10. Dawson
CHAPTER 10
DAWSON
“Can’t you just put a little air in it?” Emmy kicks her tire, like doing so will make it magically inflate.
“I’m no car mechanic, but I know a flat tire when I see one,” I say. “A little air is not going to cut it. I don’t want you breaking down on the way home. Especially in the dark.”
She sighs.
I’m not sure if she’s annoyed by my concern or if she truly had something better to do tonight. But I feel like I did something wrong, and I’m not even sure what.
I circle the car. “Can you pop your trunk?”
She reaches inside and hits the button for the trunk.
I shed my coat and pull out the spare tire. That’s when I notice there’s no jack, tire iron, or wheel blocks.
“What happened to the jack and tools?”
“Oh, yeah.” She chews her lip. “A guy had a flat near the bookstore, and I let him borrow mine. Guess he forgot to return them.”
“Okay.” I rub the back of my neck. This is not going well. Since I rode my motorcycle, I don’t have what she needs either. “Maybe I can borrow the tools from someone else’s car.”
I pull out the spare and notice it looks a little off. “Emmy, how long has it been since you checked your spare?”
She gives me a sheepish look. “How about never ?”
“Your spare is low too.”
She grimaces. “Hmmm. I used my spare a few months ago and ran over a nail, I think. Or maybe a whole bunch of nails.”
“And you put it back in your trunk?”
“With a note to fix it later, which I promptly forgot about.” She shakes her head. “It can’t do that much damage to drive home on a flat, right?”
“Yes, it can. So that’s not an option.” I slide the spare back into her trunk. This is an issue of safety. “Until I find you a tire, which won’t be until tomorrow, you won’t be driving this car home.” I slam the trunk shut.
Her shoulders slump. “Why is my brain like this?” she says rubbing her forehead. “I can tell you the entire plot of a book, but I can’t remember to fix my spare tire.”
“Emmy, that doesn’t make you deficient. It makes you human .”
Her eyes slide to mine like she doesn’t believe me. “I’m an idiot. You’re just trying to make me not feel like one.”
“You have a lot on your plate,” I remind her. “Since I’m here, at least you don’t have to beg Stewart to take you home.”
She bites her lip. “Yeah, I guess.”
I get the feeling she’s not sure about letting me take her home. But I’m a safer bet than him.
“You’d rather go home with Stewart?” I ask in a teasing voice.
She lifts a shoulder. “Oh, no. Stewart is the reason I can’t go back to steal a slice of pumpkin cheesecake. That’s my favorite. The greatest-of-all-time dessert.”
“Your GOAT dessert?”
She smiles. “Yes. Unfortunately, Stewart was hovering by the food table when I left.”
“You’re hungry? Problem solved.”
She waves her hand to stop me. “I don’t want you to go out of your way.”
For her, I’ll gladly go out of my way. Anything to take that sad little frown off her face. “What’s your favorite restaurant?”
She checks her watch. “Most of the restaurants in Maple Falls are closed now.”
“Then we’ll take a road trip. Do you know of any restaurants open late outside town?”
“There’s a Thai place thirty minutes away.”
“Okay, let’s go there,” I say.
She blinks. “You like Thai?”
“Yes. Does that surprise you?”
She stares at me. “Nobody in my family does. Even Neesha prefers a hamburger over a good curry.”
“Her loss.” I shrug. “But the drive there is still a long time to make you wait.” I glance over my shoulder, where the party is still going strong. “Stay here. I can solve your problem in two minutes.”
When I return, Emmy is sitting on the hood of her car, looking at the sky. I hand her a small to-go container.
“What’s this?” She opens the container and her eyes bulge. “You snuck me a piece of pumpkin cheesecake?”
“I thoroughly believe in having dessert first.”
She digs into the cheesecake and closes her eyes, savoring it. There’s something so pure about her smile.
“This is unbelievable . Do you want some?” She holds up the container.
I shake my head. “All yours.” Then I glance at the fading light in the sky. “But we need to get on the road soon. How do you feel about bikes?”
“Bikes?” she repeats, like it hasn’t sunk in yet.
“I rode my motorcycle tonight.”
Her face falls. “Oh, yeah, I forgot. I’ve never ridden a motorcycle before.”
