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Wyatt’s expression went grim. “It’s when you pull over to change a tire, not realizing you’ve stopped a few feet from a large puddle of rainwater, and the oncoming car doesn’t slow down at all.”
“Oh wow!” she squealed. “You got drenched?”
“I got drenched,” he confirmed.
Anita couldn’t help it, she had to laugh. Carly was already laughing, and within seconds, Wyatt’s expression relaxed, and he laughed too.
“All right,” he said, pulling onto the main road leading to the library, “it wasn’t funny at the time, but I can see how it’s funny later.”
When they all sobered, Carly said, “It’s my turn. And I’m asking you a question, Mr. Davis.”
“Wyatt.”
“Okay, Wyatt.” She paused. “Have you lived here all your life and how old are you?”
“Carly,” Anita said, “it’s not polite to—”
“It’s all right, Anita,” he said, amusement in his tone as he patted her hand.
She froze at his touch, not knowing if she should react or ignore it. He removed his hand just as quickly as he’d touched her, so she released a slow breath. It wasn’t like she had tingles running up her arm from his touch or there was some sort of electricity sparking between them like she’d read in a few books. This was different, though...she was aware of him. Of how one hand gripped the steering wheel, how the other worked the gear shift when needed, how he smelled of fresh air and starch, how he had a five o’clock shadow on his jaw, how—
“I’m forty-one, which I know makes me an old man, and I’ve lived in Seattle my whole life. In fact, I’ve only been to a couple of other states—Oregon and Nevada. So you could say that I’m a diehard Seattle-ite?”
So he was six years older than her, Anita calculated.
“My mom’s thirty-five,” Carly declared.
“Barely thirty-five.” She wanted off that topic as soon as possible. “Don’t you like to travel?”
Before he could answer, Carly cut in. “Road trips are the best! My mom and I do them all the time.”
Except for the last few months, that had been the case.
“Road trips...” Wyatt mused as he turned into the library parking lot. “All of my traveling has been for work meetings. Once it was for a funeral of a relative. Otherwise, my grandparents didn’t leave Seattle on account of my grandma’s poor health.”
Anita was fully curious now, with more questions. True to Carly’s nature, she beat her to it.
“What was wrong with your grandma?” she asked. “And why didn’t you just go somewhere with your parents?”
Wyatt pulled into a parking place and shifted the car into park.
“That’s a lot of personal questions, Carly,” Anita said.
He turned toward her. “It’s fine.” His green eyes were steady, not annoyed. “My grandma had a heart condition, so Gramps didn’t want to take her too far from home—or overnight somewhere. She had trouble sleeping when she wasn’t in her own bed.” He paused. “And my parents...well, my dad took off before I could even remember him, and my mom...She had an addiction that eventually took her life.”
Anita’s heart felt like it was being twisted out of her chest. “I’m so sorry, Wyatt,” she whispered.
Not even Carly had words.
“It was all a long time ago,” he said gently. “Gramps and Grammy raised me, so if I seem overbearing around Gramps, you’ll know why. He’s everything to me.”
Anita blinked against the stinging in her eyes. She wanted to hug this man, but it wasn’t the right place.
“That really sucks,” Carly said.
Anita normally would have reprimanded her for using such a coarse word, but right now, it was completely accurate.
“My dad left us too,” Carly continued. “My mom will try to correct me that he left her, but it was really us. I haven’t heard from him in years, and I know he doesn’t care enough about me to change that. So my mom is everything to me.”
