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“That’s his baby. Asking you to help is...”

“Say it.”

“Atypical. Just like I’d never seen Eli kiss someone before breakfast in my shop. I’ve never heard of him asking a woman to hang out while he worked on his car. I hesitated to tell you because...” She shrugged.

“Because you don’t want me to get my hopes up in case it all comes crashing down.”

“Yeah. Not that I think it will. It’s obvious he likes you.”

“But now that he’s talking a little more, you wonder if he’s going to follow his pattern.”

“No, I don’t think he will. Really.” Tessa’s nose crinkled when she scrunched it up. “The thought has crossed my mind.”

The woman was as honest as the summer day was long.

I downed the rest of my coffee. “That thought has set up camp in my head. And installed a neon sign.”

People walked in, and our conversation came to an end.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Keep me posted.” She waved as I ran out the door.

While one side of my brain pleaded that I proceed with caution, the other side shoved all the chips to the center of the table.

I wasn’t sure how this would play out, but I was all in.

* * *

On Saturday,after flipping the bolt on the front door and closing the blinds, I ran back to my room to change. I’d spent days thinking about what to wear. Something casual enough so that I didn’t look out of place working on a car, but something cute enough that he’d want to invite me over again.

I wasn’t too worried about that second part. He’d called every night. Sometimes we talked for more than an hour; other times we only chatted for a few minutes.

Staring at my clothes, I tried to think through how the day might go. Considering the entire engine was covered in grease, I expected that the carburetor was also. Having a change of clothes in the car was a must if I wanted to be prepared for anything.

Why was it so hard to decide what to wear? I yanked on a pair of shorts, then flipped through shirts, waffling on whether a tank top or t-shirt would be better.

My phone buzzed, and I held my breath as I read the first part of Eli’s message.Change of plans...

Was he canceling? I swiped to read the rest of the text.

Turns out they shipped me the wrong carburetor kit, so we won’t be fixing it today. You up for a horseback ride? If so, slip on your jeans and boots and I’ll be there at 4:30 to pick you up.

Sounds fun, but I’ve never been horseback riding before. I danced a small jig before slipping off my shorts and pulling on fitted jeans.

My turquoise boots had been sorely neglected because I hadn’t been dancing in ages, and other than that, I had little reason to wear them.

Every two seconds, I glanced at the phone, waiting for Eli to reply.

At twelve minutes after four, he knocked at the back door. I pulled on my second boot and ran to answer it.

Eli grinned. “Hey. No hurry. I’m here a little early.” His gaze drifted downward, then snapped back up. “Nice boots.”

“Come on in. I need to grab one more thing.” I ran back to my room.

He stood in the hallway outside my door. “Thanks for being flexible.”

“Thanks for asking me out.” Tying my lace-trimmed flannel around my waist, I stepped out of my room.