Page 64 of Ancient History

She returned to her work, and I breathed a sigh of relief. These kids weren’t paying me to stare at the soccer coach. I moved my chair so my back was to the window. But before I sat back down, I let myself have one more glimpse outside.

Hutch was looking my way. He flashed me a smirk that I felt in my bones.

If Hutch is to sexy, then I am to trouble.

* * *

Hazy orange lightilluminated the teacher parking lot when I finally got to my car. The sun had begun its descent into night. This long day was almost over. Almost time to do it all over again.

I unlocked my car and threw my messenger bag into the passenger seat. I was about to get into the car when I heard an unhealthy noise.

The muffled sounds of a failing engine resonated in the lot. I followed the noise to Hutch’s car. He turned the key in the ignition, eliciting another round of struggling machinery.

I knocked on his window. “Are you having trouble?”

“I almost got it.”

“Are you sure about that?”

Hutch turned his key with all of his force. His arm and neck muscles tensed up as if he were trying to turn the wheels himself. More ugly sounds came from the hood.

I knocked again, and this time he rolled it down. “You okay?”

“Yeah. She’s just being stubborn.” He strummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel.

“Can you pop the hood?” I asked him.

He was skeptical of my automobile prowess, but I dared him to call my bluff. As a lifelong owner of cheap used cars, I had to become my own de facto mechanic.

“I didn’t know you were an automobile expert,” he called from the driver’s seat.

“I’m not. I’m an experienced novice,” I said, lifting the hood.

“Don’t try to fix it if you’re not sure.”

I thumbed through the weeds of the engine. I didn’t know much, but I had cursory knowledge of what to check in a car. Oil, dipstick, things like that. YouTube was my saving grace. I went through all the tricks in my bag, but when Hutch turned the key, the same ugly noises emanated from the engine.

I jumped back from the noise.

“I’ll call a tow truck.” His phone was already to his ear.

“Why didn’t you buy a new car when you went pro? Isn’t that what professional athletes do?”

“I got this beautiful truck. I used to go into the mountains with it. Then one day, I was on a hike, and I forgot to put the emergency break on. I reached the peak of this trail, with a beautiful view of watching my car roll down the mountain into a ravine.”

I smacked a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing.

“Whoops.” He smiled to himself, his lips curling up in a perfect half moon. Did this man know how watchable he was?

The tow truck eventually came, and we watched Hutch’s car get pulled away like a child dragging a toy. His face curdled when he glimpsed the bill before folding it into a tight square and shoving it in his pocket.

“I can give you a ride home.”

“Are you sure?”

I nodded yes.

His blue eyes beamed megawatts of gratitude my way, which gave me an excuse to gaze into them. “Are you hungry?”

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