my roomie will be less inclined to do me a solid tomorrow night, and I’d much rather call in a favor to have another date with Melody.
And she’s right. We do know half the town. At least. Maybe more. I do have ten brothers and sisters and all the connections that come along with a sprawling family tree.
“Okay, we’ll give it a try.” I slip my phone back into my pocket, laughing as Melody pumps her fist in excitement. “But I go up to the window if anyone stops. You stay back and get ready to run if anything weird happens.”
“Do you really think something weird is going to happen?” she asks, sticking her thumb out and giving an experimental waggle.
“Probably not, but with our luck today…”
“I think we’ve had good luck today,” she says. “Except for the car. I had a wonderful time this afternoon.”
“Me, too,” I say, leaning in to brush an impulsive kiss across her cheek. “We should do it again sometime.”
“We definitely should,” she says, looking as if she’s about to say something else when her gaze shifts over my shoulder and her eyes widen. “A car!” she cries out, bouncing up and down on her toes. “Get ready!” She steps to the edge of the road and sticks out her thumb.
“But that car’s going the wrong way, Mel,” I say, laughing at her obvious excitement.
“So?” She waggles her thumb back and forth, looking like she’s doing some strange disco move. “Maybe, if we’re really sweet, they’ll turn around and drive the other way.”
“I’ll leave the really sweet part to you,” I say, marveling when the old white pickup truck slows, pulling over on the opposite side of the road and stopping a few feet away.
The window of the truck rolls down, and an old man wearing farmer’s overalls and a faded blue tee shirt sticks his head out. “You kids all right?” he asks in a creaky and cautious voice.
“Yes, sir, thanks so much, but our car was towed. We were swimming at Lake Wiley and came back to the parking lot, and it was just…gone. Now we’re trying to get back to town so we can figure out where the company towed it.” She twines her fingers together in front of her chest and widens her big blue eyes in a silent plea I know I’d find hard to resist. “Do you think you could give us a ride to Bliss River, sir? We’d really, really appreciate it.”
“We can give you money for gas,” I add, drawing the old man’s attention.
I can’t see his eyes well in the shadows inside the truck—his bushy white eyebrows don’t help much, either—but I can feel myself being sized up as a potential threat. I do my best to look as harmless and friendly as possible, and after only a moment, the farmer waves a hand.
“Come on, then,” he says. “I’m Dan.”
“Oh, thank you, so, so much, Dan.” Melody flashes an excited grin my way as we cross the road. “We’re Melody and Nick.”
“Nice to meet you. Only room for one in front, but one of you can ride in the bed,” the man says, smiling kindly at Melody before shooting me a stern look that makes it clear who he thinks should ride in the back.
“You take the front,” I say, taking Melody’s bag from her shoulder. “I’ll ride in back with our stuff.”
“Thanks again, sir,” I add as I climb into the bed, finding a mostly clear place between a toolbox that looks too heavy for the old man to lift and several pairs of muddy work boots. I settle into a spot with a clear view of Melody through the truck’s back glass, just in case this sweet old farmer isn’t as sweet as he seems, and we’re off.
A half hour later, we arrive at Melody’s apartment, and I hop down on the passenger’s side to open her door. She laughs at me—clearly amused by my windblown truck hair—we both thank Dan for the ride, and the farmer heads back the way he came.
“Well, that was an adventure,” she says, turning back to me with a happy sigh that becomes another burst of laughter. “I’m sorry,” she says, covering her mouth with one hand. “But you look like you were attacked by wild dogs.”
“Wild dogs might have been preferable. Fewer squashed bugs involved,” I say, swiping at my neck and wincing as I drag another six-legged something off my sweat damp skin. “I’m going to