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Determined not to let him get away, she fought her normal insecurities and risked being too forward. He didn’t even flinch.
“I might be late if I’m digging a car out of a ditch, but I’ll meet you as soon as I can.”
They set a meeting place, and then she opened her wallet. “How much do I owe you?”
“It’s on the house,” he said, smiling at her.
Amazed that he’d never asked her for a date before, Jason just chalked it up to youth. He’d dated the girls who were in his crowd because that was the easiest thing to do. He’d had one goal and that was getting into medical school, and he’d immersed himself in everything that would help him make that goal. Dating was only done due to peer pressure.
“Thank you,” she said, looking at him. “I’ll see you after eleven.”
“It’s a date.”
“Ha!” She laughed and opened the door, climbing out.
One last smile before she closed the door and climbed over the snowdrift to her car, while he waited to make sure she didn’t get stuck again. When he was confident she was safely on her way, he headed back to the station.
More calls for cars that had spun out on hazardous roads and ended up in ditches kept him busy for the next two hours. Meeting his dad and brother back at the station, he told them about his coffee date.
“With who?” Ted asked.
“Do you remember Lily Fairchild?”
“I do, but I don’t see you with her.”
Frowning, Jason didn’t ask why. His brother was a great guy, but he loved the limelight that Jason had shunned. He had taken over Jason’s role as captain of the varsity football team when Jason graduated, and had loved the adulation. Through the years, the family expected all of Ted’s dates to be gorgeous, popular women. A quiet, unassuming girl like Lily Fairchild wouldn’t appeal to him.
“Remember, her father is the president of the city council,” John said.
“And ours owns the best garage in town,” Ted said, evoking laughter from the three men.
“Enjoy your date, son,” John said. “We’ll only interrupt you if it’s an emergency.”
Jason went into their private bathroom and washed his face and hands. He looked in the mirror. “You need a haircut,” he said, frowning. The hair was impossible, thick, black curls that his knitted cap had mashed down effectively. He actually liked the way it looked mashed, and pulled the cap back on. Chuckling, he shut the light off and went back out into the garage.
“You’ve got my number,” he said, and left the warmth of the space for the blizzard, visibility near zero. Thinking of Lily protectively, he hoped she was a good driver and that getting stuck once were all the dues she’d have to pay that day.
Carefully pulling out into traffic again, he wound through the streets to the main drag. They were meeting at a popular local coffee shop where everyone knew everyone. He pulled right in front, sure the big rig would get lots of attention.
“Hey, it’s Karas,” the men in the café yelled, and laughter rang out.
“Where’s your father?” someone called.
“Digging someone out of a ditch,” Jason replied.
All eyes were on his imposing physique as he made his way to the rear of the place, his swagger unintentional, but unmistakable.
“Oh god,” a female patron moaned. “He is so hot. His thighs don’t stop.”
“I’m going to purposely drive into a ditch when we leave here,” another said.
“He’s going back to old man Fairchild’s kid,” someone else whispered. “That should go over like a fart in church.”
Spotting flaxen-haired Lily’s head, he ignored the whispers, making eye contact with Lily and smiling, his heart rate increasing. He broke out in a sweat. Quickly unzipping his jacket, he slipped it off, and then he forgot about his hair and pulled his cap off. The admiring sighs made both Lily and Jason look over the crowd and then turn back to each other, laughing.
Obviously embarrassed, Jason shook his head, trying to regroup.
“I remember you being modest in high school,” she said. “But you shouldn’t worry about this kind of attention. It’s well deserved.”
