Page 117 of Pick Me This Time

With the thick scent of oil and something charred in my nostrils, I looked over the parts I could see and glanced up at my friend. “What do you think?”

He shook his head, exasperation tightening his features. “I really don’t know. If I had time to strip it, I would’ve found the problem. Guaranteed, but we don’t have that kind of time.”

“Should we try changing the oil?” I asked.

“I already have,” he said, looking up at me from across the compartment. “At this point, the best we can do is pray.”

“Let’s do that, then,” I said. “What’s the worst that can happen? We’re only going to be riding it in the enormously crowded area downtown.”

He grimaced. “I really don’t like this.”

“Same,” I agreed. “Where’s Jake? Maybe he has an idea?”

“He doesn’t,” Eric said. “I called him before I called you and he was already on his way. He checked it out, but he didn’t see anything obvious either. He thinks that maybe it’s just old.”

I sighed and slid my hands into my pockets. “Maybe he’s right.”

“Maybe.” He didn’t look at all convinced though, and neither was I, but we made our way down the line of floats to the football one, helping to get it ready for the parade.

Eric’s team was there, and I even got a high-five from Asher, who grinned like a loon as he winked at me. “Thanks for all your help, Sterling. You were right. I just needed to get out of my head.”

I dipped my chin in a nod. “No problem, bud. Next time, listen to Eric when he tells you something, okay? I’m not going to be around, but Eric knows what he’s doing. You just need to trust him.”

My friend was standing nearby with his arms crossed tight over his chest as he chatted to a couple of his other players, but as his gaze met mine, I knew he’d heard me. He gave me a slight nod, then he turned when another player called him over.

The morning passed in a blur of final touches to the floats, all the volunteers swirling around to make sure everything was in place for us to get started. I didn’t see Daphne, though. My heart gave a pang when I was told to take my place and I still hadn’t seen her.

I missed her, which I was loathe to admit. The woman had gotten under my skin and into my head, and I couldn’t seem to shake her.

Eric climbed onto the smoky float with me, taking his place beside me at the railing. Jake was supposed to have been with us, but he’d begged off on account of it being Lizzy’s first parade. He’d wanted to watch it with her and his wife.

A buffer between Eric and me would’ve been nice, though. As we took off, waving at the crowd once we left the parking lot, I decided I may as well use this opportunity when he couldn’t get away from me to talk to him.

“I’m not using her, you know,” I said with a giant smile on my face aimed at the crowd, but my insides felt like they were in a cement mixer. “I wish there was a way to let you see into my head right now, but I really do mean it, Eric. I wouldn’t have touched her if I didn’t have actual feelings for her.”

“You sure about that?” he ground out, also grinning and waving at the crowd, but I could hear the resentment in his voice. “Tell me something, Sterling. Why are you still single?”

“I’ve never found anyone I wanted to get serious with,” I said. “I also spend most of my time working and I didn’t make it a priority to get out there and meet people. I don’t think I was ready before. How about you?”

“Pretty much the same,” he said. “Except that I’ve known that I’m ready for a while now. I just haven’t met anyone I’ve wanted to settle down with, but that’s the difference between us. I know I’m ready. You just think you are.”

“What I said was that I didn’t think I was ready before.” I emphasized the word. “I was too focused on my career, and if I’m being brutally honest, I’ve never felt the way I feel about Daphne about anyone else. I know you don’t want to hear it, but when I’m with her, I know it’s right.”

He scoffed. “So right that you’re taking off tomorrow.”

“Going back to New York doesn’t change how I feel about her, Eric,” I said emphatically. “She and I are going to be together.”

“We’ll see,” he grumbled. “We will see, Sterling. Forgive me if I’m not going to start helping her plan the wedding just yet.”

“You will see,” I replied easily, but my heart was bucking in my chest at the idea of a wedding. I just wasn’t sure if it was because I wanted it to be a possibility or because I was so shit scared of the fact that, for the first time in my life, I had someone I could imagine being married to. “And I will forgive you, Eric, but there is no wedding to plan just yet. Mark my words though, there might be one day. I just hope you’ll be able to get onboard if there is.”