“Is there a Target around here? I need to get some things for my room.”
“Yeah, there’s one about twenty minutes away.” He starts the car and the engine purrs to life. “So,” he says, driving around the garage toward the exit, “let’s work on that trust thing.”
“Huh?” I tear my gaze away from the car window.
“You said trust had to be earned, and doesn’t that go along with getting to know someone?” I nod. “So I’m trying to get to know you.”
He turns out of the parking lot and into traffic.
“Oh.” I tuck a piece of brown hair behind my ear.
He chuckles. “Do I make you nervous?”
“No.”
“Don’t lie.” He flashes straight, white teeth. “So you’re obviously a freshman,” he says, “you want to be a stylist, and you like chocolate. What else should I know about you?”
“I have two brothers.”
“In other words, they’ll rough me up if I mess with you?” He glances over at me with a shit-eating grin.
I roll my eyes. “Not likely. Dean’s too into his cars and girlfriend to notice and Lincoln is only in high school. What about you? Any siblings?”
“A sister. Sabrina.”
“Older or younger?” I ask.
“Older.”
“Ah.” I smile. “So you’re the spoiled youngest child.”
He chuckles and flicks on the blinker, turning onto a main thoroughfare. “I guess you could say that. So where are you from, Grace?”
“Virginia,” I answer. “What about you?”
“Mountains,” he responds. “Nice. Born and raised right here in Massachusetts. What made you pick a school up here?”
I shrug and answer honestly. “Freedom.”
He glances at me with raised brows. “That bad, huh?”
“No,” I say quickly. “Not bad, just … overwhelming. My dad’s way overprotective. I know he means well, but it can be kind of stifling. I wanted the chance to figure out who I am.”
He nods. “Seems reasonable.”
“And so far, it’s landed me in a car with a stranger.”
He laughs, clearly amused. “Am I still a stranger to you?”
I look at the dashboard clock. “We’ve known each other approximately thirty-five minutes, so yes.”
“What will it take for me to not be a stranger anymore?”
I twist my lips in thought. “A few days?”
He nods. “I’ll take it.”
He pulls into the Target parking lot and hops out, coming around to get my door before I can blink.