“Did you now?” she teased lightly.
Together, we approached the vehicle cautiously. At the sight of us, the squirrels scrambled out the open window and scampered into the nearby tall grass. I peered inside, groaning. “They found my snack stash!” I exclaimed, straightening up and spinning toward Maggie.
She nodded solemnly, her lips pressed tightly together.
“It’s okay, Maggie. You can laugh.”
She laughed again, shaking her head. “Can you start your car?”
I climbed in carefully, surveying the damage before I tapped the start button. All it did was make a sizzling sound. “Oh, no.”
Somehow, the little bandits had opened the glove compartment and clawed at the wiring. “I think I might have a wiring problem.”
“I’m sure one of the boys can take you home.”
As if on cue, the front door to the resort swung open, and Cole stepped out onto the porch.
“Everything okay?” he called, jogging down the steps toward us.
Maggie pressed her lips together again, doing an abysmal job of hiding her amusement.
All I could do was laugh and sigh. Cole approached and glanced between us, confused, until he looked through the open window.
“Oh,” he said, blinking. “Did you leave your window open?”
“Apparently,” I admitted with a snort. Another giggle slipped out.
“Squirrels?”
“We counted three,” Maggie offered, swiping at the tears rolling out of her eyes. “Oh, wow.”
“Is your car okay? Aside from the mess,” Cole prompted.
“It won’t start.” I climbed out.
“Let me try it.”
“Go for it,” I said. “Are you doing the man thing? You know, where you’re confident maybe I started it wrong?” I teased.
“Nope, but I’m pretty handy with wiring and stuff.”
“Cole’s not just a firefighter and guide, but he’s a licensed electrician too,” Maggie piped up.
“Oh? Can you do electrical work on a car? Because that’s the issue, I think.”
Cole tapped the start button on my key fob a few times, then glanced up with one brow arched. “Obviously, they went into your dash.”
“Right through there, you mean?” I pointed at my wide-open glove compartment.
“We’re all pretty handy with cars. We can get it fixed. But it’s not going to be quick.”
“I was just saying to Adele that I’m sure one of you boys would give her a ride home,” Maggie said.
“Happy to,” Cole said magnanimously.
I folded my arms in front of my chest, trying to ignore the churning uncertainty. “I’d appreciate that.” It felt like I was trying to protect my body from its own reaction to Cole—sparks and heat misfiring everywhere.
“Grandma!” a voice called from the porch.
