It's the Little Things: A sweet romantic comedy novella Page 2

  “I’m not interested in an apology. I – honest to God – want to know what possessed you to do what you did.”

  “Well…” How did a person tell their father such things? I cleared my throat and tucked my hair behind both ears. “Well, Dad, I was talking to Chrissy about spicing up my love life and I sort of made a mess of it. I didn’t mean to end up at the mall. I was trying to surprise Chad, and–”

  “So, this was all Chrissy’s idea?”

  Crap. Now I’d thrown my sister under the bus. I just wanted this freaking day to end. “Not exactly. Dad, please calm down!”

  We didn’t say anything for several minutes, until I realized we were heading back to the mall. “Why are we here? I don’t’ want to be here!”

  “Isn’t this where you parked your car?”

  My face crumpled up. “No. My car is at Chad’s. Please don’t go there either. We broke up and after… the thing… I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

  “Fine.” Dad sighed. After massaging his brow, he spoke in a much softer tone. “Why don’t I take you back to our place? Mum can run you a bath and find you something to wear. You could spend the night.”

  The idea of being fussed over by my parents mortified me, but I didn’t want to go home to my empty place to overthink this even more. I fought to swallow the huge lump in my throat and agreed. Knowing I’d brought this all on myself didn’t help the humiliation, though a bath sounded heavenly.

  Four

  In the morning, my boss, who happened to be a friend of my dad’s, called to fire me. Apparently, getting arrested was an instant dismissal. They didn’t care about the details, but claimed to be very sorry to see me go. Despite the further embarrassment I’d caused my parents, I might have stayed longer, if Chad hadn’t called. He wanted my car gone from his driveway.

  I offered to have Dad bring me over to get it. The mere concept of me at his house sent Chad into a ridiculous rant. We agreed to meet at my flat instead. Chad would use his spare key for my car, and Darren would pick him up afterward.

  I refused to let Dad stay at the flat with me, adamant I could sort things out on my own without a chaperone. Mostly, I didn’t want him to witness any more of the disaster my life had turned into.

  Chad turned up ten minutes after Dad had gone, eyes darting about the neighbourhood to see if we were being watched, before pushing past me into the living room. I knew the only reason he’d come in was to avoid being seen with me. Chad wanted to spend as little time as possible in the driveway, which I couldn’t blame him for.

  His lack of compassion cut deep. Understanding his actions and accepting them were two different things. My chest felt tight from knowing I wasn’t deemed good enough for him. It didn’t matter if I’d said the same thing to Chrissy the day before. It hurt. A part of me still wanted to be the person Chad needed. That was messed up. How desperate was I?

  If I’d thought this would be the simple handover of keys, I was wrong. Chad paced back and forth ranting and raving about the embarrassment I’d caused. Never once did he ask if I was okay. Neither did he grasp that I’d done it for him. All he cared about was who might have seen or heard about it. Nothing I said made any difference. Chad would not leave. Was the universe trying to punish me for some reason? I mumbled an excuse, and fled to the bathroom.

  Sitting on the closed toilet lid, bent over and hugging both knees, my anxiety had gone through the roof. I should have let Dad stay. Why had I convinced him to leave? Better yet, why had I ever thought dating Chad was a good idea? Were there any choices I’d made that weren’t going to come back and bite me on the butt?

  “Come on Leona, I don’t have all day.”

  Oh, now he wanted to leave? I rolled my eyes heavenward and counted to ten, before returning to the living area. With much more confidence than I actually possessed, I marched over to Chad and outstretched my hand to receive the key. He opened his mouth to let loose another earful, but the doorbell interrupted him.

  “Who the hell is that?” He demanded.

  “How should I know? I do have other people in my life besides you!”

  Frustrated that I still didn’t have my car keys back, I marched over to the door and flung it open. It didn’t occur to me until after I caught the surprised look on Officer Reid’s face that I should have dialled back the wild-eyed-crazy. Just as he started to ask if I was okay, Chad started shouting again from inside.

