This time she doesn’t laugh. The troubled expression that appears too often is back. “You know who I am.”
It isn’t quite a question. There’s a warning tone to her words. I could pretend not to know what she means, but what’s the point? I not onl
y got her full name and tracked her down, but I discovered that her family’s reputation is less than stellar in Oak Valley. It’s her father really, but I can guess how everyone else holds her responsible for his actions. I’ve lived here all my life. I know how some of the town’s people are.
“I do.”
“Then why won’t you leave me alone?” She sounds exasperated, and it makes me smile.
“I’ve always been the type to go after what I want.”
“You can’t always get everything you want.”
“I can certainly try.”
Her sigh sounds tired, resigned. She stares ahead for a few seconds, then she turns to me and gives me her address. Satisfied, I make sure my triumphant smile doesn’t surface. I don’t want to risk annoying her. Pressing the gas, I head for the west side.
“Do you always take the bus home this late?”
“Not all the time. My sister needed the car tonight.”
“How old is your sister?”
“Eighteen.” She’s staring out her window, seemingly far away.
“How old are you?”
Silence. I don’t think she’s going to answer, but she turns to me with raised brows. “Too young for you.”
My brows dip. I give her a fleeting glance and return my attention to the road. “Why do you think that?”
“You’re a professor. You’re probably ancient.”
The teasing note in her voice makes me laugh. Like I said, she’s delightful. “How old do you think I am?”
She eyes me with open amusement. “Hmmm… thirty something?”
“Twenty something. Seven to be exact.”
“I’m nineteen.”
She’s watching me with narrowed eyes. What does she expect me to say? The age difference does nothing to lessen my attraction. “In other words, not too young for me.”
Facing forward, she sighs quietly and leans her head against the window. I remain quiet to leave her alone with her thoughts. I get the impression that Abby Knight carries the weight of the world on her shoulders when she doesn’t have to.
After a while, to lighten the mood, I break the silence. “I like your beanie.”
Abby snickers. “Liar. It’s ugly.”
Hell, it really is. Chuckling, I ask, “Why do you wear it?” She kept the thing on in class this morning, and she’s still wearing it.
“My sister made it for me.”
I smile. “Enough said.” I have no siblings, except my stepsister. She’s seventeen and we don’t have much in common. I love her, but we’re not very close.
“My place is the next street ahead,” she announces.
It barely even registered that we were already on the west side. I’d been too caught up in her. Conversing with her and then thinking about her… and me… together.