Page 33 of Make Her Mine
“Oh, like when my mom and dad were going out?” I asked, pulling her along with me.
“Yeah, like that. She was the maid here, too, remember? And that stirred up all kinds of hullabaloo.” She tried to pull her hand out of mine.
I held on, not willing to let it go. “You’re coming with me, Ella. I don’t give a rat’s ass what anyone thinks.” Thinking it best, so she didn’t start to feel uncomfortable, I added, “It’s just a late lunch. No one thinks a couple of people grabbing a late lunch is a date of any kind.”
“Is that how that works?” She eased up and started coming along.
“Yes, that’s how it works. If you and I were all dressed up and went to some fancy restaurant, then that’s considered a date.” Pushing the door to the garage open, I asked, “Can you pick up the keys to the ’Vette?”
She grabbed them and held them out. “Here you go.”
“Nope. You’re driving.” I wanted her to feel older than she’d allow herself to feel.
“No way.” She jiggled the keys. “Come on, take them. You drive.”
“No.” I let go of her hand and got into the passenger side. “You’re driving, Ella. Consider this part of your training as an adult. I said I would help you.”
Smiling, she got into the driver’s seat. “It was fun driving this car last night.”
“I thought so, too, when I drove it back home.” Putting on my seatbelt, I prepared myself to not freak out if she made mistakes. “How long have you had your license?”
“Since last year. It took me a while before I decided to get it.” Looking at me, she wrinkled her nose. “I take more time to do things.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t be frightened of doing things you’ve never done before.” By that, I meantall kinds of things. Getting Ella to try new things filled my mind with possibilities.
There were so many things she hadn’t done, and I wanted as many of those firsts as possible.
Chapter Sixteen
Ella
Was it was the effects of the hangover? I wasn’t being my usual myself as Brandon and I ate at Dairy King. “This is helping. You were right about greasy foods, Brandon. Who would’ve ever thought to eat something like this on an upset stomach?”
“Not sure who came up with the idea, but fatty foods have an incredible effect on stomach acid.” He took a big bite of his burger and some oil actually dribbled out the bottom.
“Yuck!” I said, then took another bite of mine. “It looks yucky, but it’s so yummy!”
He nodded knowingly, then wrapped his lips around the straw sticking out of the bottle of Dr. Pepper. Sucking down half of the cold drink, he ended with, “Ah. Nothing like a nice cold D.P., is there?”
“It’s my favorite, too.” Taking a drink, I realized I’ve never gone out with anyone other than members of my family. “Seems we have similar tastes.”
“Indeed.” His eyes moved to watch the person who just entered.
When I turned to look over my shoulder, I saw the tall redhead walking in, and I immediately felt heat run through me. It was envy. “She’s pretty.” I tried not to glare when I looked back at him.
“She’s Clayton’s old high school girlfriend.” He smiled. “What’s that in your eyes, Ella?”
Blinking, what he was talking about? “Is there something in my eyes?”
He laughed. “They actually sparkle when you get irate. Did you know that? It’s uncanny how your eyes convey that sentiment. You must’ve thought I was checking Tiffany out.”
My heart raced. Am I that transparent? “No. Not at all. Why would I care if you check out some girl?”
“Yeah, sure.” He laughed as I blushed. “And why would I knock some guy to the ground when he tried to kiss you?”
Taken aback, I sat there looking at him. “You did what?”
“When I saw that guy put his hands on you last night, I kind of lost my marbles.” The way he smiled all crooked made me jittery inside. “Everything after that point was a blur. He went down, I threw you over my shoulder like Tarzan, and out to the car we went.”
