“It’s not safe to walk this late at night.”
“Look, I’m not trying to be mean . . . it’s just—”
“I get it. You have a boyfriend.” He cuts me off.
I stifle a laugh. “Boyfriend?”
“Yeah. That’s who gave you the flowers, right?”
“Oh, god, no. These are from Tawney.”
A grin lights his face. “Well, in that case, I’d like to walk you home. If it’s okay?”
“Don’t tell me you have a hero complex,” I say playfully. A press of his lips and a change in his expression tells me I must have unintentionally touched a nerve. “Thank you, I’d like that.”
There are a few seconds of silence as we walk up the sidewalk until Brody clears his throat and says, “I felt bad, you know? At the club.”
“What do you mean?”
“All I had to do was escort you, then you were gone. I thought about you and hoped you got home okay.”
“Well, that’s sweet of you.” A smile tugs at the corner of my lips, liking the idea he was thinking about me. I hope he doesn’t see right through me and that I have also thought about him too—especially in my dreams.
Dreams I remember all too well. He plays a starring role, with his broad shoulders filling out his perfectly tailored suit. The shadow of scruff on his chiseled jawline. His firm hand gently caressing the skin of my back, sending goose bumps up my spine to the nape of my neck.
“How long have you been working at the diner?” Brody asks, bringing me back to the here and now.
“A few months. But this is my last night.”
“Why’s that?” he asks.
“I got another job.”
“Tawney mentioned that she lost one of her waitresses. What will you be doing now?”
“Working in the marketing department for an ad company.”
“Beautiful and talented,” he says with a smile. “So, tell me, Dee. Is that short for Dorothy?”
“Dorothy?” I give him a bewildering glare.
“Your sweatshirt. The Chiefs. Kansas. Yellow brick road.”
I look down at my hoodie and connect the dots. I almost want to tell him my real name, but I keep it to myself for now.
“Dorothy, huh? You’re the first to call me that.”
“I like firsts with you.” His voice is just a whisper, but I hear it, nonetheless. Those few butterflies that took flight in my tummy have now become a swarm.
“So, how did you find me?” I ask, assuming that’s why he showed up at the diner at the end of my shift. If he’d been thinking about me, maybe he went looking for me.
“I couldn’t sleep.” With the way he rubs the back of his neck, I detect there’s something weighing down his broad shoulders. “I needed some fresh air. Drove for a bit. I parked my car and just started walking.”
“Just started walking.”
“Yes. Walking.”
“And you were asking what I was doing walking late in the evening. At least I have a destination.” I lift my brow.
“Sometimes just walking can lead you to a destination.” He bobs his head slightly as if he’s justifying his late-night stroll. “Which is how I ended up at Tawney’s. When I heard her call your name, I turned hoping you would see me talking to her, but you were already out the door.”
“So, you’re saying it was pure coincidence?”
“I call it fate.” His smile grows on his face, and I swear I saw a dimple on his cheek.
“Fate, huh?”
“I can tell you don’t believe me, and I make you uncomfortable. Just like at the club.”
“I’m not uncomfortable. I just don’t know you, that’s all. And having a stranger walk me home is not an everyday thing.”
“I’m not really a stranger. We have met before and you know my name.”
“That's just semantics.”
“And what’s the semantics of a beautiful woman walking alone this late?”
“I’m only a few blocks away. Plus, I have my weapon.”
He chuckles. “And I have come close to meeting your weapon.”
“I usually drive. But my Jeep wouldn’t start. It finally gave up today.”
“Do you want me to take a look?”
“That won’t be necessary. I think it’s my battery.”
“You sure?”
“I know a thing or two about cars. My dad and brothers taught me to be self-sufficient.”
“You’re not like other girls I have met.”
“What do you mean?” I’m not sure how to take his judgement, as an insult or compliment. “I’m not some damsel in distress. And I don’t mind getting dirty once in a while. I can take care of myself.”
“If I offered my help to any other girl, they would have twirled their hair and batted their lashes begging for me to take a look under their hood.”
I laugh at his innuendo as he looks at me with suggestive eyes. There’s something intense about this lighthearted moment, and I can’t explain why I feel like this.
“I assure you, Brody. You are not going to look under my hood.”
I can feel the weight of his stare as I try my hardest to keep my eyes fixed forward, counting the squares on the sidewalk.
“Well, the way you’re walking, I assure you that your battery is running just fine.”
“Is that how you reel in the ladies? Come to their rescue in the middle of the night, follow them home, and offer to fix their car?”
“If that were the case, then I definitely need more lessons.” He chuckles. “One thing I do know is you’re beautiful.”
I glance his way and embarrassment warms my cheeks as I use my dark hair to veil my face. I have gotten good at hiding my emotions. I created a façade when I was with Todd and no one had a clue about what was going on behind it. But somehow, in a matter of minutes, Brody has cracked open that chained and double locked door.
I look straight ahead, shake my head, and chastise myself. I can’t do this. I can’t fall down a rabbit hole of emotions. It was how I fell for Todd—his charming words, flirty eyes, and dazzling smile. God knows I have had enough pain to last a lifetime.
“Is that your Jeep?” Brody motions to my car parked on the street in front of my house.
“Yup. That’s my Duke.”
“You named your Jeep, Duke?”
“What’s wrong with that?” I ask, wondering why that should be a surprise to him. Most men I know name their cars.
“You should name a car after a woman. Not a man.”
“Such a guy thing to say.”
“You should, you know?” Brody chuckles, quickly stepping in front of me, walking backward.
I place my hand on my hip and stop in my tracks, trying so hard to stop the flutter in my belly. “Tell me your reason a vehicle should have a woman’s name.”
“When I look at my car, and all its curves, no way I could think I’m looking at a man. Let alone riding in one.”
Brody takes his cap off his head and slips it on backward. The look in his brandy-colored eyes pulls at me, escalating the sexual tension crackling in the air.