“Probably the weather.”
“Yeah,” she agrees.
We pull into her drive, and I grab the food and follow her inside.
“I’m going to get changed,” she says.
I watch her until she disappears into her room, trying not to think about her naked.
After unpacking the food, I pour each of us a cup of water.
“Thanks,” Larsen says as she joins me at the table and grabs a taco.“What are we going to be working on tonight?”
“We’ll drive the back roads again.We need to get you more confident behind the wheel.”
She sighs.“I probably need to buy a book or something for the written part of the test.”
“I’m sure there’s stuff online.Maybe even some practice tests.”
“That would be good.I’ll look them up.I can do them at work tomorrow.It’s been a slow week.”
“Why the bank?”
She frowns.“What do you mean?”
“I mean, why are you working there?Was it always your dream?Or is it just a job?”
“I… Don’t laugh at me,” she says softly.
“Never would.”
“I always thought bankers had it easy.My dad worked nonstop to make ends meet, and you’d hear about these bankers who were rolling in money.”She shrugs.“It seemed like an easy job, and I’ve always been good at math.I mean, I know that’s not my job, that’s not how it is for me.I just… I got it in my head early, I guess, and that’s what I wanted to be for the longest time.”
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah.It’s easy, especially here.The people are friendly.I like my coworkers and the hours.What about you?Did you always want to be a mechanic?”
“Yeah, pretty much.My dad was, and he taught me everything he knew.”
“That must’ve been nice,” she says, smiling softly.“Spending time with him doing something you both loved.”
“Yeah, it was.”
We finish our food in comfortable silence.
“Ready to go?”I ask once we’re done.
“Yep!”
She cleans up our taco wrappers while I grab my keys.We head outside to my truck, and I watch as Larsen’s smile fades with each step she takes.By the time we’re standing next to the driver’s side, she’s looking nervous.
“Come on.”I grab her hips and lift her, settling in the driver’s seat with her in my lap.
“I… Are you sure?”she asks, a blush staining her cheeks.
“Positive.Now, what do you do first?”
“Buckle up.”
