She threw herself at him and wrapped herself around him and started crying all over again. “I’m so sorry! I am so, so sorry, Levi! You have to know that! And I swear I’ll pay for all the damages! It may take a while since neither of my part-time jobs pays much, but I’ll walk a hundred dogs if it helps! Or…or…I’ll do dishes at the pub! Or mop! Or anything!” She hugged him even harder. “Just please tell me you forgive me and that we’re still friends. Please! I would hate to think of us not being friends anymore!”
Levi returned her hug, and then carefully put some distance between them. Then, taking her by the hand, he began to lead her back to the car. “There’s something you need to see.”
“Oh, no…” she groaned. “It’s bad, isn’t it? I don’t need to see it. I’ll take your word for it. There’s no need to…”
He stopped, and she walked right into him, because she was staring at the ground instead of where they were going.
“Willow…”
She scrunched her eyes shut and shook her head. “I can’t. I can’t look at it.”
“Willow…” he said with a little more heat.
“I’m the worst. I get it! I’ll sit in the back seat for the entire rest of the trip and I won’t say a word. You won’t even know I’m there! And I promise not to touch anything! Ever!”
“Willow!” he snapped.
And that tone had her stopping and opening her eyes.
He was smiling and motioning toward the car.
“What the…?” Slowly, she stepped around him and toward the car, unable to believe what she was seeing.
“There’s…I mean…how…?”
“There are no scratches,” he explained. “And no dents. No damage.”
“How is that possible? I was a one-woman stunt show back there.”
Leaning in close, he said, “And a good stunt person knows how to pull off a stunt without causing any damage.”
Willow examined the car more closely, running her hand along the entire passenger side. “I don’t get it. Those roosters are eight feet of solid concrete. How could they not scratch up the car?”
“Wait, are you actually upset that you didn’t damage the car?”
The car felt perfectly smooth–the only marks were the smudges from her fingerprints. “No, that’s not it. I’m just confused. I thought for sure…between jumping the curb and flying through the air and then…you know…the roosters…”
He chuckled softly. “Somehow you managed to miss the roosters. You got close, but…never touched them. Seriously, you were only a hair’s width away, but it was enough to not even touch.”
“Holy crap! This is great!” She threw herself at him again, but this time while laughing and feeling better than she had…possibly ever! “Seriously, this is amazing!” Her legs were around his waist, and he was laughing with her. Placing a loud, smacking kiss on his cheek, she repeated, “Isn’t it amazing?”
Levi spun her around one more time before putting her back on his feet. “I’d say more like a miracle.”
Her heart was racing, and she knew her laughter was verging on hysterics, but she couldn’t believe her luck. “You have no idea how relieved I am! I was certain I had totaled your car – or at the very least done some serious damage!” She let out a long, shaky breath and tried to calm down. “And I am so glad you weren’t hurt! How embarrassing would that be to explain–that you were hurt by a pair of giant concrete roosters!”
He cleared his throat and tried to look like he wasn’t amused, but she knew he was. “Um, yeah. I’m glad I don’t have to explain that to anyone. Ever.”
Turning her back to the car, Willow leaned against it until she caught her breath. When she did, she looked over at Levi. “So I think we can agree that letting me drive is a bad idea.”
Surprisingly, he shook his head as he moved in close. “No. Letting you park is a bad idea. Your driving is just fine. Smooth. So smooth that I fell asleep. I think that speaks volumes right there.”
“Well, sadly, there’s no way to allow me to drive without eventually having to park, so…”
“You’ve got a point.”
“Anyhow…now that we’ve had our excitement for the day, let’s go inside and do a little shopping.”
“Seriously? You can think about shopping right now?”
“Levi, I’m going to need some time before I can get back in the car without suffering from PTSD or something. I say we do a little shopping, maybe grab a taco or two…”
“It’s almost dinnertime. And I was hoping for something more than tacos.”
“Consider it a pre-appetizer or just a snack,” she reasoned. “Either way, I know it’s too early for dinner, but I really do need some time before we get back in the car. Plus, you promised we’d stop here. What’s the point in stopping if I don’t get to explore?”
Sighing, he pinched the bridge of his nose, and she knew he was trying to stop himself from rushing her–or telling her she was crazy. Either way, she appreciated it. After a few moments, he said, “You’re right. It would be silly to stop and not go in and look around. Although it really just looks like a gas station, some gift shops, and a restaurant. I don’t see what…”
“There’s miniature golf too, but don’t worry, I really just want to look around and see what all the fuss is about. This place has been here since forever! There are billboards advertising it hundreds of miles away! Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?”
She reached for his hand and began tugging him toward one of the buildings.
“Willow, I really don’t consider a gift shop off an exit ramp to be an adventure?”
“Not even after the dramatic entrance we made to it?” she asked, feigning offense.
But he was on to her. With a dramatic sigh, he said, “You know what? You’re right. Anyplace that warrants that kind of entrance is bound to be amazing. We should ask about them putting your picture up on
