“And you?”
“I usually deserved the disappointment. I was very good at finding trouble.” He glanced at me. “What about you? Were you a troublemaker?”
“Absolutely not. I was the kid who did homework early and followed all the rules.” I laughed at his expression. “I know, I’m boring.”
“You’re not boring. You’re responsible. There’s a difference.”
“Responsible is just a polite word for boring.”
“Responsible is someone who knows what matters.” His thumb traced across my knuckles. “That’s not boring. That’s admirable.”
The way he said it made warmth spread through my chest. “You’re very good at making me feel better about myself.”
“I’m just stating facts.” He smiled. “Though if you ever want to be irresponsible, I’m an excellent bad influence.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
We drove in comfortable silence for a while, the sky growing darker as evening approached and storm clouds gathered. The first drops hit the windshield about forty-five minutes into the drive.
“Can I confess something?” Archie said.
“Sure.”
“I was relieved when you called yesterday. Not because I didn’t want brunch, but because this gave me an excuse to spend more time with you.” He glanced at me, his expression sincere. “I’ve been looking for reasons to see you more.”
My chest felt warm. “You don’t need excuses. You can just ask.”
“Can I?” His eyes met mine briefly. “I want to see you more, Gianna. Not just occasionally. Regularly. Intentionally.”
“Like dating?”
“Exactly like dating.” He lifted our joined hands and kissed my knuckles again. “What do you think?”
I thought about the flowers still sitting on my kitchen table. About the way he looked at me like I mattered.
“I think I’d like that,” I said quietly.
His smile could have lit up the entire highway. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Small drops became a downpour within seconds. Rain hammered the car with relentless force and Archie slowed as visibility dropped to almost nothing.
“This escalated quickly,” he said.
“Can you even see?”
“Vaguely. Operating on faith here.” The wipers worked frantically but barely helped. “We should pull over.”
“How long do these usually last?”
“No idea. Weather that isn’t convenient confuses me.”
I laughed despite my concern. “You’re handling it well for someone who’s confused.”
“Excellent at faking competence. Calm outside, mildly panicking inside.”
Then the car made a terrible grinding noise deep in the engine. Archie cursed under his breath and guided us toward the shoulder, hazards flashing.
