Lessons in Love Read Free Page A

don’t worry about it. I can wait.’ Waiting now was better than catching the bus again tomorrow, she thought ruefully.
    ‘Thanks,’ he said gratefully, clearly glad she wasn’t making a fuss. ‘I’ll get back to the car right away. Have a seat in the office. Make a cuppa if you like.’
    ‘Thanks a lot, Mr Jeffries.’ She knew half her frustration came from that morning’s lecture. The fact that the car wasn’t ready irritated her, but she understood the mechanic’s position.
    She made herself a cup of coffee, not knowing how long she’d be waiting, and called home, promising Steve that she’d take him and Veronica out to dinner to make up for her delayed arrival, a deal he readily agreed to.
    After ending the call she got the unnerving feeling that someone was standing behind her. She swung around to look, her heart taking a small leap in her chest as she did so. She noticed first the neat navy coloured pants, and then moved her eyes up to the crisp white shirt and jacket, and finally to the finely moulded features, thick, dark hair, and icy blue eyes. She gulped uncomfortably, nervously running the conversation with her brother through her mind, just in case she’d let the name ‘Nicholas Cavanaugh’ slip out accidentally.
    ‘And who do we have here? You’re looking quite cosy Emily Peterson. I wasn’t aware that you were friends with Rick Jeffries.’ Emily didn’t like the insinuation in his voice.
    ‘I’m not,’ she said defensively. ‘He’s my mechanic, and right now he’s finishing my car.’
    ‘Well I hope he finishes it properly. He left my radiator cap undone, and I damn nearly wrecked my engine driving off in it.’
    ‘I suppose your car was the rush job that needed to be done so urgently that I’m still sitting here waiting for mine?’ she said sarcastically, irritated by his tone. He had probably demanded such prompt attention that the poor mechanic working on his car had slipped under pressure.
    ‘It probably was. It may have escaped your attention, Miss Peterson, but I am a busy man and can’t afford to have a car that doesn’t work.’
    ‘Yes, I can imagine how terrible it would be for you if you had to be late for an appointment!’ she snapped. Fortunately, he had the grace to look surprised and even slightly ashamed.
    ‘I’d forgotten about that,’ he confessed, smiling ruefully. ‘I must admit I thought your excuse was just that, an excuse. I suppose I owe you an apology.’ She raised an eyebrow at him.
    ‘You do.’
    ‘Well then, I apologise for doubting your truthfulness yesterday.’
    ‘And?’
    ‘And what?’ He looked truly puzzled.
    ‘How about apologising for embarrassing me in front of the entire class!’
    ‘OK, that too.’ Emily stared at him silently, lips pressed together. ‘OK, OK. I apologise for embarrassing you in front of the entire class. It was wrong of me to draw attention to you the way I did. Just don’t let it happen again.’ A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth and Emily was surprised to find herself smiling in response.
    ‘I try not to make a habit of it, as a general rule. But when one drives a fifteen year old car, these things have been known to happen.’
    ‘Unfortunately they happen with new cars too, occasionally,’ he said ruefully. ‘As it is my radiator will need a good flushing out after what it’s been through. I’m just lucky I stopped driving soon enough to realise I was out of water. I hate to think what would have happened if I’d driven all the way back to the office. The annoying thing is that I didn’t notice the problem earlier!’ he said in consternation, while Emily looked at him in sympathy, something she wouldn’t have felt for him five minutes earlier. ‘If the car hadn’t just been serviced, I would have paid more attention to the fact that it wasn’t running as smoothly as normal. I thought it was just the tuning! Well, enough of my grumbling. I shouldn’t be complaining this way