Waiting on the Rain by Claudia Connor
5
Luke walked Ava to his truck and opened the door for her. He was trying to figure out if she needed guidance getting in, if he should describe it or touch her or… And then she was already in.
He reached up, grabbed the seatbelt and was just about to stretch it across her body when she reached to do it herself. Her hand caught him in the arm at the same time her cheek turned into his hand. They both froze.
“I can buckle myself,” she said, with just the hint of a smile but her eyes were definitely laughing.
“Right. Got it.” Cursing himself, he rounded the hood and got in. The second he cranked on the engine, Luke Bryan blasted through the speakers.
He immediately turned it down. “Sorry,” he said again.
“Like it loud, huh?”
“Well, I was uh… driving to the wedding earlier. Or the pre-wedding photos… I had the windows down and… Yeah.”
“I listen to loud music when I’m nervous.”
“I wasn’t nervous.”
“Oh. Okay. I just thought wedding so…I would have been nervous.”
“You ever listen to Luke Bryan?”
“No. I don’t know this song. I don’t listen to country music really.”
“Mmm. You’re missing out.” He glanced over at her face, noticed her nose scrunched up in an apologetic smirk. Adorable.
He let the music play, let the song finish out between them as he drove out of the lot and turned onto the main rode. “Okay, fine. I was nervous.”
She grinned but didn’t do a told you so. “Country, huh?”
“Sometimes,” he said, lying because it was pretty much all he listened to. “We can listen to whatever you want. The controls are all right here.” Should he take her hand? Guide her to them so she could choose what she wanted for herself? “The music and if you want heat or air.”
“Got it,” she said, and looked like she was trying not to laugh.
He didn’t blame her. He was acting like he’d never had a female in his truck before.
“Well. That was fun,” she said, having pity on him.
“Yeah. A busy day all around, but not too bad.”
“I appreciate the ride.”
“Sure. No problem.” Why the hell was he so edgy? He’d held her in his arms earlier now he couldn’t handle being two feet away. He could still smell her, even over the lingering baby vomit faintly clinging to his shirt.
Her parents’ house was just as close as she’d said and they were there in under ten minutes. He searched the mailboxes lining the quiet residential street for the number she’d given him. He found it, turned into the driveway. The home sat on a medium sized lot, a neat one story, red brick and white siding. He cut the engine, came around and opened her door offering his arm when she got out. Getting the hang of this, he thought to himself.
“Well. Thanks again,” she said as they scaled the three brick steps to the front door.
“You’re welcome.”
Ava turned to open the door and he waited behind her. She wasn’t the sort of girl a guy met and walked to the door a few hours later to cop a kiss. He thought about holding his hand out for a shake but that was ridiculous.
Or did she want him to kiss her? God knows he was dying to.
Ava stepped inside and hesitated, looking back at him. There was something he wanted to say, but he didn’t know what it was and it didn’t come to him fast enough.
“Goodnight, Luke.”
“Good night, Ava.” And with that, she closed the door.