They were on their way to their usual Friday night hangout; and Link's car was brimming with council kids, all talking loudly, with several conversations going at once. Link however, had stopped listening when he'd spotted a familiar figure moving along the sidewalk. Seeing that she made a right on one of the side streets just ahead, Link quickly turned his car to follow, cutting off a blue car in the other lane and raising a chorus of annoyed honking.
"What are you doing?" Brad asked as Link maneuvered to the side of the street. Link didn't answer him but instead slowed down to a snail crawl beside the figure walking jauntily down the sidewalk. Tracy turned and smiled when she saw them.
"Hey Little Girl, need a ride somewhere?" he asked, his voice as smooth as warm butter.
"Hi; wow, where are you all going?" she asked. Her eyes scanned over the faces of the kids who were nearly spilling over the sides of his black convertible, and Link said a quick thank you to the powers that be for family obligation; which was the reason for Amber's absence from the scene. He felt a little twinge of guilt for thinking that way but found that he couldn't change his mind; so instead he decided to simply not think about her.
"We're going to Eddie's for malts!" Doreen was saying happily in reply to Tracy's question.
"You should come, too!" Noreen cried. "Link, stop and let her get in."
Link slowed the car to a complete stop, his affection for those crazy twins increasing several degrees. He looked up to see Tracy's dark eyes observing him questioningly, with just an inkling of doubt; and he realized that at that moment, he wanted nothing more then to wipe it away. He gave her a wink and nodded his head toward the backseat. "Get in Doll, chocolate malts wait for no man," he said, and the smile that broke over her face did something strange to his stomach.
She had to get in through the front seat, so Link pulled the emergency brake and got out, holding the door for her. He caught the faintest hint of her scent as she moved past him and climbed in, presenting a nice view of her round rear end as she did so. Noreen and Doreen made space for her between them, their feet somehow tucked behind all the kids crammed in the backseat. He watched as she smiled and shrugged her shoulders, and the girls started to chat with her about her day.
He realized that he was grinning rather widely and fought for a moment with the muscles in his face. Grinning like and idiot was not cool. He slid easily into his seat and checked his hair in the mirror, his face once more a façade of detached calm. He even managed to keep it that way as he drove the mob of council members to their destination, despite having Tracy - laughing and smiling and wiggling around - smack in the middle of his rearview mirror the entire way.