“Really?”
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I loved that truck and probably would have kept driving it, but I decided it was time to grow up a little and get a real car.”
“A real car with as many tech options as a jet plane…”
“It’s really not so bad, Willow. At some point over the course of the week, you’ll have to give it a shot.”
“I don’t know…if anything happened and I did something to the car, there would be no way I could pay for it. I’d feel terrible.”
“I’m sure you’re not going to damage the car.”
“Oh, please, I’m a walking accident,” she said with a small pout. “That day outside the pub? That’s practically an everyday occurrence for me.”
“Seriously?”
Nodding, she twisted slightly in her seat to face him a bit. “I broke my wrist when I was five.”
“Willow, most people break a bone in their life.”
“That was the first time. I broke it three more times after that.”
“Oh.”
“I broke my ankle once at a skating rink.”
“Ice skating is kind of dangerous if you don’t have good balance.”
“Well, it was a roller rink, and I hadn’t even gotten to the skates. I tripped over one of the benches that blended with the carpet.”
“O-kay…” He was starting to see what she was getting at.
“I never played any sports,” she went on. “Even my PE teachers used to suggest I sit out on certain activities because they knew I’d hurt myself.”
“Wow.”
“I know. I both appreciated it and was offended.”
There really wasn’t anything he could say to that.
“I haven’t broken anything in a while–which is amazing considering how often I fall.”
“Like in front of the pub?”
“Yeah,” she replied wearily. “You should really tell your boss to see about getting that sidewalk fixed. I purposely park on the next block so I can approach the pub from the opposite direction.”
“Oh, Lord…”
“It’s okay. I don’t mind, really. It gives me a chance to window shop every time I go to McGee’s. Plus, I discovered there’s a daycare near where I park. They’re open until eight to accommodate working parents, and sometimes I stop and chat with them and the kids–especially when the little ones have artwork that they’re waving around to show anyone who walks by.”
“I had no idea that place was open so late.”
“They are, and I think that’s awesome. I had asked about any open positions, but it turns out I don’t have the right degree,” she admitted sadly. “I could probably take some classes at the community college to get the credits I need but…I don’t know. It was just an option.”
There was more to this story, he thought, but he’d bide his time before delving any deeper.
“Any other places you like to check out on your way to the pub?”
“Oh, yeah. There’s the little bakery on the corner–you know, the one that only does cupcakes–and they always have the cutest displays, and the smells are amazing! And the pottery place always has some fun pieces in the window. I’ve often thought about going and doing one of their girl’s night events, but I have a feeling I’d break more than I’d make and paint.”
“You don’t know that.”
She gave him a look that pretty much screamed, “Really?”
“Okay, it could be risky, but you won’t know until you try!” And he hoped he sounded encouraging.
“You know what I’ve noticed when I’m walking up your block?”
“No, what?”
“The front of the pub could use a little facelift.”
All he could do was stare.
“You know, maybe a new awning, some window boxes, and…if your boss fixes the sidewalk, some bistro tables for out front. You know, something to draw in the lunch crowd.”
“We have been talking about expanding the menu…”
“I’m telling you, just perk up the exterior and you’ll draw even more people in!”
It was definitely something to consider. Actually, every time he and Willow got together, she always had some helpful tips for him to give to his “boss”. He was starting to feel guilty about not explaining how he was the boss, but there never seemed to be the right time.
Now. Now would be a good time!
“So, let me ask you something.”
Or not. Whatever.
“Sure!”
“We covered a lot of stuff over the last few weeks–favorite foods, favorite movies, music, and TV shows…”
“Right…”
“But I feel like there’s still a lot of stuff we didn’t cover.”
“Really? Like what? We’ve talked so much that I feel like I know everything about you!” She smiled at him like she was impressed with herself. Should he really crush that feeling?
“Let’s be real, Willow, there’s no way to know everything about someone in only an hour a day for two weeks.”
She straightened a bit in her seat and seemed to consider what he said. “Maybe. But I think we learned a lot.”
“Oh, we definitely did! But you never told me what hobbies you have or anything particularly silly about yourself. Little things that I might know if we were dating for real. And definitely nothing that someone who’s in love with you would know.”
“Whoa…we’re just dating. Well…not really dating, but you know…in the fake way. And even if it was real, would we really be in love so soon?”
“You don’t believe in love at first sight?”
She snorted and then laughed nervously. “Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, well…I don’t know. No one I know has ever had it happen, and I know it’s never happened to me, so…”
“That doesn’t mean it’s not possible.”
“I guess.” She chewed on her bottom lip and went quiet.
They drove in companionable silence for several minutes and Levi took the exit to get onto the Belt Parkway. It was a stretch of road he wasn’t particularly fond of, and every pothole and bump had him cringing and worrying about his car.
It was a stupid thing to worry about, but it was a good distraction from the conversation he and Willow had left hanging.
