Chance Of Rain by Laurel Veil

T-shirt with a crazy design and jeans. He was tall, and his shoulders were broad. His dark hair was its usual irresistible mess.
    The doorbell chimed.
    Snap out of it, Ash!
    I opened the door. All I could do was smile. He smiled back. “Are you ready?”
    “Oh, uh…I-I just need to lock up.”
    I made sure my mom could see the note I had written for her. I explained that I was with Trent. She probably would yell at me for not calling first, but I didn’t dare. I didn’t want her to tell me I couldn’t go. Besides, if I got back before her, I could rip up the note, and she’d never know I’d gone out.
    I felt Trent looking at me as we walked to his car. “You look nice, Miss Devoe,” he said with a smirk. He raised his brows at me, and my pulse quickened. He came to the passenger side first and opened the door for me.
    The engine rumbled melodically as it idled. He closed the door behind me and walked around.
    I couldn’t believe I was actually sitting in the car of the hot guy from the Road House. His car still smelled new. The black-leather seats were soft and cool. It felt as if there weren’t any oxygen in the car—only cologne and leather; a girl could get high.
    The dashboard emitted a soft-green glow, and seventies rock came quietly through the speakers.
    “Where are we going?” I asked.
    He shifted the car into gear. “Not Starbucks.” He grinned. “So tell me about yourself.”
    “There’s a lot to tell. You’ll have to narrow your search a little.”
    “Narrow my search?”
    “Yeah…what specifically would you like to know?”
    “Let’s see.” He rubbed his chin and jaw dramatically, as if he were trying to solve a difficult math problem. It was very distracting. “Tell me about your family,” he finally said.
    “Hmm, sore subject. Sorry…no can do. Next question.”
    “You can’t do that.”
    “It doesn’t have a happy ending. I don’t want you to have to fight back your tears in front of me. That would be awkward for me and embarrassing for you.”
    “Ha. Ha. Try me.”
    I hesitated. “I’m not sure where to start.”
    “How about at the beginning?”
    I took a deep breath. “Once upon a time, my mom and dad were married. My brother Mike and I lived with them, and for the most part, we were pretty happy.”
    “Sounds good so far. What happened?”
    “My dad is a cop, and he loves his job—sometimes more than us, I think.”
    “Why do you say that?”
    “His job is the reason my parents separated. He works undercover. It’s dangerous, and he’s gone a lot.”
    “I’m sorry.” Trent smiled sympathetically. “I know you must miss him, but he sounds like a good guy.”
    “He is. He’s a
good
cop too. I mean, it was only a few months ago that he made a
big
drug bust. It was a meth lab or something like that.”
    We rode in silence for a while. I mostly looked out the window, but now and then, I turned to watch the headlights of a passing car light up his face.
    Trent looked at me and smiled as he turned on his blinker.
    “We’re here.”
    It was a charming little farmhouse that had been converted into a restaurant. It was nestled in some overgrown trees. They had huge roots, and their limbs were heavy with acorns and dripping with strands of long gray moss.
    “I’ve never been here before. What’s this place called?” I asked.
    “The Gnarled Oak. Not too many people even know it’s here. That’s why I like it. It’s not crowded, and it’s quiet. You can actually have a conversation.”
    Trent came around to my side of the car and helped me as I got out. We walked up the steps, and he held the door open for me. Warm air welcomed us in from the chilly evening. The aroma of someone’s cinnamon dessert wafted toward us, and it smelled like Christmas morning.
    We were quickly seated at a table for two in the back corner. The lights were low, and votive candles flickered on the tables.
    Trent looked over the menu. “I think I’m going to have a little more