“It’s soaked.”
“Exactly.”
He folded his arms.
“It’s just a car.”
I began photographing every stain.
“What are you doing?”
“Documenting your mess.”
Jake laughed.
“I’ll take it somewhere cheap.”
“No. The seat is soaked, and the rear mat is lifting.”
“Then use your insurance, or didn’t you spring for the fancy kind?”
“You borrowed it. You pay for the damage,” I said.
The front door opened behind us.
Timothy walked down the steps, still rubbing sleep from one eye.
“What happened? Elle, are you okay?”
I pointed toward the interior.
“Look.”
He leaned inside the vehicle and froze.
“Jake, this is bad.”
“It can be cleaned,” Jake replied. “Nobody wrecked it.”
“You promised no food or drinks,” Timothy said.
“I wanted one night out.”
“Then you should’ve used your own car.”
I called a professional detailer and sent over the photos.
When I mentioned the spilled alcohol, Jake accused me of exaggerating the damage.
Then he left, telling Timothy to call him later.
The detailer arrived before noon.
After inspecting the interior, he pointed beneath the rear flooring.
“This needs more than a vacuum,” he said. “The padding requires odor treatment, and this warped section must be replaced.”
About an hour later, the written estimate arrived.
I called Jake and put him on speaker.
“Deep stain treatment, odor removal, and replacement of the damaged floor piece,” I read. “Total: $1,860.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“The car was inspected.”
“I’m not paying it, Elle. Get over yourself.”
“You can pay the detailer directly.”
“No.”
Before Timothy could respond, I looked at him.
“Don’t ask me to use our savings, Tim. Respect me more than that.”
He hesitated.
“I was going to say that we should get it cleaned before the stains set.”
“Yes, we should. Jake still pays.”
Jake let out a dry laugh.
“You two can afford it.”
I tightened my grip on the estimate.
“That was never the question, Jake.”
“You’re acting like I crashed it.”
“You returned it soaked in alcohol and mud, then refused to pay the bill. That’s the problem.”
“Nothing serious happened.”
Timothy sighed.
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