  “May I come in?” Officer Reid asked in a low voice.

  Grateful for the interruption, I moved aside at once. My tall, dark, uniformed hero stepped into the flat. Chad’s eyes bulged in their sockets.

  “You called the cops? Is that what you were doing in the bathroom all that time? What the hell, Leona?”

  “What seems to be the problem?”

  Officer Reed’s courteous professionalism seemed so absurd in the midst of Chad’s meltdown, I started laughing. Naturally, this didn’t help the situation. Looking like his brain was about to implode, Chad awkwardly wrestled my keys out of his pocket and thrust them in my general direction.

  “I just came to return Leona’s stupid car,” he said.

  “How decent of you.” With a curious side glance at me, the officer took the keys, leaving Chad standing there dumbfounded.

  Meanwhile, my maniacal giggles refused to abate. I shouldn’t have been enjoying Chad’s discomfort; I was a terrible person.

  “Something is seriously wrong with you,” Chad growled at me as he stomped out of the house, slamming the door behind him.

  “When I heard him yelling, I was concerned for your wellbeing,” Officer Reid said, “right up until you started laughing. Great response, it certainly stopped him in his tracks.”

  Just like that, the sound died on my lips. It didn’t matter that he had a mischievous twinkle in his eye, or that I knew he was trying to keep things light. Reality came crashing down like a ton of bricks. I stumbled awkwardly to the couch, struggling to take a deep breath, wondering if my life would ever be more than a joke.

  “Hey, I’m sorry,” Officer Reid said quickly.

  “No…” It came out all shaky. Realizing how close I was to losing the plot, my lower lip quivered. I coughed to try to hide it and made a concerted effort to sit up straighter and pull myself together. “No, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to witness that.”

  “I’ve seen much worse, trust me. I just came to return your coat and purse.” He held out a bundle of camel-coloured wool fabric and my small leather handbag. I hadn’t even noticed him carrying anything when he came in.

  “Oh, thanks.” I dumped the handbag on the couch and picked up the mangled coat sleeve to examine it. “It’s my dad’s. He probably won’t be wearing it again. Guess I’ll just keep it as a memento.”

  Officer Reid’s eyebrows shot skyward. I wanted to die.

  “It was supposed to be a joke, but apparently I can’t even get that right.” I laughed uneasily.

  “Things can’t be that bad, surely. You’ll get through this.”

  “You’re right. I can’t believe I was upset when that jerk dumped me. Dodged a bullet, huh?”

  My act didn’t fool anyone, least of all myself. Officer Reid studied me for a few seconds before responding. “I’m going to put the kettle on. Do you prefer tea or coffee?”

  As if I hadn’t made enough of a mockery of myself, now a police officer was playing host in my kitchen. It should have been me offering to make beverages. This was all wrong!

  He had a knack for drawing out the most random information, causing me to say things I would never usually tell a stranger.

  Was that something they all learned on the force? Or was this guy that great of a listener? Whatever the case, I found myself pouring out my heart over that cup of coffee. My officer-turned-barista listened with the patience of a saint. Ugh. He was so nice, which made everything worse. I was relieved when he finally went on his way.

  Five

  Things got a lot worse before they got better.
After three weeks, and several interviews, I still hadn’t found another job. Believe me, it wasn’t through lack of trying. I applied for everything advertised, without the faintest hint of interest.

  Apparently, reluctance to hire someone who’d recently been arrested was not limited to secretarial and receptionist positions. It didn’t come as a surprise, but didn’t make it any easier, either.

  I’d applied for the unemployment benefit, but the stand down period before I would receive any money was longer due to the reasons my last employment ended. I had about a week left up my sleeve. Beyond that, I’d have to move in with my parents or my sister if I didn’t want to start racking up massive credit card debt.

