Page 19 of Race to the Beach

"What are you doing with my car?"Her brows drew together as her face creased with a deep frown.

"Nothing.”He followed her gaze to the car with the hood propped open."I, uh...wanted to take a look and see how extensive the damage is."

"You had no right."She moved past him and made her way to the front of the car.

He distinctly heard a gasp when she took in the extent of the damage.He opened his mouth to tell her it wasn't as bad as it looked, but wordlessly he closed his mouth.The truth was the damage was exactly as bad as it looked.

"I thought maybe I could help," he said.“I had nothing nefarious planned.”

Her gaze darted to him before returning to the engine compartment.He could see suspicion in her eyes."Why would you want to do that?Aren’t we supposed to be competitors?”

Perhaps it was because he'd lived his whole life on Bluestar Island, but he wasn't used to a friendly gesture being met with immediate skepticism.It made him wonder what had happened in her life for her to react in such a manner.

He cleared his throat and tried again."I was looking for a way to help get your car back on the road."

She was quiet for a moment as her gaze strayed back to the damage.When her gaze met his again, she said in a firm tone."I don't need your help."

Her words hit him like a smack in the face.They stung.And yet, he didn't respond in kind.

She'd had a rough day—worse than most days by far.She'd come very close to being seriously injured...or worse.He didn't want to think about the worse.It would be enough to put even the kindest person in a bad mood.

"Maybe we should start over," he said."How are you doing?"

She was quiet.In fact, she was quiet for so long he started to think she wasn't going to answer him.

"I have some bumps and bruises.Nothing major."

He nodded toward the sling."What about your arm?"

She glanced down."It's just a bruise."

He’d never heard of anyone wearing a sling for “just a bruise” before.Something told him there was more to the story than she was willing to tell him.Still, he was relieved to hear there weren't any serious injuries, but it didn't stop him from feeling guilty for playing a part in the accident.

"I guess this means you'll be leaving the island sooner than expected."He struggled to keep the disappointment from his voice, which surprised him.There was something about this woman that brought a dormant part of him back to life.He didn't want to examine this sensation too closely.

She leaned over the engine."Why would you think that?"

"Uh...Because of the accident.And without the car to race, I just thought..."He stopped his rambling answer.

She lifted her head and stared directly at him."Why won't I have a car to race?"

He was confused."Well, unless you have a spare car stashed nearby, you won't have a car to enter in the race."

"I have a car right here."Her eyes challenged him.

Surely she wasn't serious.His gaze moved to the car.This was far more than cosmetic damage."There's no way it can be repaired in time for the race.And there aren't any mechanics on the island."

Maybe she'd bumped her head in the accident and that was why she wasn't making any sense right now.He started to wonder if she should even be there."Do you need to sit down?"

Her eyes widened in surprise."Why would I need to sit down?"

What was he supposed to say to that?He decided it was probably best if he kept his mouth closed.

She continued to look at the car.He wanted to ask what she was thinking, but considering most everything he'd said up until this point had set her off, he continued his moment of silence.

She pointed to the creeper."Do you mind?"

He was surprised that she would want to crawl under the car."No.Go ahead."

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