Page 43 of Spotlight
She’s standing close to her SUV dressed in a soft pink dress. Her blonde hair is down and blowing around her shoulders. She has a potted plant in one hand, and she shifts from foot to foot as if she’s uncomfortable as I approach.
“Hi,” I say, trying and failing to keep the surprise out of my tone.
“Hey.” Her voice is low with a hint of uncertainty that makes me feel the same way. I don’t know if anyone has made me feel more… well, anything than Olivia does.
Excitement, nerves, a dash of fear. But more than anything, it’s curiosity. I want to know her: what she thinks, likes, wants, her hopes and dreams. I don’t think there’s any little detail about her that I would find boring.
“How’s it running?” I ask, stopping in front of her.
“Good.” She glances back at her SUV. When she meets my gaze again, that familiar sass is back in her eyes. “You just couldn’t help yourself, could you?”
“You’re welcome.” I unlock my truck and toss my bag inside.
As I turn back to her, she takes a step closer to me and holds out the plant. “Thank you.”
“What’s this?” I take it from her. I stare down at the prickly-looking cactus. “Is this another way of saying you think I’m a prick?”
She lets out a soft laugh that makes her mouth curve into a sexy, amused smile. “It’s an ange’s wings cactus. Indirect sunlight is best, and you should only need to water it once a week or so.”
I feel my brows rise as I stare down at the green paddle-like leaves with sharp needles. It’s in an orange pot with pink and purple splotches of paint.
“If you don’t want it,” she starts and moves another step closer.
“Nah.” I pull it toward me instinctively. “This is cool. No one has ever given me a plant before.”
Probably because they assumed I’d kill it, which is likely.
“I also want to pay you for the parts and your time. Archer told me you had to replace some cables for the alternator. I looked it up online and this was what it said. If it was more, let me know and I’ll get the rest to you.”
A little dumbfounded I take the envelope she’s holding out to me and look inside. I see at least four one-hundred-dollar bills before I close it and hand it back to her.
“This is way too much, and I don’t want your money anyway.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It must have cost you to get the part, plus the time you spent fixing it.” She tries to give it back and I sidestep her, putting distance between us.
“It didn’t take long at all, I had the tools, and the part was cheap.”
She gives me one of those no-nonsense scowls that makes me want to kiss it off her face. For some reason it doesn’t seem like she wants people doing nice things for her. Maybe she thinks I have a hidden agenda. I don’t. Well, not much of one. Sure, I want her to go out with me, but I’d have fixed her car either way.
“The cactus is payment enough. I love this planter. Did you make this?”
“My daughter painted it,” she says, then adds, “The cactus and pot were less than ten dollars.”
Knowing her kid had a part in it makes me smile more. “It’s a one of a kind, which makes it priceless.”
She lets out an exasperated but amused sigh. “You’re not going to take my money, are you?”
“Nope,” I say proudly.
We stare at each other for a beat, neither giving in. Adrenaline rushes through me and my gut swirls with a pleasant but uneasy feeling.
“Thank you,” she says finally.
“You’re welcome.”
Her gaze flicks to the quiet stadium. “How are things going with the new team?”
“Pretty good. We have our first game tomorrow if you want to come cheer me on.”
