have it for ten,” he found himself calling, even as he wondered what he was doing.
She turned back around and eyed him challengingly. “Nine and you have a deal.”
What the hell. He’d already been planning on putting in the difference from his own pocket; might as well kick in a little more. “Okay. Nine.”
“Thanks.” She flashed a brilliant smile. “That’s terrific!”
Yeah, terrific. Why had he thought she needed assertiveness training? When she dug in those kitten heels, she was tough as a tiger.
“At that price, I’ll take all five of them,” Chloe said.
Chase silently groaned as Chloe pulled a beaded wallet out of her purse and handed him a fifty-dollar bill. He gave her five dollars in change.
“Thanks,” Chloe said, drifting over to look at Bubba’s wares.
Chase started to the back of his booth to take down the other four hubcaps.
A rangy man with a buzz cut wandered up to Chase’s booth. “Got a hood ornament for a ’62 Impala?”
“Just a moment and I’ll check.”
“Go ahead and help him,” Sammi said. “I’ll get the hubcaps down.”
Sammi strode to the back of the booth, reached up on the pegboard, and pulled on one of the hubcaps. The wall wobbled precariously, but the hubcap remained affixed to its hook.
“Hold on a moment and I’ll get it for you,” Chase told her.
“It’s okay. I have it.” Sammi grabbed hold of the hubcap again.
Oh, hell. “You need to lift it up off the hook,” Chase warned. But it was too late. The pegboard shook and tilted forward. Sammi tried to steady it, but her efforts only shifted the wall’s weight more off-kilter.
Chase dashed to the back of the booth, grabbed Sammi, and pulled her out of harm’s way just as two hubcaps clattered loudly to the ground. He put his hands on the pegboard, hoping to stabilize it, as another hubcap rolled across the dirt floor.
The wall careened forward. A hubcap flew past his face like a UFO. Another one hit his head, and then the world went black.
Sammi watched in horror as the pegboard wall crashed down, trapping Chase beneath it. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Chase!” She rushed toward him on quaking legs, stumbling over hubcaps as she went.
“What in tarnation… ” the man in the next booth exclaimed.
Oh, dear Lord, she’d done it again. She’d hurt Chase—and this time it looked serious. “I need help!” she called, tugging at the pegboard that lay across his chest.
The customer with the buzz cut rushed forward, and Bubba lumbered over as fast as his fat legs would carry him. The two men pulled the pegboard wall off Chase. Sammi crouched down beside him, her heart thumping hard. He lay slumped on the ground in an unconscious heap, blood pooling on the ground from his head.
“Is he dead?” Bubba asked. He pronounced the word like “day-id,” and it took Sammi a moment to comprehend the question. When she did, she felt faint.
“Do you know CPR?” Bubba asked.
“Y-yes,” Sammi said. She’d taken a first-aid course a couple of years ago, but she’d never had cause to use it.
“Yes, he’s day-id, or yes, you know CPR?”
“Yes CPR. Someone call 911!” she shouted. Struggling to tamp down her panic, she tried to recall her training.
Pulse and breathing first. She checked Chase’s neck and was relieved to feel a pulse strongly beating under her finger. She wasn’t sure about his breathing. Better to be safe than sorry. She tilted back his head, pinched his nose, and put her mouth on his.
“Ugh,” he muttered, moving beneath her.
“Oh, thank God!” She pulled back and placed a hand on each side of his face. “Chase! Chase, can you hear me?”
His eyelids fluttered. So did her heart in her chest. Chase reached for his head and groaned. His hand came away covered in blood. He stared at it as if it were an alien object. “Wh-what happened?”
“A hubcap hit you,” Sammi said, sitting back on her heels. “Lie still.”
A crowd was forming around them.
He
She turned back around and eyed him challengingly. “Nine and you have a deal.”
What the hell. He’d already been planning on putting in the difference from his own pocket; might as well kick in a little more. “Okay. Nine.”
“Thanks.” She flashed a brilliant smile. “That’s terrific!”
Yeah, terrific. Why had he thought she needed assertiveness training? When she dug in those kitten heels, she was tough as a tiger.
“At that price, I’ll take all five of them,” Chloe said.
Chase silently groaned as Chloe pulled a beaded wallet out of her purse and handed him a fifty-dollar bill. He gave her five dollars in change.
“Thanks,” Chloe said, drifting over to look at Bubba’s wares.
Chase started to the back of his booth to take down the other four hubcaps.
A rangy man with a buzz cut wandered up to Chase’s booth. “Got a hood ornament for a ’62 Impala?”
“Just a moment and I’ll check.”
“Go ahead and help him,” Sammi said. “I’ll get the hubcaps down.”
Sammi strode to the back of the booth, reached up on the pegboard, and pulled on one of the hubcaps. The wall wobbled precariously, but the hubcap remained affixed to its hook.
“Hold on a moment and I’ll get it for you,” Chase told her.
“It’s okay. I have it.” Sammi grabbed hold of the hubcap again.
Oh, hell. “You need to lift it up off the hook,” Chase warned. But it was too late. The pegboard shook and tilted forward. Sammi tried to steady it, but her efforts only shifted the wall’s weight more off-kilter.
Chase dashed to the back of the booth, grabbed Sammi, and pulled her out of harm’s way just as two hubcaps clattered loudly to the ground. He put his hands on the pegboard, hoping to stabilize it, as another hubcap rolled across the dirt floor.
The wall careened forward. A hubcap flew past his face like a UFO. Another one hit his head, and then the world went black.
Sammi watched in horror as the pegboard wall crashed down, trapping Chase beneath it. Her hand flew to her mouth. “Chase!” She rushed toward him on quaking legs, stumbling over hubcaps as she went.
“What in tarnation… ” the man in the next booth exclaimed.
Oh, dear Lord, she’d done it again. She’d hurt Chase—and this time it looked serious. “I need help!” she called, tugging at the pegboard that lay across his chest.
The customer with the buzz cut rushed forward, and Bubba lumbered over as fast as his fat legs would carry him. The two men pulled the pegboard wall off Chase. Sammi crouched down beside him, her heart thumping hard. He lay slumped on the ground in an unconscious heap, blood pooling on the ground from his head.
“Is he dead?” Bubba asked. He pronounced the word like “day-id,” and it took Sammi a moment to comprehend the question. When she did, she felt faint.
“Do you know CPR?” Bubba asked.
“Y-yes,” Sammi said. She’d taken a first-aid course a couple of years ago, but she’d never had cause to use it.
“Yes, he’s day-id, or yes, you know CPR?”
“Yes CPR. Someone call 911!” she shouted. Struggling to tamp down her panic, she tried to recall her training.
Pulse and breathing first. She checked Chase’s neck and was relieved to feel a pulse strongly beating under her finger. She wasn’t sure about his breathing. Better to be safe than sorry. She tilted back his head, pinched his nose, and put her mouth on his.
“Ugh,” he muttered, moving beneath her.
“Oh, thank God!” She pulled back and placed a hand on each side of his face. “Chase! Chase, can you hear me?”
His eyelids fluttered. So did her heart in her chest. Chase reached for his head and groaned. His hand came away covered in blood. He stared at it as if it were an alien object. “Wh-what happened?”
“A hubcap hit you,” Sammi said, sitting back on her heels. “Lie still.”
A crowd was forming around them.
He
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