“Being a passenger is the easy part.” She follows me to my bike, and I hand her the spare helmet I keep strapped to the back.
She stares at it for a moment. “I’ll see if someone else can give me a ride.”
“Emmy, I know this isn’t ideal. But I’ve been riding motorcycles for years. You’re not the first woman who’s ridden on the back of my bike.”
Her eyes narrow. “So you’ve taken a lot of women on rides?”
“Not like you think. One was my sister.”
She plays with the helmet strap, looking unsure about the idea.
There’s no way I’m losing this woman now. Our date’s been cut short. This might be my only chance to spend more time with her.
“I promise to drive carefully,” I tell her. “If you’re not comfortable after riding with me, I’ll call an Uber to take you home.”
She laughs. “There are no Ubers in Maple Falls.”
“Then I guess you’re going with me.” I give her a triumphant smile.
She crinkles her nose. “If I must.” She slides the helmet on reluctantly, then shivers.
“Here, take my jacket.” I slide off my coat and hold it out to her. It’s about ten sizes too big, but she’s not dressed warmly enough for a bike ride.
“But you’ll be cold,” she protests, pressing her lips together.
I push it toward her. “It’s not that cold tonight.”
She reluctantly takes the jacket and slides it on. There’s something irresistible about a woman wearing your clothes and I can’t help but smirk. “Looks good on you.”
She blushes furiously as I straddle the bike. “You ready?”
“Just don’t drive too fast. Mimi will have your head on a platter if I get hurt.”
The engine rumbles to life. “I’m sure she will. Right after she takes a ride first.”
I inch the bike forward slowly, but the grass where I parked is bumpy, and Emmy’s body bounces with every jolt.
“I feel like I’m going to shoot off this bike like a human cannon,” she squeaks after I hit another rut.
“Hang on,” I instruct over the hum of the engine.
“To what?” she asks, glancing around.
“To me, Emmy.”
At first, she resists. Her hands barely grasp my waist.
When I reach the pavement, I speed up a little, and her fingers curl into my sides. I can tell she’s still reluctant to touch me or slide closer to my back.
I glance over my shoulder. “Are you okay, Emmy? Because you look as stiff as a board.”
“Excuse me if I’m trying not to fall off this bike while you hightail it out of here.”
“I’m only going twenty,” I say with a smirk.
She leans forward and checks my speedometer. “How fast does this thing go?”
“You don’t want to know. But I promise to stay under the speed limit. Are you okay with that?”
She doesn’t respond, just nods like she’s about to lose her dessert.
“How are you feeling right now?” I ask.
“Like I might pee my pants or throw up. Maybe both at the same time.”
I look at her in my mirror. She keeps her face guarded, which means she might be joking, but I’m not sure. “Do you want me to stop?”
“That won’t help,” she says, shaking her head. “But screaming into a pillow might.”
“Can I make another suggestion?” I’m still cruising at less than thirty miles per hour, just to keep Emmy calm. Riding my bike under the full moon is exhilarating. I want Emmy to experience the thrill of a glorious fall evening, but she’ll never enjoy it if she can’t get over her fear.
I pull over to an empty parking lot. “If you lean into me more, you’ll feel safer.”
“So what you’re saying is, if you fall off, I’m a goner too.”
I laugh. “Emmy, I’m not gonna fall. I promise.”
She takes a deep breath, but doesn’t fight me. Instead, she scoots closer, leaning into me and really hanging on.
I want her to feel safe and have fun. But she has to learn to trust me first.
I start forward slowly as her body relaxes against mine. “How does that feel?”
“Better,” she says with a long exhale.
“Anytime you feel scared, hang on tighter to me. If you want me to stop, just say the word.”
I accelerate slowly, letting her get a feel for the bike. The more her body relaxes, the more I push the speed.
I take a deep breath and smell maple trees and campfire smoke, alongside a soft floral fragrance that smells like her.
Her grip finally relaxes as the road stretches like an endless ribbon in front of us.
It’s easier this way, having her close, but not having to face off with her directly. When I stare into those blue eyes or glance at her red lips, I totally lose my train of thought.
Tonight, she’s all mine. I can't help but grin at the thought of those red lips, just begging to be kissed.