  After a less-than-thrilling interview as a parking validation cashier in one of the large parking buildings in the centre of town, I decided to stop for coffee in the mall. What a mistake. Every pair of eyes that turned my way left me wondering if these strangers knew about my streaking debacle.

  I’d never felt so exposed. Was this ever going to get any easier? I ordered the coffee anyway, determined not to be chased home by my own insecurities. As I allowed the caffeine to bleed into my system, I sent Chrissy a text.

  Need some sister time. Are you home?

  She sent an immediate response. Sure, kids are driving me crazy. When can you get here? LOL.

  For the first time that day, I smiled. Maybe 45 min?

  Great see you then!

  I finished with my coffee and headed outside. The idea of catching up with Chrissy had put me in a much better mood. The sun was shining down from a cloudless blue sky, the light breeze felt nice on my skin, the birds were chirping in the trees on the sides of the street… and I had an infringement notice.

  I froze for a moment, staring at it in disbelief. I’d put coins in the ticketing booth. The little screen had told me I had an hour’s worth of parking. How in the hell did I have an infringement notice?

  Finally, I found my legs and moved closer to the vehicle, to snatch the white piece of paper from under the windscreen wiper. It stated I had failed to display my parking permit. My nose wrinkled in puzzlement. What parking permit? Going back to the ticketing booth, I read the fine print on the side of the box.

  Apparently the machine was supposed to print out a permit, which needed to be displayed on the dashboard of your car as proof of purchase. I’d never parked on this street before, or used these particular machines. I’d assumed it was a more modern version of the old fashioned parking meters. A digitised box to cover ten cars instead of those money boxes on poles placed at every parking space.

  It had been a struggle to scrape together enough coins to pay for the parking in the first place. I couldn’t afford a fine on top of that. I wondered if I could talk my way out of this. The information on the bottom of the infringement notice said any disputes could be taken up at the police station, also the place to pay the fine if you didn’t want to do it online. Well, all right. I could do that.

  The woman managing the front desk at the station had zero people skills. No matter how I tried to explain myself, she wasn’t interested. She suggested I pay the fine and learn my lesson. Fifteen dollars might not have seemed like a big deal to her, but for me, it could be the difference in having enough gas to get to my next interview. How was I ever going to climb out of the hole I’d dug for myself?

  Frustrated by my refusal to be dismissed so easily, the woman picked up the phone and made a call to someone named Marren, asking them to come and deal with a difficult member of the public. I wanted to slink away quietly and pretend this had never happened, but it was the principle of it all, damn it. Even if I’d read the small print on the parking machine, what was I supposed to do if it didn’t spit out a permit?

  A door opened at the back of reception, and Officer Reid walked in. Just my luck.

  “Marren, this woman refuses to pay her parking ticket.”

  Officer Reid, or Marren it would seem, glanced from me to the woman and back again. “What seems to be the problem?”

  Oh no… did he just use the tone with me? I felt my body temperature rise a few degrees, and colour spread across both my cheeks. I stammered and stuttered a few times, but eventually managed to repeat my story.

  “So, you couldn’t display a permit, because the machine malfunctioned?” He asked.

  “Yes. I put in enough money for a whole hour. I’m sure if someone checks the machine, it will confirm what I’m saying.”

  “That sounds reasonable. I’m about to head into the central business district. Why don’t we do that on the way?”

  “We?” I blinked stupidly at him.

  “Really?” The woman on the other side of the desk seemed equally surprised.

  “Who is the parking warden on that street?” Officer Reid asked.

  The woman frowned and pressed her lips into a thin line, but she keyed in some details on the computer. A few seconds later, she came up with a name. “Lyndall Smythe.”

  “Great. Have her meet me at the machine in question. How far along Benton Street were you?”

  “It was the machine closest to the mall,” I replied.

  Officer Reid met the woman’s gaze to make sure she’d heard and then turned back to me with a smile. “Let’s go. We’ll take my car. Can’t have you getting into any more parking difficulties while we sort this out.”

