“Don’t panic,” he said gently, and she realized he could read her better than anyone else in her life ever could, even over the phone.
“Impossible,” she retorted. “I know you and your friends are supermen and all that, but I’m going to worry every second you’re gone. You’re just going to have to deal with that.”
“I hate to cause you worry, but I have to admit, it feels kinda good,” Eagle admitted.
There. That. Eagle saying things like that made her feel as if something vital had changed between them. But then he’d go back to being the buddy he’d always been. It was confusing as hell.
“And just for the record, you had two typos in the texts you sent me today. I thought as a proofreader you were immune to that kind of shit.”
Yup. Right back to teasing her.
“Yeah, well, you know, I have to keep you on your toes,” she retorted.
He chuckled. “That you do. I’ll see you later, Flower. Drive safe.”
“Always,” she told him, echoing what he said to her when she told him the same thing. She clicked off the phone and closed her eyes.
She’d fallen hard for her best friend, and she didn’t know what to do about it.
Did she tell him she was ready for more and risk making things awkward between them?
No. She couldn’t do that. She’d just have to get over her crush, or infatuation, or whatever it was. The last thing she wanted to do was lose him in her life completely.
Forcing herself to concentrate on the textbook in front of her, Taylor did her best to put Eagle out of her mind for at least a little while.
At ten minutes past five o’clock, Taylor pulled out of her apartment complex and headed for Eagle’s place. She was sitting at a stoplight when her car suddenly jerked forward, the seat belt tightening painfully against her chest for a split second.
She was confused for a heartbeat, then realized someone had hit her from behind.
“Shit,” she mumbled. Looking behind her, she saw a man in an older-model Cadillac. It was dark brown and looked like it was on its last legs. She wasn’t a car person, so she couldn’t even guess what year it was.
He popped out of the driver’s seat and jogged toward her. “I’m so sorry!” he said, leaning down to peer inside her car. “I’ve got insurance! If you want to pull over into that parking lot”—he pointed to a strip mall to the right of where they were—“we can exchange info. Again, I’m really sorry, I looked away to turn down my music and misjudged where you were.”
Sighing, Taylor nodded, and when the light turned green, she pulled into the right lane and into the strip mall.
Looking around, she saw there were several people in the area. She wasn’t in any danger where she was. She got out of her Kia Rio and looked at the damage.
Crap. Her back bumper was barely hanging on to the metal frame. She saw the Cadillac pull in behind her and noticed that it had a scrape on the front bumper, but she honestly couldn’t say if that was from hitting her or if it had already been there.
The man once more jumped out and came over to her. “I really am sorry,” he said with a headshake. “I feel horrible. Especially since my car doesn’t even have a scratch.”
“That’s not from hitting me?” Taylor asked, pointing to the slight damage on his front bumper.
He winced. “No. This is my mother’s car, and she did that not too long ago. I swear this car is bad luck. I only took it out today because mine’s in the shop. I should’ve stayed home.”
Taylor felt bad for the guy. He looked completely dejected. “It’s okay. I’m sure the damage isn’t as bad as it looks. Bumpers are meant to do that. I mean, their entire purpose is to take an impact, isn’t it?”
The man brightened. “Yeah, I guess so. If you give me your insurance information, I’ll call them this afternoon and make this right.”
“Shouldn’t we call the police?” Taylor asked.
“We could,” the man agreed. “And you have every right to do that. But I’d really appreciate it if we just took care of this between the two of us. I’ve got a bit of a lead foot . . . I really need to learn to just slow down, and I have enough points on my license that if I get cited for this, I’m going to lose it for sure. My mom’s sick, so I’m the only one she has to drive her to her doctor’s appointments.”
Taylor knew the man was laying on the guilt, but she had to admit it was working. “I’m sorry about your mom.”
“Thanks. Oh, by the way, I’m Thanatos.”
“Excuse me?” Taylor asked.
“That’s my name. Thanatos. But I go by Than, because it’s less of a mouthful.”
Taylor gave him a small smile. “I’m Taylor.”
“It’s good to meet you, Taylor, but of course not under these circumstances. I’m serious, if you give me your info, I’ll call your insurance company and get this taken care of for you. I’d just give you cash to keep it off my insurance, but I don’t have it. The cost of my mom’s medicine is kicking my butt. But I swear I’m all paid up on my insurance.”
Sighing, Taylor nodded. “Okay. Give me a second.” She walked to the passenger side of her car and opened the door. Than was beginning to irritate her. He was laying on the sob story really thick. Taylor leaned over to dig in the glove box to find her paperwork. At this point, she just wanted to get out of there.
After finding what she’d been looking for, she stood and turned—gasping when she almost ran into Than. He was standing about two feet from her car.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Taylor wished she was better at reading facial expressions. She couldn’t tell if he was being sincere or not, and his tone was no help either. She sidestepped to get out from between him and her car. “Do you have a piece of paper I can write my info on?” she asked.
“Oh, I can just take a picture of it—that’ll be easier,” Than said, holding out a hand for her insurance info.
Taylor hesitated for a second, then handed it over. He quickly snapped a picture with his cell phone and handed the paper back.
“I’ll call first thing tomorrow,” he told her. “I’ll make everything right.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Did I make you late for anything?” he asked.
Taylor felt a little awkward now. She wasn’t sure she really wanted to make small talk with the guy who’d run into her, but she didn’t want to be impolite either. “I’m on my way to my friend’s place,” she told him. Then lied and said, “My boyfriend.” Maybe if Than knew she was dating someone, he’d back off a bit.
“Oh, well, I’m really sorry I ran into you. I hope he won’t be mad.”
It was a weird thing to say. “He won’t. I mean, these things happen,” Taylor said with a shrug.
“I appreciate you being so easygoing about it. You’ve got a good temperament,” Than observed.
“Thanks,” Taylor replied, feeling more and more uneasy.
“Dang, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable,” Than said astutely, taking a step back.