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We wandered along the rows of cars for ages. Luke paid particular interest in a blue BMW and a black Audi. As he stood back admiring the two, a green Range Rover pulled up outside the shutter doors. A young man jumped out of the drivers seat, his black hair carefully styled into a quiff. He also wore a grey suit but his smile and general energy came across as nothing but warm and friendly.
“Hi there, folks. I’m Ryan. Can I help you?”
Luke offered his hand. “I’m Luke. This is Caitlyn.”
Ryan didn’t hesitate to shake Luke’s hand. “Nice to meet you both. Have you seen anything you like?”
“I’m quite taken with these two to be honest,” Luke said. “I was debating a Range Rover, I’m not a small guy, but I like the sleek look these two have.”
Ryan walked over to the Audi. “This is an excellent choice if I may say so myself. It has an air of sophistication to it which I can tell is something you appreciate.” He then went to the BMW. “This is sporty and a world of fun. You strike me as the type of gentleman who likes to get the most from his cars.”
“You would be correct.”
“Why don’t you take them both for a test drive? Swap over halfway so you both get a feel for them?”
I glanced at Luke, surprised that Ryan was including me in this but the excitement bubbling inside me was hard to ignore.
“That would be fantastic, thank you,” Luke said.
“I’ll just go get the keys.”
As he marched back to the office, I resisted the urge to scream. “I can’t believe I’m going to drive them!”
Luke narrowed his eyes. “You better not damage them or there will be trouble.”
“Hey, matey, I’m the Captain. I ace being in charge of powerful expensive cars.”
“Cat, I’m serious.”
“Oh, lighten up, Frodo.”
He raised an eyebrow and laughed. “What did you just call me?”
“Frodo.”
“As in the hobbit?”
“Yep.”
He folded his arms over his chest. “Do I look like a hobbit to you?”
“You don’t look like one but you’re definitely acting like one. Are you going to turn all Gollum on me?”
He laughed. “I’m not going to even dignify that with an answer.”
“That’ll be a yes then.”
“Here’s the keys for you,” Ryan said, striding towards us. “Who wants to take what first?”
“Audi,” I said, my eyes lighting up.
Luke pulled a face at me and snatched the keys for the BMW. “Is there a set route or anything?”
Ryan gave him directions for a ten-mile round trip as I opened the door on the Audi. I looked up to see Owen scowling at us through the window of the office. I glanced down at my crusty muddy trainers and struggled not to laugh. Without a doubt, he’d definitely be twitching now.
I sat down in the black leather seat and swallowed the moan of pleasure that rose in my throat. It had ‘RS’ stitched into the seat and amazing honeycomb padding. Solid but soft, comfortable but hugged my body, I could fall asleep in this seat and wake feeling perfectly refreshed. The steering wheel had all sorts of buttons and controls on it and the touch screen in the centre of the dash looked awfully high-tech.
“Are you ok with starting it?” Ryan asked, coming over to me. “Double tap the engine start button, put your foot on the brake, and then press the button again.”
I looked down at the dash and spotted the engine start button. When I double tapped it, the dash in front of the steering wheel lit up in a beautiful digital display. I bit my lip in an effort to stem the elation coursing through my veins.
Once I started it, the roar of the engine made my heart backflip. It sounded powerful, to a scary degree. Luke pulled in front of me, already good to go in the BMW, and put his thumb up. I nodded, moved the gearstick into drive, and eased the car out of its space.
When we were down the little lane, well away from the garage, I let out a scream of joy. I couldn’t believe I was actually driving a car like this. I had well and truly fallen in love. We turned left at the top of the lane, driving into what looked like more country roads. As Luke turned the BMW left, he accelerated at such a speed, he left me covered in dust. Part of me wanted to follow his lead but the sensible side of me kept the car plodding along. I couldn’t risk losing control of something like this and crashing it.
Luke tore off into the distance, seemingly enjoying the curves in the road as he threw it around the twisty bends. I chugged along at the speed limit, desperate to try its power but more mindful of my life and Luke’s reaction if I damaged it.
A few minutes later, Luke pulled over into a field entrance. I pulled up next to him, realising he wanted to swap over.
“What do you think?” he said, jumping out of the BMW.
“I have no words,” I replied, grinning like an idiot. “It’s absolutely beautiful.”
“See what you think to that one then.” He jumped into the driving seat of the Audi. “Don’t scratch it.”
“Hey, I didn’t scratch that one.”
“I just wanted to make it clear.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yes, Meredith.”
His jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you just called me that.”
I slid into the drivers seat of the BMW and looked at him. “Believe it, pal, ‘coz it just happened.”
“Pal?”
I grinned and shut the door.
Frowning at me, he pulled off in the Audi at a ridiculous speed, kicking up dirt and tiny stones. I found myself shrieking and holding the steering wheel in a pathetic attempt to protect the car, then realised what a twerp I was being.
