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It feels like Dash’s truck is bigger than the entire road, but he navigates through town toward Leigh’s house with ease.
I clutch my keys in my lap, pressing my house key between my fingers—a nervous habit. I wish I didn’t get like this, but the bundle of anxiety in my gut seems to lock my muscles in place.
I’ve already learned the hard way that the most innocent-looking nice guys can have terrible monsters hiding just beneath the surface. All it takes is one minor scratch to bring them out.
As the silence settles around us, I relax into my seat, relieved he isn’t asking me a hundred questions. I don’t even know if I have the energy to shower when I get home, but I can’t tell if the smell of beer is burned into my nose or if I actually smell like I’ve been marinating in it all day.
“You know, you’ll fracture your hand if you hit someone like that.”
“What?”
He gestures to my hand, which is still clenched around my keys. “You really want to take someone out, you should just swing your keys at their face.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
“So you don’t fracture your hand trying to punch someone with your key wedged between your fingers.”
“Um... thanks.” I readjust, releasing my keys into my lap. I hadn’t even realized how tightly I’d been holding them, and my palm aches.
“Sorry,” he says, checking his mirror before changing lanes to turn. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“The move has just been a big adjustment,” I say. “And it’s been a nerve-wracking night. It seems like every time I think I might catch a break, something new comes up.”
Now, my nervousness has turned to verbal diarrhea. I don’t feel like making small talk with him. I don’t want him to feel sorry for me. I just want to get home.
“Yeah, I get that feeling.” Dash pulls his truck into Leigh’s drive, and I take a breath before sliding to the ground. Men and their big trucks. Why?
Leigh greets me at the door with Holden on her hip, wearing his red backpack with puppy ears hanging from each side. “You trade in the Saturn?”
“I wish I could afford that. It’s being towed, so here we are.”
“Well, if you need me to pick up Holden or watch him at your place...” Her lips twist into a puzzled expression. “I guess that won’t help you get to work, but we could figure something out.”
“Thanks, Leigh.”
Holden grins as she passes him over to me, then stretches to look over my shoulder at the truck behind me.
“Hey, buddy.” I gently poke him in the side and nuzzle his cheek, but he’s far more interested in the truck. That’s been his thing lately—anything with wheels. He certainly didn’t pick up that interest from me. I do well to answer all of his questions. “How did everything go today?”
“Good. He’s a sweetheart, as usual,” Leigh says. “We worked on colors for a while, and he’s been counting everything lately. He also made you some art.”
“Well, thanks again for everything. I need to crash, so I’m going to get him home and ready to wind down.”
“See you next weekend, buddy,” she says, patting the top of his head and smoothing out a few of his rogue blond curls.
When I turn to head back, I realize why Holden had been so distracted. Dash is standing outside the passenger door, his hand slung over the top as he leans casually against it.
Fuck. If Janelle had to find someone to help me out, why does it have to be a man who looks like that? The butterflies he gives me make it even harder to think straight.
“Who are you?” Holden asks when we approach.
“I’m Dash. Who are you?”
“Holden,” he states proudly, squeezing my neck and pressing his face against my cheek.
“How old are you, Holden?”
“Two.” Holden holds up three fingers, checks, then puts one down. “Two!”
Dash’s eyes crinkle when he chuckles, then he nods to the car seat. “You had it facing forward in your car, so I assumed that’s how you wanted it.”
“Yeah,” I check the straps anyway, but everything’s perfectly locked into place. “You’ve done this before.”
“I have nieces. Used to watch them for my sister every now and then, but they’re living in North Carolina now.”
I strap in Holden and hand him the stuffed dog to keep him entertained during the drive.
I climb back into the front and buckle up while Dash climbs in next to me. He’s such an imposing man, and his truck doubles it. I feel like I’m being caged in, and I know it’s irrational, but something inside me fears I don’t stand a chance against him.
