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“It’s getting cold, let’s get in the car,” he said, with the same kind of smile Pat Sajak would use to tell someone they’d just solved the puzzle and were tonight’s big winner.
“You’re kidding, right?” She pointed to the sticker. “Please tell me I didn’t drive here with that thing on the car.”
His smile wobbled. “Ah, honey, I know it’s a little sophomoric, but it’s just a joke.”
“Then why aren’t I laughing? And I’m not your honey.”
The valets looked at one another nervously. Ted must have sensed a scene in the making, because he said, “All right, I admit, the sticker’s probably not in the best of taste, but it was a gift from a friend. I couldn’t not put it on my car.”
“Doesn’t sound like much of a friend to me,” Lauren said.
A restaurant patron came out and handed the tall valet his ticket. The valet, obviously enjoying the show between Ted and Lauren, reluctantly tore himself away to get the car.
Ted led her off to the side so that their conversation wouldn’t be overheard. “I get it. I’m sorry. It was dumb of me to put it on the car. But it’s there now and it’s dark. Your house is less than three miles from here. No one’s going to see it.”
“People have already seen it. I’ve seen it. And I’m not getting in the car until you take it off.”
“Seriously?” he hissed.
She glanced at her watch. It was almost ten, not late enough that she’d really disturb anyone on a Saturday night, but she wasn’t about to call her parents. Tom was out of town, and her closest friend, Mimi Grant, was running for mayor of Whispering Bay. She was in the middle of a close race with the town’s incumbent, Bruce Bailey. Lauren knew if she called, Mimi would come pick her up, no questions asked, but a small crowd of curious onlookers had begun to gather in the parking lot and she didn’t want Mimi exposed to any potential bad publicity. “Look, no worries. I can take a taxi home.”
“There are actual cabs in this excuse for a town?”
Lauren thought about whacking Ted over the head with her purse. The bumper sticker was bad enough, but now he’d insulted Whispering Bay. No matter how “eligible” a bachelor Momma thought he was, even she would be fed up at this point.
The valet who’d brought out the car shrugged apologetically. “We can call you a cab, ma’am, but it will probably take at least thirty minutes or more to get one to come over from Panama City. If one’s available, that is.”
“Oh, for God’s sake, I’ll just take the damn thing off.” Ted squatted down and attempted to strip off the bumper sticker, but it wouldn’t budge. “What the hell’s on this thing? Super glue?” He tried to force it off by grabbing onto the sticker’s edge but it held strong. After a few minutes of struggling, he used his nail and managed to peel off a tiny section of the corner. He bent his head to further examine the bumper. “Fuck! I’ve scratched the damn thing.” He turned, eyes blazing at Lauren.
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t tell you to try to take it off. I just said I wasn’t getting back in the car if it was still on.”
Ted stood, his face red. He glanced at the gathering crowd, then lowered his voice “Get in the car.”
“I already told you, I’m not getting in the car.”
“We can give Lauren a ride home,” came a deep quiet voice from behind. Lauren spun around to find Nate Miller standing in front of her.
Nate looked at her with an expression Lauren remembered all too well. The few times they’d spoken in high school she’d found Nate a bit…disconcerting. He had a way of maintaining eye contact that made her nervous. Not in the creepy serial-killer kind of way. But Nate Miller could ask you for your chemistry notes with the same face he’d use to tell you that your cat had just gotten run over. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking, but at the same time Lauren had always gotten the impression that he was the one person in their entire class who saw through her bubbly blonde cheerleader persona. Which was ridiculous, because how could he see something that even her closest friends hadn’t?
Jessica stood next to him, looking confused.
“Oh, um, that’s really nice of you, but I would hate to impose,” Lauren said.
“It’s not a problem.” Nate glanced Ted’s way. “I assume that’s all right with you.”
“Sure, it’s perfectly fine with me,” Ted said, sounding relieved. He gave Lauren a hard stare then plucked the keys from the valet’s hands and took off in his Ferrari, going way faster than he should have. Now that the show was over, the crowd dispersed.
“I really appreciate your offer, but I can call a cab,” Lauren said.
Nate glanced down at her with those unreadable eyes of his. “It doesn’t seem practical to call a cab when we can give you a lift.”
“But—”
“We’d be happy to give you a ride,” Jessica said, her eyes narrowing. “How do you two know each other?”
“High school,” Nate said.
Jessica raised a brow. Maybe Lauren should feel guilty for not telling her in the bathroom that she knew Nate. But the acquaintance was so superficial, she hardly thought it mattered.
