It was too late, though. My car tapped their bumper, and both of us stopped in our tracks. If only I had been paying closer attention or had hit a parked car instead, then I wouldn’t have to deal with the situation. I could have just left my information on their windshield and dealt with it later.
I put my car in park and prepared myself for the inevitable. The other driver would insist on calling the police, we’d have to exchange insurance information, and I’d end up being late to the meeting. It wasn’t my first rodeo when it came to minor traffic accidents. People took one look at my car and knew that I had money.
I couldn’t stand it when things didn’t go as planned, and the worst part was that I’d be letting Mr. Truman down because of my reckless driving.
I slammed my hands on the steering wheel out of frustration. A tall, slender redhead came storming out of the other car, took one look at her bumper, and glared at me.
I lifted a brow and glared over my sunglasses as she balled her fists and began to make a scene.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing? You had to be speeding!”
Anyone else would have put me instantly on the defensive, but she was by far one of the most beautiful women that I had ever seen.
Her red hair and green eyes took the attention away from the frown on her face, and she was wearing a cute pink and white outfit that accented her curves. There was such a contrast between her anger and stunning beauty, and it was captivating — and comical.
As she continued to scream at me, I got out and walked to the other side of my car. Thinking that perhaps the damage had been worse than I thought, I looked at her bumper but only found a minor scratch. So, I leaned against my car and patiently listened as she ripped me a new asshole. I couldn't take her seriously, though. Between the small amount of damage and her stunning looks, I had to bite my lower lip to keep from laughing.
Even the way she yelled was adorable. She had a carefree, Soho chic, with a hippie vibe to her that made her seem less threatening than the words she was saying to me. All of it was too much, and I couldn’t hold my smile back any longer.
That didn’t sit well with her, at all.
“Do you think this is funny because your precious BMW put a dent in my Honda?”
I was about to point out that it was more of a scratch than a dent, and easily fixable, but I decided to take it a step further. Aside from the woman's emotional outburst over what I considered nothing, something told me that she was a sweet person.
I pulled out my business card and decided that it was my turn to talk.
“No, I don’t think this is funny. But could you do me a favor and not call the cops?”
Her delicate hands formed fists at her sides, and I watched as her face turned an even brighter shade of red.
“Why wouldn’t I call the cops because your BMW doesn’t even have a scratch on it? Let me guess. Your daddy bought you that car, didn’t he? Well, not all of us are that lucky. Some of us have to work to pay our bills, and you can bet your ass that your car insurance will be paying for my repairs! I should make you pay my deductible, too.”
I wanted to reassure her that everything was going to be okay, but if I didn’t leave right away, I’d be late for the meeting.
I handed her my business card and winked. “I’m Gavin Tillery. If you don’t call the cops, then I’ll buy you a new car.”
For some reason, that upset her even more, which didn’t make any sense. Her car wasn’t the ugliest one that I had ever come across, but anything that I bought her would have been a significant upgrade.
I scooted back behind the wheel of my vehicle as she continued to glare at me. “Is this some kind of joke to you?”
Realizing there was nothing I could say to calm her down, I smiled and yelled, “Call me,” as I drove off.
As I sat at the next light, I glanced in the rearview mirror, finding her still standing there, glaring at me with her hands on her hips. I wondered why she was so angry over a little scratch.
Plus, who wouldn’t be curious about taking up my offer to buy them a new car?
3
Crystal
The bags of candy wrapped up in yellow and green ribbons complimented the entire theme of the baby shower/gender reveal. I loved the delicate gold lettering on each one that said, ‘Baby Truman,’ and the fact that Annie and Julianna were expecting at the same time made it even better. In just a few hours, we would know whether they would be having a boy or a girl.
Even though I had always been more of a lemon drop kind of gal, the smell emanating from the pieces of wrapped chocolate made me salivate. There was a long banquet table set up covered with baskets filled with every luxury brand of candy one could imagine.
My willpower kept me focused on the task at hand, though. I had the riveting job of assembling the rest of the party favors.
I had been hunched over the kitchen table all afternoon, and my feet were starting to ache. Despite being a professional yoga teacher, I was born with flat feet and unable to stand for long periods of time. So I pulled out a chair and sat down by the window, which looked directly out over their pond. It was such a beautiful day, as evidenced by the birds chirping and butterflies in the air.
