Page 40 of The Second Kiss
“Purring like a kitten.”
“You’re a lifesaver.” I jump up and throw my arms around his neck, knocking him in the head with my cast. We cringe in pain at almost the same moment. I pull back, totally embarrassed at what I just did. “Sorry.”
He rubs his head. It’s okay. “You want to take it out for a test drive? We could get breakfast to celebrate.”
I shake my head without meeting his eyes. I want to go with him, but if anyone from school sees us together, it would only confirm whatever rumors are going around, especially since I'm skipping school. “A drive is fine, but I’m not hungry.”
I do what I can to make myself look decent, then he leads me out to my car. Holding my breath, I turn the key. I wouldn’t exactly say it purrs like a kitten, more in line with an asthmatic lion, but it starts. "It's a miracle."
Jacob beams and climbs in the passenger side, “Where to?”
I drive to a long country road that winds around the river. It's a beautiful day. My car being fixed and being with Jacob has put me in a much better mood. Thinking I can impress him with my driving skills, I speed up, leaning into the curves.
He puts his hand on my knee. "Not so fast."
I look at him, a mischievous smile playing around my lips. "Why not? I'm pretty sure if you were driving you'd be taking these corners a lot faster."
His face gets serious. "You're right, but we should probably take things slow.” He moves his hand back from my knee. “At least for now."
I look over at him, considering the double meaning in what he's saying. I venture the question. "Why, for now?"
“You don’t want to kill her off on the first trip out," he pats the dash. "This old lady has some miles on her."
"Maybe this old man too?" I pat his shoulder. It's a lame attempt at flirting, and I feel bad immediately for the reminder of the difference in our ages.
"I do have a few more miles on me than you do. A bit more experience." Jacob says, then I catch him stifling another yawn.
"You stayed up all night, and then you came to fix my car," I say.
He shrugs. “No big deal.”
Guilt settles in my stomach. "You didn't have to do that. I can handle riding the bus or catching a ride. Yesterday was just weird."
"You want to talk about it?" Jacob says.
"No," I say firmly.
"Sure?"
I shake my head, my face getting warm at the thought of telling Jacob about the rumors flying around school, especially since they involve him.
"Right, none of my business." But he almost sounds hurt. His gaze moves down the road. “This is a great place to drive. When I get back, I’ll have to bring my car out here. Then I can show you what it can do.” He turns back to me, his eyes glinting. “That is, if you think your heart can take it.”
I’m not sure how much more my heart could take of being around Jacob at all. We drive in silence for a few more glorious moments, then what he's hinted at hits me. "You're leaving?"
He's leaning against the window. "Huh?"
"You said you wanted to get my car done before you headed out and then you said, ‘when I get back.’ Are you going somewhere?" The thought brings up an ache in my chest.
"A few weeks of training. I'll be back right after Thanksgiving. Just in time for my brothers to get here."
He's said so much in those few sentences that I take a minute to process. Finally, I ask, "Your brothers?”
“They’re coming here over Christmas break, maybe longer, my mom too.”
“Nate and Gage, here?"
He grins at my reaction. "Yeah. They’re coming for an extended visit—the entire month of December. My stepdad Steve is deployed, and your dad offered them both a job remodeling your rental—the house we used to live in. They’ll be staying there. Nate wants to earn some money before he starts his next semester at Florida State.”
