Romantic Comedy Book Series
Golden Grove Series by D.J. Van Oss
Series Excerpt
Oh—flat tire.” She turned and pointed to the street where the yellow Bug sat, sagging on the front left side, courtesy of Carol’s sabotage. “I wanted to drive out to see the Nitrovex plant.”
“Oh, I can take you.”
Her head cocked. What? “Take me? In your car?”
Peter ran a hand through his hair again, and her pulse fluttered. “Yeah, sure,” he said. “It’ll be dark pretty soon, and after that, you won’t be able to see much of the plant. I’ll fix the flat when we get back.”
“Really? You sure?” Because I’m not.
He shook his head. “No problem. I’ve got a work light and a compressor. Probably just a slow leak.”
Her brain was flip-flopping. Take a ride with him? Together?
“Okay, sure, thanks,” she found herself saying. “I just thought it would be good to look around before my meeting.” There. She’d let him know it was just about business.
“Sounds practical. They’ve grown quite a bit the last ten years.”
He headed toward the passenger door, but before he could reach it, she settled down in the black bucket seat. The car smelled of polished leather mixed with stale oily dust and a faint tinge of gas. She found herself oddly enamored.
Peter climbed into the driver’s side and inserted the key, then turned it. The V8 engine thrummed to life, then settled into a throaty idle.
Peter revved the engine a few times, smiling.
She hadn’t pegged him for a gear head, but she had to admit. This car was cool.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Sure.” The top was down, and the late afternoon sun was pushing through the trees. She pulled her Armani sunglasses down from her head, smiling. This might actually be fun.
The vintage car rolled to the end of the driveway until it reached the street. After looking both ways, Peter gunned the engine. The car shot from the curb with a small squeal, the engine churning. In a few seconds, they were off Brick Street and cruising down Main street towards the center of town.
Kate was watching the shops move by the car window, recognizing most of them. “Hey, Bailey’s Five and Ten is still there!”
“Yeah, it’s Bailey’s Variety now. They mostly sell cards and knick-knacks.”
It was the shop where she used to get toys, and where she got her first My Little Pony that had started her collection.
It was as if Peter read her mind. “You still have your pony collection thing?”
She pursed her lips. “Maybe. You still have your comic book collection thing?”
“Mmm. Maybe. You still…chew your fingernails when you’re nervous?”
She slid her left hand under her leg. “Maybe. You still shoot Pepsi out of your nose when you laugh?”
He shot a look at her and then turned his head back toward the road. “I only did that once, and that was, like, what? Third grade?”
She laughed at his embarrassment. “It was fifth grade, and you turned as red as this car.”
Peter was silent, making a right turn onto Franklin Street, which led to the highway out of town. She wondered if she’d joked too much.
“So, everything look the same?” he said.
She surveyed the passing businesses. King Drugs, Copperfield’s Books. She’d spent a lot of Saturday afternoons there in the Young Adult Fantasy section, buried in the latest Harry Potter book. “Pretty much, surprisingly. A little more touristy.” Her eye caught what looked like an art gallery on the corner of Franklin and Elm. That was new.
“I guess not much ever changes in a small town, huh?” Peter said, slowing for a stop sign.
“Mmm. Some do, some don’t, I suppose.”
The car was picking up speed as they headed out onto the main highway out of town, the engine settling into a vibrating hum.
“Hey, Roger’s Roost is closed? I almost forgot about that place.” She pointed to a small stand by the side of the road with a large gold star encrusted with light bulbs on top of a white, rusting pole. “Remember when we rode our bikes out here that one time just to get a chocolate cone, but we forgot we didn’t have any money, and the lady gave it to us, anyway?”
She heard him chuckle as he shifted the car down a gear, slowing to make a turn onto a side road. “Nothing like free ice cream.” The Mustang regained speed as it headed south down Eagle Bluff Road, which led towards the Nitrovex plant.
At the faster speed, the wind was blowing Kate’s hair in ruffled bursts. It felt good. She could see Peter looking over at her, smiling. The rush of the cool air seemed to blow out the cobwebs, the seasoned scent of fallen leaves and sweet grass reminding her of being a kid again. She had to decide whether that was good or bad, and it sobered her.
She could see white tank towers peeking over the trees.
“I suppose you come out here a lot?” she asked.
He shrugged, wheeling the car onto an access road. “Every so often. Two or three times a year for field trips. Got one coming up in a few weeks, I think.”
The Mustang slowed as it reached the entrance to Nitrovex. The old stone-and-brick sign was still there, but the plant now stretched down the road. They drove past warehouses and a row of metal factory buildings with sequential numbers painted on the sides, all the way up to six.
“Wow. I think when I left there were only two plants,” she said as Peter pulled into the large front lot. She’d visited her parents here, but that was just to their offices in a building which wasn’t even here anymore. Nothing looked familiar.
“Yeah, it’s definitely grown. Went international about six years ago and from what I understand, it’s doing well. Some plants in Europe, one in Asia.” The car had stopped and was idling. “Guess that’s why you’re here, huh?”
“Guess so.” The weight of this project was hitting her again. Not only was this place a lot bigger than she remembered, but the piles of pill-shaped holding tanks and a maze of tangled pipes reminded her of how out of her depth she was with all this science stuff. She had read all their materials and almost memorized the Nitrovex website, but seeing it now…it seemed impossible.
Peter must have seen her staring. “I know, impressive, right?” He turned off the engine and opened his door.
Kate did the same, struggling slightly to push up out of the low-slung car. She pointed. “That building is new, right?”
“Yup. That’s the new reception and office building.”
A clean, bright two-story building of aluminum and brick stood out from the dirtier work-oriented buildings around it.
Peter touched her arm and began to walk. “C’mon. The offices are closed, but you can at least look around.”
She glanced back at the car. “Shouldn’t you lock it?”
He looked back, chuckling. “In Golden Grove? You have been gone a while.”
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