“Where are you going, Max?” Lila asks without turning around.
“A place called Penrose Beach?” Max says, sounding as if he’s not sure.
“Why?” she asks.
“Because I, uh, well, I’m supposed to check on a few things for a friend.”
Something about his answer is off, but I don’t need to pry too much into his situation. We’re just trying to help him and get on with our day.
I turn into the gas station and park. “How far back are you parked?” I can’t remember seeing a car off the side of the road, but I wasn’t looking for it either.
“About two or three miles from where you picked me up. Thank you again for the ride. Can I pay you?”
Waving a hand I say, “No, we’re good. Do you want us to wait and help you get back?”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to ruin any plans you had.” Again, a man dressed like that considering my time? This is definitely not a situation I’m familiar with.
With a shrug, I say, “It’s no trouble. We’ll wait here. Get the gas you need, and we’ll take you back.”
He smiles, showing very white, very straight teeth. With a quick bob of his head, he gets out of the car and heads inside.
Lila stiffens in the seat next to me. “You want to risk more time with him?”
“Eh, he’s kind of cute.”
“The good-looking ones are usually the highest on the suspect list,” Lila says.
“What did you take all those karate classes for last year? You can save us both,” I say with a smile.
As much as I would normally be worried about taking astranger anywhere, I get a good vibe from him. And the poor guy looks exhausted. I would be too.
“You know I failed those,” Lila says. “I can’t even kill a bug, let alone keep someone from attacking.”
Shaking my head, I say, “Pretend he’s an old friend. We’ll take him back and drop him off before we head back to the apartment.”
Lila lets out a long sigh. “If we die, Mom will know it’s all your fault when the news comes out.”
“For the last time, we’re not going to die, Lila.”
Max walks out of the building with a small red gas can, heading over to fill it up at a pump. Lila goes back to finding songs on my phone, and I take the time to evaluate our hitchhiker.
He’s tall, with an athletic build. His dark hair is slightly curly and unruly, but that could be from everything he’s gone through today. His clothes are of nicer quality than I’ve seen on anyone since I came to town, but maybe he had some kind of interview today. But where? He said Penrose Beach is his final destination, so it wouldn’t be an interview.
There’s something about him that seems familiar, but that could be for many reasons. When I worked for Lewis, Jacob, and Sons, we had a very specific clientele of people who often dressed in the more expensive name brands. In comparison, I did a lot of thrifting to look the part while also having enough to pay for my student loans.
But Max somehow sets me at ease, the opposite of how I felt in the office with those clients. I could attribute it to the environment I’m in now. It’s not so much deep sea with sharks circling, more like a turquoise bay of calm waters.
Max finishes with the gas and brings it over, causing me to look forward and pretend like I wasn’t staring at him. I’m a people-watcher, which is a blessing and a curse. I tend towonder about people when I meet them, trying to figure out what makes them tick.
I pop the trunk by pulling the lever inside, and he sticks the can in before walking over to the door to get in.
“Thank you again. I appreciate it,” he says with a smile.
“No problem.” I turn the car out of the parking lot and driving back the way we came.
The last rays of light shine over the horizon. Lila turns on a Coldstar song, and I can’t help but sing along. Sure, I’m not the best singer, but the advantage of a good song is singing it loud in the car.
It’s only after about thirty seconds that I catch Max’s eye in the rearview mirror. And the sound dies in my throat.
