Page 44 of An Overdue Match
She gave the gas pedal more pressure, and the speedometer rose. The engine revved.
“Now. Shift to second.”
A terrible grinding sound came from under the hood, and Tai couldn’t help but wince.
“Oh my gosh. I just murdered your car.” Evangeline’s handsfluttered, and the car jolted to a stop again. Once more, she covered her face with her hands. “I can’t do this.”
“Yes, you can. You’re doing great.”
Her palms lowered until just her eyes peeked out from above her fingertips. “Great? Your car sounded like I was torturing it to death.”
It did. Honestly, grinding gears could damage certain parts of the car, but light grinding here and there wasn’t going to kill it. “Just make sure the clutch is pushed down when you shift and don’t release until the car is in gear.”
It took a bit more encouraging before Tai could get her to try again. He walked her through every step, offering reassurance when needed and more encouragement. Finally, she was shifting between first, second, and third with confidence.
“Pretty soon you’re going to be zipping around the raceway.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Yeah, because going”—she flicked her gaze down to the speedometer—“twenty-five is going to give Chase Elliott a run for his money.”
“An empty Kroger’s parking lot today, the Daytona 500 tomorrow.”
She snorted, but her shoulders relaxed. Tai had her practice in the parking lot for another twenty minutes. He hadn’t really planned on making her drive the rest of the way home, but she’d learned fast and he didn’t see why she shouldn’t.
“Ready to take this baby on the road?”
She slammed on the brake, forgetting to engage the clutch, and the car stalled violently for the first time in a while.
“Sorry.” She patted the steering wheel as if she were apologizing to the car. Wariness and uncertainty lined her brow. “Are you sure that’s a good idea? A road with other cars is a totally different beast than an empty lot.”
“You’re ready. I believe in you. You just have to believe inyourself.” Tai pointed out the window. “Plus, don’t you want to get away from the Bradford pear’s own special take on the fresh scent of spring?”
Her lips tilted in a soft smile. “To be honest, I don’t even notice the stench anymore. I must have gone nose blind.”
“Then quick, we need to leave before the damage becomes permanent.”
She laughed as she restarted the engine.
Tai had stopped at the Kroger just outside of town, so it didn’t take long for Evangeline to pull up to her house, even with her going under the speed limit to reduce the number of times she’d have to shift gears.
She didn’t turn off the engine after she put the car in neutral and pulled the lever for the parking brake. “Don’t think you have to walk me to the door since this isn’t a real date.”
Tai reached over and pushed the button to kill the engine. “Just because you keep saying that doesn’t make it true. Thisisa real date.” He opened the door and exited the car. He knew she wouldn’t wait for him to get her door, and he was right. Her door shut a second after his did. He met her at the bottom of her porch steps.
“Thanks for coming out with me tonight.” He shoved his hands into his pockets to keep from reaching out and touching her.
“You make it sound like I had a choice.” There was a hint of amusement to her voice that lent to banter.
He shrugged and grinned. “You did. You chose to use my help with your matchmaking.” He leaned his shoulder against the post of her front porch. “You know, you never did answer any of my three questions.”
“Oh, look at the time.” She glanced down at her wrist even though she wasn’t wearing a watch. “I have to get up early so—” She spun on her heels and scurried away. “Good night!”she called over her shoulder as she unlocked the front door and stepped inside.
Tai chuckled, pulling out his phone as he ambled back to his car. He opened his messaging app and clicked on Angel’s name.
You can run but you can’t hide, Evangeline Puddin’ Tame Kelly. Braves home opener is Sunday. I’ll pick you up at ten.
19
I’m once again at a table that’s near the barista’s counter of Cotton-Eyed Cup of Joe, a mug of tea in front of me more to blend in with the environment than because I make a habit of purchasing drinks I can make at home for a fraction of the price. Someone might get suspicious, though, if I sat here not drinking anything.
