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“What are you doing here?” I ask when I approach him. Before he can respond, my mind immediately jumps to tragedy. “Is Lily alright?”
“She’s fine. I just wanted to surprise you.”
“Surprised doesn’t even cover it.” I reach out and squeeze his shoulder playfully. “Are you really here? Or am I dreaming?” My eyes rove over the black long-sleeved shirt showing off his broad chest and biceps. The shirt is new. The jeans look new, too. His usual tan work boots have been replaced with black leather.
What is going on?
With a sheepish grin, he holds up a set of car keys. “I did a thing.”
My brain races to make sense of what he’s saying.
Finally, it clicks. “Oh my God! Did you buy a car?”
“Yup. And I drove it here.”
Such a simple, normal thing. But for him, it’s huge. My chest instantly bursts with excitement for him.
“Wow!” My eyes shift behind him to the glossy SUV. “It’s beautiful. I’m speechless…but so proud of you.”
I try to tamp down my bubbling excitement so as not to embarrass him. I don’t want to strip him of his machismo the first time he’s ventured out in public in years.
“Thought I’d give you a ride home. If you want. If you don’t, it’s—”
“Yes!” I exclaim jubilantly. “Of course I want to.”
Like a gentleman, he opens the passenger door for me, lightly holding my arm as I climb inside, then shutting the door behind me.
“Is this brand new?” I ask when he gets in behind the wheel. The new leather car smell is intoxicating.
“Yup. It’s wild. It’s got cameras, ultrasonic sensors, three-point safety belts, occupant sensing, GPS, all-wheel drive, antilock brakes, multiple airbags…it even has an SOS button to call for help. It cost a fucking arm and leg, but it’s the safest car I could find.” He skates his hand across the sleek dashboard, then turns to face me. His smile falls to a frown. “Go ahead and say it,” he says. “I sound like a fucking lunatic.”
“No, you don’t.”
“They didn’t have all this stuff when…”
I cover his hand with mine. “Remember what we talked about,” I remind him gently. “It wasn’t your fault.”
“Right. But I feel better with all this stuff. Especially if I’m driving you and Lily anywhere.”
Alex had a mild anxiety attack when Kirsty took Lily to get a car of her own. He’d been putting off taking her himself for weeks, and there’d been many fights between them, ending with Lily slamming her door, screaming that not everyone dies in a car crash.
“You did great. But can we take a moment to appreciate this gorgeous buttery tan leather with the black exterior?” I sink back against the seat. “It’s so comfy,” I say, trying to divert his attention away from safety features.
“Do you want to drive?” he asks, fidgeting with the keys, twirling them in his fingers.
Stalling.
“I’d rather you drive so I can look at your arms.”
He actually blushes. “Not the answer I was expecting.”
Laughing, I say, “It must be like getting back on a bicycle, right? Driving again?”
Nodding skeptically, he says, “Yeah. I guess you could say that.”
“It’s a beautiful day. Almost too nice to go home.” I hope he picks up my subliminal hints. It’s safe. It’s not snowing. We don’t need to rush home to get off the road.
“Should we go somewhere?” he asks. “Or do you have plans?”
I can’t resist. “I have zero plans. I’m all yours.” I bat my eyelashes playfully.
He laughs and shakes his head like he’s trying to restrain himself from a witty comeback, then puts the key in the ignition. “Behave yourself,” he says, backing out of the parking spot. “And put your seat belt on.”
As we drive through town, I tell him about my first full-time week, and how each day I mentally pick a favorite patient. Today’s favorite was an adorable Corgi, who brought his favorite ball with him and held it in his mouth during his entire exam.
“That’s cute. I really miss having a dog.”
“Maybe someday you’ll feel ready again.”
He nods and slips into silence that I’m sure is filled with memories of Cherry. After a few minutes, his mood switches, and he says, “You know what I’m dying for right now? Something I haven’t had in years.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“There’s this ice cream shop a few towns over, it’s in an old trolley car. They make my favorite sundae. When I was younger, I used to ride my motorcycle there to clear my head.”
“You haven’t driven in years and the first thing you want to do is have ice cream?” I tease. As someone who absolutely loves dessert, I’m sure he has no idea how high that puts him on the attractiveness scale.
“Actually…” He takes his eyes off the road just long enough to throw a crooked grin my way. “The first thing I wanted to do was see you. Ice cream was second.”