So she didn’t believe in love at first sight. Did he? It wasn’t something he’d ever really thought about, but he certainly believed in attraction at first sight. The moment he picked Willow up in his arms that fateful day, he was drawn to her. While their relationship had been along the lines of friendship, it didn’t stop Levi from acknowledging that he thought she was beautiful and that his feelings weren’t all based on them being friends.
Not that he’d admit that to Willow.
Not yet, anyway.
But fake-relationship Levi might…
They drove on for several more minutes until they approached the Verrazano Bridge, and he released her hand–not because he wanted to, but because there was more traffic at the bridge entrance and he needed both hands on the wheel to maneuver his way through it.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Willow bend forward and start looking for something in her purse. It didn’t take long for her to pull out her phone and sit back up. He figured she was looking for a way to pass the time–maybe check her emails or text someone–so he focused on driving and left her to it.
They crossed the bridge, and within minutes, they were in New Jersey.
One state down.
They had at least two hours before they crossed into Maryland and could stop for lunch, but he had no idea how to kill time between now and then. Obviously they were going to talk, but…about what? Willow had gone quiet on him and now was studying her phone.
How long was he supposed to wait before he tried to get her to talk to him again? And should he even push or just wait her out?
Or maybe…
“Yay! I found it!
” she said excitedly.
“Found what?”
“The perfect way for us to learn more about each other and sound like we’re more in love.”
“Um…and how is that?”
“There’s this set of questions you and your significant other can ask each other and it’s supposed to make you fall in love.”
Levi swallowed hard. “Um…what?”
Beside him, Willow was looking down at her phone, nodding. “Yup. The article says there are 36 questions you can ask someone if you want to fall in love, or make your love even stronger if you’re already in love.” She looked over at him and smiled. “What do you say? Ready to fall in love with me?”
4
Oh, God…why would I ask that?
“I mean…fake fall in love,” Willow quickly amended. “This is all for the sake of us sounding more realistic, right?”
Levi had both hands on the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip, and she didn’t take it as a good sign.
Way to go, Willow. He’s probably trying to come up with an excuse to turn the car around and bow out of this trip.
“So you just ask me questions and that’s it?” he asked.
“Well, they recommend taking turns asking the questions, but since you’re driving–and this isn’t really real–I figured I’ll ask the questions. But we both have to answer them.”
“And…how personal are they? Like is this going to be embarrassing stuff about sex and all that?”
She gasped. “Oh, my goodness! I hope not! I don’t think so. It didn’t say anything about sex, so…”
“Okay, how about this–you start asking the questions, and if any of them make us feel uncomfortable, we skip them. How does that sound?”
“Hmm…that seems fair.” Swiping the screen, she scanned the instructions and cleared her throat. “You ready for this? It says it should take about an hour.”
He laughed softly.
“What’s so funny?”
“I was just thinking about what we were going to talk about for the next two hours, and now I know.”
“Oh, well…that’s convenient.” She did her best to get comfortable and felt a little giddy. “Here we go. Question number one. If you could invite anyone in the world to dinner, who would it be?”
“Easy. Wayne Gretzky.”
“The hockey player?”
Nodding, Levi replied, “Yup. The Great One. I’m a huge hockey fan.”
“See? This is extremely helpful information!” Willow exclaimed, hopeful the rest of the questions would go as easily.
“What about you? Who would you invite?”
“Hmm…Anna Kendrick.”
“Who?”
“Anna Kendrick. The actress.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I don’t know. I just didn’t think you’d pick a celebrity.”
“Oh, um…I guess then I would pick…”
“No, no, no…,” he said, quickly interrupting her. “That’s not how this works. And I wasn’t judging you, Willow. We’re supposed to be learning about one another. That was me learning something about you.”
She nodded and quietly cleared her throat. “Okay, question number two. What would constitute a perfect day for you?”
“First you have to tell me why you want to have dinner with this Anna person.”
“Kendrick.”
“Whatever,” he said with a low laugh. “Why her?”
After letting out a long and drawn-out sigh, she said, “I really like her as an actress. She just seems very relatable and like she’d be someone you can sit and talk with, and she wouldn’t be stuck up.” She shrugged. “I love all her Pitch Perfect movies.”
He nodded again. “There, that makes total sense. Thank you.” He glanced at her and smiled. “Okay, perfect day, right?”
“Yup.”
“Hmm…I would have to say I’d love for it to be on vacation. Someplace warm, but not tropical. I’d get up and go for a run on the beach, have a big breakfast–bacon, eggs, home fries, the works. Then I’d love to go out on a boat and do some deep-sea fishing, drink some beers, catch some sun…then come in and have someone clean and cook the fish for me.” He paused. “No, yeah…no need to do any work on my perfect day.” Another pause. “Then I’d enjoy this spectacular meal that I caught myself while sitting around the fire and relaxing.”
“All by yourself?”
