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ChapterTwelve
“You!” she echoed.
Andrea couldn’t believe that the man standing before her was the same one that had hit her car just a few days ago. What were the odds that they would be involved in two collisions in less than a week? Oak Harbor wasn’t a big town, but it wasn’t that small either that you would just randomly run into a stranger you’ve never met before twice in one week.
“Me,” the gentleman replied, breaking into her musings.
She found herself assessing the man before her. His dark blond hair was cut low at the sides while the hair on top of his head was longer, a few strands falling into his eyes. His deep-set sapphire blue eyes sat high on his angular face, and he had laugh lines at the corner of each eye and his mouth. She guessed he was probably in his mid-forties or older. He was at least six inches taller than her five-foot-four height.
“Are you all right?”
She jumped, surprised by the hand waving before her face. “Yes, sorry. What were you saying?”
The man gave her a weird look before he replied, “I was saying if we keep meeting like this, pretty soon one of us is bound to end up in the hospital.” When she didn’t immediately make a comment, he continued, “I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot earlier—”
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have stopped so suddenly. I just wasn’t aware someone was behind me, and I didn’t see the light until it was too late. It’s my fault. I take full responsibility for the accident.”
By the look of his surprise, Andrea was certain he had not expected the apology.
Catching himself gaping, he fixed his expression before responding. “It’s okay. It could have happened to any of us. I’m sorry I lost my temper with you. I’m not usually like that, but I just had a lot on my mind, and I took it out on you. It really doesn’t excuse my behavior.”
“It’s not entirely your fault,” she interrupted. “I think I pushed a little too hard back there; you were bound to snap.” She grinned sheepishly.
The man chuckled, and the sound seemed to shake his whole body. “You were pretty spot on with your words. I won’t lie.”
Andrea shrugged in apology as a small smile graced her lips.
“Let’s see if we can leave on a better footing this time, so the next time we meet, we won’t be going for the jugular,” he offered.
She stared at him in confusion until he held out his hand to her.
“Donny Hasgrove. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs.?”
“It’s just Miss. I’m Andrea Hamilton,” she replied, placing her hand in his outstretched one.
“It is a pleasure to officially meet you, Miss Andrea Hamilton.” He beamed, showing off even, white teeth.
The hand that held hers, she noticed, was calloused and firm. She suspected that he was used to hard work. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too, Mr. Hasgrove. Again, I’m sorry about the accident. If you’d like, I can pay for any damage that might have been done to your car.”
The man shook his head in refusal. “That won’t be necessary. I already got it covered. I’m just happy we were able to clear up our misunderstanding.”
“Well, I guess I’ll see you around then.”
He gave her another smile before heading in the opposite direction. She was happy she’d gotten the chance to clear up the misunderstanding, and the more she thought about it, Donny Hasgrove seemed like an okay person.
When she made it back to the house, she headed for the stairs and went up to her room. She needed to take a shower as she’d felt the sweat running from her scalp down her neck from how hard she’d been pushing herself.
After taking a hot shower, there was a knock at her door as she sat on her bed, running the towel through her wet hair. She looked up just in time to see her sister step through the door.
“Hey, how was your run?” Cora greeted her.
“It was good,” she replied. “I actually ran into the gentleman that I met in the accident with… like literally ran smack into him.” Andrea brought her hands together, making a smacking sound for effect.
Cora stepped further into the room until she was leaning against Andrea’s old study desk. “How did that go?” she asked, now interested in the story.
“Well, he caught me before I collided with the pavement and ripped half my skin off,” she replied with a light chuckle.
Cora gave her sister a deadpan look. “And?”
