When Love Breaks by Kate Squires Page A

says as our eyes meet briefly, but I can tell she’s still avoiding eye contact with me.
    Oh, God, please just let this be like one of those dreams where you go to work or school in your underwear.
    I wheel myself toward the foyer closet and grab a light jacket. It’s unseasonably warm for late winter, but judging by the way my body reacted to her, I won’t need more than this.
    She opens the door for me and steps to the side to allow me to roll out. The threshold is raised, so I have to pop my front wheels up a bit. She smiles as the cool breeze winds through my hair. I smile back at her for the same reason. Her wind-blown look is just a beautiful as every other look she has.
    As I turn the corner from my front walk, I see a shiny, black sedan parked in my driveway.
    “Is that your car?” I ask, perplexed. It’s funny, I pictured her as more of an SUV type. My suspicions are confirmed a few seconds later.
    “No. It’s my brother’s. Mine is higher off the ground, and I thought you might have trouble getting into it. My brother was kind enough to trade vehicles with me today.” She smiles sweetly.
    “Well, that was nice of him.”
    “Yeah. I’m not much for conventional cars. I like to be able to put it in four-wheel drive and go.” She giggles, then opens the passenger’s side door and motions to me. I take a deep breath and steel myself for the inevitable crash to the ground.
    “And, if you think I’m going to help you at all well, then, I guess you don’t really know me,” she says, feigning disinterest but with a slight smirk.
    “But, what if I fall on my face?” I say, teasing her right back.
    “Well, I suppose you’d better not. This concrete is very unforgiving. I wouldn’t want your pretty-boy face to get injured.”
    “ Pretty-boy? ” I raise my voice in faux indignation. “I’ll have you know that it’s anything but pretty to start with, so there’s really nothing to worry about.” I smirk at her but as I do, I see her shy smile, and a blush washes across her face. I wonder what that’s all about.
    “Can we stop talking and go, Mr. Procrastination?”
    “A pretty-boy and a procrastinator? You really think highly of me, don’t you, Miss Sassy Pants.”
    I grin as her mouth pops open at my comeback. I don’t think she was expecting that. Inwardly, I hope I didn’t go too far.
    “Just for that, I’m not telling you where we’re going,” she says stubbornly, and she leans against the side of the car.
    “Okay, okay, I give,” I say, grinning. “I’m going. I’m just trying to size up my obstacle.”
    She opens the back door and retrieves a transfer board. Then, laying it between my chair and the seat of the car, she watches as I carefully slide over. It isn’t as bad as I’d thought. She grins victoriously at me then closes my door.
    “So, where are you taking me?” I ask. She glances over at me, while driving, and smiles.
    “I’m not sure I should tell you.” I give her a sideways glance. “Oh, all right. We’re going shopping.”
    “Shopping? For what?”
    I’m alarmed.
    “Groceries,” she simply says, then turns her focus back to the road.
    Not more than ten minutes later, we pull into a spot adorned with a disability sign.
    “Not here,” I say, adamantly. She looks at me, puzzled.
    “But, you’re—”
    “Not here,” I say again, interrupting what I know was about to come from her mouth. She stares at me for a few seconds longer, then puts the car into reverse.
    “This one’s fine.” I point to a parking place farther away from the entrance. She pulls in and parks.
    “It’s okay to use that space, you know,” she says, a little irritated, I think. “You do own the placard to show you deserve it.”
    “I don’t need a special parking spot just because I don’t have legs,” I snap. “I can make it inside the store just fine. Now, are we going to do this, or not?”
    Her face pales momentarily, and I suddenly become aware of my harsh tone.