Before I embarrass myself by getting hard, with nowhere to hide it, I decide it’s best we get going.
“You look amazing,” I blurt. Not exactly what I had intended to say, but there it is.
She gives me her dimple again, and I feel my stomach tighten. Truth be told, that smile of hers is lethal.
“Thank you. Shall we go? I’m suddenly ravenous.”
“Yeah, let’s get going,” are the words that come out of my mouth. The ones swirling in my brain are a whole other matter.
Yeah, I’m suddenly pretty ravenous myself, and I can’t say it’s for food either. I indicate for her to go ahead of me and don’t even bother to try keeping my eyes off her ass. As the old eighty’s song goes, baby makes those blue jeans talk.
“You got everything you need? Keys, phone?”
She nods and opens the front door and precedes me into the hall. I close the door behind me and, because I can’t resist, place my hand in the small of her back to guide her to the elevators.
I can feel the heat of her skin through her clothing and the light citrusy, floral notes of her perfume surround me. I inhale quietly, taking the scent deep into my lungs. Beautiful. The ride down to the foyer is quiet since neither of us say a word.
For a brief time, I consider taking her to Aces but stand a good chance of running into more than one person I know. And frankly, I want to spend the time getting to know Agatha better. So we’ll be heading for Harley’s. Their burgers, in my humble opinion, are the best in town, and there’s a lower likelihood of running into anyone there.
She waves goodbye to the security guard at the desk as we exit the building, and I guide her over to the spot I parked my Mustang. Stopping beside the vehicle to unlock the door for her, I hear her gasp.
“Oh my God, is this your car?” She turns excited eyes to me, her body all but vibrating.
“Yeah, she’s mine.” I can’t help the proud smile that spreads across my face.
“Holy shit, she’s a beaut. It must have cost you an arm and a leg to find one is such pristine condition.”
Two things strike me at the same time. One, she recognizes the vehicle. Two, she seems to know what she’s talking about when it comes to cars. I have to step back and take a moment to absorb my discovery.
I’ve gone from thinking this woman is a conniving, manipulative bitch, to being nigh on perfect in the space of a few hours.
“Nah, I picked her up for a song since she was in pretty bad shape. I was looking for a restoration project, so that suited me just fine.”
Her eyes seem to grow bigger, and I want to preen at the look of admiration I see in the amber depths of her eyes. “You did this? Made her look this good?”
“Yeah. Mostly on my own too. I had a bit of help here and there, mostly from family and friends. But yeah, almost single-handed restored her from a mere shell to what you see here.”
“She’s absolutely magnificent. I wish my dad were here to see her.” Agatha takes a good few steps back from the Mustang and snaps some shots. Her fingers fly across the screen for a second before she drops the little phone back in her purse. “Man, he’s going to be so jealous,” she says with a grin.
I open the door for her and help her into the car. I want to laugh at how she’s currently running a hand over the leather of my seat as I close it, but I don’t want to embarrass her or ruin her enjoyment of the moment.
“Buckle up, buttercup. We’ve got places to go.” Her carefree laugh fills the small space as I fire the little sports car up and drop the roof before easing out of my parking space.
The sound is like music to my ears. Well shit. Houston, I think we might just have a problem here.
6
AGATHA
It feels like a lifetime ago since I’ve been in a classic droptop. Thanks to my dad I have a love of cars in general, but droptops and sports cars in particular. If it’s a droptop sports car, all the better. Throwing my hands up in the air, I feel the wind rush over them. Happiness wells in me.
After the initial antagonism caused by Jessen’s misunderstanding of the situation, I’ve really enjoyed talking to him and spending time with him. He’s eloquent, funny, and easy to talk to. Who knew the man was a restoration god on top of that?
He reminds me so much of my dad that I feel a sudden pang in the region of my heart. Since Mom and Dad left on their “retirement adventure”, I’ve missed them terribly. Talking to them every second or third day isn’t the same as seeing them. Before I get too down about it, I push the thoughts away and focus on the here and now.
By the time we reach the burger joint, my hair is an absolute rat’s nest from blowing free in the wind. I couldn’t care. Using a hair tie I dig out of my purse, I pull it up into a messy bun. Jessen puts the roof back up and smiles over at me.
“Sit tight.”
