Counter Lotus

Chapter 3

They slammed on the breaks, coming to a stop fast enough before hitting the deer. Fuck! I floored the break peddle too, making my tires screech to a stop – but not in time. My car jolted to a stop... just as I knocked into their bumper with an audible smash.

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," I groaned.

The deer sauntered off the road, disappearing into the woods. Bye deer. Have a good day. Thanks for probably costing me and whoever this person was a shit ton of money now! Well... it was a great day up until now.

The SUV pulled onto the shoulder and I parked behind it. It was a gray Jeep Grand Cherokee too. Why wouldn't it look like a brand-new model too, you know? I could already hear my bank account crying. No doubt the driver was livid.

I stepped out onto the gravel shoulder at the same time he stepped out of his jeep. Eyes finding the man, I froze in place. My anxiety quickly doubled. Why? Why him? It was the same damn guy that I spilled beer all over. You know, the asshole of the two brothers I served the other night? Ugh, please let him not remember me.

Like before, I disrupted his day. Like before, he did not look happy. Like before, he also didn't spare me a glance. Through the gloomy mist, he wandered over to his dented bumper. Taking in the damage, he exhaled and turned to me. Yup, he definitely remembered me.

"You sure know how to prove that first impressions are quite accurate," he said flatly.

I smiled uneasily. "Well, if your first impression is that I have bad luck, you would be right," I lightly joked, but that only made the awkward air thicken. "Look, I am really sorry."

"Do you always drive with your head in the clouds?"

I was taken aback. "Um... I don't understand what you mean. You're the one that slammed on the brakes."

"I should have hit the deer instead?"

"No, but this is hardly my fault. I said I was sorry, but it's not my fault."

"How is this not your fault?"

"Because a deer jumped in front of you! It's nobody's fault. You slammed on your brakes, so how was I supposed to stop in time?"

His disenchanted gaze narrowed. "By maybe not riding my ass?"

Generally, I was an overly nice person, but guess what? I wasn't at work and the damn costumer wasn't always right! Especially if the customer lived with a pole up his ass and was a being a dick.

"Oh come on, I was not riding your ass! Did you not see how far I was behind you?"

"It's common sense. If you were that far behind me, you should have been able to stop." Scoffing, he then sputtered an annoyed "holy shit" to himself as he resumed inspecting the crumpled bumper

Though I was fuming, my anxiety started to take over. What if my insurance goes up? I wanted to save every penny for school. Now, I had to deal with this pain-in-the-ass. I guess I should be thankful though. It's not like we totaled our cars; it could have been way worse.

As I neared him from my car, I was able to size up his large frame under his mesh blue shirt and black shorts. I also noticed he had some tattoos, a couple going down his arm and at least one on his calf. For some reason that surprised me. Maybe because I couldn't imagine such a jaded man sacrificing his oh-so precious time to get inked. I was also surprised to see a ring on his finger. Who the hell would marry this asshole?

"I guess we should exchange information then. I would rather pay you off, but I have a feeling that would be a mighty high price," I half joked when I reached him.