I rolled my lips together and fought to keep my mouth in a straight line before I faced him. As soon as our eyes met, I burst out laughing. I just couldn't help it. The expression on his face was classic Brody, one I was used to seeing from him during high school. One that I used to look forward to seeing every chance I got.
His green eye sparkled with mischief and good humor and his grin was so wide that the small dimple in his right cheek was visible.
"Fine," I sighed, flopping back in the passenger seat. "So it was funny."
He laughed again but didn't say anything else. Though I could feel him gloating all the way across the front seat of his SUV.
He drove in silence for a few moments, but when he pulled up to a red light, he turned to look at me. In the shadowed interior, I could just make out the point of his chin and the sharp angle of his cheekbones.
"Thank you for coming out with me tonight," he said. "I won't go into details because it will lower my cool level, but I'm pretty pathetic during the weekends that Jacks is with her mom."
My chest tightened, but I ignored it and quipped, "I hate to break it to you, Brody, but your cool level became non-existent when you started driving a mom vehicle."
He gaped at me. "This isn't a mom vehicle. It's an SUV! A very nice, luxurious SUV."
I gave the leather interior and the fancy dash a dismissive wave. "Doesn't matter how many upgrades it has, it's still a mom car. Maybe one step up from a minivan."
Brody stared at me, open-mouthed and speechless until the car behind us honked.
I reached out and patted his forearm. "Oh, bless your heart, darlin'. I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you."
It took every ounce of willpower I had not to burst into laughter at the glare he shot me.
Then he groaned. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?"
I couldn't hold back the laughter anymore. I clutched my stomach and giggled for a few seconds before I managed to say, "It took you long enough to catch on. I guess I can attribute your sloth-like reflexes to old age."
"Ass," he muttered.
I giggle-snorted. "I had to do something. You were getting all mushy on me."
Brody rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I won't ever make that mistake again."
I chuckled to myself for a few minutes as he drove back toward Farley. But by the time he'd turned on to the main road that led to town, my urge to laugh had faded, leaving me a little sad for him.
I put my hand on his arm again and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad I could help."
Before I could move away, his palm landed on mine, holding my fingers closer to his skin. His fingers clasped mine for a brief moment before he released me, but I understood what he wanted to say anyway.
