Hearts in Harmony. Gail Sattler

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СКАЧАТЬ taken hours to walk here, they would be back at her mother’s car in approximately ten minutes. However, by the time they reached it, Celeste was filled with guilt at having been so rotten to him. He had remained with her to ensure her safety, and now he was going out of his way to help her again.

      He watched from a respectable distance as Celeste stood beside the gas cap and fumbled with the opening to the gas can.

      She didn’t raise her head as she spoke. “I really appreciate all your help,” she mumbled, “especially after I was so rude when you were only trying to be nice.”

      He answered her with a humorless smile. “Don’t worry about it. I understand. I’m glad I was able to help. You must be tired after that long walk.”

      “Yes. Pride has its price.”

      After a few chugs and a puff of black smoke, the car started. She rolled the window down and leaned out. “Thanks again, Adrian,”

      “You’re welcome. Any time.”

      She pulled onto the highway and watched in the rearview mirror as Adrian drove behind her. She stopped at the same gas station she’d just been at minutes ago, and waved at Adrian as he continued past.

      It took so long to fill the car’s large gas tank that Celeste nearly fell asleep on her feet. However, when the pump clicked off to indicate the tank was finally full, the amount of money on the display jolted her to full wakefulness.

      As she walked into the building once again and waited in line to pay, she tried to calculate how much more her mother’s sorry excuse for a car would cost while her mother was gone.

      “I see you’re back. Anything else you need?”

      Celeste shook her head and pulled her wallet out of her purse. Since she didn’t have that much cash on her, she was forced to charge the amount. As she ran her fingers over the slots in her wallet to pull out her credit card, her hand froze.

      Tucked neatly in her wallet were Adrian Braithwaite’s driver’s license and credit card.

      Chapter Two

      In the privacy of her kitchen, Celeste surveyed Adrian’s driver’s license.

      Even though she hadn’t lived in the neighborhood very long, she recognized his address as two blocks east and three streets north from her own rented duplex. Before she’d moved in, she’d checked out the neighborhood. She had probably even driven past his house. He lived that close.

      Celeste shook her head. She had to return his things. Immediately. Just in case he hadn’t gone straight home, Celeste gathered up her courage, looked up the number, and dialed.

      “Hello?” Adrian’s deep baritone voice answered.

      She sucked in a deep breath to compose herself. “Hi. This is Celeste.”

      “Who? I think you have the wrong number.”

      “No! Adrian, don’t hang up. It’s me, Miss Never Mind.”

      “Miss Never…” His voice trailed off. Silence hung over the line for a few seconds before he continued. “So now I know your name, Celeste. You made it home safely, I assume?”

      A nervous laugh escaped. “I seem to have accidentally kept your driver’s license and credit card. I’m so embarrassed, and so sorry. Can I come over to return them to you?”

      “I don’t know if I’d trust that car if I were you. If you want I can come over to your place and pick them up.”

      As nice as he seemed, she didn’t want him to know where she lived. For now, she wanted to settle into her new home the same way she was settling into her new job—only concerning herself with what directly affected her. “I’m actually not very far away at the moment. Besides, it’s illegal to drive without your license on hand. It’s no trouble. It’s the least I can do.”

      “As long as you’re sure. Do you need directions?”

      “No, I know where it is. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

      “You do? Well, okay… See you soon. Bye.”

      Celeste tried to push back her nervousness as she hung up the phone. He sounded exactly the same on the phone as he did in person—friendly and likeable, but she was still going to take her own car rather than walk, so she could make a fast getaway.

      She couldn’t remember ever meeting someone who could be so helpful to a stranger when there was nothing in it for them. She wished she had met him at a different point in time. If she had, her life might have been entirely different now.

      But that was just foolishness. Nothing would change her past, or who it had made her. All she could do was continue on, and hope her past would never catch up with her future.

      As she walked from the house to the car, Celeste studied her new neighborhood. The houses were older and fairly small, but well-cared for. Most of the people made tending the grass and flowers in their yards weekend projects. A few of her neighbors had waved at her as she hurried by, recognizing her as her landlord, Hank’s new tenant.

      She smiled and breathed the fresh green scents deeply. This neighborhood had been a good choice for a new beginning, everything was beautiful and taken care of with pride.

      The only ugly thing here was her mother’s car.

      Gritting her teeth, she pulled the car door open, hoping the creaking hinge didn’t draw too much attention, and slid in. The four-wheeled monstrosity started with a chug and a backfire, but it did start. Celeste arrived at Adrian’s house in under two minutes.

      Adrian lived in a small brightly painted bungalow with a well-kept yard. Celeste recognized his shiny black car in the driveway. Beside his car sat a small sporty blue model.

      Taking a deep breath for courage, Celeste knocked on the front door and waited.

      A deep male voice called from inside. “Hey! Adrian! There she is!”

      The door opened. Adrian stood tall in the doorway as he smiled down at her. In the middle of the living room stood a rather handsome blond man about the same age. The man smiled as well and cocked his head to one side.

      Celeste squirmed. She felt strange enough with Adrian looking at her. She didn’t want to be analyzed by his friend, although she didn’t know why she cared. After today, she would never see him again.

      “Hi, Celeste. Or should I say Miss Mind?” Adrian grinned. She could see his eyes focusing over her shoulder, taking in her mother’s scrap heap of a car parked on the street.

      Celeste lowered her head and quickly reached into her pocket for his license and credit card. “I’m really sorry about this. Thanks again for your concern this afternoon. Bye.”

      Without giving him a chance to respond, she shoved the two cards into his hand, turned and ran back to the car.

      “Wait!” Adrian’s voice sounded from behind her.

      The second she inserted the key into the ignition, he appeared at the car door. With her heart СКАЧАТЬ