"Where are you parked?"she asked once they were out on the street."I'd offer to drive, but I don't know how Xander would feel about the dogs in his truck."
When she was a kid, the farm dogs used to ride in the bed of the truck around the farm, but she didn't think that would work here.
"It's okay," said Ollie."I'm parked just over there."
He pointed to a fancy-looking SUV parked a little farther down the street.When it beeped and the lights flashed, the dogs strained against their leashes.
"They know they get to go out and run now, don't they?"she asked Ollie with a smile.
"Yeah," he said, finally looking a bit more relaxed."They love to run.So do I."He cocked an eyebrow."Do you?"
"Run?"she asked."I used to, yeah.I never felt the need when I still lived on the farm, but when I moved into town, I used to run every morning.Needed to do something to still feel alive since I was sitting on my ass behind a desk all day."
She loved the way he narrowed his eyes at her.
"You're going to have to explain this.I thought you went straight from being a farm kid to talented ceramicist.I never knew there was a time when you used to sit behind a desk.But come on, let's get these guys loaded up.You can tell me on the way."
She watched in wonder as he opened the back of his SUV, and the dogs jumped in.They had the perfect setup back there, and there was plenty of room for them.In fact, she'd guess they were probably happier there than they were in the apartment, but it seemed rude to say so.
Once they were settled, he walked her to the passenger door and opened it for her.She climbed in and settled into the seat, closing her eyes briefly and snuggling down into it as he walked around to the driver's side.
When he got in, he gave her a puzzled look."Are you okay over there?"
"Okay?"she asked."I think I might have died and gone to heaven.This has to be the most comfortable seat I've ever sat in.And I don't just mean a car seat.I mean, like, no armchair could ever compare to this.What kind of magic is this?"
He laughed."Yeah, it is comfortable, isn't it?"
"Understatement of the year!Comfortable doesn't even begin to describe it."She looked around."This is a really nice vehicle.What is it?"
Just when she'd felt as though they were starting to relax with each other, he went all stiff again, gave a little cough, and looked uneasy as he said, "It's a Cullinan."
"A what now?"
"Cullinan," he repeated.
"Never heard of it."She glanced around."It's not American-made, is it?This is where I embarrass myself.But if we're gonna be friends, you should know what you're dealing with."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, you should know that — well, you already know where I grew up.It's not the same mentality as it is out here.Especially on the farm.It's the heartland, you know."She let out a laugh."And if it's not American-made — in fact, scratch that.If it's not a Ford or a Chevy, it's not worth a mention.And no one would ever spend good money on it."
She looked around the plush interior."I bet this cost a lot of money too, didn't it?"
He cleared his throat, and his cheeks turned pink."Yeah, I probably shouldn't have splurged on it — itwaskind of expensive."
The pink cheeks surprised her; as far as she was concerned, he didn’t need to feel guilty about how much money he'd spent on his vehicle.She wasn't gonna give him a hard time over that.She understood though — she felt guilty when people asked about her kiln.She'd spent far more on it than she should have.But it was her indulgence.If this fancy SUV was Ollie's, then good for him.
~ ~ ~
As they approached the estate, Ollie's heart was pounding.He needed to just come out and tell her, and he needed to do it before they reached the front gates.He couldn't exactly pull up there, press the remote, and wait for them to swing open without explaining himself.
"It's pretty out here, isn't it?"Callie stared out through the windshield."I mean, everywhere around here is beautiful, don't get me wrong, but..."She pointed through the window."Is this place one of the big estates?"
He nodded.
"Yeah, I thought so.I like it.It seems even prettier than the rest of them."She turned to glance at him."I bet you know the people who live there, don't you?Did you grow up here?"
He gripped the steering wheel tighter and decided to answer her second question, hoping she'd forget the first one.
