The Spark

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER 12

Donovan

 

“What the hell?”

I stood at the curb of Bud’s house with a bag of garbage in hand, watching a car come down the street. The sound of something scraping along the asphalt grew louder as it approached, and sparks shot out of the driver’s side wheel well. When the car pulled up, I realized it was Autumn behind the wheel. Her side quarter panel was completely dented in, and something metal hung from it, which must’ve been the source of the friction and sparks. I could see she was frazzled, especially after she parked and attempted to get out, but the door wouldn’t seem to open.

“Stop,” I yelled and put my hand up. She still jammed her shoulder into the door one more time. I walked over next to the car. “Let me try to open it from this side.”

The first few tugs on the door opened it slightly, but not enough for her to get out. So I lifted a foot up on the side of the door for leverage and yanked the thing wide. Autumn climbed out grumbling, while Storm walked around from the passenger side of the car looking a little nervous. He hadn’t seemed that uneasy the night he was locked up at the police station.

“What happened to your car?” I asked.

“Someone hit me.”

“Are you okay?” I looked at Storm. “You good?”

“We’re fine,” Autumn assured me. “We weren’t in the car when it happened. I stopped a few blocks away to pick up a cake to bring Bud. When I came out, someone had smashed into my car.” She looked over at the dent, then nodded toward Storm. “Thankfully, this one doesn’t think I’m capable of walking into a store without a bodyguard, or he would’ve been in it.”

That made me smile. It’s not like she would’ve been mugged in broad daylight around here—well, at least the chances of it were low—but I wouldn’t have let her go in alone either.

I nodded at Storm. “Good looking out.”

Autumn rolled her eyes. “When I asked the other driver for his insurance card, he said he didn’t have any. Who drives without insurance?”

“Did you get a police report?” I asked.

“I did—even though the guy didn’t want me to call them.”

Well, that explained why they were an hour late. I’d been begi

I crouched down next to her tire and took a peek inside the wheel well. “The cop should’ve called a tow truck. You shouldn’t have driven this thing.”

“It’s just a dent.”

I shook my head. “Look at the rim of the tire. It’s supposed to be round, Autumn.”

She squinted and then frowned. “Oh…I didn’t notice that.”

“Your rim is bent, part of the body of your car is pushing against the brakes on the tire, and you’re dragging metal.”

She sighed. “Great.”

I nodded toward Bud’s house. “Come on. Let’s go inside. There’s a good body shop a few blocks away—or at least there was a few years ago. I’ll check with Bud to see if it’s still open. If it is, we can ask them to take a look and see if they can make it safe for driving. Then at least you can get it fixed somewhere closer to home.”

“How would we get it there? You just said it wasn’t safe for me to drive.”

“It’s not. That’s why I’ll be driving your car, and you can follow me in mine. Storm can stay here with Bud.”

 

***

 

“Thank you for this,” Autumn said.

I opened the passenger door of my car outside Demott’s Body Shop.

Autumn looked up at me before she got in. “Listen, about last night on the phone. I’m sorry if I upset you.”

“It’s fine. I realized something after we hung up that made me feel better.”

Her face wrinkled. “What?”

“You were talking to me about Dickson—telling me stuff you wouldn’t have mentioned if he were with you.”

“Yes, so?”

“That means you were home alone. You went out to di

“I had a headache.”

I gri

“What are you smiling at? You don’t believe me?”

I shook my head. “Not in the slightest. You only went out with him to keep that barrier between us. But in the end, you couldn’t even spend the night with him.”

“Don’t you think a lot of yourself.”

I shrugged. “It’s okay. You don’t have to admit it. I know the truth. And just so you know, I haven’t been with anyone else since the night at the police station either. I have patience. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “And what if I’m never ready? Are you going to wait around forever?”

I took a half step closer. We were now toe to toe. Autumn made no attempt to back up as she watched me closely. But it was neither the time, nor the place, to see what she’d do if I pushed. Instead, I let my eyes drop to her feet and slowly work their way back up. They grazed appreciatively over the curve of her hip and snagged on her beautiful, full breasts. Her nipples hardened through her T-shirt as I watched, like a flower coming into bloom. When my eyes finally reached her face again, her lips were parted, her eyes hooded.

I leaned in and whispered in her ear. “It definitely won’t take forever.”

 

***

 

“Oh my God. And then Lindsey sits right between them and kisses him.”

“That girl’s nothing but trouble,” Bud said.

“I know, right? But apparently our bachelor is into trouble. He likes that Justine, too.”

I shook my head. “I can’t believe the conversation I’m listening to. I feel like I’m at lunch with Juliette.”

Autumn and Bud had been talking about The Bachelor for the last twenty minutes. I knew Autumn watched that crap. But Bud? I just kept shaking my head. He’d said his new “lady friend” watched it, and he’d gotten into it, too.

Autumn turned to me. “Who’s Juliette?”

“A coworker. Don’t worry. She’s no threat to you.” I winked. “Juliette’s not my type.”

Autumn rolled her eyes, but I saw the smile as she turned away. “Have you ever even watched it?”

“No, and I’m surprised you do. It’s basically a show where a dude gets to date, like, twenty women at the same time while they do over-the-top crap to fight for attention. Women love it, yet the same women lose their shit if a man they’re dating wants to date even one other woman.”

Autumn shook her head. “There’s a difference between what women want in real life and what they want in their reality TV.”

“If you say so…”

Storm came in from the garage. He’d been outside cleaning and painting most of the day. “I’m starving.”

“I’m serving hot, open-face sandwiches for di

I shook my head. “Why don’t I order us a pizza? Your hot open faces are always a big hit, with no leftovers.”

Bud smiled. “That’s because I toast the bread on the grill and melt the cheese before I pour the brown gravy on top. It was Donovan over there’s favorite as a kid. I’d have to hide three if he didn’t show for di

Storm scratched at his temple. “You used to eat with the poor people?”

“No, I used to be the poor people.”

“But now you’re rolling in it. You’re a lawyer with a fancy car, and your shoes are always shiny.”

“Yeah, and?”

He shrugged. “Most of the time poor stays poor.”

I’d been fixing a cabinet door, but I stopped and gave Storm my full attention. “If you think like that, that usually is what happens. You have to be able to see yourself successful to have a shot at finding success. And you need to work harder than someone who has things handed to them.” I felt Autumn’s eyes on me, so I looked over. “No offense.”