Fairy Tales and Cappuccinos (Everyday Love #1) - Taylor Rylan Page 0,57

you fifteen minutes ago, but you look great.”

I looked down at myself and smiled. I’d changed by throwing on a thick cable-knit sweater, but otherwise, I looked the same as I did all day.

“Thanks. You’re not so shabby looking yourself. You ready to go?” I asked.

“Yep. Shall we?” Hudson asked. I nodded and took his outstretched hand. We left the house, and I locked the front door. When I turned, I was expecting to see Hudson’s truck in the driveway, but instead, his grandma’s bright red bug was sitting there.

“You brought it?” I shouted.

“Yeah. The roads are clear, and it’s not supposed to snow tonight. You mentioned how cool you thought it was. I figured our first date would be even better in Lucky.”

“Lucky?”

“Yeah, it’s the name Grandma gave the car. She said it always brought her good fortune.”

“That’s so awesome. Let’s go,” I said and tugged on Hudson’s hand. He laughed as we made a dash to the car. Hudson opened my door for me, and I slid in. The car was amazing, and I couldn’t believe that it was as old as it was.

When Hudson climbed in after storing my bag in the trunk—which was in the front—I couldn’t wait to ask him all the questions I had about the car. About Lucky.

“What year is it?”

“The car? It’s a ’67. But we’re in 2020.”

“Smart-ass,” I said and gently pushed his shoulder.

“Yes, but you like it, so deal.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” I mumbled as Hudson backed out of the driveway. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this excited for a date. What did that mean?

16

Hudson

We were finally having our date. I was probably going to get hell from Ford about bringing Lucky out, but I would make sure to hit the drive-through car wash sometime this weekend. As we drove to the winter festival in River Forge, I told Sawyer more about Lucky and how it was the first car my grandfather bought for my grandmother. From the very beginning, she always said it brought her good luck, and that’s how the car was nicknamed Lucky.

When we arrived at the festival, I couldn’t stop smiling. Only an hour ago, Sawyer looked like he was ready to pass out. But now he was full of energy and bouncing around. I couldn’t help but smile at his energy.

“You know, when I first met you, this is how I figured you would be,” I said absently as we walked around the festival.

“Like what?”

“Full of energy. Hard to keep up with. Your mind seems to be constantly running, and I first thought that was what you were going to be like in general. You’re not always though.” I was holding Sawyer’s hand, but we were both wearing gloves which was a pity. I loved rubbing my thumb on the back of his hand while holding it.

“I think that I used to be like that. Always running. But then I got sick, and I honestly ignored it for longer than I should have. I collapsed at work one night. From the pain,” Sawyer said as we walked among the snow and ice sculptures.

“What happened?”

“I didn’t pass out or anything. But the pain hit suddenly, and it was so sharp that I fell. It didn’t let up for several minutes, and I ended up driving myself to the ER.”

I stopped walking, tightening my hold on Sawyer’s hand when he tried to pull away. “Why didn’t your family take you? You worked with them, right? Where were they?” I had my suspicions, but I wasn’t going to voice them.

“At home most likely. I went to the emergency room, got checked out, and was told I needed to see my primary care physician as soon as I could get in. I went in the next afternoon.”

“And?”

“And…I have two hot spots in my stomach that were probably weeks away from being a real issue. The medicine they’ve had me on, one makes me a bit foggy. I’m finished with it, so that’s a bit of a relief.”

“Should you have been driving?”

“I’m okay. I promise. I’ve been really careful and wait until the fog passes before I drive. It’s usually only the first couple of hours that my head is fuzzy.”

This was all news. I looked around the festival and found a spot that looked like it was secluded enough. I walked that way, pulling Sawyer with me. I didn’t stop until I was well inside the Christmas tree farm area, and I noticed that Sawyer had