"We should exchange insurance information, I guess." I shuddered at the thought of my premium rising.
"The damage is so slight." He brushed off my suggestion, his eyes returning to mine. He stared for a long moment while his brow raised. "But you are right--we should exchange information," he said.
I tilted my head, considering his rushed-out words.
One car pulled away from the drive-up window. There still remained two other customers in front of us and none behind my car, so we weren't causing any delays to the coffee shop. We traded information then, scribbling on sheets of paper I pulled from my briefcase--insurance carrier, driver's license data, and home phone numbers, this last item his suggestion.
A nice photo on his license, I decided, staring at a particularly nice DMV photo of Kevin Ryan. I saw he lived only a few blocks from where I rented an apartment. Such a waste.
"I really do apologize," I said again when we had finished swapping information. "I was distracted. My action was very careless." I didn't think he needed to know of my foolish presumptions at seeing the man on the roof.
"Don't worry about it, Mary," he said, returning my license.
"You are being very kind about this," I noted.
"No one was hurt and there was little damage done." He shrugged his shoulders in his immaculate navy suit.
The cars ahead of us had both been served and pulled away.
"We should move, I suppose," he said. But he didn't. He tucked the paper he'd written upon into a pocket inside his suitcoat. "You'll be hearing from me soon," he promised.
I nodded sadly. To me this sounded like, "My lawyer will call you."
But he only smiled wider. "Well," he said and shoved his hands into his pants' pockets, glancing at the ground for a moment.
I waited for him to say more, but he did not. "Well then." I lifted my shoulders. "Okay, then. Good bye." With that, I pulled open my car door.
"Right. Goodbye," Kevin Ryan said and hopped back into his SUV after one last glance and wave.
His smile baffled me, appearing rather genuine, not predatory, as if he were really as unpreturbed by this incident as he proclaimed to be.
)