  Another furious blush pinked my cheeks. I couldn’t believe he’d said that. With little else to say, I followed along behind the officer like a lost puppy.

  Six

  When we got to the police car, I hesitated. Should I ride in the front? Or was that inappropriate? Did I have to ride in the back like a criminal?

  “You can get in the front.” He flashed that stupid charming smile at me again.

  Offering a fake smile of my own, I slid into the car and put on my safety belt.

  “How have you been?”

  His voice was deep and the tone kind, but I still felt as if I was getting the third degree.

  I shrugged, grateful my hair was loose, so I could hide behind it. “Okay, I guess.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Honestly… why did he care? It wasn’t his job to ascertain the status of my mental health, or whether or not I had my shit together. I resented the kindness he was showing me. It wasn’t fair a stranger treat me so nicely.

  On one hand, I didn’t feel I’d earned it. On the other, if anyone was to be my confidante, it should have been my boyfriend. Even when I’d had one of those, he’d never been the type to offer a shoulder in times of distress.

  Until now, I hadn’t noticed. Now, I found myself longing for a boyfriend more like Officer Reid – Officer Marren Reid. What an insane fantasy to indulge in. I didn’t even know this man… and he was a cop.

  “I’m having a run of bad luck is all. It can’t last forever, right?” I faked another smile and hoped that did the trick.

  “I don’t believe in bad luck.” He chuckled. “Try to think positive.”

  “There isn’t enough positivity in the world to solve my problems,” I mumbled.

  “Well, you got rid of a toxic ex, a job you hated, and you’ve upgraded your seat from the back of a police car to the front. Sounds like progress to me.”

  Upgraded my seat? This wasn’t a damned airline!

  “I’m telling you,” he continued, “one day you will look back on this and laugh.”

  I strongly doubted that, but I smiled and nodded anyway. Up ahead, Benton Street loomed into view. Thank God. Officer Reid pulled into a loading zone, two spaces down from the machine and switched off the vehicle. I could see the warden waiting for us and dreaded the impending conversation.

  It didn’t matter if I was right, I didn’t want to do this anymore. I didn’t like my cowardice or the person I was turning into. I also didn’t know what else I could do about it.

  After a short discussion, and checking of the machine, it was established I’d been telling the truth. While the warden had still bee
n justified in issuing the infringement notice at the time, she conceded to Officer Reid’s request that it be made void. I was off the hook, but I didn’t feel the satisfaction that should have followed.

  Yep. Something was definitely wrong with me. I didn’t say much in the car. When we reached the last set of traffic lights before the station, Officer Reid broke the silence.

  “It could be said that a positive thing happened today. You no longer have a parking infringement. Where’s that pretty smile?”

  “Pretty smile?” I raised a brow.

  Surprisingly, he blushed. “Sorry. That was an inappropriate thing to say.”

  Guilt settled in the pit of my stomach. I hadn’t meant to make him feel bad, the words had just slipped out. My shock had been genuine, but not for the reasons he imagined. Sometimes people said I looked nice, or I looked great, etc. Nobody said that I had a pretty smile. Not even previous boyfriends.

  Since I didn’t know how to recover from this, the typical Leona thing to do, would be to blurt out something even worse. I wanted to stop myself from doing something like that, but the words were already tumbling out of my mouth.

  “It’s not as pretty as your smile. I mean, handsome. You’re very manly.”

  Officer Reid gaped at me, then a slow smile took over his face. The exact smile I had been referring to. I could imagine women swooning over him the way I used to with Chad. If I wasn’t so embarrassed – again – maybe I might have, too.

  By this point, his smile had turned into a mile wide grin. Okay, that was definitely attractive. If the department ever needed a volunteer for billboard advertising, Officer Marren Reid’s smile was up for the job.

  “Handsome and manly. I can live with that.”

  To my relief, the light turned green and we drove on.

  “Where are you parked?”

  “Opposite the station,” I replied. “The silver Mazda.”