Page 73 of Perfect Distraction
Chapter Thirteen
Lauren had a smile on her face when she and Andrew made their way down to the parking garage. There were no sudden announcements that a patient passed away, and she’d watched Andrew build a friendship with Jasmine. Lauren had spent most of the day at the Lego table but kept an eye on them throughout the afternoon. It appeared Jasmine made Andrew work pretty hard, but eventually he’d convinced her to play Mario Kart. They played game after game—complete with Jasmine’s laugh and trash talk—and Andrew even forfeited his red hat as a prize when she beat him two games in a row.
Lauren had been so engrossed in the kids and watching Andrew and Jasmine that she hadn’t noticed how the weather had changed.
“It’s really coming down out there,” Andrew said as they entered the parking garage, the open-air walls allowing gusts of white flurries to blow inside.
Lauren’s eyes went wide. “Oh, my goodness, it is.”
Andrew held out his hand. “I grew up in Nebraska. I’m a master at driving in snow.”
Relief rushed through her. “I hate driving in it.” She handed over her keys, and once again Andrew drove her car in the direction of his apartment.
The roads were slick, and they drove at a near crawl, the ten-minute drive taking double that amount of time. Lauren remained quiet next to Andrew, allowing him to focus on the surrounding cars, her body tensing up with each slide across the ice.
When he finally pulled into a visitor parking spot outside his building, he turned off the ignition and angled his torso to face Lauren.
“You’re not driving home in this. Come inside.” Before she could argue, Andrew got out and walked around to her side of the car, opened the door, and held out his hand.
“I can drive myself home.” She looked at the dark gray sky and blinked. “It’s not that bad.”
Andrew stared at her. “You said you didn’t like driving in snow. I’ve done it hundreds of times, and even I had trouble maintaining control. Your car isn’t made for conditions like this. Quit being stubborn and come in. Jasmine stole my hat and I don’t have any hair and it’s freezing out here.”
“Fine.” She grabbed her purse and got out, nearly falling right on her ass the minute she stepped onto the icy asphalt.
“Whoa,” Andrew said, grabbing her around the waist. Her hands flung out to grip his biceps, releasing him when she regained balance. He was a little slower to take his hands from her body, and the sensation unnerved her.
“Take my hand,” he said, his tone brooking no argument.
She slipped her hand in his and focused on taking slow, steady steps to the stairwell, which thankfully was covered and dry.
To her disappointment, he released her hand as they climbed to the third floor. He unlocked the door and held it open, gesturing for her to precede him.
“This is really nice,” Lauren said. The front door opened directly into the living room outfitted with furniture typical of a single guy. A dark gray couch faced a large flat-screen TV flanked by shelving. The living room opened to the kitchen, separated by a wood table with four chairs. The entire wall to her right was exposed red brick, giving off a trendy vibe.
She glanced at Andrew, taking him in with the space. While he looked every bit the part of the young, confident, professional male, she still didn’t think he quite fit in here. Not completely. The more she got to know him, the more she saw the boy who grew up on a farm in a tiny town in Nebraska, surrounded by his family, hard work, and traditional values.
He caught her staring and tilted his head to the side in question. She looked away to survey the art and photographs hanging on the walls and knelt to examine the books on his bookshelf. Mostly textbooks and crime fiction novels, just like he’d said. She shifted slightly to the left and found a large stand full of DVDs.
“Wow. I didn’t know they made these anymore.”
Andrew laughed. “Besides documentaries, I love movies. I stream nowadays,” he said in a tone that indicated he knew that was the “cool” thing to do, “but when I was in high school and early college I ended up with a pretty serious collection of discs.”
“Uh-huh,” she said with a grin, turning back to the assortment in front of her. She gasped and pulled one off the shelf. “Oh my gosh, you have Love Actually? I adore this movie.”
“Let’s watch it.”
“Really?”
“What else are we going to do?” Andrew gestured to the living room window. “Doesn’t look like it’s gonna clear up anytime soon, might as well do something to pass the time.”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, thoughts of alternative ways she and Andrew could pass the time invaded Lauren’s mind. Heat spread through her body, and she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at him from her crouched position.
He stood with his hands clenched at his sides, his intense eyes on her.
“A movie sounds good,” she said, her voice a notch higher than usual. She stood and grasped the edge of the bookshelf, her legs a little unsteady.
Andrew took the DVD case from her, seemingly careful not to touch her as he did. She was thankful, because in that moment, she wasn’t sure she could control herself if she felt his skin against hers.
