Zack asked.
I spared him a quick glance. “Uhm, sure.”
Without hesitation, he rolled it up. “Want the air on?”
“Why are you being so accommodating?” My eyes narrowed.
“We’re not at school, Autumn. This is work . Timothy needs to hear I was courteous and professional.” He sighed. “I need this job. I have to save enough money, so I’m okay when…” His words trailed off.
My stomach tightened as I remembered what Maya told me about his mom and how she was dying. The thought of him being left parentless made me wonder what were the right words to say.
“Anyway...” Zack shifted in his seat. “Was that a yes on the A/C?”
I quickly averted my gaze. “Yes, please.”
He reached over to adjust the air and my eyes drifted to his well-defined forearms. Who knew arms could be so sexy? And he had confidence — the most powerful aphrodisiac known to womankind. He was decent too, always there when I needed him, even if he was a bit reluctant about it. When he was polite, I actually liked him. How would he act if he didn’t dislike me? That would be interesting.
Oh, God, no! Contemplating being with Zack in any other way than as my mechanic or classmate would lead to disappointment, since he thought I was a snob and all. I couldn’t allow myself to crush on him. But wasn’t I already doing that? I’d switched from a twisted pervert who loved me too much to an ill-mannered oaf who didn’t like me at all.
What was wrong with me? The super-powers had given me some sort of dementia or something. Panic swept through me and I panted, almost hyperventilating. In horror at my physical reaction, I ripped my gaze from him, stared out the window and tried to stay calm.
Zack was so right. I had lousy taste in guys.
I felt his eyes on me. “Are you okay? Do I need to pull over?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” My heart pounded and a rush of heat spread through me. “A little nervous about car shopping.”
He chuckled. “Driving a new car instead of that deathtrap is cause for anxiety?”
I fanned myself with my hand. “I need to find something that fits my parent’s criteria or they might retract their offer.”
“What’s the criteria?”
“It needs to be reliable without lagging when it should be moving. It has to be good on gas with low miles. Most important, it needs a thumbs-up by Timothy for under fifteen grand.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard.” He turned into a driveway of a super-sized used car lot. “Any idea what I should keep an eye out for? Sedan? SUV? Something sporty maybe?”
“Uhm.” I blinked. “I don’t know.”
He looked at me like I’d just set fire to a wad of cash. “You drive an ancient car and you haven’t thought about what you’d rather be driving?”
“I...” My tongue twisted up. “Yeah, I’ve thought about it, of course. But I wasn’t expecting my parents to chip in, so I was working with a much smaller budget and researched accordingly.”
Zack jumped out of the car and dove into an ocean of metal and wheels, with me trailing behind.
“Tell me what you don’t like so we can rule those out.”
“Station wagons and mini vans.” I had to move faster than usual to keep up with him. “I don’t care for sedans either.”
Without breaking stride, his eyes swept the lot, then stilled. “Over there.” He led the way to a light blue, convertible Volkswagen Beetle. White top, shiny rims. “You like it?” He went to the side window to read about the car, then got inside and poked around.
The sticker price was within my budget, with a little leftover, and I liked Beetles. But I wanted to hold out for a car I loved . Opening the other door, I stuck my head inside. “It’s a little too girly for me.”
His jaw ticked as he exited the bug. “Let’s look around some more.”
We strolled by car after car, but none of them spoke to me. When we’d almost made it to the other side of the lot, Zack said, “Anything here that catches your eye?
I spared him a quick glance. “Uhm, sure.”
Without hesitation, he rolled it up. “Want the air on?”
“Why are you being so accommodating?” My eyes narrowed.
“We’re not at school, Autumn. This is work . Timothy needs to hear I was courteous and professional.” He sighed. “I need this job. I have to save enough money, so I’m okay when…” His words trailed off.
My stomach tightened as I remembered what Maya told me about his mom and how she was dying. The thought of him being left parentless made me wonder what were the right words to say.
“Anyway...” Zack shifted in his seat. “Was that a yes on the A/C?”
I quickly averted my gaze. “Yes, please.”
He reached over to adjust the air and my eyes drifted to his well-defined forearms. Who knew arms could be so sexy? And he had confidence — the most powerful aphrodisiac known to womankind. He was decent too, always there when I needed him, even if he was a bit reluctant about it. When he was polite, I actually liked him. How would he act if he didn’t dislike me? That would be interesting.
Oh, God, no! Contemplating being with Zack in any other way than as my mechanic or classmate would lead to disappointment, since he thought I was a snob and all. I couldn’t allow myself to crush on him. But wasn’t I already doing that? I’d switched from a twisted pervert who loved me too much to an ill-mannered oaf who didn’t like me at all.
What was wrong with me? The super-powers had given me some sort of dementia or something. Panic swept through me and I panted, almost hyperventilating. In horror at my physical reaction, I ripped my gaze from him, stared out the window and tried to stay calm.
Zack was so right. I had lousy taste in guys.
I felt his eyes on me. “Are you okay? Do I need to pull over?” he asked.
“I’m fine.” My heart pounded and a rush of heat spread through me. “A little nervous about car shopping.”
He chuckled. “Driving a new car instead of that deathtrap is cause for anxiety?”
I fanned myself with my hand. “I need to find something that fits my parent’s criteria or they might retract their offer.”
“What’s the criteria?”
“It needs to be reliable without lagging when it should be moving. It has to be good on gas with low miles. Most important, it needs a thumbs-up by Timothy for under fifteen grand.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard.” He turned into a driveway of a super-sized used car lot. “Any idea what I should keep an eye out for? Sedan? SUV? Something sporty maybe?”
“Uhm.” I blinked. “I don’t know.”
He looked at me like I’d just set fire to a wad of cash. “You drive an ancient car and you haven’t thought about what you’d rather be driving?”
“I...” My tongue twisted up. “Yeah, I’ve thought about it, of course. But I wasn’t expecting my parents to chip in, so I was working with a much smaller budget and researched accordingly.”
Zack jumped out of the car and dove into an ocean of metal and wheels, with me trailing behind.
“Tell me what you don’t like so we can rule those out.”
“Station wagons and mini vans.” I had to move faster than usual to keep up with him. “I don’t care for sedans either.”
Without breaking stride, his eyes swept the lot, then stilled. “Over there.” He led the way to a light blue, convertible Volkswagen Beetle. White top, shiny rims. “You like it?” He went to the side window to read about the car, then got inside and poked around.
The sticker price was within my budget, with a little leftover, and I liked Beetles. But I wanted to hold out for a car I loved . Opening the other door, I stuck my head inside. “It’s a little too girly for me.”
His jaw ticked as he exited the bug. “Let’s look around some more.”
We strolled by car after car, but none of them spoke to me. When we’d almost made it to the other side of the lot, Zack said, “Anything here that catches your eye?
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