Page 94 of Her Paramedic
“Whatever you have planned is fine, baby. I’m following your lead,” Slate replied.
They were soon pulling onto the highway, and Slate felt a bit odd being in the passenger seat. He always drove when they went somewhere together, having no problem with Talia playingthe role of passenger princess. He supposed that would be his role for the day.
It was quiet between them for several minutes, even the radio was turned down low. He was sure it was because she thought he might go back to sleep, but he had no intention of doing so. If he were at home, he would have gotten up in a couple of hours, anyway.
“Kaydence told me last night that she and Axel have dwindled their short list down to two homes. I think they might put an offer in on one soon,” Talia said.
“Yeah, I know Axel got an offer on his house, and I’m pretty sure he’s going to take it. I think he wants them to find one, so they only have to move things once,” Slate replied.
“That makes sense. Kaydence got an offer on hers a few weeks ago, but they were trying to lowball her and she passed.”
They continued their conversation, and Slate knew they were going to Denver or Boulder halfway through the drive, but kept it to himself. He’d let her surprise him with whatever she had in store.
Slate said he was content to let her surprise him, and she’d done a damn good job of it when she pulled into a car show. He’d forgotten there was one happening that weekend. The parking area was crowded, and had she not told him she’d reserved a space ahead of time, he didn’t think there would have been one. They exited the car, and Slate took her hand as they approached the entrance.
“There’s supposed to be quite a few cars and parts vendors here, along with other vendors and food trucks. I thought you’d enjoy it since you told me you hadn’t been to one since the last car you finished.”
He remembered telling her that, but it was when they first started dating. Hell, it was technically before they were datingofficially. They’d been discussing his hobby, and she asked the last time he’d gone to a car show. It was something they spoke of in passing, but he shouldn’t have been surprised that she remembered it.
The show they were at was one of the largest in Colorado, but he hadn’t been in a couple of years. It always drew a large crowd. Even those who weren’t big into antique or sports cars visited for the other vendors that came out. While the primary focus was on the cars for most in attendance, there were several other things to take part in. It was the perfect place to spend his birthday.
Slate pulled Talia around to stand in front of him. He captured her lips with his, kissing her slowly, and he didn’t care who saw them or who they might have been holding up.
“Thank you, gorgeous.”
“You don’t have to thank me, but I can’t promise you might not get annoyed with the questions I ask. I know enough about cars to drive one and take it to the mechanic,” she responded with a cute smile.
Slate chuckled. “Ask away, baby.”
They continued into the event and decided to first stop at one of the nearby food trucks. He’d stopped and gotten something after his shift on the way to her house, but that had been almost eight hours ago. They ordered their food, and when he reached for his wallet, Talia stopped him.
“Not a chance, birthday boy,” she told him, pulling out her debit card and handing it to the attendant. “As a matter of fact, put it in here,” she instructed, opening her purse. He dropped his wallet inside, and she took her card back from the giggling young woman. They stepped off to the side as they waited for their order. “What do you want to do first after we eat?”
“We can check out some vendors on the way to the cars,” he responded, and she nodded.
“I thought you might find a part from one of the vendors. You’re still looking for two, right?” she asked.
“I am. Finding them here would help me finish it faster.”
He’d been at a standstill for a few weeks because he couldn’t find the original parts, and he didn’t want to substitute them. It would bring down the value of the car, but he was close to doing it since he couldn’t find them. Maybe he’d get lucky and a parts vendor there would have what he needed.
They retrieved their food when it was ready and found a nearby table.
“Do the people showing their cars win anything?” Talia asked halfway through their meal.
“It depends on the event, but sometimes. Usually, half of the people only want to show off their possessions, and the other half want to get eyes on it because they’re interested in selling it. It’s an easy way to find someone looking to buy. For buyers, it’s an easy way to spot what they want.”
“And you fall into the latter of the two.”
“I’d say I’m in the middle. I want to show it off because I rebuilt it, but I’m also looking to sell it.”
Talia nodded. “There are websites to sell through too, aren’t there?”
“Yes, but you get more genuine interest from people in front of you. You can feel if they’re serious or only wasting time. That’s harder to figure out through messages on a website.”
He’d gone through it a couple of times and preferred it when he met an interested buyer at a show. People online had too much time on their hands, and he was fine with them wasting it as long as he didn’t have to be a part of how they did it.
When they finished eating, they headed to check out a few vendors before venturing to the cars.
