everything. It was something men talked about to men. Men didn't usually talk about the exact vehicle they wanted. The only reason I was there was to sign paperwork.
As soon as we got out of the car, a salesman came walking up to us. They were sharks waiting for their next prey. I hated cars salesmen. Thank God, Rafe was there. I probably would have ended up buying a car for over sticker price.
"Hello. My name is John."
He shook both of our hands. I was mentally rolling my eyes. Rafe was friendly, but not too friendly. I could tell he hated these people just as much as I did.
"I'm Rafe, and this is my sister, Alyssa."
The man had a look of surprise on his face. He must have thought we were a couple at first. I just shook it off. Rafe just made my day. He called me his sister. There really was a first time for everything. After the look of surprise left the man's face, he plastered it with a smile. He then started with his fast talk.
"Well, what can I help you with, today? We have a fine line of sports cars that I'm sure the little lady would be interested in."
He pointed to where the sports cars were. He was right. I was definitely interested. I shook my head politely, though.
"No, sir. I'm looking to surprise my fiancé with a new vehicle."
The man's face just lit up. I could tell he loved the customers that were getting presents. They were willing to pay anything to get the car they wanted.
"Well then, you've come to the right place."
I mentally rolled my eyes again. Of course we did. To him, at least. I was already wanting to leave. He was already pushy. I hated it. I could hear Rafe mumble under his breath.
"I'm sure we did."
I just smirked, and Rafe looked over at me with a grin. Even though we weren't closer, we knew exactly what the other was thinking. It was a little scary.
"So, what are you folks interested in for him?"
It was Rafe's turn. I was done talking. This was his area of expertise.
"Well, I was thinking either a pick up or a SUV. It's got to be able to tow, have 4-wheel drive, and a manual transmission. Low miles, perfect engine, decent gas mileage, and blue."
I looked at Rafe in shock. Was he serious? He knew right off the bat what he was looking for. I was in awe. I needed him to teach me more about cars.
"Alright then. If you two will follow me, I'll take you right where you want to be."
We passed all the cars, and came up to the SUVs. I didn't see a single blue one.
"Now, I know you said you wanted blue, but we got this nice black SUV here. It can tow, manual transmission, 40 thousand miles, 4-wheel drive, 3 rows of seats, a sunroof, it gets 16 mpg, and it's a 2012."
Rafe shook his head. That was not what he asked for.
"It has to be blue, newer, a lower number of miles, and a little better than that with the gas mileage."
Rafe was in no mood for bullshit. I was fine with that. If it were me, I probably would have jumped all over that SUV. I didn't care it wasn't blue, and to me, I thought 40 thousand miles was pretty low for a 2012 model.
"Ok then. Follow me."
He took us to a row of trucks. I saw two blue ones. One was a navy blue, the other was a bright blue. He took us to the navy blue one first.
"Now, this is a full sized pick up. It's a 2014 model with 1000 miles, automatic transmission, 4 doors, and 18mpg."
I was appalled. This man was trying to sell us a truck we didn't even want. I was getting pissed. I could tell by the look of disgust on Rafe's face that he was pissed, too.
"Look, sir. We will go somewhere else if you don't have what we want. We told you specifically what we are looking for, and you keep showing us this bullshit."
John had a look of shock on his face. He wasn't used to getting talked to like that. I didn't care, and either did Rafe. We came for what we wanted, nothing less.
"Sorry, sir. Yes, right over here. This bright blue truck. Full sized cab, 4 doors, towing package, manual transmission, 22mpg, 150 miles, 2015, and 4-wheel drive."
Rafe had a smug smile on his face. I could tell he was liking it already, but he wasn't letting it show. He was just showing the man he was happy with him showing us what we asked for.
"What's the price?"
The man looked at us. We both looked like we didn't have a lot of money. We wouldn't let him know otherwise, though.
"I'll tell you what. I'll knock 2 grand off, making it 25,000."
While Rafe and John were in the middle of a negotiation, I looked through the windows of the truck. There was a front and back seat, leather, tan, interior, power windows, power locks, a sunroof, and a cd player. It had radio controls on the steering wheel, I could see the cruise control button, and a back-up camera. I loved it so far. That's when I saw the sticker price inside. 25,000 dollars. I was pissed. I walked over to Rafe and told him about it. I whispered it into his ear. He got visibly pissed.
"Now, you said you were going to knock off 2000 dollars to make it 25 grand. The sticker price is 25 grand. What kind of fools do you take us for?"
I stepped back some. I wasn't going to get involved in this. No way.
"Come on, Alyssa. We're leaving."
The man was in shock. He thought we were some backwoods hicks. He did take us for stupid. I was just a woman who didn't know anything, and Rafe was just a redneck hick. That's what he thought. I was angry. Rafe was livid. We started walking back to Rafe's truck before the man stopped us.
"Wait! I'm sorry. Look. You take it for a test drive. See if you like it, and for the trouble so far, I'll knock 5000 off. How does that sound?"
Rafe had a smile on his face. He wiped it off before he turned around to face the man.
"Go get the keys, and let's ride."
Rafe was the one who drove. He knew what to listen for, what to check out, and everything. I was checking out the interior. There were so many different compartments. Four cup holders in the front alone. I noticed the pedals could come to you, and I also noticed that the back-up camera wasn't working properly. When we got back, that's when Rafe finally decided to speak.
