Page 65 of Finding My Charming

He nodded, letting me know I didn’t need to continue to explain.

Why do I have to ramble when I get nervous? A mute or constant stream of words. Why nothing in between?

“She came here, and we picked something up to eat outside. It was nice but took too long.”

His smile slowly grew. “Must have been fun.”

I shrugged. Fun wasn’t exactly the word I would have used, but I wasn’t about to tell him I’d spent most of the afternoon crying.

“If you could live during any time period, when would it be?”

I narrowed my eyes and thought about it. The Renaissance would have been exciting, but the living conditions were less than ideal. I laughed and decided. “The eighties would have been fun. Great music and fun clothes.”

He pushed off from the car and brushed one hand through his hair. “It was good to see you, but I’ll let you get home.” I wasn’t surprised he’d ignored my answer since he always did. He reached behind me and opened my door.

I tried to squeeze in without touching him, but the space was too narrow, and I ended up brushing my back against his chest. I could feel heat flare up in my chest and prayed it wouldn’t show on my face.

“Thanks, Dallin.” I fumbled with the keys in my hands and nervously tried to shove them in the ignition, but missed three times before making it to my target. I turned the key, but no sound came. What is happening? I tried again, then again, but the stupid car refused to start.

The door was still open, and Dallin stood over me for a moment before bending and leaning in. “Something wrong?”

I turned to him and flinched. My nose was almost touching his. One inch of space separated his lips from mine.

“Uh… yeah?” Brain? Where did you go?

“Has this happened before?” His bent farther into the car and looked at the dash, making me sink away into my seat.

I closed my eyes and tried to focus on anything other than his hand resting on my leg and the musky, masculine scent hitting my nose. Every fiber of my being wanted to creep forward for more, but I somehow had the self-control to refrain.

“No.” The word sounded breathy and uneven. I needed to pull myself together fast!

He continued looking around for a few more seconds before laughing. “I think I figured it out.”

I opened my eyes and looked at where he was pointing. “My lights are automatic.”

“They’re set to on right now. Must have bumped it.”

I groaned and fell back against the headrest. “Lovely. So, my battery is dead?”

He stood up out of the car. “Yeah, but I have some cables. I’ll come over and jump you.”

My heart beat picked up at his words. My body was behaving like a pubescent boy! “Oh! You don’t have to! I’ll just go grab my dad.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be back in a second.”

Dallin had my car started and running smoothly within five minutes. Even though I’d enjoyed watching him work on it, I felt like a complete idiot. Who leaves lights on?

“You’re all set. The battery should recharge enough by the time you get home, but if it doesn’t start tomorrow, you might have to get a new one.”

He wiped his hands on his already-dirty jeans and went back to my door to open it.

I stood next to him and picked my brain for anything to say. I didn’t want to just thank him and leave. He’d done me a favor, and it was the best we’d gotten along since we’d met.

“I really appreciate your help, Dallin. What can I do to make it up to you? I’ve been told my chocolate chip cookies are pretty good.”

He looked past me and seemed to be thinking. “I definitely do want to try those one day, but I have another idea.”

I concentrated on his crystal blue eyes and waited. He could ask me to do his laundry and homework for a year, and I’d probably agree just as long as I get to gaze at those eyes for a few minutes longer.