Page 24 of Lady Luck's Kiss
“Is that what you call it?” she quipped and then slapped a hand over her mouth, laughing. “Oh my gosh, I swear I would have never said that. It’s the wine talking.”
“Little one, when we’re about to cross that line, it will need no intro,” he bragged, making her giggle. She loved that he called her “little one” as a term of affection. “Besides, I can’t show you here.”
“Why not?”
“It’s all about location, or haven’t you heard that?”
“That’s houses, silly.”
“It’s for everything that is long-lasting. Houses, businesses, friends, relationships…” he murmured and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. “You said you needed to drive my truck. How about that test drive?”
“Well, okay,” she answered, confused. There was absolutely nothing romantic about driving his truck to verify if it overheated again. They were either going to get stuck, or it was fixed, and the mood was gone. “You sure about this?”
“Positive. How about I meet you downstairs in a few. Bring a jacket.”
“It’s September and sticky out.”
“And getting cooler all the time. Plus, the sun is going down and the temperature will be dropping. Relax, and go with me on this.”
“Fine. You win. I’m in your hands.” She smiled at him, stepping away and moving to get a light sweater. She watched, amazed, out of the corner of her eye as Jack carefully scrapped off the dishes into the trashcan and quickly loaded them in the dishwasher.
Man, that is appealing to women! Having a man do the dishes without asking? If he breaks out a vacuum or starts folding laundry… I’m a goner, she thought and chuckled at the idea.
“Care to share?” she heard behind her as she grabbed her wallet.
“No. No, I’m good,” she answered quickly. There was no way she’d ever utter the words aloud in her lifetime.
He blew out the candle votives. She found herself staring at his lips, admiring how they looked and remembering how they felt. He glanced up and met her eyes, causing her to blush heartily. Jack grinned and walked over to her, gesturing her to head down the stairs back to the lobby of her garage.
“You go ahead. I need to lock up.”
“You lock the garage, don’t you?”
“Yes, but if someone was to break in, it’d be bad enough to have my work intruded upon. I think it’d feel worse to have them enter my home, too.”
“Smart and beautiful,” he admitted and kissed her quickly on the cheek as he passed her to head down the stairs first just as she requested. She stared at his back and then quickly grabbed her keys, jamming them in the deadbolt.
Hurrying down the stairs behind him, she went through the motions to make sure the shop was locked. Throwing the locking bar back on the large, glass, garage bay door, she raised it carefully to make sure the truck would clear it when they backed out. “Are you getting in?”
“I thought I’d wait for you.”
“Did you want to drive, or shall I?”
“I can,” he quickly volunteered. “It’s been a few days since I have gotten to drive it.”
“Get in and start it up. I’ll get the door behind you. If it smokes, overheats or does anything weird at all, turn it off immediately,” she ordered. “I’ll throw the latch back and meet you around front at the entrance.”
“Yes, ma’am!” Jack got in the truck easily and she smiled as it roared to life. Watching carefully, he backed out slowly from the garage bay where she had worked on it the last few days. As the front of the truck cleared the garage, she gave a mighty yank on a rope that dangled from the glass door handle that brought the heavy door down with a soft thud. Latching it, she waved at the darkness on the other side of the glass. Hopping easily over the lift arms and moving past her tool cart, she turned off the lights. Exiting the building, she locked it and found he had pulled up close.
“Hey, gorgeous, want a ride?” he teased.
“Wasn’t that the idea of the road test?”
“Couldn’t resist,” he drawled with a lopsided grin. “C’mon in.”
Charlie hopped in the cab of the truck and buckled up. At his smile, she found herself happily returning it. Now, this felt like a date! Jack held out his hand and she happily placed hers in it. “Now, pay attention and let me know if you see anything.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
