DASH
Dash stood under the awning of an olive-oil store called You’re Oil I Need, where he’d bought a lemon-infused blend that was supposed to do wonders for the skin.
He had not anticipated that his happy place would be downtown Ojai, but he’d also nearly bought one of every candle at the Candle with Care store next door. Retail therapy was working wonders for his mood and making the tiny trunk of his sports car rather crowded.
Which was why he’d decided it was time to collect Sophie before he ran out of room for her, too. The day was turning out to be...fun. A word he hadn’t really used or thought of in some time, but he was enjoying himself.
Only, when he went to start the car...the engine did not turn over. No matter how many attempts he made.
After texting Sophie the bad news, he’d googled auto-body shops that worked on classic cars, but there didn’t seem to be any nearby. He stared at his phone, unsure of the next best move. A TikTok notification popped up, and he clicked into the new message.
@craftycindy bad news: it’s so hot here that I have to do my next video in a bikini
Dash couldn’t help but lick his lips. Cindy was cute, no doubt about it, and she was definitely flirting with him. Since he couldn’t keep flirting with Sophie, he might as well funnel his feelings into someone else.
@tokcrafty2me if you’re trying to make knitting go viral, you might have found the answer
@craftycindy ??
@craftycindy what are you doing at this very moment? Should we FaceTime? I’ll give you a bikini preview...
A loud horn beeped as a pickup truck pulled up next to his car. Then Sophie opened the passenger door and hopped out, which was made stranger when a random guy and a very pregnant woman got out of the driver’s side.
Dash raised an eyebrow at them. Without having to ask the obvious, Sophie went ahead and made the introduction. “Dash, this is Ned, and this is Brittany, Ned’s wife.”
Ned tugged the brim of his baseball cap as a greeting.
“Sophie said you’re having car trouble?” Brittany wore a fitted violet maternity dress and her straight, fiery red hair fluttered behind her in the wind. She was impossible to miss. “My dad is a mechanic, and I know just about everything when it comes to an engine. Could you pop the hood?”
Dash would happily oblige because, truly, he had no idea what to do in a situation like this beyond calling a tow company. He may have taken great care of his car and massaged oil across her paint to maintain the shine, but a mechanic he was not. He popped the hood, and Brittany got to work inspecting the engine while Ned dutifully stood next to her.
Dash stepped back and onto the sidewalk to give them space, but also to stand next to Sophie. The easy smile she gave was almost as warm as being next to a kiln.
“How did it go?” He took the opportunity to be nosy. He was, admittedly, a little relieved that Ned was married, but he’d keep that thought to himself.
She tucked a loose strand of hair into her bun as she answered. “Uh, yeah, kind of a disaster. Ned and I got in a fight. Or a disagreement? It was hard to tell. And I didn’t get to really dig into our problems or ask my questions.” Sophie shook her head and let out an exhausted breath. “This just feels like a total bust.”
“I don’t know, the car ride was fun.” The words slipped out of Dash, and his chest tightened at the realization that he’d just revealed the secret truth that he’d enjoyed spending time with her. Sophie watched him with the same level of interest as a kitten who’d just discovered a laser pen, but Brittany interrupted.
“What we have here is a cracked hose.” She pointed into the engine. Dash broke his gaze on Sophie, then stepped off the curb and toward the car. He looked down to where she pointed, where a hose was visibly disconnected. “You’re going to need a new cooling hose before you can take her on the road again. Don’t worry, I know a guy who can fix this.”
“How long does that take?”
“If they have the part, probably just two hours.” Brittany squinted against the bright sun shining down on them, then closed the hood.
“My brother has a tractor and a chain,” Ned offered. “He can tow you to the shop.”
Dash felt inclined to say, “Don’t bring up tractors in front of Sophie. She has a Pavlovian response.”
Sophie’s elbowed him. “Please don’t mention my kinks in front of company.”
This was a private joke between them. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d met a new person and grown close enough to have one of those. Which must be why a little shot of adrenaline ran through him and caused his fingers to dance in his pockets.
Brittany ignored them, or didn’t care, as she continued to talk. “By the time we get the car to a shop, they inspect it, and give you a price, it’s going to be five, and they’ll tell you to come back tomorrow.”
Dash grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. This was not ideal. He’d planned for a day trip and didn’t know what this was turning into, exactly. “So, what, we’ll need to stay here?”
“I’m so sorry, Dash.” Sophie’s hand felt cool on his bicep, and he involuntarily flexed against her grip. Her eyes flitted from his arm to his lips before she dropped her hand and blinked rapidly. “You brought your car all the way out here. I feel awful.”
“I should’ve taken her in for a tune-up before the trip.” He shrugged, mainly because there wasn’t much else to do.
“What should we do, if they can’t fix it today?” Sophie asked Dash. “There are a lot of nearby hotels.”
He was about to respond, but Brittany did that for him.
“It’s the Ojai music festival this weekend.” Brittany fanned her face with her hand. “All of the hotels are booked solid. We have a guesthouse—it’s small, but all set up. My mom is going to stay with us for the first few months after the baby comes.”
“I can’t ask you to let us stay at your place,” Sophie protested.
“I know we got off on the wrong foot today, but we were friends once. It’s really not a bother for you to stay the night.” Ned rubbed Brittany’s back as he spoke.
“Dash?” Sophie angled herself away from them and spoke softly enough so only he would hear. “I don’t love this any more than you do, but I don’t know that we have another choice.”
Dash did not really want to stay at this random couple’s home, even though Brittany had done him a massive favor by inspecting his car. He just didn’t know her or Ned.
“It’s not a problem,” Dash said. “I can call hotels near Ojai and we can Lyft there.”
“You don’t want to say no to a pregnant woman, especially a hormonal one.” Brittany slung an arm around Ned’s waist. “You’re staying with us.”
Sophie shot him a look, and he tried to read her expression. Something about the way her eyes slightly widened told him resistance was futile.