Perfect.
Then, she cleared her throat and changed the subject.
“Can you tow my car?” she asked finally, voice small but steady.
“I can,” I said. “But if we wait to hook it up now, you’ll be even later. I can take you to the lodge first, then bring the car up after.”
She hesitated, then nodded.
I offered her a smile.
“Good girl. Let’s get your things and get you in the truck, huh?”
She blushed and bit her lip as she used her key fob to pop the trunk and pass me her suitcase. Then she shut the trunk, grabbed her handbag from the front, and handed me the keys to her car.
“If you’re coming back to get the car, you’ll need the keys.”
I nodded, took them and the case from her and strode over, putting the suitcase in the bed of the work truck.
Then, I turned and opened the passenger door of the truck for her, offering her a hand to help her up. She took it without hesitation, stepped up, and her knee brushed my thigh, creating a soft, accidental spark that lit me up like gasoline.
Inside the cab, she looked over at me with those big brown eyes that ruined me once and were about to ruin me again.
“Do I stand the slightest chance of winning the Game, Jacob, or is this just a fool’s errand?” she asked quietly.
I kept my gaze on the windshield as I put the truck in drive and started rolling toward the lodge.
“I think you have as good a chance at winning as anybody else does. For what it’s worth, I’m rooting for you.”
She frowned. Good. Confusion meant she was already thinking too much.
“You’re rooting for me? Why?”
The truck rumbled forward, headlights cutting through the rising fog as cold rain misted the windshield. After a long moment, I sighed.
“You helped me that day,” I said. “At the hardware store.”
She blinked at me, looking almost owlish and entirely nonplussed, so I continued.
“I cut myself,” I said.
“I remember.”
“You didn’t even hesitate to help me. No fear. No disgust.” My grip tightened on the wheel. “Most people look at me and see the scars first.”
“I didn’t,” she whispered.
You have no idea what you did to me that day.
“I know. You looked me in the eye,” I said. “It stuck with me.”
Her breath trembled.
“Jacob…” she murmured. “It was just first aid.”
I turned toward her, letting her see the weight in my eyes even in the dim light.
“Not to me.”
