Page 5 of Summer Solstice

Andre turned to look at me for long enough that I drummed the steering wheel with my fingers. It was a little unsettling, since I couldn’t exactly look back at him and not drive off the road at the same time.

“Something doesn’t have to be magic for it to be an exciting adventure, Poppy.”

The quiet words made my mouth go dry, and I carefully steered off Main Street and took the side road that would take us closer to the edge of town where we both lived. I wanted to see Andre’s expression, because there were a few ways to take those words. My heart started beating double time.

I decided to take that as a lead in. “So, Andre–”

There was a sudden, strange whooshing sound then, and the car shuddered, pulling hard to the right. The jeep juddered, shaking as I fought to keep control. An odd, rhythmic, flapping started up outside, and I finally managed to wrestle the jeep onto the gravel shoulder as I came to a stop, my heart now pounding through me.

“What in the world was that?” It was a struggle to get the words out around my heart which was lodged firmly in my throat.

Andre had braced himself against the dashboard, his expression serious. “I think you might have blown a tire,” he said, apologetic for some reason.

I stared at him for a long moment, then let my forehead drop to the steering while I groaned. I didn’t need a flat tire right now (not that I ever needed one, but today had been a hard enough day as it was). I couldn’t afford a flat tire. Not with no sales, no potions, and no supplies.

The sound of a seatbelt clicking off had me jerking my head up in time to see Andre opening his door.

“What are you doing?”

He was already rolling the sleeves of his black turtleneck up, revealing strong forearms dotted with little black numbers, just like the numbers that had started appearing on Finn’s arms.

“I was going to have a crack at changing the tire. Have you got a jack?”

“Um, yeah, I do,” I stammered, raking my hair back from my face. “But you don’t have to do that. I can call roadside assistance.”

“It’s no trouble.” Andre looked strangely cheerful for a man about to do hard, greasy labor—especially dressed as he was. Furthermore, I could only imagine the man’s wardrobe had to have cost him a fortune because it was in a word—nice. Really nice.

He closed the door before I could protest again, and I fumbled for my seatbelt after making sure my hazard lights were on.

“What’s going on?” Finn rubbed his eyes, waking up and looking like he was six years old again.

“We got a flat tire. Andre and I are fixing it, so don’t worry.” I slipped out of the Jeep, and hurried around to where Andre had gotten the spare off the back of the Jeep and was now wrenching the car up with the jack.

I helped as much as I could, and between the two of us, we managed to wrestle the spare tire into place and loaded up the old and shredded one. By the time we climbed back into the car, we were both sweaty, tired, and more than a little grimy, thanks to the road dust.

It made for a quiet drive the rest of the way, both of us needing to catch our breath. I drove carefully back to the farmhouse, keeping an eye out for any debris that might have caused the first flat. I definitely couldn’t afford another one.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I pulled into the driveway, stopping well back from the house so that I didn’t accidentally run over any glass shards that I might have missed when I hastily shoved the box of broken potions off to the side that morning.

It took two tries to get a sleepy Finn up and moving towards the house again, especially given the fact that he had homework waiting for him. He doubled back to hug Ouire goodbye before shuffling inside. I lifted the hair off the back of my neck, hoping the night air would help cool the heat of my skin.

“Would you like to come in?” I asked Andre. “I can get you something cold to drink.”

Coffee was the last thing on my mind now. I wanted water. And a shower.

“Ah, I’d better not,” Andre said, regret in his voice. “I’d best go home and get cleaned up.”

He gestured to the front of his turtleneck, and I saw the darker black of an oil stain there.

“Oh, no, I’m sorry. Can I drive you the rest of the way home?” The night couldn’t have gone worse if I’d planned it. I wanted to make something up to him, anything, really.

But Andre just waved me off with a tired smile. “Think nothing of it. And I’ll be fine, I’m just up the road, and I’m hoping the little walk will give me a chance to cool off.”

“Well… alright. If you’re sure.”

He was. And with a smile and a last wave, he was gone, trudging up the road to his house, while I stood there awkwardly with guilt gnawing away at my stomach. There was definitely something there between us and we both felt it, but I didn’t seem to want to acknowledge it. And I had to wonder how long would Andre be okay with that? I mean—a handsome man like him wouldn’t be single long, I was sure. And yet... yet, there was still fear inside me that almost seemed crippling. When I thought about all the most recent relationships I’d had—Roy—something that had crashed and burned. And then Marty... that was one that really bothered me, because though Marty had said he understood how I felt and he’d forgiven me for breaking his heart, he’d also kept his distance. And there was nothing that bothered me more than the fact that I was pretty sure we were no longer friends. Or, not the tight friends we’d once been.

And I just... I couldn’t imagine another relationship, this time with Andre, failing.

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