Christy Barritt - Squeaky Clean 04 - Dirty Deeds by Christy Barritt

his. Especially to me, not only as his fiancée, but as someone who struggled big time with messing up. When Riley and I had met, I’d been unforgiving, I couldn’t stand Christians, and my only hope was in the things of this world.
    He’d played a big part in the changes in my life. He’d invited me to church. He hadn’t given up on me. He’d been there when I needed him the most.
    Most of all, he hadn’t made me feel judged, for the most part, at least. He’d loved me when I was unlovable. He’d been patient with me when any normal person would have just slapped me silly.
    So I’d discovered this week that Riley liked to drink and party at one time. What else didn’t I know? What had caused the changes in him?
    He didn’t seem keen on talking about it at the moment, so I turned my focus on the buildings around me. Adjacent to Allendale was an old historic town with a few gift shops, the garage, two restaurants, a gas station and a general store.
    An older, smaller hotel also rested on the corner, though it looked like it was no longer in use—as a hotel, at least. By other standards, the place had probably been grand at one time, but it dwarfed in comparison to Allendale Acres. It was four stories high, covered in whitewashed wood, and had quaint little balconies.
    “Hi, Gabby!” someone yelled.
    I looked up and saw Deanna leaning out from one of the windows. I smiled and waved back. This must be the apartment building where the employees lived.
    “You know her?” Riley asked.
    I shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a people magnet.” I said it tongue in cheek. Of course, in one way it was true. On a purely scientific level, one side of a magnet attracted things while the other side repelled them. That sounded pretty true to my life. People either loved me or hated me. There wasn’t much in between.
    We walked into Buck’s Garage just as a man walked out. I stared for a moment at the twenty-something man with a baby face. Where had I seen him before? He was definitely familiar, but I couldn’t figure out why.
    I shook my head. It probably didn’t matter anyway. I simply had an insatiable curiosity that always wanted answers.
    I glanced around the reception area of the garage. Cheaply framed photos of classic cars like Mustangs and Corvettes were placed around the room. Most had faded either with age, from the sun, or both. The front desk was made up of wood paneling straight from the seventies and an odd, purple stuffed bear held a “Welcome” sign on the counter.
    Riley moseyed up to the desk, where a woman with streaked-blue hair and trendy glasses waited. As she pulled up Riley’s information on a dinosaur of a computer, I peered through the doors leading into the bay area and spotted the same tow truck driver inside. He was working underneath another car, this one a sporty looking Porsche. Nice.
    The woman tapped at the computer keys and finally looked up. “Says here that the damage on your vehicle is ‘extensive.’” She made air quotes. “It’s going to cost somewhere in the range of $7000 to get all of the body work done, not to mention that the engine block was cracked.
    “Seven thousand dollars? Are you crazy?”
    “I feel crazy sometimes. If I were you, I’d sell it for parts and buy you something new. I don’t know how long you plan on being in town, but this work is going to take a minimum of a week, maybe longer. That means another trip out here to pick the car up, if you have to head out of town first.”
    “I had no idea the damage was that bad,” I mumbled to Riley. I felt bad for him. He was always very careful with his money, and this new law firm he’d opened up operated a lot on grants and the goodwill of other people.
    Riley sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve got to think this one through. I’ll get back with you.”
    “The sooner, the better.”
    Riley nodded, tapped the counter with his fist, and then turned to leave.
    This trip was not going