Page 28 of Steinbeck
He set the bottle back in the ice and took a glass.Turned to her.
Sometimes she felt like she was back in high school, falling hard for Big Jack, the eldest of the Kingston family.Swept up by his intensity, the sense of bold adventure that emanated from him.And sure, he’d broken her heart once upon a time, but a girl never forgot her first love.
And Jack would always and forever be her first and only love.
He lifted his glass.“Bee.I never would have finished this project without your help.Your insights, your opinions, so many hours helping me overhaul the engine and fix the brakes and wire the bus, adding cabinetry and benches, painting...It’s better than I could have imagined.”
He was talking about them, not the bus, right?
“And I want to thank you.”
Oh.“Absolutely, Jack.I mean...Flo is...she’s something special.”
“Yes, she is.”His gaze held hers.“Just like you.”
Okay, that was a little romantic.Sappy, but he’d never been a poet.A wannabe lawyer, maybe, which translated to him knowing what to say at the right time.She’d take it.“Thanks.”
He tapped her glass with his, then leaned forward and kissed her.Sweetly, lingering.Then he leaned back and took a sip.Set his glass on the rooftop deck.
Looked at her, his blue eyes twinkling.“Okay.So I need to ask you a question.”
Her heart thumped.She set down her glass too.He took her hand.
“It’s important.It’s permanent and it’s...well, I feel like it’s a decision we need to make together.”
Well, clearly.But she just smiled.
He blew out another breath.C’mon,it wasn’tthatscary.She’d been an all-inyesandabout time, Jackfor a few months now.
Maybe a few years.
“Would you consider...”
She held her breath.
“Naming the bus?”
She blinked at him.“What?”
“I mean, I know that we’ve been calling her Flo and that I nixed the Power Flowers, but you never really liked Flo and...well, I need to get new license plates, and I wanted to buy custom plates.But, you know, it’s a big decision.Permanent registration and...”He was still grinning.“And I was thinking we could come up with a new name together.”
What?
Seriously?
She looked away, hating the terrible fist in her chest, and what—now her eyes burned?C’mon, Jack?—
He still had hold of her hand.And she didn’t want to be a jerk, but...whatever.
Her breath hitched.“I think Flo is...fine.”
“Really?”He released her hand.“I got the distinct impression that you weren’t a fan of Flo.”
“Flo is a great name.I mean...why not?”She needed to leave, but she didn’t want to take off in an all-out run.
Okay, maybe she did, but she needed a ride home and...
“I think Flo is perfect.”She forced a smile.“You know, I need to get back home.I’m on the last couple scenes of my book, and my deadline is this weekend.”
