Page 17 of Your Carriage Awaits in Crumbleton
‘That’s like asking me to pick a favourite child!’ laughed Danny. ‘But since you’re asking, it’s got to be the Aston Martin.’
He nodded over to where his pride and joy was sitting in the back row. His dad had added most of the cars to the collection, but that had been Danny’s first purchase. It had been in an absolute state, but the labour of love to bring it back to its full glory had been worth every moment.
‘Really?’ said Michelle, cocked her head as she glanced at it. ‘That one?’
Danny nodded. ‘It’s a 007 thing.’
Michelle chuckled. ‘Fair enough!’
‘I’m guessing you’re favouring the Buick, given the way you’re petting it?’ he laughed.
‘Sorry!’ Michelle whipped her hand away from the red paintwork, looking sheepish. ‘I didn’t even realise I was doing that.’
‘Don’t be sorry,’ he said with a grin. ‘May I present the Buick Roadmaster, 1952. She’s a beaut—especially if you’re into the whole American 50s vibe.’
‘Yeah… that’stotallymy jam. So much style!’ said Michelle, her eyes gleaming. ‘You’re going to think this is totally daft, but I watched Grease as a kid… and that was it, I was hooked. The obsession grew from there.’
Danny felt something shift in his chest as a memory hit him like a sledgehammer. ‘I should have known.’
‘What do you mean?’ said Michelle, tilting her head curiously.
‘The prom,’ he said, the words tumbling out before he could stop them. ‘Year thirteen. You wore that amazing dress. All the other girls looked like they were trying to outdo each other with how much skin they could show. But you…’
Danny paused, remembering the moment she’d walked into the school hall. He’d been struck dumb. Michelle’s dress had been navy blue with white polka dots. A wide red belt had shown off her tiny waist, and the skirt had flared out in frothy layers that swished when she moved.
‘You looked like you belonged to a different era,’ he said, his voice softer now. ‘Classy and… just gorgeous.Properlygorgeous, not like you were trying too hard. You know, you were the only reason I bothered going to that thing.’
Michelle’s cheeks had turned pink, and she was staring at him in surprise. For a minute, Danny regretted saying anything… but what was the harm? He could still remember it like it was yesterday – standing by the wall, nursing a plastic cup of spiked punch while he watched her with her friends. He’d been desperate to ask her to dance, but the last thing he’d wanted was to be turned down in front of the entire school, so he’d chickened out.
‘I wore my leather jacket instead of hiring a tux,’ he said with a rueful smile. ‘I thought I looked so cool. Instead, I probably just looked like an idiot who couldn’t afford proper formal wear.’
‘Trust me, you didn’t look like an idiot,’ said Michelle, sounding slightly flustered.
‘Yeah… well…’
Danny ran his fingers through his hair.Whycouldn’t he just reminisce inside his own bloody head instead of letting it all fall out of his mouth?
Nice job, Dalton! Way to go to make things awkward.
‘I remember spending that entire evening wishing you’d ask me to dance.’
Danny’s eyes snapped back to Michelle. She was staring hard at the Buick.
‘You… did?’ he muttered.
Michelle simply nodded.
‘Oh.’
Danny swallowed.Whydid his even matter? His heart was hammering, and he felt like he was hovering on the edge of a skydive… all over something that had happened years ago. Orhadn’thappened, more to the point!
He needed to steer this conversation back to more practical matters, pronto… before he made an even bigger prat out of himself.
‘So… the Buick?’
‘Definitely my favourite,’ said Michelle, shooting him a cheeky smile. It did nothing to ease his skydiver’s nerves.
‘Well, you’re welcome to borrow her until we get to the bottom of what’s wrong with your car.’
