Tank Full of Trouble

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

It wasn't a long ride from the beach to the movie theater, but then again nothing was in a town as small as Citrus Beach. Although the ride wasn’t long, it was definitely noisy. The two kids in the back seat had Megan laughing with their antics as they teased Barney and chatted eagerly. It was clear that they were thriving in the loving atmosphere of her cousin's home. The two of them were acting like normal kids instead of the scared runaways she’d first met.

Emma was already waiting when they pulled into the movie theater’s parking lot. She was standing at the entrance with her roommate Taylor talking to an older bald man. The three of them looked up as the kids yelled hello, punctuated by Barney's excited barks. Emma gave a wave to indicate she saw them. Even though the two youngsters were excited to get to the theater, they knew the rules. Toby carefully clicked on Barney's leash to make sure he would not run a way. The two children got out of the back seat and waited for Megan to walk with them across the parking lot.

As she reached the three at the entrance, Megan gave the two girls a hug, and tried to be professional by holding out her hand for Joe Stevens to shake. But the man was having none of that, and with a laugh wrapped her in a warm hug. He then bent down to make sure that Barney received his fair share of attention.

"Hello, Joe. You remember my niece and nephew, right?" asked Megan.

The two youngsters were thrilled at being called her niece and nephew, and they politely said hello to Mr. Stevens. Then they turned their attention to Emma and Taylor, asking if the girls had gotten tickets for the new release they planned on seeing. It was clear the kids were eager to get into the movie theater, so the adults said goodbye, promising to catch up another time. Once the four movie goers left, it seemed quiet.

"The two of them are adjusting well to life here in Citrus Beach, aren't they?" Joe asked.

"They are. It's amazing, it's like there are two different children in front of us. I didn't keep you waiting, did I?" Megan agreed.

Joe shook his head, reassuring Megan that he hadn't been waiting long. He explained that he had seen Emma and Taylor standing outside and had walked over to talk to them. Before Megan could ask any more questions, they were interrupted by the call of a well-dressed, but rather plump older woman who was waddling her way as fast as she could towards them.

"Yoo-hoo. Oh, Megan. Just the girl I'm looking for. I saw your cute little car out in the parking lot and hoped I could find you. Hello Joe, I don't mean to interrupt, I just need a moment of Megan's time." Breathlessly apologizing to the tall man next to her, she continued talking to Megan. "When I called your office earlier, and they said you are going to Palm Beach today. I’ve been searching for your car so I could ask you to pick up a few items for me. I wouldn't ask, but we just don't have a Nordstrom store here in Citrus Beach."

With an apologetic shrug of her shoulders to Joe, Megan took the piece of paper the woman was handing to her. Glancing down, she saw was a list of six or seven items and knew her trip would be extended to Palm Beach by a minimum of an hour. Mrs. Claytor was one of her newer clients, and was rather demanding. This was a perfect example. Once she had given Megan her list, she assumed—and rightly so – that everything would be taken care of. As he watched her waddle off, saying goodbye over her shoulder, Joe shook his head, suppressing a laugh.

"She didn't even ask if you had time,"

"It's not a big deal Joe, it’s what I do. And it's better to find out what she needs before I leave and have to make a second trip down south."

Megan knew full well that her business, Citrus Beach Concierge, was built by providing this type of service for her customers. The man standing next to her was one of her clients as well. He, along with two other longtime clients, were the ones who’d urged her to expand her landscape business into a concierge service, and the three of them signed up to be her first clients.

"Joe, I have all the paperwork you wanted me to pick up from the courthouse. If you have your keys, I can put it in your car. Then, I'll meet you at Susie's diner and we can go over the progress on the work being done over at your house."

"Well that's a problem, Megan, because I don't have my car. One of my salesmen dropped me off, and I assured him you could take me back to the dealership when we were done. I hope you don't mind. Let's walk over to the diner, it’s not that far and I need to stretch my legs. It's a beautiful day, and this gives me the chance to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman on my arm. I'll be the envy of all the men in town."

Megan laughed out loud at his flattery and nodded in agreement to his suggestion. He was right, it was a beautiful day, one that should be spent outside as much as possible. Taking his offered arm, she gave a little tug on Barney's leash and the three of them set off for the diner. Once they reach it, Joe went in to grab a table. Megan walked around the back to the kitchen entrance where there was a shady tree she could leave Barney at. She secured his leash around a picnic table bench, waving through the open door at Susie's father who was in the kitchen cooking. Experience had taught her that as soon as she walked away, the older man would slip outside to give Barney one of the special treats he always had for the dog.

Megan nodded to the patrons she recognized as she made her way to the table and joined Joe. Susie saw her come in and grabbed the pitcher of sweet tea and two glasses, knowing her customers’ drink preference. They placed an order for a piece of pie that Susie recommended, promising it was freshly baked and then settled back to look over the notes Megan had brought with her.

