“Pull it like you mean it,” I coached, and held the handle to engage the blades. He did, it started right up. He grinned like he had just passed a milestone or something. I know most women would have been turned off by his lack of manly mechanic ability, but I wasn’t. I thought it was cute.
“You’re ready,” I called over the loud motor. “Just go in straight rows, up and back,” I explained.
I watched as he made his first swipe. He had the biggest smile as he turned and mowed the next strip toward me.
“This is kind of fun,” he said, stopping to kiss me.
“Pull back on the handle and lift the front wheels when you turn,” I told him, still wrapped in one of his arms.
“Why?” he asked. That’s when I noticed Dawson parked across the road, standing by his cruiser with Lauren, both looking right at us.
I self-consciously stepped away from Drew. “So that you get a clean straight line without the curves,” I explained. He didn’t catch my sudden retreat and did what I told him to do.
I smiled over at Dawson. He sort of smiled back.
He was hurt, and it was killing him to see me with Drew.
Lauren just had a pitiful look. She didn’t like the hell that I was putting Dawson through.
I retrieved the weed eater from the shed and started doing the trimming while Drew mowed my yard. I wanted to walk across the road and go to Dawson, but I couldn’t, not at the time. I wouldn’t know what to say anyway.
Drew and I spent an hour on the yard, and then he helped me pull weeds from the flower bed, which surprised me. I was sure he had never in his life pulled a weed. I looked up to see Dawson backing out of Lauren’s driveway. He had his hand on his chin, staring right at me.
Drew helped me carry the car ramps to the driveway next. I really didn’t need them and wouldn’t have even bothered had he been a little more mechanically inclined. I placed the ramps in front of both tires. He was afraid of running over them, so I had to pull the car up.
“I cannot believe that I am lying under a car in the gravel,” he said.
Our heads were side by side, and our feet hung out the front of the car. I thought it was extremely sexy for some reason.
“What do we do now?” he asked, moving his lips to mine. He must have thought that it was pretty hot too. He kissed me for at least three minutes.
“Are we changing the oil or are we going to get it on?” I asked, ready to say the hell with the oil.
He smiled on my lips. “I’m changing the oil. Tell me what to do.”
“This is the drain plug,” I pointed. “You have to take it out and let the old oil drain into the pan.” I had to tell him to back up before he got a face full of oil.
We stood by the car and waited for it to drain.
“Your friend left,” he said, looking over to Lauren’s.
“You noticed that?”
“Yes. I noticed, and I don’t like the way he looks at you,” he admitted.
“Will you buy me a new car so that I can drive to find my mother?” I asked, totally circumventing his comment.
He laughed. “No. I would rather you fly. I will get you a private flight.”
“I don’t want to fly. I want to drive. I drove all the way from Vegas to here in this car,” I explained. I did want to drive. I wanted the alone time to think, and try to figure out what road I should take in my fucked up life.
“I don’t like it, but, you don’t need me to buy you a car. You have enough money to buy every car on the lot. I will go with you though. I’m definitely not letting you drive this thing.”
“This has been the best car I have ever owned,” I assured him.
He laughed again. “How many cars have you owned, Mrs. Kelley?” he asked with a kiss.
I didn’t answer. It didn’t need an answer. It only needed my tongue, dancing with his.
“I never imagined an oil change could make me wet,” I said to his lips.
He took a step back. “You can’t say stuff like that.”
I laughed. “Why?”
“Because it makes me want to slide my fingers inside of those skimpy little shorts, and find out for myself.”
“Jesus, Drew. You can’t say stuff like that,” I demanded, using the same words.
He smiled. “Okay, that’s enough foreplay. Let’s get back to the oil change. What do I do now?”
I took the wrench for the filter and explained that we had to change the filter. He got it off, and was damn proud of himself for the small task of removing the old and securing the new filter. He backed the car off of the ramps, and I showed him where to add the new oil. He closed the hood, and we put the ramps away.
“Now can we go look for more of those jewels?”
he asked.
“I’m kind of hungry. Can we eat first?”
“I guess so,” he whined.
We ate toasted cheese sandwiches with a jar of Starlight’s homemade tomato soup. Nobody made tomato soup like Starlight. It was the best soup in the world, and I am not exaggerating when I say that either.
Drew and I walked down the rocky path toward the beach. I really hoped that he found a piece of sea glass.