"Alright, let's go in and talk."
John had a big smile on his face. He knew he was about to make the sale. When we got inside, we went straight into his office.
"So, how's the 20 thousand sounding."
Rafe shook his head. He apparently noticed the back-up camera, too. I was glad.
"The back-up camera doesn't work right, and there's no tow hitch. I'm thinking lower."
The man sighed. We could tell he was getting aggravated with us. We knew he made commission, but why would there be something like that wrong in a brand new truck?
"Fine, I'll knock an extra 2grand off, making it 18, and I'll throw in your tow hitch. For all the trouble, I can also get you no interest on your monthly payments."
Rafe smiled. He had the man right where he wanted him. This was exactly what he wanted.
"What about a down payment?"
The man smiled.
"Let's run some numbers."
He brought something up on the computer before he spoke again.
"Now, I'm going to need all the information about whoever's name this is going to be in."
I nodded. I gave him everything he needed. He entered it all into the computer, and came up with something Rafe and I, both, could agree on.
"Alright, Ms. Banks. I've got here a down payment of 1000, no interest, and your monthly payments will be 400 a month. How does that sound?"
I gave Rafe a help me look. I wasn't quite sure. I knew I could afford the 400 a month, but I wanted them to be slightly lower.
"Is there any way we can get the payments at 350 a month?"
John gave Rafe a quizzical look. He thought he was giving us a deal with that, but he went to crunch the numbers again.
"Alright, if you can give me 1500 down, I can get you your 350."
Rafe seemed happy with that, but he gave me a questioning look. He didn't know my financial situation. He didn't know if I had the money to put down. It was my turn to finally speak.
"You take checks, right?"
The man smiled widely, and nodded his head. I was so relieved. I wanted this to just be over, and get that truck home to Danny.
By the time everything was said and done, I was situated in the driver's seat of Danny's new truck. Well, legally mine, but it was his. The door was hanging wide open, and Rafe was standing there talking to me.
"You know how to drive a stick, right?"
I nodded. That's what I learned to drive in. It was all Ms. Leslie's husband owned.
"Okay. I'll follow you back to the house just to be on the safe side. That way, if anything goes wrong, I'll know about it immediately."
"Thanks, Rafe. I owe you one."
He shook his head.
"Nope. After all you've done for me and Evelyn, you don't owe me squat."
He winked at me, and walked to his truck.
When we got back to his place, Red and Danny still weren't there. It was almost that time, though.
I got out of the truck as Rafe came over to me.
"Come on. We have to hurry and get inside. We need to act like we don't know anything about this. We'll help Evelyn in the kitchen."
I nodded. When we went in, Evelyn already almost had supper done. Rafe walked over to her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, what are you doing home early?"
He shot me a look. She had seen it, and then turned to me.
"Hey, Ev."
She looked at us both quizzically. She had no idea what was going on.
"What are you two up to?"
Just then, we heard a car pull up outside. Rafe went to look out the window hurriedly.
"It's them. Evelyn, do not talk to Alyssa. We can't give any indication she's here. Just talk to me, please?"
She was still curious, but just nodded. I went over to help her peel some potatoes.
We heard the guys walk in. My heart was pounding in my chest. I was waiting on Danny to say something. I could hear keys being hung up. I could hear his voice.
"Hey, Rafe, Evelyn? Who's here? Whose truck is that outside?"
I tried not to laugh. I just kept peeling potatoes. I heard him walk into the kitchen. My back was turned towards him.
"Alyssa?"
I turned around and gave him a big smile. He walked over to me and gave me a soft kiss on the lips. I could hear Red roll his eyes as he walked over to Rafe. He had the same question.
"How'd you get here?"
I just smiled at him, pulled the key out of my pocket, and handed it to him.
"Come on. Let's go for a drive."
He looked at me curiously.
"Okay?"
We went for a ride in the truck. He was loving it. He commented on the back-up camera as well. He was enjoying every minute of driving it.
"So, why do you have this? Did something happen to your car?"
I smiled again.
"No, my car's fine. I'm fine. I bought this today."
He was surprised.
"Well, why? Your car is practically brand new."
By this time, we were back in the drive way. He still wasn't getting it. He still hadn't caught on.
"Danny, I bought this for you. Surprise!"
He was in complete shock. He didn't know what to think. He smiled for a second, and then his face fell. When I saw his face fall, my face fell.
"Why?"
I just shrugged my shoulders.
"Because you do so much for me. I thought I'd return the favor. You deserve this. It's yours Danny. From me to you."
He was fumbling with the key in his hand. He was at a loss for words. He was looking down at the key. He was still in remote shock. I was getting worried. He finally looked up at me. When he did, he had tears in his eyes. Before I could say anything, he pulled me into a hug. He gave me a big kiss on the lips.
"Thank you. So much. This means the world to me. I'm guessing Evelyn wasn't having pains today. I knew something was up. But, this was worth it. Thank you so much."
I just gave the biggest smile I could. I was happy he was happy. He deserved it. I gave him a passionate kiss. When we broke away, I finally spoke.
"Come on. You've got one more person to thank."