Page 9 of Lady Luck’s Kiss
CHARLIE
Charlie called Jack the moment Buddy was in the tow truck and pulling out of the parking lot. There was no need for him to walk back in for some forgotten thing and overhear her talking sweet and making goo-goo eyes over the phone.
“Hello?”
“Is Jack Seguin in?”
“This is him. Is this AAA?” His voice made her struggle to hold back a purr as she heard a husky timbre through the receiver. Oh yes, sultry didn’t begin to describe his voice. Some people had bedroom eyes, but this man was born to talk to women.
“No, it’s Charlie. From last night? Remember me?”
“Hey! You didn’t answer my text back. I figured you were thinking it over. Is this your work number?”
“Yes, I’ve got your truck.”
“What? They were supposed to take it to a shop!”
“They did. They took it to MY shop. I own Charlie’s Garage on the west side of town.”
“Impressive.”
“I like to think so,” she said with a proud grin. “Now, what was I supposed to be thinking over?”
“Seeing a movie or having dinner with me sometime?”
“I’d love to! Now, tell me what happened with your truck before I get around to checking it out. All the details, please.”
“Well, I had just finished dancing with the most amazing woman I have ever met…” she heard him say in the phone and grinned.
She could feel herself flushing with excitement and her heart pounding.
“…and when I left, I got halfway home and noticed the temperature gauge turned red. I pulled over and saw that the coolant was full, so I thought maybe it was a glitch of a sensor. But the more I drove, it started making a noise and died on me. I didn’t drive it far. ”
“That gives me a starting point,” she said as she thought idly, tapping a pen on her cheek. “I like that: the most amazing woman, huh?”
“She took my breath away when she gave me a kiss on the cheek.”
“Still think I’m your Lady Luck if your truck is here?”
“I’d bet on it. The truck wasn’t the only thing overheating last night.”
“You’re insane,” she said, laughing and inordinately pleased with the playful enthusiasm and innuendo in his voice. She liked how up front and candid he was, he seemed to be so very genuine.
“So, dinner tonight or a movie?”
“Let me see what’s going on with your truck first. I’m good with either.”
“Same here.”
“Well, one of us has to decide,” she said with a smile.
“How about a little of both? When’s the last time you’ve been to the drive-in?”
“Is it still open?”
“It is! Once a month they show old movies and tonight is Romancing the Stone , unless you’d rather see a newer release. Then we could go tomorrow night.”
“I love Romancing the Stone !”
“Sounds good. I will pick you, uh, slight problem.”
“Right. Your truck is here in my greedy little clutches. How about I pick you up instead?” His chuckle curled her toes through the phone and made her almost giddy. “That sounds like a plan. Pick me up at seven?”
“It’s a date.” Charlie scribbled down his address, hung up the phone and called Beth immediately. “I am sooooooo dumping you tonight for our Beer-thirty girls night and I hope you understand!” she rushed out.
“It had better be for some hot, magical boy-toy that rings the bells in town! Or maybe it’s a fancy bazillionaire with a brother that is looking for spry gal like me!”
“Neither. Jack Seguin’s truck broke down. I have it and we are going to the drive-in for a date tonight!” she screeched excitedly. “Beth! He asked me out and I hope you don’t mind.”
“Heck no, I don’t mind! But if there is hot, bell-ringin’ boy-toy-hallelujah-action or he turns out to be the bazillionaire of my dreams, I must have all the juicy details!” There was no one else in the world she would confide in other than Beth. She’d been her best friend forever…
“If there is toe-curling kisses,” she corrected pointedly, laughing. “I will give you the details. I pinky swear it!”
Charlie got to work taking a look at the truck.
It had overheated all right… badly .
There was coolant sprayed everywhere underneath the hood. The water pump had stopped turning and if Jack was lucky, that would be it. A lot of times when a water pump went out, the engine would get so hot that it would blow a head gasket or cause other problems.
The fact that it had died concerned her.
She wouldn’t know until she got the new water pump on if the cylinder head was warped. This truck had two heads, which meant two head gaskets. It was double the work for her, which was good money, but she hated to have that be the case.
Calling the small auto parts store nearby, she had them run her over a water pump and gasket. There was no reason to call Jack and tell him yet because if it wasn’t just a water pump, she’d rather break the bad news all at once.
