Chapter 9 - The Empty Water Tank
"He's trying a different rule," Leah said as we left the meeting. Her steps were sharp on the clubhouse walkway. "He couldn't prove the dust, so now he's going after your livelihood."
I wanted to turn around and drag Mercer outside so he would have to say those things without an audience. Instead I tightened the strap on the empty water tank in my truck bed.
I had never washed a customer's vehicle at our house. The equipment came home because the Sonoran Finish storage cage was crowded and Dani allowed us to keep personal supplies in our vehicles. The portable tank had been empty since March. My driveway wasn't a business location, and I had work orders showing every paid job took place at an approved shop or client site.
But once neighbors heard "commercial operation," they would imagine engines running all night and strangers blocking the street. The accusation didn't have to be true to make life difficult.
At breakfast, Leah suggested a written statement listing exactly how I used the truck. I snapped that I shouldn't have to account for what I kept in my own driveway. She didn't snap back.
"You're right about that," she said. "But right isn't going to feed Ellie if you make this worse."
I drove to Sonoran Finish before sunrise. The customer-service director was waiting in Dani's office. Her name was Harper Cole, and she had worked at Mercer Motor Group longer than some of the salespeople had been alive. She held my public neighborhood post in one hand.
"Do you detail our cars?" she asked.
"Through Sonoran Finish, yes."
"Our owner doesn't know every subcontractor. He thinks you're suggesting the dealership benefits from association fines."
"I didn't say that."
"Others did under your post."
"I deleted it."
"People remember the screenshot." She watched me carefully. "Can you promise not to turn private client work into ammunition against Mr. Mercer?"
"I already made that promise to Dani."
Harper put down the phone. "Then here's mine. I won't decide your work by neighborhood gossip. I'll decide it by your performance and whether we can trust you with our property."
It wasn't a guarantee. But it was a fairer chance than Mercer had offered.
As she rose to leave, she looked at the old green pickup on the shop floor. "You brought that finish back?"
May you like
"Yes, ma'am."
"Good. Mr. Mercer requested it for the weekend display. He'll be here to inspect it himself."
