My eyes shot to Zack. Something felt so immoral about making this nice man bring the price down. I had a feeling it was already too low. “About fourteen-five.”
Mr. Peters took my hand, covering it in both of his. “Sold for fourteen. Use the leftover to take this nice young man out to a proper dinner.”
“But—”
“No buts.” He shook his head quickly and decisively. “I’d rather sell it for less and know it’s going to a good home. My son would’ve liked that.”
I swallowed, my lashes suddenly wet. “Thank you.”
“Sir,” Zack began. “It’s Sunday and the banks aren’t open. Will you hold it for us until after school tomorrow when we can make it to the bank?”
“We can give you a good faith deposit,” I offered.
The man waved a hand. “Not necessary. I’ll hold it for you, but if you change your mind, call me.”
We shook his hand and said our goodbyes, promising to be there the next day.
I hopped in the Jeep and nearly squealed. That beautiful machine was going to be mine. I flashed Zack a grin. “That was amazing.”
He chuckled.
My stomach growled. Guess the cereal I’d eaten for breakfast had been amazingly inadequate. Maybe my body needed more fuel for its mysterious new abilities — which I was no closer to finding the reason for. “Early lunch? It’s on me.”
“I can always eat. If we get burgers though, we’re not eating in public.” Zack suppressed a smile.
I felt my face flush. “Thanks for finding that car. I love it. It’s perfect.”
He turned toward me and grinned knowingly. “I had a feeling.”
The ride to the burger place was spent listening to Zack explain in the most painful detail each modification that had been done to the car. After he’d found it for me though, I was big on forgiveness.
Zack pulled up to the drive-thru. “Double cheeseburger with everything?”
I nodded, handing him some cash. He put in our order and as soon as the bag of food passed through the window, my mouth watered. My driving need for meat raged through every cell in my body.
“There’s a park close by. We might find a spot in the shade.” By the time he finished the sentence, I’d already taken my first bite. He laughed and pulled over.
We ate in silence. I held myself in check, but devoured the last morsel and licked my fingers, vowing to eat my next burger in private where I could be as uninhibited as I wanted.
Once he’d dropped me off at my house, I called Maya to tell her about my new-to-me car.
She went on a roll about Trevor. “I was about to go inside when he kissed me again. He’s an amazing kisser, by the way.” I heard her breathy sigh. “Anyway, I was reaching for the doorknob to go inside when he asked for exclusivity. I can’t date anyone else and neither can he. I feel like I’m in a dream and I have you to thank for that. If you hadn’t pushed, I’d still be a stalker.”
I laughed. “I’m sure you two would have gotten together eventually.”
“Maybe. We’re going bowling tonight. You and Zack should come.”
“Oh, I don’t know, Maya.”
Zack had been so nice all morning, I’d forgotten what a jerk he’d been the night before. When he was pleasant, we got along quite well. That was dangerous because I liked him. Too much. I’d been insulted enough and didn’t want rejection on top of it. I desperately searched my mind for a valid excuse to get out of bowling.
“Come on, Autumn. I want to see your new car,” Maya said, distracting me from creating a good fib.
Whew. Now I didn’t have to make up anything. “I’m not picking it up until tomorrow.”
“Then I want to see you.”
Other than my parents, Maya was the only other person I’d gotten to know well enough to truly love. Saying no was nearly impossible. “Okay.”
Since Zack had found me a car, his services were no longer needed. He could go back to being his grumpy self. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be too annoyed when he realized he’d be hanging out with me again after dinner.
He might even say no to bowling. A part of me felt empty at the thought.
† † †
Either Zack had lied about what Cara planned to make for dinner or she changed her mind. Meatballs seemed too similar to hamburger, so it was probably for the best. Regardless, the food was fabulous — chicken marinated in lemon and rosemary with scalloped potatoes and steamed asparagus. After a couple bites of chicken and coming close to sensory overload, I opted to resist the meat and stick to veggies.
I decided I loved Zack’s family almost as much as my own. I liked that they used ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ liberally while passing food around the table. I loved how they waited to eat until everyone had food. Good manners were appealing. Not that we were Neanderthals at my house, but Zack’s family made etiquette an art. Best of all, they treated me like I belonged there.