Free Hooked Up: Book 2 by Arianne Richmonde Page B

rebound, and this Laura was some sort of goddess who I’d never match up to. I needed to be more upbeat, not let jealousy consume me. He said he wanted me and wanted my baby—what more could I ask for? Marriage? I didn’t know if I believed in marriage, anyway. One divorce was enough; I couldn’t risk that again. I needed to change the conversation.
    I blurted out in a jolly voice, “I always think cars have faces, don’t you? This car has excited round eyes, and the elongated Porsche badge looks like a funny nose. The way the hood is made looks like she’s smiling.”
    He opened the driver door for me. “Slip inside. Doesn’t she smell good?”
    I eased myself behind the steering wheel, onto the old black seats, and breathed in the odor of vintage car. “She smells divine.”
    “Start her up.”
    Nervously, I did, and backed the car out of the garage, onto the driveway. It was a stick shift and although I learned driving one, living in New York City didn’t give me the chance to practice very often, and I had certainly never been at the wheel of a car like this before. It was low, and as he said, I could feel the ground beneath me. The idea of taking on something with so much personality and chutzpah was exciting. Alexandre jumped into the passenger seat. He was wearing a big grin, thrilled, no doubt, that I was taking an interest in his passion for cars.
    We meandered along country lanes, flanked by stunning views on either side of us. What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong was playing loudly, and I thought, yes, Alexandre couldn’t have picked a better song—it really is a wonderful world. I mulled over our baby conversation. It had been my secret fantasy, kept close to my heart; something I never shared with anyone. Pearl, the career woman, the one who supports herself both financially, and in every other way. Pearl, who relies on nobody —that’s what I had told myself for the past two years. There is no such thing as a knight in shining armor. Nobody is going to come along and wave a magic wand.
    Then I met Alexandre. Was he waving a magic wand? Or was all this romance he was offering going to turn horribly pear-shaped?
    I had been self-reliant and had even considered adoption, but realized how tough it would be being a single parent and raising a child in New York City, all alone. Did Alexandre really mean what he said about starting a family? Or was he just so young he hadn’t thought it through properly?
    My thoughts now turned to the moving view; more of Alexandre’s magic, bringing me to this fairytale land. As well as lavender, there were vineyards, and stretches of golden wheat everywhere. Now and then there was a tiny stone building plunked right in the middle of a field, so picturesque, it looked like a postcard.
    “Don’t be afraid, Pearl, to really give it to her. She likes to be pushed harder. You don’t need to change gears so soon—keep her in third for longer. I know what she needs.”
    “You know a lot about what females need, don’t you?” I teased. “You like to keep me in third for longer, don’t you? And sometimes, when I’m begging you for fourth, or even fifth, you put me back into second. Sometimes even first.”
    He laughed joyously, his right arm relaxed against the sill, the wind whipping his hair from the wide open windows. “I love that analogy. Yes, women are like cars—they need to be controlled.”
    “You’re so sexist!”
    “They like to have their limits pushed—but not too much—and then be brought back on track. They like to be managed but at the same time experience freedom.”
    “You are quite something, Alexandre Chevalier. Quite a secret macho control freak, aren’t you?”
    He laughed. “Not so secret.”
    “And there I was, mistaking you for this humble gentleman!” I revved up and speed along a straighter road, gaining more confidence. I was in my element driving this car!
    “There, you see how happy she is? She likes to show you what