Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 87179 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 436(@200wpm)___ 349(@250wpm)___ 291(@300wpm)
Chase looks at me, raising an eyebrow.
“I always know what I want because it never changes, but I can wait if you’re still deciding.”
“I know what I want, too,” Chase says. “You go ahead, sugar.”
I order the tacos with extra chips, and Chase gets himself a burger with fries, and finally, we’re alone.
“Did you hear any more noises last night after I left?”
“Are you kidding?” I smirk and shake my head. “No. I sleep like the dead once I finally fall asleep. The house could be falling down around me and I’d sleep through it.”
“Lily gets it from you.”
“Yeah.” I laugh again. I laugh a lot when I’m with this man, and it’s nice to feel so comfortable. “Yeah, she does. I still feel silly for overreacting last night, Chase.”
“Don’t. I’d rather double-check that it’s nothing than ignore it and it be something.”
Pete sets our drinks on the table, and then he’s off again, and I lift my glass, but before I can sip, Chase holds his up to mine in a toast.
“To first dates,” he says.
“I can toast to that.” I clink my glass to his and then take a drink. “They make really good drinks here.”
“I’ve never been a liquor guy,” he says, shaking his head. “It gives me a headache.”
“You’re missing out on this one. I’m not usually a fan of tequila, but this is a masterpiece. Hey, have you tried that new restaurant down the street? Ciao?”
“Not yet,” he says. “I hear it’s good, though. We should go there next time.”
I grin over at him. “So, there’s going to be a next time?”
“Oh, for sure. There’s going to be a next time. As soon as possible.” He winks at me, and butterflies erupt into a cha-cha in my belly.
“Hey, Summer.” I glance up at Brooks, surprised to see him approach the table.
“Well, hi. How’s it going?”
“Great, thanks. Sorry to interrupt. I was going to call you in the morning, but since you’re here, I’ll just let you know now that your car will be ready by the end of the day tomorrow. I’m sorry I didn’t have the right tire in stock for you, but it arrived this afternoon.”
“It’s no problem.” I shake my head at him. “I appreciate it. At least the weather’s been nice, and I don’t mind the walk to work. I’ll be by before you close tomorrow.”
“See you then.” He nods at Chase. “Hey, Chase.”
“Brooks. Have a good evening.”
The man walks away, and I happily sip my drink.
“Did you have car trouble?” Chase asks.
“My tire was slashed,” I reply and take another sip. Is it just me, or are the drinks extra delicious tonight? “Here, actually, last weekend when I was here with Polly for our girls’ night out.”
“Wait, what?” Chase is scowling at me now. “It was slashed?”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know it at the time. I left here, and when I tried to drive away, it was all wonky, so I got out to check, and sure enough, flat tire. I thought I might have just driven over a nail or something, but nope. Someone cut it. Thank goodness Evan was here that night, and he drove me home.”
His face tightens, and I tilt my head to the side. “What’s wrong?”
“You didn’t tell me this before now.”
“No, I didn’t. I guess it didn’t occur to me.”
“Someone slashed your tire.” He’s definitely irritated with me. “And you didn’t tell me.”
“I can’t prove who did it, so there was no reason to call the police,” I point out. “It was probably a random hit by some stupid kids. Brooks didn’t have my model of tire in stock and had to order it. I don’t mind walking, but I admit, I’m glad it’ll be ready for me tomorrow. I prefer driving when it’s hot like it’s been, especially for Lily’s sake.”
“There was a point in calling the police, Summer. We could have requested the security cam footage from the parking lot, so if it was kids, or some weirdo, we would have found them.”
“I didn’t think of that.” I frown down into my drink. “I’ve been so preoccupied with work, I just wanted to get the tire fixed. And I didn’t know it was vandalized on purpose until Brooks called me the next day.”
“You should have called me,” he says again, his voice hard. “I’d have driven you to work and back.”
I frown over at him. “Why are you so upset about this?”
“Because you’ve been walking to work after someone slashed your tire, alone, and I could have driven you.”
“Okay. But it’s fine. I’m fine.”
Our food arrives, but I don’t dig in like I normally would. I hold Chase’s gaze with my own.
“You know, this is our first date. And sure, we’ve seen each other quite a bit over the past couple of weeks, but…this is our first date, Chase.”