An Accidental Gentleman by M.Q. Barber

Author:M.Q. Barber [Barber, M.Q.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 5

Idling outside Brian’s swanky apartment complex, Kit texted him from the driver’s seat of her sister’s beater.

Tonight wasn’t a date, so why pretend with door-knocking formalities and all. Brian would tag along to her usual Saturday, same as she’d hitched a ride on his afternoon softball wagon last week.

His return text chimed back. On my way.

Good. If he’d been Perry, she would’ve honked at him to get his ass moving. Of course, Perry rented an attic apartment from an elderly couple downtown who let him play handyman in exchange for cheaper rent. No chance a hundred people would peek through the curtains on their fancy windows and ask about the unmannered trash waiting in the driveway. And being friends since elementary school bicycle-fixing days granted a lot of leeway.

Brian emerged in jeans and a black T-shirt with a faded white logo. Thank God he’d taken her fashion advice to heart. White-collar office jockeys stood out in a crowd of farm boys and gearheads.

As he strode down the sidewalk, she leaned over and popped open the passenger door. The finicky outside latch remained on the list of unfinished projects.

Swinging into the seat, he ducked toward her.

Jesus God, he meant to kiss her.

He froze, reversed course, and yanked the door shut. Coughing, he palmed his still-patchy beard. “Hey.”

“Hey.” She let him skate on the near-miss. Thinking he’d kiss her like a date would. No, worse than a date, a boyfriend, because a date waited until the end of the night to lean in for a kiss. Habit for him. Nice guys trained for serious girlfriends, not random hookups. “Seat belt, mister.”

He buckled up as she backed out. His shirt celebrated some band from before her time. “Vintage tee?”

“You know it.” He drummed his knees and rapped the dash. “Saw them play in my bad-boy days. Sixteen. Didn’t breathe a word to my folks.”

“Illicit road trip?” She hesitated at the turn. Left would take them to the night she had planned. Beers and gears. Right could lead anywhere. Keep driving until they ran out of road and she spilled out all the things that scared her, the dreams she’d never live, the terrifying happiness she maybe wanted to grab hold of with Brian and not let go.

She turned left.

Oblivious, Brian nodded along with the rock on the radio. “Seven of us crammed in somebody’s grandma’s Caddy, a real old boat, skipping out of town to catch them play. Around the lake to Chicago. Three-hour drive. We sneaked back in as dawn hit.”

Laughing, she steered them down the highway. Green-light luck stayed with them. Less than ten minutes to the track. “Perry’s gonna love you.”

“Perry?” Brian flashed deer-in-headlights at her before he wiped his face blank and chased it with an insincere smile. “You’re not setting me up for a blind date with one of your girlfriends, are you?”

Oh God. She pounded her palm against the steering wheel to stop herself from punching him in the shoulder. “You think I’m so scared of dating you that I’d pawn you off on a friend? And I’d tell her what, ‘Meet Brian.

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