The ETA From You to Me Read Online Free PDF Page B

garage.
     
    When Clayton idled to climb out and unhitch the jeep, Grant slipped out of the truck to run into the office so he could talk to Alyse for a few minutes. She was seated behind the office desk, a book in hand and the phone cradled between her ear and shoulder - on hold, most likely.
     
    “Hey Alyse,” Grant began, waving when she glanced up at him before going back to her book. “So uhm, what was that thing on the radio--I mean, like, you don’t think me and Clayton--I mean,” Grant broke off, laughing awkwardly and gesturing behind himself to the door, “No, that’s crazy, ha, but--really--you don’t think we’re going on, like, a date or something, do you? I mean, you know he was supposed to clock out like, almost an hour ago and, dude, I feel super bad about it. I was totally just gonna buy him some food because he’s going to help fix my jeep and shit tomorrow, and I was gonna ask him if he could give me a ride into work an--”
     
    “Grant, what are you talking about?”  Alyse finally looked up at him, finger marking her place in the book and giving Grant a blank, wide-eyed stare that usually meant she wasn’t actually listening to him at all.  Grant's brain flatlined, mouth flapping open for a second and then shutting when Alyse held up a finger to him and brought the phone to her mouth as she was taken off hold.
     
    Once she was done informing the insurance company she was talking to that she needed to authorize a cancellation on a tow, she hung up and looked at Grant. “Why would I think you and Clayton were seeing each other?” She gave Grant another one of her blank stares, before her eyes narrowed suspiciously, “unless… you are?”
     
    “Uh--.. Buhhh,” Grant tongue refused to cooperate, and he shook his head. “I mean, but, on the radio. The thing- you said, c-cover…up?” his voice cracked nervously at the end, shrugging in confusion.
     
    Alyse sat back, thumbs tucking her hair behind her shoulders. “…uh, yeah? Its overcast tonight. Don’t you ever check the weather? You should, you know we get twice as many calls on rainy days.” she pulled her hair up, fluffing it and letting it fall back down in thick, black waves.
     
    “Oh,” Grant said stupidly, eyes going wide with understanding. “Cover like… cover with a rain coat or an umbrella… not… cover… like condoms,” he trailed off at the very end, muttering the last few words under his breath so quietly that Alyse had to double-take to even understand what he said.
     
    “Excuse me?”
     
    The office door opened, Clayton sticking his head in and looking at Grant expectantly.
     
    “Can we go?”
     
    Grant jumped on the chance to avoid an awkward moment, turning and reaching out to push the door open when Clayton stepped back and did it for him. “Yes, food. Food is good. Bye Alyse!”
     
    The door closed on the sound of Alyse releasing a long, loud, “ Ohhhhhh! ” of understanding.
     
    Grant climbed back into the truck, now without his jeep attached to it, and buckling himself in. Clayton didn’t bother with his seatbelt, shifting out of park and pulling out of the garage. Grant instantly brought up a mental list of places in his price range, listing a few of them to Clayton until he realized that Clayton wasn’t even listening--already driving with a destination in mind.
     
    They pulled into the parking lot of a hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Elliot's, Clayton guiding the truck towards a spot that was out of the way. Grant stumbled out of the truck, walking around to the driver’s side  as Clayton stood next to the driver’s door to tug his uniform shirt over his head. Of course, doing so happened to reveal a black wife-beater that Grant thought, personally, should be outlawed in at least 48 states.
     
    Initially, Grant had figured that Clayton was just a tiny bit stocky, the uniform baggy in the middle in a way that made it impossible for him to realize before now that Clayton