The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks

Author:Nicholas Sparks [Sparks, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, pdf
Tags: Nicholas Sparks
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2011-10-10T23:00:00+00:00

11

Dawson lowered the top of the Stingray and leaned against the trunk, waiting for Amanda. There was a sultry, heavy feel to the air, portending a storm later that afternoon, and he wondered idly whether Tuck had an umbrella stashed in the house somewhere. He doubted it. He could no more imagine Tuck using an umbrella than he could imagine him in a dress, but who knew? Tuck, he’d learned, was a man of surprises.

A shadow moved across the ground and Dawson watched an osprey make slow, lazy circles overhead until Amanda’s car finally rolled up the drive. He could hear the sound of gravel crunching beneath the tires as she pulled into the shady spot next to his.

Amanda stepped out of the car, surprised by the black pants and crisp white shirt Dawson was wearing, but the combo definitely worked. With the jacket casually slung over his shoulder, he was almost too handsome for his own good, which only made what her mother had said even more prescient. She drew a deep breath, wondering what she was going to do.

“Am I late?” she asked, starting toward him.

Dawson watched her approach. Even from a few feet away, the morning rays illuminated the clear blue depths of her eyes, like the sunlit waters of a pristine lake. She was wearing a black pantsuit, with a sleeveless silk blouse and a silver locket around her neck.

“Not at all,” he said. “I got here early because I wanted to make sure the car was ready.”

“And?”

“Whoever fixed it knew exactly what he was doing.”

She smiled as she reached him and then, acting on impulse, kissed him on the cheek. Dawson seemed unsure what to make of it, his confusion mirroring her own as she heard again the echo of her mother’s words. She motioned to the car, trying to escape them. “You took the top down?” she asked.

Her question brought him back to her. “I thought we might take it up to Vandemere.”

“It’s not our car.”

“I know,” he said. “But it needs to be driven so I can make sure everything is working right. Believe me, the owner will want to know it’s in perfect working order before he decides to take it out for a night on the town.”

“What if it breaks down?”

“It won’t.”

“You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

A smile played on her lips. “Then why would we need to test-drive it?”

He opened his hands, caught. “Okay, maybe I just want to drive it. It’s practically a sin to let a car like this sit in the garage, especially considering the owner won’t know and the keys are right here.”

“And let me guess—when we’re done, we’ll put it on blocks and run it in reverse, so the odometer goes backward, right? So the owner won’t know?”

“That doesn’t work.”

“I know. I learned that when I watched Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” She smirked.

He leaned back slightly, taking in the sight of her. “You look stunning, by the way.”

She felt the heat travel up her neck at his words and wondered if she would ever stop blushing in his presence.

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