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“I’m glad it helped.”
“I always wind up at Taco Bell when I’m on vacation.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. One time, John had a meltdown in the car, and I mean a crying, screaming meltdown. We had to stop and get food because he’s such a baby when he’s hungry. It was this exact one, actually.”
“My sister’s like that.”
“Luckily, I don’t do all of those things, but I just get anxious. And sometimes cranky. Sorry you had to see that.”
“If that’s what you’re like when you almost get into a car crash while hungry, then I’d say you have a pretty level head.”
“I promise I usually don’t let myself get that hungry. Or into car crashes. I can usually stick to a routine, but vacations always mess me up.”
“I’ll remind you to eat,” he said. “That way, you don’t have to worry about it too much.”
“And maybe I won’t inhale it. I know it’s not the most ladylike thing ever.”
He shrugged. Her eating style didn’t bother him. “I figured you were hungry.”
“I’m also just a fast eater. I used to race my dad when I was a kid.”
Daniel couldn’t help but smile. It seemed like she had the kind of father she could do those things with. He only wished he did too.
He made quick work of his burrito, not wanting to keep her waiting for too long. By the time he was done, she was standing and ready to go.
“Are you still okay with driving?”
“Yeah,” he said, relieved he could help in some way. “I really don’t mind.”
“Thank God. The last thing I want to do is be behind the wheel right now.”
Chapter Seven
Amelia
It started to feel like a vacation after she gave up the wheel to Daniel. Her family had been right. She wasn’t good with driving, not in the slightest. Thankfully, he seemed to be able to handle it well enough that she wasn’t worried about letting him drive her car.
As they drove, she occasionally told him about certain sights or things to do, especially as they made their way through Charleston. They pulled into Folly Beach in the midafternoon, making good time despite the traffic and the earlier holdup with the accident.
Her family had just arrived too, and they were parked in one of the extra spaces, unloading the car. The condominium was right on the beach, next to the town center. In the summer, it was a busy area. Her parents joked that this was the busiest place they liked to be.
“That’s them,” she said, pointing to their car.
Daniel nodded and pulled up beside them. He took a deep breath, looking like he was preparing to go on stage at a show.
“Are you okay?”
“Just . . . getting ready to be a fake boyfriend.”
Before she could ask him what he meant, she heard her mother calling her name. She got out of the car and had only a moment to appreciate the windy, salty air before she was pulled into a tight hug.
Soon after, Daniel was in one too. He looked very uncomfortable for all of one moment before his face broke out into the same smile he had given the waitress back in the diner. Amelia blinked, still unused to seeing this side of him.
“It’s so nice to meet you! I’m Mandy,” her mom said, pulling away so she could better admire him. “You’re so handsome.”
Amelia expected him to awkwardly laugh or even ignore the compliment. That’s what she would have done.
