Chapter 11
Via held her fingertips to her temples. What was she doing, allowing herself to spiral like this? Leo wasn’t Trevor. He hadn’t
Another shout—not so family friendly this time.
Via opened the door to see him looking under the trunk lid of his Turismo. “Leo?”
He jumped, hitting his head on the hood. “Ow!”
“Sorry!” She instinctively reached out and touched his shoulder.
Leo glanced at her hand and scowled.
She quickly jerked it back and he ducked under the trunk again. She peered inside. “The engine’s in the trunk?”
“Yessss.” He fully straightened up. “Watch out,” he snapped and slammed the trunk shut. Then he whipped out his phone and
started scrolling through it.
This was the first time she’d ever seen him emotional about anything.
“What’s going on?” Dora came up beside Via. “I was waiting for you guys in the back.”
“Engine trouble?” Via said, shrugging.
“Ah, thank God.” He pressed on the screen and quickly got an answer. “Service department. SER-VICE DE-PART-MENT,” he yelled into the phone.
Via and Dora exchanged glances.
“Can I just get a real person? Yes, hello? I’ve got a Gran Turismo, 2024. Won’t start.”
“Uh-oh,” Dora said.
“Yeah,” Via added. No wonder he was so upset.
“How long are you backed up? A month?” He started pacing. “Is there another dealership— Toledo? Nothing closer? Yeah, put
me on the waiting list. Sure. Thanks.” He hung up, then turned around. “Guess you heard all that.”
“What’s wrong with the car?” Dora asked.
“Don’t know.” He sighed.
“I’m sure Charlie won’t mind taking a look at it.”
Via glanced at her sister. She looked extra cute today. Her hair was a shade darker than Via’s, and she had it in a loose
updo with long tendrils framing her face. She wore a brown parka with a blue sweater peeking out from the neckline, slim jeans,
and tennis shoes.
Leo shook his head. “It has to be worked on by a dealer or the warranty will be invalid.”
“Would it hurt if he just looked?” Dora offered. “Maybe it’s something simple you could do yourself.”
“I’m not a mechanic and this isn’t a simple car.” His tone was sharp. Then, “Sorry.”
“Don’t worry, I’d be mad too.” Dora shrugged. “There’s nothing we can do now. The pumpkin patch should take your mind off
things.”
“If you were even going,” Via grumbled. Oops, that wasn’t supposed to hit the airwaves.
He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You tell me.”
“No,” he said, moving closer to her, his dark brows knitted together. “You’re the one who said it.”
Dora frowned. “I’m going to wait by Gold Yeller while you two work out whatever this is.” She scurried off.
Via lifted her chin. “Why were you leaving? Were you going to ghost me?”
His flat brow shot up. “What? Where did that come from?”
He genuinely looked surprised by her accusation, but he didn’t deny it. She paused, waiting for the litany of excuses he’d
give her so she wouldn’t be mad at him for being in the wrong. She’d been through this song and dance before, many times.
Promises broken, excuses made, forgiveness begged, only to go through the cycle again and again.
Instead he just looked at her, incredulous.
“You weren’t at your apartment at four thirty,” she said, pleading her case and realizing she sounded off her rocker in doing
so.
He pulled out his phone. “It’s 4:37, Via. Seven minutes late. I came down here at four to take the Turismo around the block
before we met in the back. It’s been a few days since I last drove it.” He glared at the car before turning to her again.
“What I definitely wasn’t going to do was stand you up.”
She closed her eyes, wanting to crawl into a hole.
“Why would you even think I would?”
Because it’s what I’m used to. But it wasn’t his fault she immediately went to the dark side.
“Via, we need to get something straight here. I don’t go back on my word. If I say I’m going do something, I will do it. Understand?”
Sir meowed from his catpack.
“Sir’s in there?” Leo said.
“This is his preferred method of travel.”
“Turn around,” he said, motioning to Via. When she did, he added, “Is he safe?”
“Yes, Leo.” She never would have thought it possible that he would concern himself with Sir’s safety the first day they met.
Now the two of them were hanging out in Second Chapter on a regular basis. Then again, she wasn’t exactly accurate on assumptions
lately.
“Can he breathe okay?”
“Don’t worry.” She turned back around. “We’ve gone on many trips with the catpack.”
That seemed to appease him. And now she felt like a bigger fool. She’d accused him of something Trevor would do, and that
wasn’t fair. “I’m sorry, Leo. I shouldn’t have jumped to the wrong conclusion. I . . .” No, she couldn’t explain herself any
more than that. She didn’t want to bring her past into the present more than she already had.
He tilted his head, as if he were going to say something. Then he nodded. “Are you ready to go? There’s nothing I can do about
my car right now. I’ll figure it out later.”
