Page 43 of An Overdue Match
Her brows pulled together in confusion. She pressed the button again.
Still nothing happened.
Tai cleared his throat to combat the laughter bubbling in his chest. “As I was saying, the first thing you need to do to start the car is engage the clutch.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder and gave him a look out of the corner of her eye. “I knew that.”
Tai swallowed his mirth. He watched as she correctly used her left foot to press the clutch pedal down to the floor, thentried the start button for the third time. The engine roared to life.
“Good. Now, press the brake pedal and release the parking brake.”
She found the parking brake lever and pulled. A small pop sounded when the brake released.
“The car’s in neutral. Do you know how to put it into first gear to move forward?” There weren’t any cement parking blocks separating the spaces, and Tai figured she’d rather go forward than in reverse for her first attempt.
Evangeline licked her lips and stared at the gearshift.
“It won’t bite.”
She blinked wide eyes at him. “I know it won’t bite. I’m just nervous.”
“Don’t be.”
“I don’t want to ruin your car.”
“You won’t hurt it, I promise,” he said, infusing his tone with reassurance.
She swallowed, then gripped the shift, pulling it toward the left as far as it would go, then up into first gear.
“Perfect. Now all you have to do is give the car a little bit of gas while slowly letting off the clutch.”
“That’s all, huh?”
He grinned. “Yep. That’s all.”
She hesitated. “Okay. Here goes.”
Except the only muscles that moved were those of her eyes. Her green irises flicked up and down between staring at her feet and peering out the windshield.
“You got this, Evangeline Jezebel Kelly.”
The panicked look that had started to cloud her vision receded like sun burning off fog in the valley. The muscles in her shoulders lost some of their tension, and her grip on the gearshift loosened enough to allow color back into herwhite knuckles. “You’re the worst guesser in the history of guessing.”
The engine more moaned than revved as she slowly put pressure on the gas pedal. The car inched forward.
Evangeline’s jaw unhinged in surprise but also delight. She pushed down with one foot while lifting up with the other. Tai opened his mouth to warn her to give it more gas, but before he could get the words out, the car lurched, throwing them against the seat belts, then stopped altogether.
“I’m so sorry.” Her hands rose to cover her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
Tai covered her hands with his own and lowered her palms from her face. He squeezed her fingers. “I told you, you’re not going to hurt the car. Everyone stalls. Shoot, I still stall every now and again. It’s not a big deal. And I promise, accelerating from stop is probably the hardest part of driving a stick. But once you get the hang of how much gas to give while you let off the clutch, it’s a breeze. Now, try again.”
She stalled a few more times, but each time she looked less horrified and more determined.
“That’s it. Just ease off the clutch a little more ... Just a little more gas ... You’re doing it! You’re driving a stick!”
Evangeline beamed as she drove five miles per hour around the empty parking lot. Could a person on foot have passed her? Yes. But that didn’t detract from her victory.
“Okay, give it some more gas. Listen to the engine. I’ll tell you when to shift, but see if you can hear it yourself.”
