“Elizabeth,” I almost yelled, and it was all I could do not to choke on the laughter she summoned. Her cheeky grin made my chest feel as though it were being put back together.
I didn’t know it needed to be.
“The higher the gas consumption,” she finished with absolute delight. “Get your mind out of the gutter.”
Shaking my head, I opened the passenger door and kicked the step at the bottom so she knew to use it. I stayed near in case she needed assistance, but she held on to the grab handle and pulled herself inside.
I closed her door and hopped in on the other side. When I turned the engine on, the vibration provided the perfect amount of white noise, helping to quiet my thoughts.
She clipped in her seat belt, her cinnamon bun scent intoxicating me and covering all of my truck’s regular leather and coffee smell.
I turned on the radio before maneuvering out of the parking bay. Elizabeth went completely quiet, her gaze fixed on me.
If I wasn’t reversing, I’d give her my full attention to figure out why she was staring.
The radio automatically connected to my phone’s Bluetooth, and Blade Olive’s “Another Time, Another Place” echoed through the cabin. My insides cringed, but before I could change it, Elizabeth swiped my phone.
“You’re a Blivvy!” she shrieked, scrolling through my music app.
“ABlivvy?”
“Yeah, a huge fan of Blade Olive’s music.” She grinned.
“I wouldn’t say I’m ahugefan. I just enjoy listening to every single song Jane Adams has ever created.”
“You even know her real name!” Elizabeth burst into giggles. She kicked off one of her shoes, slid her water bottle into the cup holder, and laid her phone in the console between us.
Within a few minutes, she fit. In my truck. But then again, she’d taken over my office, too, after I’d kept it just mine for years. Perhaps that was one of her many talents.
She then twisted and threw her coat across the back seat. “Every time I learn something new about you, it makes you even better.”
I’d need to turn up the AC if she kept saying things like that.
“Blade’s talented; there’s no denying it.” I turned onto the highway.
“Oh, you don’t have to tell me,” she said. “I saw her live a few years ago, and I had VIP tickets.” She squeaked, closing her eyes. “It was incredible. Can I show you my favorite song?”
“Of course.” I gave up on fighting the smile that came when she was around.
Elizabeth navigated to the song and hit play, but as it started, it stopped. My phone vibrated in her hands with my mother’s smiling face popping up on the screen. She panicked, tossing it into my lap.
I managed to catch it and answered, trying and failing at disconnecting the Bluetooth.
“Hi, Mom, you’re on Bluetooth,” I said as quickly as humanly possible.
“Hi, my boy,” she replied. “Aren’t I usually?”
“Uhhhhhhh…” I glanced at Elizabeth, who stayed as still as a mouse. Probably for the first time in her entire life. “I have someone with me.”
“Who?”
“You don’t know her.”
“A woman?”
“Mom,” I said, and if I weren’t driving, I’d be covering my face with my hands, but now I was forced to see Elizabeth stifling a grin. “A coworker. What’s up? Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, darling. But Daniel is a bit worn out, and we’ve got all the furniture standing on the front lawn. I know you’re working, but you’re always working, so I thought I’d ask…”
