Page 29 of A Second Chance

“Why?”

“That’s none of your business.”

“Gwen,” he breathed, “I don’t want to have a combative relationship with you.”

“Really—”

“Hey, Gwen,” Autumn called, walking up to her. “My mom just called. Danny’s sick. I’m sure it’s just teething, but I need to run and get him.”

“She’s my ride,” Gwen said to Jason, happy to get extricated from the situation.

“No, don’t worry, Jason will take you home. Stay and have fun. I gotta run.” Autumn turned and walked out of the tent before Gwen could comprehend what happened..

“Wait… what?” Jason asked.

Gwen followed, but Autumn had already disappeared into the crowd and none of the others were in sight. She felt Jason come up next to her. “What just happened?”

“They set us up,” he said.

“Oh no…” she whirled around confronting Jason. “Did you have anything to do with this?”

He threw his hands in the air. “No way.” Since he looked as exacerbated as she, it appeared he told the truth.

“Just take me home.” She turned and walked few steps away.

“Hang on, I already bought tickets. Let’s not let this ruin our night. Come on, what do you have to lose?”

Not her dignity, she had none of that left to lose. Did her so-called friends know about what happened between them and leave her alone with him anyway? They sucked. “Fine,” she conceded. “You’re buying, and I want real food too.”

His smile was gorgeous, and his eyelashes were long and full. So unfair when men had luxurious eyelashes. She could paint hers with layers of mascara and it still wouldn’t come close. “I think I can make that happen. What’s first?”

“Bumper cars?”

“Oh, you’re on,” he said.

They weaved between people in the crowd, making their way to the section of carnival rides and games. There was a short line to wait until the current crop of riders finished. When the line moved, he handed the attendant two tickets, and they walked through the gate.

“Prepare for war,” he whispered behind her.

“Bring it, McMillan,” she replied and selected a red bumper car that didn’t look too junky. After she buckled in, she looked around and couldn’t find him. Great. She’d broken a cardinal rule of battle – she lost her opponent. Now he had the advantage of knowing where she was. Gwen turned trying to locate Jason while the guy was checking all the seatbelts. But he finished, and the buzzer sounded signaling the ride had started.

Gwen hit the pedal but spun in a circle as she fussed with the steering wheel. She swore as she continued to turn the wheel trying to go anywhere but in a circle. In the nick of time, she got the car moving in a straight line; Jason whizzed past in the opposite direction. She refused to turn around, she’d circle the track and get him that way. A random teenager rammed into the side of her car and grinned at her. In all the twirling, she’d discovered that turning the wheel all the way left, made the bumper car go in reverse. She backed up and then drove straight into the side of the kid’s car. He stopped laughing.

Before she could revel too much in the victory, the vibration of her car sustaining a rear hit jolted Gwen. She turned to find Jason grinning. The force pinned her car between Jason’s and the teenager. The teen frowned and backed away. Gwen laughed and drove away and whirling around to find him again. Now they drove toward each other, playing bumper car chicken. Neither of them relenting, they collided. She threw the car into reverse and he drove forward, hitting her again. She maneuvered the car enough to drive away from him, but he was behind her and catching up. Then, the cars shut off. End of the ride.

Gwen laughed at the disappointment on his face and stuck out her tongue. The buckle on her seatbelt was difficult to press in and when she looked up, Jason was next to the car and held his hand down to help her out. “Thanks,” she replied, climbing out of the car.

After several more carnival rides, she was spinning. Gwen stumbled getting off the ride. The world whirled around.

“Whoa, there,” Jason said, hand slipping around her arm. “You all right?”

“Dizzy…”

Then she was up against him. “Lean on me until it stops… Are you going to get sick?”

“Don’t think so,” Gwen said, up against his chest. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried not to notice how good it felt to have his arms around her. Or how she enjoyed laying her head on his solid chest. His heartbeat against her seemed fast.

After the worst of the dizziness passed, she stepped back. And for an unknown reason her hands landed on his chest; it was a nice chest.

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