“What? No. I guess I’d have my friends with me. Or…someone.”
“Someone?”
“Depends on when this perfect day is. Maybe I’d be dating someone, and they’d be with me.” He shrugged. “But other than the company, all those things would constitute a perfect day.”
“Okay then.”
“What about you?”
“Oooh…it would be all about getting pampered,” she replied dreamily. “Like you, I’d love to be someplace warm–maybe one of those deluxe spas in Arizona or something. I’d get to sleep late in one of those super-comfy beds, and I’d get served breakfast there.”
“Breakfast in bed is definitely a good one.”
“And as much as I hate to admit it, I’d love one of those big breakfasts too. Only I’d go for the bacon and eggs and some waffles. Preferably Belgian ones,” she added with a grin. “Then I’d go for a manicure, a pedicure, and a massage. I’d take a nice nap out in the cabana and then go for a swim before getting ready for a gourmet dinner. Surf and turf is a favorite. Then I’d sit out and stare up at the stars while enjoying some sort of decadent dessert that was covered in chocolate.” Humming, Willow closed her eyes. “Yeah. Perfect day.”
“Again, you totally surprised me.”
“How?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t peg you for a spa girl.”
“I think everyone can be convinced to try a day of getting pampered, Levi.”
“Not me.”
“What? Why?”
“Some strange dude oiling me up and rubbing his hands all over my body? That’s a hard pass.”
Unable to help herself, Willow laughed. “There are female massage therapists, Levi.”
But he shook his head. “I don’t know. It just seems weird to me.” Looking over at her, he smiled. “And that’s why it’s a good thing our perfect day preferences don’t have to match, right?”
“I guess.” And suddenly she wasn’t so sure they were going to pull this off. They were much more different than she let herself imagine. He liked sports, and she didn’t. She liked massages, and he didn’t. And the thought of fishing made her cringe. Sighing, she shared her thought with him.
“Willow, this is really just for information purposes. Maybe if this was a true compatibility test we should reconsider, but…this is for fun, right?”
It took her a minute to think about it, but…yeah. He was right. “I’m being ridiculous. Sorry.”
Waving her off, he said, “Nothing to apologize. Really. So what’s next?”
“When did you last sing to yourself and to somebody else?”
His bark of laughter filled the space and had her jumping slighting in her seat. “Trust me, I am no singer. Not for myself and not for anyone else.”
“Oh, come on! Everyone sings! Even if it’s just the happy birthday song!”
He shook his head. “Not me. I make sure I stay silent when that goes on.”
“What about when you’re alone in the car and your favorite song comes on?”
“Nope.”
“How is that possible?” she cried. “How can you go through a day without singing to the radio or humming or…or…singing in the shower?”
“I don’t know,” Levi replied. “I’m just not really someone who’s into singing.” Glancing at her, he added, “And I’m guessing by your reaction that you sing a lot.”
“Oh, my goodness, yes! Like all the time! Even though I probably shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“I have a decent voice, but not the kind of voice that
makes people ask me to sing. Except for Josh. He loves it when I sing.” Laughing, she went on, “I was always in the chorus in school and I’ve been singing around the house practically since I started talking. It makes my family crazy.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re all so serious and level-headed and think my singing is just…pointless.”
“I know I keep saying this, but…wow.”
“I guess I can get annoying with it.”
“How? Do you sing at inappropriate times?”
Do I?
“I sing with my nieces and nephews,” she answered after a moment. “I know the words to every Disney song and enjoy getting into character while singing them too.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
“You know…all the hand gestures and dance moves…all of it. And the kids love it. Like seriously love it. I get to be fun Aunt Willow–which I love.” She let out a soft sigh. “As for inappropriate times…no. It’s not like I break out into show tunes at funerals or anything, but if there’s music playing, chances are I’ll be singing along.”
“Nothing wrong with that, I guess.”
This was turning into a great, big disappointment, and they were only in New Jersey. She was afraid to think about how much less they were going to have in common by lunchtime.
“Okay then. Next question.” And she read it and shook her head. “We should probably just skip this one.”
“Why?”
“Because if you don’t sing, I’m pretty sure you’re going to say you don’t cry either.”
“That’s the next question? If I cry?”
“No, it’s when did you last cry in front of someone and by yourself?”
“Well, then prepare to be shocked but…I cried a few months ago at my grandfather’s funeral.”
“Oh, Levi, I’m so sorry.” Without thinking, Willow reached over and placed her hand over his. Levi immediately linked his fingers with hers.
“He passed away a month before my grandmother’s 80th birthday. I think everyone in the family cried. So…I cried in front of and with them and…I even cried alone when I got the call.”
“As you can probably imagine, I cry around once a week. I cry over commercials or out of frustration. The last time I cried in front of anyone was…” She had to stop and think about it. “Oh, last week in front of the dogs.”
Test Drive: Road Tripping Series Page 5