She wished that her mom had taught her how to change a tire but unfortunately that wasn’t one of the life lessons Cora Wells had given her. Audrey liked being independent and hated asking for help. The book that Carly had told her about sprang to mind. Audrey thought about the second parable where the horse said that sometimes asking for help isn’t giving up, it’s refusing to give up.
And thankfully, she knew a mechanic. It looked like it wasn’t going to be a Josh-free night after all.
Josh was in the zone. It didn’t happen often. But today the parts that had been on backorder for his late father’s ’67 Chevy Nova had come in. It had taken him nearly a decade to finish this restoration. Mainly because he’d had to put so much money into the shop to get it back in the black that he hadn’t had anything to put into the car. But after he installed the carpet kit and headliner he just had to put in the seats, radio, and gauges. After that he had the wheels and tires and then his baby was ready for the road.
When he thought back to the beginning of the project, he couldn’t believe how far he’d come. He’d dismantled it, done all the body work, reinstalled the large components, then replaced the axles, and worked on the suspension, brakes, and fuel system. And he was finally at the finish line.
He was glad for the distraction. The last few days with the kids had been a lot of work and he hadn’t slept that well thanks to the kiss that he and Audrey shared. He wasn’t even sure how it happened. He was pretty sure she kissed him, but there was a chance his aim could have been off and he missed her forehead and hit her mouth. All he knew was one second he was leaning down and the next her lips were pressed against his.
It had taken him a full minute to get his bearings but once he had, he’d definitely been the one to take the kiss further. He’d never experienced a kiss quite like the one they’d shared. He’d forgotten where he was, who he was, and what he was doing.
If Braydon hadn’t cried, he had no idea what would have happened. He could have easily gotten swept away and then what? What about the next day? Or the day after that? He couldn’t lose Audrey, and that’s what he feared would happen if things went too far.
His mind had just started falling down the what if rabbit hole as he reinstalled the scuff plate on the driver’s side when he heard the faint sound of a quiet voice that washed over him like a cool breeze on a hot summer day.
“Hey.”
He lifted his head and saw Audrey standing by the bay door. The sun was setting behind her giving her an ethereal glow. Just like the first time he’d seen her, she looked like an angel.
“Wow. This was your dad’s, right?” she asked as she entered the garage and walked around the front of the car, her hand gliding over the sideboard.
“Yep.”
“It’s...beautiful,” she breathed.
Pride swelled in Josh’s chest. He knew that it was silly that the look on Audrey’s face as she admired the Nova made him feel like he was Superman. But he couldn’t help it. She had that effect on him. Other than Nonna, he’d never given two shits about what people thought of him. But with Audrey, he did. He wanted her to be awed by his work.
“Thanks again, for helping me with the kids this weekend.” He stood and wiped off his hands with a rag.
“Sure, of course, it was fun.” Audrey licked her lips nervously.
Now that he knew what her soft lips felt like brushing against his. Now that he’d tasted the sweetness of her mouth, now that his tongue had glided against hers all he could think about was wanting to kiss her again.
He wanted to make out with her like he had in middle school. He’d thought that maybe, just maybe kissing her was like an itch that needed to be scratched, and once he did it, he’d be able to move on with his life. But it was the opposite. Kissing her had been like taking a hit of the most addictive drug, and now he was feigning for his next fix.
“Um, I’m sorry to bug you but—”
“You could never bug me,” his voice was raspy with desire.
She grinned and sucked in a shaky breath. “Um, right, well, um I have a flat tire and I was wondering if you could fix it. I need to head up to Moonlight River. I’m checking out a new resort up there because they want to offer a package for Viv’s singles week. I would just ask if they could reschedule but—"
“I’ll take you,” he cut her off.
“What?”
“I’ll take you up to Moonlight River,” he repeated.
“Oh...no...” She shook her head and blinked the way she did when she was flustered. “You don’t have to do that. I just...all I need is my tire changed.”
Seeing her reaction did not sit well with him. Did she not want to spend time with him? That was a first. Audrey always seemed happy to spend time with him. Had he damaged his friendship with her being a weirdo the past few weeks?
He grinned, hoping to disguise the sting of rejection he felt with charm. “Sooooo, you’re saying you don’t want me to take you up to Moonlight River?”
Her eyes widened and she shook her head. “No. I didn’t mean that. I just don’t want to take up your time. You’re obviously busy and it’s like an hour drive each way.”
He wasn’t sure if she meant what she was saying or if she really didn’t want him to go, but to be honest he didn’t care. He didn’t want her driving up in the mountains when it was going to be dark in an hour meeting some guy about to show her around his resort.
Since offering wasn’t working, he figured he’d try a different tactic. “A drive out of town actually sounds nice. Plus, I want to see how well Thor does on the mountain roads and make sure he doesn’t get car sick.” He motioned to Thor who was standing beside her.
As if on cue, Thor looked up at her giving her his biggest puppy dog eyes and whined.
She smiled down at him then looked up at Josh and her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Then I guess, it’s a road trip.”
17
Was this actually happening?
One minute she was asking Josh to change her tire and the next they were climbing into his truck. They’d been on the road for about half an hour, and they’d barely said two words to each other. That wasn’t unusual for them. He was a quiet person and so was she. Neither of them felt the need to fill the silence every minute they were in each other’s company.
But usually, their silence was because they didn’t have anything to say not because they were avoiding things that needed to be said. That’s what she felt was happening now. At least on her part.
She needed to bring up the confession she’d made at dinner. The statement she’d made after the motorcycle ride. And the kiss that she’d planted on him at his house.
And she would. But not now. She would bring it up on the drive home. She’d had it all planned out. When they were headed back home and passed Coyote Junction, which was about twenty minutes outside of Hope Falls, she’d tell him that they needed to talk. She’d explain that she had feelings for him and that she totally understood if they weren’t reciprocated. She’d tell him that the most important thing to her was that they didn’t ruin their friendship but that she had to be honest with him about her feelings and that she hoped he would be honest with her, too. Since she had zero experience with any sort of relationship “talks” she really hoped she didn’t make a fool out of herself.