“Call him.” Dex grabbed a bottle of water from the floor and unscrewed it. “Tell him we’ll call him as soon as they’re in stock and make sure they’re fitted the moment he walks through the door.”
“No, no. You can call him.” I shook my head so vehemently I felt dizzy. “He makes Mr. Daniels look like a puppy.”
Dex faltered for a moment, his cheeks puffing out as he held the water in his mouth. He stared at me for a second before he swallowed and re-capped the bottle. “Well, maybe we should try to find some wipers today.”
“You think?”
“Don’t get snarky. How did I know I was moving to a town full of year-long Scrooges?”
“They’re not Scrooges. They’re…” I hesitated. A word didn’t spring to mind.
“Set in their ways,” I know, he said wryly. “You’ve said. Right. Where would we stand a chance at getting some wiper blades from today?”
I twisted my lips to the side. “Well, there’s the auto place the next town over. They usually have plenty in stock. And there’s a great taco place next door. I’ll get lunch at the same time.”
“Whoa, wait. Why do you get to go?”
“Do you know the auto place I’m talking about?”
Dex clicked his tongue. “No, but I heard something about a great taco place, so…”
“And?”
“And it seems like I should know where this great taco place—I mean, the auto place—is. You should take me.”
“I’m not taking you for lunch. I’d rather eat in a dumpster.”
“You’re so charming. By the way, Jamie, are you single?”
I flipped him the bird. “Fine. I can see I’m not going to get out of this, and I need wipers, so fine. You win. But you’re buying your own tacos, and I’m driving.”
He pulled his keys out of his pocket. “I’m driving. You can direct me.”
“No.” I folded my arms across my chest. “In my experience, there’s one thing men cannot do and that is listen to directions.”
“Well, if that’s all you think I can’t do.” He flashed me a wolfish grin and grabbed his phone from the counter to his left. “Come on, Jamie. Show me this great taco place.”
“And buy the wiper blades. I hope you’ve got your credit card, Dex.”
He patted his pocket. “Right there. Let’s go.”
***
“I told you to go left.”
“I went left!”
“No, you went left two junctions too late.”
“They were close together!” Dex smacked the steering wheel. “Now where do we go?”
“If you’d be quiet, I can try and find out.” I loaded Google Maps on my phone.
“You’re the one bitching.”
“If you’d taken the right junction, I wouldn’t have to bitch. Why don’t you have a GPS in this monster?” Seriously, his truck was huge and basically brand new—and there was no GPS.
It was like twenty-fifteen and the nineteen-eighties had a baby.
“Because it was a pointless extra expense given that I don’t listen to instructions,” he drawled, tapping his fingers against the steering wheel. “You’re the one who was born here. Don’t you know where we are?”
“If I did, we wouldn’t be lost,” I ground out through my clamped jaw. “Thank God.” The little blue line popped up on my screen. “Right.”
“Go right?” Dex turned the key.
“No, I mean “right” as in, right, let’s go.”
“If you use it like that again and I go right, it’s on you.”
“Dex, shut up and drive.”
He shot me a look, but he did as I said.
“Go slow,” I instructed. “In case you miss a turn again.”
“It was hidden!”
I rolled my eyes. “Five minutes ago, they were too close together. Keep your banana split straight, would you?”
He caught my eye. His lips twitched. “Where am I going now?”
“Keep going.” I didn’t want to think about the way a tiny shiver danced over the back of my neck at the tiny smile that played over his lips. “And take the first right.”
“Got it.” Luckily for me, he took it correctly.
Somehow, we made it out from the middle of nowhere to the main road, and I was able to direct him. He drove a little slower—the kind of slow that makes you cuss out other drivers when you’re behind them—but hey, we finally pulled up to the store in one piece.
Half an hour later than I’d wanted to.
“Never again,” I muttered, jumping into the dusty parking lot.
“No kidding,” he muttered right back.
“I told you to let me drive, but no, you wouldn’t listen.”
Dex slammed his car door shut. “Since you’re nagging like we’re an old married couple, should I propose now or never?”
“Never,” I shot back. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life in jail for killing you to put me out of my misery.”
“Aw – I had a moment where I thought it might be nice to marry you. As long as your lips are sewn shut.”
“I’ll sew your cock to the concrete if you don’t be quiet.”