I carefully drove off the field entrance and eased the car up to sixty. This felt so different to the Audi. Everything felt aggressive and urgent. It had two little red buttons on the steering wheel marked M1 and M2. They almost gave me heart palpitations at the thought of touching them. The digital dash also projected onto the windscreen, making it quite distracting from the road. I didn’t feel as relaxed and chilled in this; I felt like I was on the edge of racing at any point.
Luke seemed to be enjoying the Audi though, giving it the same treatment he had done this. They were both absolutely stunning cars though. My pick would be the Audi; I felt safe and comfortable in it. Whilst the BMW was just as gorgeous, it seemed to be aimed more for the people who enjoyed speed and living life a little closer to the edge.
As we turned back down the little lane to the garage, Ryan stepped outside, a big smile on his face. Luke pulled up behind the Range Rover and hopped out of the Audi, heading straight to Ryan. I brought the BMW to a stop and switched it off, breathing a sigh of relief. It actually scared me but this wasn’t my choice of my car. I had a feeling which one Luke had his heart set on.
I got out of the BMW and headed towards Luke.
“What do you think?” Ryan asked.
I was surprised he wanted my opinion but also impressed he cared. “I prefer the Audi. The BMW is too ‘racy’ for me.”
He chuckled. “A lot of women say that.”
“I think the BMW is more of a driver’s car. It’s raw and ready to go,” Luke said, looking at them both. “The Audi is refined and sophisticated but still delivers power when you need it. Although it is markedly less than the BMW.”
Ryan nodded. “I couldn’t have said it better myself. The Audi RS5 was built to compete with the BMW M5 but BMW have hit the nail on the head every time with the M series. They never fail to deliver a driver’s car. If that’s what you’re looking for, there is no comparison.”
Luke sighed. “Ideally I’d take bits from both of them and build my own perfect car. I need the engine from the BMW in the Audi.”
“If its raw power you’re after but with an Audi badge, have you considered an R8?”
Luke chuckled. “I don’t think that’s my kind of car. I’m not in a mid-life crisis just yet.”
Ryan laughed. “We have one if you want to take it for a test drive.”
“I couldn’t picture myself with one of those but thank you for the offer.”
“Is there anything else that caught your eye?”
Luke pressed his lips together. “If I was buying for the sake of buying, then the McLaren, but that’s not practical. These two have the capability to be everyday cars as well as something a bit special.”
“I agree. Do you want to talk it over with your girlfriend, or go away and think about it?”
When Ryan said ‘girlfriend’ my heart somersaulted. Part of me wanted to jump in and say ‘hey, we’re just friends’ but another part of me wanted to let it go. I decided on keeping quiet. Now was not the time to address our complicated friendship.
“No,” Luke said. “I think I’ve decided.”
Ryan nodded. “A man who knows what he wants.”
“Yes, indeed. I’ll take both.”
I gasped and stumbled backwards.
Ryan faltered for the slightest of moments before holding his hand out. “An excellent choice. I’ll go and sort the paperwork.”
As Ryan hurried back inside the building, I walked over to Luke, my heart racing, and said, “What the hell?”
He grinned. “I love them both. I couldn’t decide. This way I’m not going to wonder if I chose right because I’ll have the two of them. And change to spare,” he said, winking.
“How are we getting three cars back home?” I asked.
“I doubt we’ll be taking these today. They’ll need to prep them and stuff.”
“Please don’t tell me I’ve got to get back in that rot box after being in these?”
Luke grinned. “You leave Jessie alone. She’s a good old girl.”
“You know what you’ve done, don’t you?”
“What?”
“You’ve taken me to the Ritz for a starter and to McDonalds for the main course.”
He tipped his head back and laughed. When he looked at me, he burst into more laughter. “What an analogy.”
“It’s true. I feel cheated. I’ve had fifteen, maybe twenty minutes in complete luxury, and now I have to slum it for an hour and a half back home.”
“I am quite hungry actually. Do you fancy a McDonalds?”
I smirked and narrowed my eyes at him. “I’m sure I remember Joanna telling me that when her first boyfriend upset her, she put a spell on his...you know...and turned it green. I wonder if she’d teach me how to do that?”
“You wouldn’t dare.”
I grinned. “Is that a challenge?”
“No!” he shouted. “It certainly is not.”
“Do you still fancy a McDonalds?”
He pouted. “No. And I was looking forward to a Big Mac.”
I smiled. “You can have one if we’re not in that death trap.”
He frowned. “Let me get this straight. I can’t have a greasy burger in a rotten old car, but I can have one in a car that’s cost a hundred grand. What makes you think that makes sense or that I’d even allow food to be eaten in either of those cars?”
I thought for a split second before replying, “Because I’m the Captain, matey. And what I say goes.”
He turned away from me, muttering under his breath.
“What was that?” I asked, smiling.
“I said I need to ring the bank.”
I giggled to myself. I felt mean but not mean enough to apologise. Luke had been right about one thing though—this had definitely been fun.