Page 42 of An Overdue Match
She did a Vanna White impersonation and waved her hand in front of him. “The rakes, rogues, ladies’ men, charmers, flirts, silver tongues. Whatever you want to call yourselves. You say things you don’t mean. You love ’em and leave ’em.”
Tai regarded her. She seemed to almost be itching for a fight, and he was conveniently located nearby. “Is that what happened to you? Someone you love left?”
She turned her face away, her jaw set in a stubborn line.
“I hate to break it to you, but contrary to popular belief—oryourbelief, rather—I’m none of those things you just listed. I may flirt with you, Evangeline Elly Mae Kelly—” Not even a flicker of response to his joke. She must be really upset. “But that doesn’t mean Iama flirt or that my plans are to play with your heart.”
She folded her hands in her lap. “We’ll see about that.”
“Yeah,” he said softly. “I really hope you will.”
18
It wasn’t until they passed a near-empty Kroger parking lot on the drive back to Little Creek that Tai got the idea to teach Evangeline to drive a manual transmission.
“Why are we stopping here?” she asked as he pulled the car to a stop under a streetlamp in front of the deserted grocery store.
Besides the beat-up El Camino with a busted tire parked on the other side of the lot, the place was empty. Perfect for an impromptu driver’s ed session.
Tai killed the engine. “You’re going to drive the rest of the way home.”
Her eyes went wide, the light shining down on her from the streetlamp making it look like she was the star of the night’s stage.
“But I already told you I don’t know how to drive a stick.”
“I know.” Tai could justify his wanting to teach Evangeline the mechanics of operating a vehicle with a manual transmission, but the truth of the matter was, most drivers in the United States no longer had the skill. Nor did they really need it since automatic cars were the majority on the road. Really, he just didn’t want the night to end, and teaching Evangelinewas the best excuse he could grab at when the opportunity presented itself
Tai opened the car door, a gust of a breeze wafting inside. His nose crinkled against the assault. Cool evening air mixed with the offensive odor of a blooming Bradford pear tree. How the pretty white blossoms could emit a smell that rivaled rotting fish, he’d never know. They were like the Trojan horses of trees, completely innocent and magnificent to look at but hiding something deadly you’d never expect.
“Those things are foul.” Evangeline scrunched her face, pinching her nose against the onslaught of stench. “Tai, I can’t drive. Take me home.” Her voice had a clogged, nasally tone to it now, slightly muffled because of the hand in front of her mouth.
Tai pinched his own nose. “This is as far as I’m taking you. If you want to get home, you’re going to have to drive yourself.”
He couldn’t believe she’d accused him of being a player. If he were experienced in the art of wooing the ladies for the fun of it, would he really have brought her to a place reeking like a wharf on a hot summer day, where they both had to plug their noses and talk like cartoon characters with bad sinus infections?
This was not suave. This was not charming.
This was probably not getting her to see him in a better light either.
Oh well.
Before she could offer another argument, Tai unclicked his seat belt and climbed out of the car. He left the door open, both as an invitation for her to take his place behind the wheel and also because the stench would work in his favor. The longer she sat there, the longer she’d have to endure the tree’s odor. Sure enough, by the time he’d rounded the car and stoodin front of her door, she’d pushed it open and was scowling at him.
“The sooner you get behind the wheel, the sooner we can shut the doors and we won’t have to smell the blooms anymore.”
“It’s coating the inside of my mouth,” she complained as she stalked around the front of the car, the headlights illuminating her shapely legs as she passed through the beams. “I can taste the smell.”
She wasn’t wrong, and Tai wished he’d chosen some other deserted parking lot. But they were there now. The only thing to do was make the best of it.
“Try this.” He opened the glove box and retrieved a container of chewing gum. He offered her a piece and took one for himself.
“I’m not sure this is helping.” She grimaced as she chewed. “Now it’s like minty fish.” Her body shivered in disgust, but she didn’t spit the gum out.
“Okay, the first thing you need to do to start the car is—”
She held up her hand to stop him. “I may not know how to drive a stick, but I do know how to start a car.” She reached forward to press the start button on the dash.
Nothing happened.