Joe was adding a courtyard garden off his office with one of Megan’s creative designs. The work included adding French doors to his office and a large wall fountain at the end of the courtyard. Planting beds would be added to either side of a seating area made of pavers. Megan was eager to show him the details of the fountain and some pictures of furniture she had found for the courtyard. Soon they were deep in discussion. The work was already underway, and they were just finalizing details.

They spent the next hour reviewing the final pieces of the project. Joe listened intently to Megan's suggestions, nodding in agreement when he caught on to where her ideas were leading. They would've finished sooner if they hadn’t been interrupted so many times by other patrons of the diner. It was common practice in Citrus Beach to pull up a chair and include yourself. Megan and Joe didn’t mind, they enjoyed the company. If they’d wanted to meet without interruption, they would have picked a different place.

Megan had learned long ago to keep a notebook with her at all times, and today she was constantly using it as customers came up to their table to say hello and ask for something extra to be done by Citrus Beach Concierge. By the time the hour was over, Megan’s list included five or six additional requests, most of which would need to be handled on her trip down south. With a grimace at her watch, she realized that she would need to make this an overnight trip to Palm Beach rather than a quick day trip.

Susie was returning to fill their coffee cups for the third time when Joe suggested Megan return him to his car dealership. Waving off Susie's offer of a refill, Megan agreed and the two of them got up to leave. They left by the back door, saying hello to Susie's father and picking up Barney. They found the dog curled up in the shade, fast asleep with his belly full of the treats Susie’s father managed to sneak to him. Moments later they were getting into Megan's car when they heard Megan's name being called.

"Hang on a second, Megan. I just wanted to let you know that we decided to go ahead with your suggestions. I’ll leave it up to you to pick out the patio furniture you think will be best in my future garden. I can't tell you how excited my husband and I are. We actually have a project in this house we are agreeing on.

It’s all thanks to you."

Megan smiled at the older woman as she made her way to the car. The design for new garden she was talking about had been a work in progress for almost three months, waiting for the owners to come to a decision they could both agree on. Megan was thrilled that they had finally decided, and she could now proceed with the work. At least she was thrilled until the woman asked if the job could be completed by the following week since she was planning on company. Going over the job in her head, Megan figured if she moved a few things around she could accommodate her customer's request. She told the woman in front of her she would put things into motion immediately.

Pleased that Megan was able to accommodate her, the woman gushed her thanks and took her leave.

"You’re going to be a busy girl for the next couple weeks," Joe said.

"Probably, but if I'm busy, then I’m out of trouble," she laughed. "Now let's get you over to the dealership before we get stopped again. At this rate, I may not get to Palm Beach until late tonight. Sometimes I think this car is like a neon sign."

Joe was quiet for the short ride to his dealership, but when he got out of Megan's car he grabbed Barney's leash and told Megan to follow him. Since he was making off with her dog, she had very little choice. Once they were inside Joe's office, he walked over to a board of keys. Finding the one he wanted, he took it off the hook and handed it to Megan.

"What's this?"

"This is your little reprieve. I sat watching all afternoon, and you're right – your company car is like a neon sign attracting your customers. And that's great for business, but do you ever get any down time, Megan?"

"Of course I do."

"Well, I'm just as guilty as your other customers. When I see your car, I think of all the things you can do to make my life easier. And I have to be honest, I don't think about whether I'm intruding into your life. So, I want you to take this, try it out for the weekend, try it out for the week even. Take it with you to Palm Beach. We won't mess with any paperwork until after you've played in it for a week. By the end of that week you will want to buy this, I know it. Follow me and I'll show you what I'm up to."

Megan looked at the car keys in her hand, a little bemused at Joe's actions and words, but since Barney was following him out the door, she got up and followed obediently. They left the main floor of the dealership and went around to the back lot. There, in front of her were rows of new cars. She was catching on to Joe's idea, and she eyed a brilliant blue sports car, her interest piqued. Joe kept walking past the sports car that had caught her eye, and came to a stop in front of a rather nondescript Jeep. It wasn't shiny or flashy, instead it was a rather boring shade of tan, and although it was a new model, there was nothing to catch her eye. And she said so.

"That's my point, Megan. This is Jeep’s most popular model and they’re all over the place, which means you won't stand out like you do in the vehicle with your logo on it. I saw you eyeing that flashy little car, but this is what you need. Something that will help you blend in. I insist you try it for a week. When I get back in town, we can figure out the paperwork."

"But Joe, I really don't need another car. Besides you can’t let me walk out of here with a new car like this. We need to figure out the payments—"

"I'm the dealer and I own the cars. I can let you to walk out with one if I want. Come on, I'll help you take the stuff out of your car, so you can throw it in the back of this Jeep and head to Palm Beach. I'll drive your car to my home and you can pick it up at your leisure when you get back. Then, when I get back to town in ten days, we can go over all the paperwork. If you decide you don't want it, no big deal, you got to try out a car for the week. What do you say, Megan? You up for a little adventure?”