When they got to the back parking lot, Dora was by Gold Yeller, texting on her phone. From her smile, Via was sure she was
talking to Charlie.
She was surprised her sister hadn’t canceled to go to the pumpkin patch with him instead. They had spent every Saturday night
together since they started dating, but Dora had said that Charlie was meeting his ex-wife to pick up their daughter, Phoenix,
for the weekend, and she lived over an hour away near Akron.
Leo was peering inside the driver’s side window, then looked at the door handle. “Do you have the key?”
“Keys,” Via said, pulling them out of her jacket pocket. “One for the door, the other for the ignition.”
He looked at them like foreign objects, then at the truck like it was from outer space.
“Have you ever driven an old truck before?” Via asked.
“No,” he said. “Or a new one.”
“Never?” Dora asked.
“Ever?” Via added.
“Didn’t have a need to, until now.”
“She’s all yours,” Via said with a touch of sadness.
“Don’t worry. Gold Yeller is in good hands.” He gulped. “I think.”
She took off Sir’s catpack and held it by the top handle. As Leo got inside the truck, she opened the passenger’s side door.
“Get in,” she said to Dora.
“You first.” Dora grabbed her arm and shoved her and Sir Meow inside across the bench seat, making her bump against Leo.
She glared at Dora. “Apparently my sister can’t wait to get to the pumpkin patch.”
Dora simply grinned.
The truck was midsized, and with the three of them in the cab, there wasn’t much room. Her thigh pressed against Leo’s as
Dora wedged her purse between her and Via. Sir Meow was facing front, although his view consisted of the air-conditioning
vent and half of the radio.
Leo either didn’t notice or care that there was zero space between them as he looked over the steering wheel and dashboard,
but she couldn’t stop noticing. She definitely couldn’t stop the wonderful tingling warmth coursing through her. Not when
it was taking everything she had not to fully lean against him.
His gaze stopped at the green-cardboard tree air freshener hanging from the rearview mirror that had lost its scent long ago.
He shrugged, stuck the key into the ignition, and turned it.
Gold Yeller came to life. “Here we go, I guess.” After a quick study of the controls and dash, he yanked down the automatic gear shift.
Via grabbed on to Sir’s pack in her lap as the truck lurched forward.
Soon it was smooth driving as they made their way to Pumpkin Paradise, about twenty minutes south of Pecan Corner. Via gave
him directions, trying to ignore the warmth of his leg against hers, the slight friction of it as he deftly shifted his foot
from gas pedal to brake during the drive. Once he got comfortable with Gold Yeller, he placed his right hand on his lower
thigh . . . very close to her knee. If he just moved his hand two centimeters to the right . . .
She glanced at his profile, noting the concentration. He wasn’t thinking about her, and that knowledge was the dose of reality
she always seemed to need when she was around him.
Via stared straight ahead. Dora and Sir were also quiet. Leo seemed to have a handle on Gold Yeller, and she settled against
the bench seat.
Thud!
The truck rocked to the side, rolling over an impressive pothole. Via clutched the catpack again as she slid against Leo.
“Sorry.” Both his hands were back on the wheel. At Sir’s indignant meow he said, “Sorry to you too, Sir.”
A sign appeared on the side of the road: Pumpkin Paradise 2 miles ahead. Soon a huge swathe of orange orbs dotted the fields on both sides of the road as they neared the patch.
“Whoa,” Leo said, slowing Gold Yeller down a bit and looking to the right. “That’s a lot of pumpkins.”
They turned into the half-full parking lot.
The patch had been open since mid-September and business would steadily increase until Halloween, then slow down again until mid-November when it closed.
Leo parked Gold Yeller four rows away from the entrance.
They got out of the truck and shut the doors.
While he locked the truck, Via slung Sir’s catpack over her shoulders and fastened the belt around her waist. There, the cat was snug.
Leo put his hands on his hips. “All right, ladies. Let’s get our pumpkin on.”
Via groaned.
“Yikes,” Dora said.
“What? I’m not cool enough for you two?”
Oh, he was cool all right. And handsome as always. Earl’s jacket accentuated his broad shoulders, the red sweater he had on
underneath tapering at his narrow waist and covering the belt line of the old jeans he had on. When her gaze lifted to his,
his mouth was forming that half smile that had her toes curling. “Cool is overrated,” she said, averting her gaze to Gold
Yeller.
“Guess I got my answer. What do you think, Dora . . . ?”
But she was already halfway to the arched entrance of the pumpkin patch.
“Is your sister always in a hurry?” Leo asked as they walked between the cars in the lot.
“No.” Then it dawned on her. She left her and Leo alone by his Turismo. Insisted she sit by him in the truck. And now Dora