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“Yeah, why? Did you need something?”
“Actually, yeah,” he says on a sigh. “Can I walk you out?”
I nod and walk past him as he holds the door open for me.
“I hear you’re sticking around the rest of the summer,” I mention once we’re outside by our cars, and he nods with a quiet grunt.
“Yeah, that actually has to do with what I need help with.”
“Really? What can I do?” I ask, happy to be helping somebody else for once.
“Well, it’s high time I get rid of this rental and stop racking up all the fees,” he tilts his head at the silver sedan he’s been driving all this time.
“Oh, so… what are you going to do?”
“Buy my own car,” he shrugs like it’s a given.
“Oh,” I say again, not quite sure what to make of… any of this. “So… where do I come in here?” I give a nervous chuckle.
“I was hoping you could go with me to find one. Are you doing anything this weekend?”
Nothing besides enjoying not setting an example for a couple of days while I eat my weight in ice cream and freely decompress.
“No concrete plans,” I answer instead.
“Okay. So would you want to? Would you mind?”
“Okay, but why? What could I do? I know nothing about cars, or negotiating prices, or anything.”
“That’s fine, but you’re more of a people person than I am,” he points out. “I was hoping you could keep me in check, or step in and do a little talking when I start to get annoyed at aggressive salesman?”
I inwardly sigh. Ben and I should really leave each other alone, it’s already so confusing.
But I really don’t have anything better to do, and I told him to always let me know if he needed anything. I guess, what could it hurt? It’s just car shopping. It really can be a drag, especially when you’re alone without someone to keep you sane. I can only imagine what it would be like for a reserved being like Ben.
“Well, I still don’t know what kind of help I’ll be, but sure, I’m in,” I say on a breath of finality, and I feel a slight warmth at the relieved look on his face, faint as it might be.
“Great, thank you. Is it okay to pick you up at your house tomorrow at ten then?”
“Yeah, that’ll be fine,” I grin, genuinely this time.
After thanking me again, Ben follows me to my car, and I try again not to inwardly swoon as he puts me inside.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kasey
I try notto feel nervous when Ben picks me up the next morning, and I start to relax even more when we go through a drive-thru to pick up coffees. Something about having a latte to sip on makes this feel more casual, like there doesn’t have to be an elephant in the room, or rather, the car.
“So what are you looking for?” I ask him so that I know the part to play when we get to the first dealership. I wonder if he even cares when he’ll probably only be driving it for a few months.
His face scrunches as he pulls a shoulder up.
“I’m not really sure. I drove a sporty Acura before…” he trails off as he keeps his eyes trained on the road. “I think I’m over that kind of vehicle though. I’m thinking just a practical SUV will do.”
“Right on,” I nod. “I had Matt go with me to get my car,” I offer as a talking point. “All the aggressive, badgering salesman were too much for me to take as a single woman. I wanted to pull my hair out.”
His face falls slack except for his eyebrows drawing in.
