“What if I hit that lamppost?”
I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing. “That post is about fifty yards away. You won’t hit it.”
“You know, if I mangle your pretty new truck, it’ll be entirely your fault.”
“Calling my truck pretty is insulting.”
Addie glanced over at me. “It is pretty.” She ran her hand over the leather steering wheel. “Soft, too.”
I groaned. “My truck is manly.”
Addie rolled her eyes. “Sorry.” She patted the steering wheel. “You’re very manly.”
I was sitting here starting to feel jealous of my truck. It was pathetic. I shifted in my seat. “You can do this. Now, slowly take your foot off the brake.”
Addie’s knuckles bleached white as she gripped the wheel, but she didn’t move her foot.
“What are you afraid of? Besides totaling my truck.”
She stared straight ahead. “It feels like I won’t be in control.”
“You have total control. It takes some time to learn how a vehicle responds, but you are in charge here. We go as fast or as slow as you want.”
Addie nodded as she kept looking out the window, not blinking. “I’m in charge.”
“That’s right. Now, at whatever pace you want, take your foot off the brake.”
Slowly, Addie released the brake, and the truck began to roll forward. “We’re moving. Oh, God, we’re moving.” Her foot slammed back down on the brake, and I almost cracked my head on the windshield.
“Oh, God. I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. This was a bad idea.”
I rested a hand on her arm. “You’re fine. How do you know what will happen unless you try?”
Tears welled in Addie’s eyes, but she didn’t let them fall. “I could’ve hurt you.”
I wanted so badly to pull her into my lap and wipe away every stray tear. Instead, I shot her a cocky grin. “I’ve got a hard head. I can take it.”
“Beckett…”
“Again. The only way we fail is if we give up altogether.”
Addie’s teeth nipped at her bottom lip, but she turned her focus back to the parking lot. She slowly removed her foot from the brake again. She let the vehicle roll a few feet and then tested the brake again. The motions were still jerky but not nearly as bad as the first time.
After a dozen or so brake/roll exchanges, she pressed the slightest bit on the accelerator. “Holy crud, that’s terrifying.”
“And exciting, right?”
“I think I’m numb to anything but fear of death or dismemberment right now.”
I chuckled and turned in my seat. “You’re doing great. Try a lap around the lot without stopping.”
Her grip adjusted on the wheel. “Okay.”
“Slow and steady. You got this.”
“I think slow and steady should be my life mantra.”
“We could get it tattooed on you when we get your ears pierced this afternoon.”