Page 33 of Steeling Her
“If you need any other assistance, don’t hesitate to call me. You have my number. Your family is one of our best clients, we will look after you—”
“Thank you, I will, if I need it.” I cut him off before he gets any other chance to say my name again. He taps my door and waves me off with a boyish grin. I return it with a blush. He’s kind of cute but he’s just being nice. Before I start up the engine, I see Nick sitting there with a huge grin on his face like a kid in a candy store. He looks so cute when he smiles like—No! Carter stop thinking like that!
I reach over to turn my car on and the music, amped up to the highest level, blasts us without any warning. I scream and so does Nick. I use the dial to quickly turn it down to a reasonable level.
“What the fuck?” Nick yells over to the radio that was on full blast. That was definitely my brothers. They like to play stupid pranks on me. I hate when they do that.
“I’m going to kill them both!” I shout with a laugh, trying to be annoyed at them, but I can’t. I have to say, it was a pretty good one. But I probably damaged my ears as well as Nick’s.
“What? Did someone turn the dial up to full blast on purpose?” I nod and he shakes his head, wondering why anyone would want to do that.
“My brothers. They’ve always played some sort of prank on me. That, was one of them. Assholes,” I mumble the last part to myself but I see his grin form, knowing he heard me.
“Jesus, well, I would like to keep my hearing until the tender age of eighty five at least. So if you don’t mind telling them to not do that when I’m in the car.” I giggle at him and start to drive off out of the dealership. We’re driving down the street and I can see him admiring my car on the inside in pure amazement.
“How rich are you?” he asks jokingly as he peers over at me. I laugh back while continuing to drive back to drop him off at the guys’ house.
“I’m not rich . . . my parents are rich,” I tell him only for him to laugh at me.
“That’s something a rich person would say!” he replies, making me laugh once more as we pass the small houses, gas stations, and fields that stretch out into the horizon. The greenery and the burnt yellow grass reminds me of when I was young. My brothers, cousins, and I used to run through my grandparents wheat and barley field in the summer when we would come visit. Hiding in the stalks and creeping up on each other to scare one another silly. My stomach begins to rumble, pulling me out of the memory.
“Hungry?” Nick asks in a teasing tone.
“I forgot to grab something on the way out . . .” I say, keeping my eyes planted on the road in front of me.
“We can stop if you want? I’m pretty hungry too. I know a great place that does the best breakfast. Turn right up here.” I turn at the traffic lights and listen to the directions he gives me. Once we reach there, I see a small diner that looks like it’s been around since the fifties. I always loved those type of diners. Once I park the car, we hop out simultaneously and I lock the doors behind us.
We reach the doors and he holds it open for me. “Thank you,” I thank him shyly as I walk through.
“Nicholas Aiden Jackson! Is that you, sweetheart?!?” I see a small brunette run over toward him to wrap him in a hug. Then I hear a high-pitched scream over by the register.
“Oh! My! God! NICK!” Another small brunette runs behind the other girl to wrap herself around him too, all while I stand there awkwardly watching this entire thing happen.
“Well, aren’t you all grown now! Come in!” I hear the southern accent more now that she has pulled back from him. “Still handsome as ever, I see!” she teases him, making him blush slightly and I smile at her for embarrassing him. Then her eyes and the other girl’s eyes focus on on me. Seeing the playful glint, I gulp down at what is going to be said next.
“Well, who do we have here? Aren’t you a pretty girl! It’s about time you brought a girl around to meet the family, Nick!” He laughs at her and I shake my head.
“Oh, n-no! I’m actually Haley’s roommate from college. He was just helping me today.” I point back over to him standing there staring at me. Seeing his breathtaking smile, I can’t help the one forming on my own face.
“Uh huh . . . Looks like it . . .” She rolls her eyes at the both of us. “Well, I’m his favourite aunt, Rita, and this is my daughter, his cousin, Taylor . . . and you are?” She holds out her hand for me to shake but actually turns into a hug once I tell her my name. Then Taylor hugs me tight too.I guess they’re huggers then?
After a few minutes, we get seated over by the window and get given menus. I read, knowing I’ve forgotten my glasses and squint to try make out any letters on the paper. Next, I see the menu being taken out of my hands and Nick tells his aunt, “Two of my usuals, Aunt Rita.”
“Comin’ right up, honey!” she shouts over her shoulder as she walks away to give the order.
I shake my head at Nick and lean forward to ask him, “Is this going to be a huge meal? I don’t eat that much, even when I’m hungry—”
“Just eggs, bacon, pancakes, hash browns, and toast . . .”
“JUST? Nick, that could feed the entire country!” He releases a bellowing laugh that I’ve never heard before. Why does he keep doing things like this to make him more attractive?
“Haley’s right, you are funny! If you don’t finish it, I will. I could eat two of them right now, I’m so hungry.” He leans forward once he’s finished laughing to look over at me. Taylor then puts two fresh lemonades in front of us, and I sigh with the taste of it. It’s delicious; I love lemonade in the morning.
He starts the conversation with “So tell me something about you.” But I don’t know what to tell him.
“What do you want to know?” I ask back and he smiles as he sips on the lemonade through the straw, and I feel myself staring at his lips.
“Where are you from?” he asks. I’m pretty sure he knows where I’m from. He’s just probably being polite about it.
