It took another coffee and 3 more games of pool before the storm died down and Daryl's clothes finished drying. Carol won all three of course, but Daryl seemed more determined with each loss and she was loving the challenge.

"Guess I should head out," Daryl announced, once he was dressed in his own clothes again. "You got a pen and paper? I'll leave you the address and number for the shop." Carol found a marker and notepad and handed them to him. "I'll make sure he gets it first thing and has a look in the morning," Daryl informed her.

"I appreciate that," she replied taking the notepad back and scanning what he'd jotted down.

"I, Uh, I could come get you tomorrow.. Give you a ride to the shop if you want," Daryl said, shifting his feet awkwardly.

Carol was torn between not wanting to inconvenience him yet again, and not wanting to hurt his feelings by saying no. She could tell it had taken a lot for him to offer. "I actually have a few things to do in the morning," she replied sweetly. "I can get my friend to drop me off when we're done." Like she expected, his face fell and turned the shade of red she was accustomed to. "But," she added quickly. "If my car won't be ready for another day I will need a ride home... If it's not too much to ask?"

She almost laughed at the change in his face and demeanor, "Oh, no, course not. Ain't no trouble at all." Daryl bent and pet his new friend Savannah. "Guess I'll see you tomorrow," he said, heading out the door.

"Thank you again, for everything," Carol called after him.

"Ain't nothin'," he muttered, waving as he pulled the door closed behind him.

The house was eerily quiet with him gone only a few seconds. What was even stranger was that he really didn't talk much anyway. It was more like a sense of emptiness, Carol decided. Absentmindedly she wandered to the living room window and peeked out just in time to see him roar off on the bike. What a strange afternoon and evening it's been, she thought. In truth, the entire day was pretty eventful. While her mind should have been on the career decision she needed to make, Carol instead found herself thinking about Daryl. And even when she forced herself to contemplate the job offer she thought about his advice instead of the job itself.

"I should just go to bed, right?" she said to her dog Cookie. He raised his head, gave her a look and went right back to sleep. "Some help you are," Carol huffed, heading for her bedroom.

She changed and went through her nightly bathroom routine then climbed into bed. The second she closed her eyes all she could see was Daryl in that tight sleeveless shirt with those incredible muscled arms and chiseled collarbones. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" She asked herself out loud. Maybe it would have been better to just take him to bed and settle her damn hormones. A one night stand with a sexy stranger she would likely only see one more time... She had needs that hadn't been filled in a while.

The buzz of her doorbell interrupted her naughty thoughts. Who could be here at this time of night? Carol wondered, throwing on a robe to answer the door. She peeked out and saw Daryl standing there. Her heart started to pound. He was back. And she had a chance to do exactly what she was thinking about in bed. But why the hell was he back? She took a deep breath and pulled open the door. "Daryl? Hi, what's up?" She asked, studying him with curiosity, while trying to calm the shitstorm of hormones raging inside at the sight of his handsome face.

"Forgot to get your keys," he replied with a shrug. "Would have come back in the morning, but you said you weren't gonna be here... So..."

Carol felt foolish, "Oh my God, I'm sorry. I completely forgot." She grabbed her purse and pulled out the keys, handing them over. Invite him back in, make a move, a voice screamed inside her head.

"Thanks. 'Kay. Night again," Daryl said, turning to go.

"Wait," she said, unable to stop the words before they came out. Daryl froze and turned towards her. "Oh... I... Um, just... Well, drive safe. I'll see you tomorrow," she got out. Carol closed the door before she said or did anything else to embarrass herself and stomped her way back to bed. She flung herself in and pulled up the blankets. She was angry with herself, though she hadn't quite decided if it was because she hadn't invited him back in or because she even considered it in the first place.

It took a while, but somehow, mercifully, Carol fell asleep. When she woke in the morning she opened her eyes with a feeling of excitement in her stomach. She refused to admit it was because she was going to see him again. No, it's because you know he was right about the job, she decided. Without even getting out of bed she reached for the phone and dialed her friend Dave. "I made my decision," Carol announced when he answered. "I want the job. I love the show already. And I know it's gonna be a huge hit."

Carol was smiling into the phone and by the time she was through talking to Dave she was buzzing inside. This was a big deal. This was a huge career step to move into the entertainment industry, even in an administrative capacity. And she was really excited to get started in a couple months.

This is going to be a good day, Carol decided. The fact that she had things to do in the morning, like she told Daryl, wasn't a complete lie. She threw on clothes and washed up to take Cookie for a quick walk and then returned to shower and get ready to head out. Carol called a cab and waited outside her building, enjoying the beautiful Georgia morning. She did her grocery shopping and called another taxi to take her back home.

By the time she was finished putting them away it was well past lunchtime. She was starving since she'd skipped breakfast. Carol ate and looked at the time. It was late enough in the afternoon that she could head to the shop and see what was happening with her car. The cab company likely thought she was nuts, but they were making good money off her, particularly with the long drive to the shop.

She realized on the way that if Daryl saw her pull up in the cab she was about to get caught in a lie. There was a gas station just down the road from the shop, so Carol asked to be dropped off there instead. She went in and bought herself a bottle of Fiji water, a rare indulgence, then started to wander down the street. When she arrived at the address Carol pushed open the door and entered. No one was around the desk, but there was a bell to ring for service so she shrugged and hit the button. Before long a gruff looking man entered, handsome under all the dirt and grease, but he gave off a vibe she wasn't too sure about. He was wiping his hands on a rag that looked even dirtier than his skin and Carol wondered what the point was.

"Oh hello pretty lady," he drawled, eying her up and down. The outfit she was wearing was not for his benefit. It shouldn't have been for anyone's benefit, but she would by lying to herself if she didn't admit she'd changed to a more low cut top and her favourite pair of jean capris, assuming she'd be seeing Daryl. "Tell me, what's a woman who can afford that kind of water doin' in a place like this?" Carol almost laughed at how he'd noticed the water and the irony of the situation.

