She reached over and plucked the mascara from his hand, dropping it back into her bag before she pulled it off his lap and tossed it into the backseat.
Chase reclined in his seat. “You know something, Andie? If we could find some coal for you to sit on, we could both retire early.”
She whipped her head toward him, her eyes wide; the corner of his mouth was lifted in a self-satisfied smile as he looked down, opening a small bottle of Pepsi.
She heard him laugh to himself just before he brought the bottle to his mouth, and in that moment, something came over her.
Andie brought her foot down hard on the gas pedal, and as soon as the car accelerated, she slammed on the brake. She saw Chase fly forward and then back as soda gushed over his chin and down the front of his shirt.
He brought the back of his hand to his mouth, immediately looking out the window for whatever caused Andie to hit the brakes so suddenly.
“What the hell was that?” he asked frantically.
Andie shrugged. “Payback.”
After a few seconds of silence, she turned to look at him. He was staring at her with such complete shock that she had to bite her lip not to burst out laughing.
Just before she turned her eyes back to the road, she saw him shake his head.
“I seriously can’t decide if I’m more angry or impressed right now,” he said, and she smiled triumphantly as Chase reached behind his head and grabbed his shirt, pulling it off in one swift movement.
He used the shirt to wipe off his face and chest before balling it up and tossing it into the backseat, and out of the corner of her eye Andie could see him reach for his drink again. He uncapped it and took a long sip before slowly screwing the top back on.
She took her eyes off the road for a second to look over at him. The interior light was still on, and she could see him clearly: the way his arm muscle flexed with the simple act of putting the cap back on, the strong definition of his chest. And his stomach. Where Colin’s was flat and smooth, Chase’s was cut, every sinewy muscle visible under the taut skin.
“What?” she heard him say, and she quickly lifted her eyes to his face. He laughed as he leaned over to put his drink back in the bag at his feet. “If there’s soda on your seats, it’s your own fault.”
“Are you gonna put your shirt back on?” she blurted out.
Chase froze, looking over his shoulder at her with the most maddening smile. “Why? Is this bothering you?”
“I just…” Andie sputtered, floundering through her response. “I mean, what if we get pulled over or something?”
“If we get pulled over, this could only work in your favor,” he said, running his hands over his chest.
Andie tried to stifle a laugh. “My God, you’re insufferable.”
He grinned before he reached behind them and grabbed his sweatshirt from the backseat. Chase pulled it over his head and looked at her, chuckling to himself before he reached down and started rummaging through the plastic bag between his feet again.
He came up with a small paper bag, spotted with what looked like grease stains.
“What did you get?” she asked.
Chase reached up and turned off the interior light. “There was this little mom-and-pop candy shop at the pavilion back there,” he said, digging his hand in the bag and pulling out something that looked like beef jerky. He took a bite and groaned loudly, closing his eyes as he dropped his head back against the seat.
“What is that?”
“Chocolate-covered bacon.”
She whipped her head toward him, completely revolted, and he extended his hand to her. “Want some?”
“No! That’s disgusting!”
“You’ve had it?” he asked, taking another bite.
“No.”
“Then how do you know it’s disgusting?”
“Because it’s chocolate-covered bacon,” she said, like it should have been obvious.
Chase shoved the rest of the piece in his mouth before licking the pad of his thumb. “Do you like chocolate?”
“Of course.”
“Do you like bacon?”
Andie sighed. “I know where you’re going with this. I like coffee. I like salad dressing. That doesn’t mean they’d taste good together.”
Chase laughed, digging in the bag again. “You never know. Coffee-flavored salad dressing. It could be a million-dollar idea.”
“Doubtful.”
“How do you know? Think about it. We’re surrounded by incredible ideas that probably sounded bat-shit crazy when someone first came up with them.”