Ethan set the phone down and headed for the shower. The hot water felt like a small miracle, washing away the dried mud and the ache in his muscles. By the time he emerged, Sophie and Sarah had destroyed the kitchen in the name of pancakes. "You used every bowl," he observed. "Cooking is messy," Sophie informed him as if this was breaking news.
"Aunt Sarah let me crack the eggs. " The evidence of that decision was splattered across the counter, but Sarah just shrugged. She's learning. They ate breakfast together at the tiny kitchen table. Sophie chattering about a school project on dinosaurs while Sarah occasionally interjected with questions about Viven that Ethan deflected as smoothly as possible. When they finished, Sarah started gathering her things.
I've got to get to work. Sophie, you want to stay with your dad today? Yes. Sophie bounced up. Can I come to the shop?
Ethan hesitated. Saturdays were usually slow, and having Sophie around meant he'd spend more time supervising than actually working. But the hope in her eyes made the decision easy. Sure, but you have to stay in the office and do your homework first. Deal.
They drove to the shop in comfortable silence. Sophie humming along to the radio while Ethan navigated the Saturday morning traffic. Georgetown looked different in daylight. Less industrial, more workingclass neighborhood trying to hold on to its identity against the encroaching tide of tech money and gentrification. Kohl's auto repair sat between a Vietnamese restaurant and a furniture warehouse that had been closed for 3 years.
The building was exactly as the Google reviews had described, small, cramped, desperately in need of a paint job, but it was his, at least for another few months. He unlocked the gate and raised the bay doors, letting morning light flood the workspace. The shop smelled like oil and metal and years of accumulated automotive history. Sophie immediately claimed the office, a glasswalled box with a desk, a computer from 2012, and a filing system that could generously be called chaotic. I'm doing homework, she announced, pulling out a math workbook.
I can see that. Ethan flipped on the lights, checked the schedule. One oil change at 10:00, a brake job at noon, and a diagnostic on a Subaru that had been making a noise the owner couldn't describe beyond bad. He was elbowed deep in the oil change when his phone rang. Unknown number.
He almost didn't answer, assuming it was another creditor, but something made him wipe his hands on a rag and pick up. Cole's auto. Mr. Cole, this is Patricia Morrison from First National Bank. His stomach dropped.
Yeah. Hi, I'm calling about your business loan. We haven't received this month's payment, and according to our records, you're now 60 days past due. Ethan glanced toward the office where Sophie was bent over her homework. He stepped outside into the small parking lot, pulling the door mostly closed.