Page 23 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
“I need to go to town, so we might as well go together. I’ll drive.” He said it as though she was just supposed to be all right with him escorting her around.
They lived in a small town. If she was to arrive in the middle of town with him, tongues would be wagging before she even stepped foot out of the vehicle. Parker was the very last man she wanted to be romantically linked to.
“I can drive myself,” she said in a firm voice.
“Okay. I’ll ride with you.”
She restrained a frustrated sigh. She wasn’t going to let him see just how much he was getting on her nerves. In the calmest voice she could muster, she said, “How do you know I’m going where you need to go?”
He shrugged. “It’s Kringle Falls. Every place is walkable.”
Her back teeth ground together. Now she remembered why they hadn’t gotten along all of these years. She might be stubborn, but he was definitely next level.
Still, she didn’t have time to argue with him. Every minute she spent verbally dueling with him was another minute that Odie was missing. “Fine,” she said, “let’s go.”
“Go and start the car. I’m going to make sure the house is secure.”
When she stepped outside, she found the sidewalk shoveled, and the snow had been cleaned off her car. When had he done all of that?
She moved to the car and started it. When she glanced over at the passenger seat, the napkins were still sitting there. She opened the glove box and shoved them inside.
The only thing left on the seat was the latest ticket he’d written her. She picked it up and looked at it. It was only then she realized he hadn’t fined her. He’d given her a warning.A warning.
She slipped the piece of paper into her bag. A little smile tugged at the corners of her lips. Maybe there was hope for Parker after all.
When Parker got into the car, he looked at her and asked, “What are you smiling about?”
She was still smiling? She stopped, hoping she now had a neutral expression. As she glanced over at him, he seemed so close. With him next to her, her Jeep suddenly seemed to shrink. His broad shoulders were practically brushing hers. And her heart was thumping against her ribs.
Agreeing to let him ride with her to town was a mistake. A big mistake.
But it was too late to back out of this now. She started the engine and then put the vehicle in reverse. She was nervous as she maneuvered her way along the icy roadway. Luckily, she didn’t have far to go.
At last, she turned onto Main Street. Her pulse was racing. Having Parker in the passenger seat, watching everything she did, was like being a teenager again and taking her driving test.
“You know you can go the speed limit,” Parker said.
She glanced down at the dashboard. He was right. She was five miles an hour below the speed limit. It was his fault. He was making her nervous.
Not wanting him to know just how much his presence was getting to her, she said, “The roads are slick.”
He didn’t say anything. And then a low “Mm…hmm…” reached her ears.
Her back teeth once more ground together. It was time for him to go back to his life and leave hers alone. “I don’t need you to follow me around.”
“I’m not. We just happened to be going in the same direction.”
She didn’t buy it. She’d seen the deep frown on his handsome face when she’d found the note on the front door. Was he that concerned about her safety? Or was his ego pricked that someone had the audacity to sneak onto her porch, and he didn’t have a clue they’d been there?
“Uh-huh.” She didn’t believe him. “And what do you need in town?”
“Security cameras.”
This was news to her. “And where exactly are you planning to install these cameras?”
“All around the perimeter of your house.”
She shook her head. “No.”
