that I’d stowed away on a wrecker that had brought me to the salvage yard, before Stix Yancey had found me and pulled me out of an old Chrysler chassis by my ear and turned me over to the aunts next door for safekeeping.
But this place had become my own version of home. Even after the aunts had cleaned me up and presented me to the courts to foster me, I’d escaped time and time again back to the salvage yard until Aunt Birdie, Aunt Dot, and Stix had come to some kind of agreement. I’d started working for Stix on the up-and-up, hauling shit and sorting parts, cataloging inventory until I suddenly understood how to run the whole damned place. Which, I guess, had been their point all along since Stix was gone not two years later from lung fucking cancer.
This was never going to work. Any judge in the world would be stupid to award me custody of a baby. I was uneducated, unsuccessful, unpopular, unpolished, and probably lots of other un’s too. Case in point: Parrish didn’t even stop to decline my request before getting the hell out of Dodge. Hell, I’d probably scared him with all of my grunting, and… had I told the man I slept around? Did that actually happen?
I whacked my hammer into my thumb and bit back a shout. Even though Marigold was far away from me, tucked inside the house, I wasn’t taking any damned chances. I needed her to sleep or I was never going to make this place presentable for the caseworker’s inspection.
Add uncoordinated to the list of un’s.
This time, I tried again to focus on the task at hand. After three more pickets, I heard the familiar crunch of gravel indicating someone turning into my driveway. I stopped hammering and turned to see who it was. When I spotted the dusty Mustang from yesterday, my heart did a little stutter. Maybe this would be my chance to apologize to Parrish for being a raving lunatic yesterday.
I tossed the hammer at the toolbox and stood up, trying to smack the dirt and dust off my work pants as if that would make me more presentable. Putting me next to someone like Parrish was like setting a homegrown turnip on a plate next to sushi.
My insecurities all reared their ugly heads at once, and I found myself crossing my arms in front of my chest and tightening my jaw against the desire to start apologizing for being dirty and sweaty.
When Parrish stepped out of the car, I noticed he looked nervous and flustered which seemed to be his default state when he was around me. I was used to people being nervous around me with my tall, muscular frame and heavily inked skin, but seeing Parrish nervous around me was a kick in the teeth. For some reason, I wanted him to like me, as ridiculous and immature as that sounded.
“H-hi, uh, Diesel,” he stammered. He kept his eyes on mine as he shuffled around the car to the passenger side. “I’m just… I just brought over a… um…” He opened the door and leaned in before coming out with a giant basket covered in pink ribbons.
The basket could host a party for a collection of miniature horses, it was so big.
“What’s that?” I asked.
The ribbons all trembled as he approached me, indicating his nerves were even greater than I’d thought.
“More apology stuff,” he said, suddenly looking up, down, over toward the forest, and back toward the house. Anywhere except at the man he was getting closer to.
“I don’t want your apology stuff,” I grunted, thinking about the chicken casserole I’d taken over to my next-door neighbor’s house the night before.
Parrish flushed red and looked down at the basket before turning his chatter speed up to manic. “Oh. Well, sure. It’s just that… there’s a special nipple that might help Marigold with her gas problem and I also found a book about uncles and nieces and there was this little elephant stuffy that needed to come home with me—with her, I mean—and also, Kelsey said everyone needs the Gentria hip carrier for babies this age which is… actually a lie. I’m the one who said it, but you really should trust me on this because I know what I’m talking about. Also, no one should go into the crazy cakes crawling stage without some outlet covers which is just good safety practice, so those had to get chucked in the