She went to set an alarm on her phone and was reminded that it was destroyed.
Sighing, she instead picked up an egg timer and turned it all the way to sixty.
Charlie was really bad about losing track of time and she wanted to make sure that she had plenty of time to get ready for her date tonight.
She would make sure that she knocked his socks off and wanted a second date…
because she already did! Grinning, she grabbed her tool cart and dragged it over to the front bumper.
“Let’s get started,” she muttered aloud to herself and lifted the truck up to where she could easily access the dripping water pump from the ground.
Several hours later, she glanced up at the clock to see what time it was.
Not only had she ignored the egg timer, she had gone way over her allotted time.
Flipping off all the lights, locking the doors and racing up the stairs, she got ready in a hurry.
There would be no time for setting the curlers in her hair.
Instead, she would just blow it out straight.
Her nails would need to be painted a dark color to cover the oil stains underneath the tips that she didn’t have time to soak in acetone or brake cleaner.
Rubbing scented lotion on, she realized that she couldn’t remember the last time she actually went on a date!
Grabbing his address off the counter, she locked the front door behind her and hopped in the truck.
She put his address on top of the visor carefully so as not to lose it.
Getting back out, she grimaced at the floorboard that had the drive thru bags and napkins on it.
Picking them all up in a hurry, she threw the debris in the dumpster.
Her truck was old, but she refused to pick up Jack for their first date in a trashed out, old truck.
Driving down the country road, Charlie wished heartily that she had her iPhone, so she could check Google Maps. She’d grown up in the area, but she didn’t remember seeing any homes out this way. Then again, she didn’t drive this county road often either.
Finally, when she was about to give up, there was a small mailbox down the hill.
Letting out her breath, she saw that it was his and flipped on a turn signal.
The dash indicator blinked quickly alerting her that the bulb had gone out.
She rolled her eyes and crossed herself, hoping that was all that would happen tonight.
The long gravel driveway led back to a ranch-style cabin.
It looked to be fairly nice in the fading sunlight and she could see that there were lights on inside.
Hoping that this was the right place, she dropped the visor down to double check the address.
Flipping it up, she saw Jack standing on the front porch, waving at her.
“Thanks for picking me up. You found it okay?” he asked easily as he opened the door to her truck. He looked better than she remembered – and she had only seen him yesterday. Snug Wrangler jeans, a plain button up shirt with a white, cotton T-shirt underneath looked nice on him and appropriate.
“I was worried there for a second that I had missed it.”
“I like my privacy out here.”
“I’m sure serial killers do, too,” she teased and stopped. “I’m sorry. That was really the wrong thing to say at the beginning of our date. I’m nervous. Tell me you are, too.”
“Honestly? If that was the wrong thing to say, how about I make it even? I’ll say the wrong thing, too: can I just hurry up and kiss you, so I can break the ice?” he asked with a nervous laugh, running his fingers through his hair.
“Wanting to kiss me is the wrong thing?” she whispered nervously.
“Not at all! I want to be a proper gentleman and impress you. We haven’t even left the driveway yet.
” Jack grinned, and she saw that there was a faint flush on his cheeks, like he looked embarrassed.
Gone was the suave cowboy and in its place was a small-town guy who liked a small-town girl.
“I thought about kissing you from the second I saw you. I’m nervous as heck, Charlie.
I don’t want to screw up our first date. ”
“Then maybe we should break the ice, like you said. My hands are shaking, and I’m the one driving tonight,” she teased halfheartedly.
Jack leaned over the truck and cupped his hand around her head. Charlie saw him swallow hard several times as he moved ever so slowly towards her. She shut her eyes and placed her hand down to steady her shaking body, only to realize it was on his blue jean thigh.
“Oh!” she gasped, just a mere breath before his lips touched hers. Both gave a slight sigh at the pleasure the contact created in each of them. Charlie could swear that kissing Jack was better than anything on the planet; sweeter, too.
She felt his other hand come up and lay on her cheek to hold her still. It was truly unnecessary because there was no way she was moving. Someone would have to use a crowbar to pull her off of those delicious lips.
As he deepened the kiss, she found her itchy fingers were clutching at his shirt and pulling herself closer. Jack pulled back and lay his cheek against hers, just breathing. Charlie felt like her heart was pounding with adrenaline and she was trying to catch her breath, too.