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Constance waved without turning and closed the door behind her. It was a miracle she ever managed to get out the door during the hours her family was awake.

And now for her driving lesson. She couldn’t wait.

Ringing the doorbell, she bounced on her toes as she waited for Jack to open it. Moments later, there he was.

Even though she was braced for it, the sight of him stirred butterflies in her belly. His gray, three-piece suit fit him to perfection, and his matching gray ivy cap gave him a roguish look that made her knees weak. She had a momentary urge to reach out and touch his powerful chest, his physique evident even under all those layers of cloth. Of course, she could do no such thing, she reminded herself, clenching her hands at her sides.

“Hello, Jack,” she said, in a voice that was suddenly a bit husky. Why was her throat so dry?

“Hello, Constance.” His eyes locked on her with an unexpected intensity.

She thought she might burn to a crisp standing on his front stoop under that gaze. Heat licked along her limbs and bloomed rather alarmingly in her core. How was it that a mere look from Jack made her feel more than a kiss from Doug? And why was he looking at her like that? She’d seen him turn his smolder on other women, but had never been on the receiving end herself. Maybe he was expecting someone else?

He blinked and cleared his throat, and the moment was over. Thank heavens.

Obviously that look didn’t mean anything. She was far too susceptible to his charm and always had been.

“Shall we?” She smiled brightly, hoping he wouldn’t notice how flustered she was.

“Of course.” His smile was strained as he offered his arm and led her down the front steps to his car, which was parked right in front.

Why was he suddenly so tense? Had she done something wrong? All she did was say hello.

Maybe he was annoyed that he was spending his Saturday morning giving her a driving lesson. He probably had much better things to do.

“Is this still a good time?” she asked, searching his face.

“Of course. Why do you ask?” He relinquished her arm and opened the driver’s side door for her.

“You just seem a bit tense and preoccupied is all. If this is a bad time⁠—”

“It’s not a bad time. I promised to teach you to drive, and I will.” His expression softened when he looked up at her. “I’m sorry. I’m just a bit out of sorts this morning. Probably need more coffee.”

“Shall I go get you some? Mom had just put the percolator on when I left.”

He smiled and shook his head. “That’s all right. I’ll be fine. Come up here.” He beckoned for her to get into the driver’s seat, offering a hand up.

As she stepped past him and up into the car, she caught a whiff of his spicy aftershave. He smelled so good, she wanted to linger by his side, but she forced herself to ignore the impulse.

Focus on the car, silly goose. You’re supposed to be learning what all these levers do, not pining for your brother’s hopelessly oblivious best friend.

“When you start the car, the first thing you need to do is make sure the parking brake is all the way down.” His hand brushed her thigh as he pointed it out, sending a shiver up her spine.

“Next, you have to make sure the spark lever here is all the way up.” He pointed to a lever beneath the steering wheel. “And the throttle over here,” he said, reaching across, “should be partially down, like this.” He was so deliciously close.

“Parking brake, spark lever, throttle,” she repeated, pointing them out. She could only hope he didn’t notice how breathless she was from his proximity. It was ridiculous that he still did this to her after all these years.

“That’s right. And now you turn the key counterclockwise.”

She did as he asked, and the ignition began to hum. This was so exciting! “What’s next? Is this when we crank it?”

“Yes, it is.” He helped her down from the car and crouching in front. “First I’ll show you, and then you can try it yourself.”

She nodded, watching avidly, trying to pay attention to the car and not the mesmerizing movement of his powerful shoulders beneath the fabric of his suit.

“You push the crank in like this.” He demonstrated. “And then you pull it up until it locks. Keep your thumb underneath the handle. Otherwise, you could get hurt if it backfires. And then you pull it over like this.”

He gave it one good yank, and the engine roared to life.