Shay hated that her vocal cords had frozen. Her brain, seemingly, too. Still, she felt like she was sifting through information so fast that she couldn’t get a coherent thought to form into a word.
“I bailed you out last time,” Austin said. “So this awkward silence isn’t bothering me.” He turned onto the road and pressed on the accelerator. Said nothing.
Shay’s world narrowed to just this moment in this ritzy truck. A deep breath helped settle her thoughts. “I was a tomboy growing up,” she said. “I’m sure that’s not a surprise. I wasn’t planning on going into the Army, but I’ve always loved working on motors and machines.”
“So why did you go into the Army?”
A flash of regret bolted through Shay. How many questions would she have to endure during this date?
Relax, she told herself. Thi
