The Long Fall of Night: The Long Fall of Night Book 1 by AJ Rose Page A

“Figure out what’s wrong with it first, and then we can go together to get parts.” Charlotte had often groused to him over the phone how Russ never had enough cash for things and said she had more than he did because she earned tips. Whenever she pointed out that might be true, but it also meant she spent more money on their dates than he did, his response was to suggest they go out less.
    “Hey, is that beer I brought over Tuesday still in the fridge?” Russ asked, moving toward the garage.
    She shrugged, pulling her hair loose from its knot and redoing it in a tight bun. “If you haven’t finished it, it should be. We’ll be back later.”
    “I won’t wait up.” Russ snickered at his own joke.
    Charlotte moved by Ash to dig in the coat closet for Riley’s bat bag, and he followed closely, so Riley wouldn’t overhear him. “You stand up to Russ for Riley, but you don’t for yourself.”
    Charlotte’s reply was somewhat muffled. “Can we not do this now?”
    “It’s not okay for Riley to watch you let Russ mooch off you.”
    “Ash, it’s not your place to tell me what is and isn’t okay for Riley to see,” Charlotte said, shouldering the bag and shoving her feet in sneakers without bothering to untie them. Her face pleaded for understanding. “Russ has shit going on at work. They’re afraid the dealership is going to close, and there’s no way the Ford lot will have enough openings in their service department for all of Dodge’s mechanics.”
    “Why can’t he go to work and get you the parts, and pay for the orders when the power’s back on? Surely there are employee perks about fixing personal vehicles.”
    “Because that would be stealing, Ash.” Charlotte leveled him with a droll look. “He’s the reason my van is still running at all, so don’t be a jerk.”
    Ash backed off, knowing before long everyone would be out of a job, which only served to remind him they should be getting ready to leave for Washington, not going to the park to play. However long it takes to convince her.
    “Ready to go, sport?” he asked, turning to his nephew.
    “Got a ball, Mom?” Riley turned to Ash. “Last time, she forgot the dang ball. How lame is that?”
    “Yes, yes, I got everything.” Charlotte banged out the front door and stopped when she spied Elliot’s car in the drive. “You blocked me in.”
    “How’s your boytoy supposed to fix your van if you take it to the park?” Ash murmured in her ear, amused.
    “Oh, duh,” she said sheepishly, smacking Ash on the shoulder with a limp backhand. “Sorry. I’m just stressed.”
    “That’s okay.” Elliot gestured to Ash. “Got the keys? We can take my car.” Ash fished them out of his pocket and made to toss them over, but Elliot held up a hand and shook his head. “You can drive.”
    Ash shrugged and they piled in, Charlotte whistling at the posh interior. “You sure you don’t mind? We’ll be dusty when we’re done at the park.”
    “Nah,” Elliot waved her off, shutting the passenger door as Ash brought the car to life with a smooth purr. “It would be good to get it a little dirty for a change.”
    They spent a couple hours playing baseball, Ash and Riley starting up their usual routine of trash talk as soon as they set foot on the field. Elliot was awkward and gangly as he tried to keep up, but Ash watched in amusement as Riley included him in their ribbing. At first, Elliot seemed flustered and embarrassed, but he made a good catch on a line drive Ash deliberately hit in his direction, and his confidence got a boost. By the end, he was tentatively returning the jibes and even got one on Ash that was so sharp, Charlotte burst into peals of laughter and had to take a moment to catch her breath before she was strong enough to pitch again. Riley giggled and ran into the field to high-five Elliot, and Ash had to grudgingly admit he’d been told.
    When baseball got boring, Riley talked them into going to the playground equipment,