He was a player. It was obvious. But Carol would not be played by this creep. She took the lid off the bottle and had a drink before speaking. "I believe you have my car," she said, screwing the cap back on.

"Ohhhhh," he nodded, the corner of his eyes crinkling with the grin that spread across his face. "You're the one…."

"The one?" she repeated, crossing her arms and staring at him, making sure to make eye contact and let him know she wasn't the submissive type. She'd been that kind of girl for a long time, too long, and she would never be like that again. Carol was in charge of her own life and she made sure people, particularly people like this guy, knew it.

"Yeah, the one my baby brother's got a hard on for," he snickered. "I'm Merle, Daryl's older, more handsome brother. I'd shake your hand but… well..." he held up two filthy palms.

"Thanks, I'll pass," she said, allowing herself to smile, more from his comment about Daryl than any of his slimy charm. "Carol," she added, figuring she could at least reciprocate with her name.

"Yeah, I know… Heard the name a few times already," Merle replied. "He wasn't wrong though," Merle continued, coming around the counter and shamelessly checking out her backside. "That ass…. Mmm…"

Suddenly the door swung open and Daryl burst into the room. "Merle, shut the fuck up," he growled. "Go finish the damn car, I'll take care of this."

"Oh I bet you will Darlene… I bet you will. And if you don't, you know where I'll be," Merle said, looking Carol up and down again over his shoulder as he walked towards the shop door. "Been a pleasure Carol."

"Wish I could say the same," she replied sweetly, which only made him leave the room chuckling.

"Shit, I'm sorry," Daryl started to apologize immediately. "He's a dick. A good mechanic, but a complete asshole."

"It's okay," Carol replied, giving him a smile. "I can handle guys like that." She could tell that Daryl was close to his brother, even if he did bash his character. "I'm sure he can be very charming when he needs to be."

"You have no idea," Daryl grumbled. He looked at her with concern, "I don't know what all he said to you… but ignore it… he likes to tease, 'specially me."

"It's okay," Carol said again. "Really. I'll just ignore him. Promise."

Daryl seemed satisfied and nodded. "So it seems as though your car was filled with bad gas," he explained. "Merle's still working on it. Had to clean the carb and fuel injector, put in new filters and he's gonna see if he can save the pump, but he might have to order one in if he can't."

Carol was wracking her brain trying to remember the last place she filled up. "I can't even remember where I bought gas last…" she muttered.

"It's possible someone put somethin' in your tank, or the station got water or dirt in the gas…" Daryl said. "Merle will likely tell ya to use the high test stuff for a while, just to be sure your engine's gettin' enough octane."

Carol really didn't know much about cars, but she understood that some cars, particular the higher end models, need premium gas. She nodded. "So, should I just sit out here and wait a while?" She asked.

"Give me one sec to go talk to him. Be right back," Daryl said, leaving her alone once again. He was back in less than a minute. "Said he needs at least another hour and he'll know by then if he's gotta order that fuel pump."

"Okay," Carol looked around at the auto magazines and picked one up. "Guess I'll just get comfy and wait."

"Oh… uh… there's a little diner, just down the road," Daryl said, looking at her shyly. "Ya wanna go have a drink. They got this homemade sweet tea… I ain't never tasted any better than there."

"Yeah," Carol replied enthusiastically, putting down the magazine with relief. "I would like that. You sure your, um, boss won't care?"

Daryl shook his head. "Nah, I just help out sometimes when they're busy. Today isn't bad." He pushed open the door and waved a hand for her to go first in a very chivalrous gesture. Carol smiled to herself. It was cute. He was cute - in his own shy, bashful way.

"So I have news," she announced, taking a sip of the tea. He was right, it was delicious. Daryl looked at her from across the booth. "I called this morning… and I accepted the job." She was getting more and more excited about her decision every time she thought about it. "Thank you for your advice yesterday, you were right," she added.

"Wow, that's great," Daryl nodded. "I'm really happy for you. Hopefully we can get that car fixed for ya soon, I'm sure you'll want to go out with friends and celebrate."

"Oh," Carol said. She actually hadn't even thought about celebrating. Really, only 2 people knew her news, unless Dave had mentioned it to others. Carol had yet to tell any of her friends. "I haven't really told them yet," she admitted. "I don't have plans tonight…" She was lost in thought and speaking out loud, "But I do think a celebratory evening is in order… Hmm…" Her eyes drifted to Daryl's face and before she thought it through she spoke impulsively, "What are you doing tonight?"

"Uh… nothing," Daryl replied, looking somewhat shocked.

"Good. You can celebrate with me. I'll buy you dinner, since it was your advice that helped me make the decision anyway," Carol said, her heart starting to beat faster. "Besides, it can be my way of saying thank you for the ride home last night and for getting your brother to fix my car."

"I told ya, it was no big deal," Daryl mumbled. He obviously didn't take compliments or thank yous well.

"Well it was to me. So what do you say?" She pressured him. "Dinner?"

She watched the rise and fall of his chest as Daryl took a deep breath. "Um. Sure," he nodded. "No fancy shit though, 'kay? I ain't got no suit and tie."

Carol laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not a big fan of fancy shit anyway." She took another sip of her tea and studied him, thinking about what she'd just done. Asking a complete stranger she barely knew on a date? It's not a date… it's a thank you dinner and job celebration, Carol corrected herself. That's it. And then, this… whatever it is… is over. This is not the time to get involved with anyone, let alone him. She could tell Daryl's life was complicated. And she had an innate desire to fix people who were damaged.

Dinner and that's it, she reminded herself one more time.