Melanie took immediate umbrage. Nobody insulted her car. She drew herself up to her full five feet eight inches. "Hey, this car is a classic. It's in perfect condition. Almost. It might not be as fancy as your wheels, but it gets me where I've got to go… or at least it did until a few minutes ago."

"Mind if I give it a try?" he asked. When she hesitated, he looked skyward. "Listen, lady, I'm not about to steal your car, okay? I'm tired, I'm hungry, I'm soaked from the knees down, and I'd like to get out of here sometime before midnight. Until that piece of… er… your car gets moved, I'm stuck."

Sheesh. What a grouch. And at least he was only wet from the knees down. She was soaked through to her skin. "Be my guest," Melanie said, sweeping her hand in a grand gesture toward the driver's seat.

"Thanks. Here," he said, passing her the umbrella. "Hold this."

He slid into the driver's seat and yelped in pain, pushing up his hips as high as the steering wheel would allow.

"Watch out," Melanie warned. "There're a couple of broken springs in the seat."

He sent her a withering look. "Thanks."

"No problem."

He turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. "You said it growled at you?" he asked, looking up at her.

"Twice. Then it died."

"Well, I'd guess that your battery is dead. Do you have jumper cables?"

Melanie shook her head. "’Fraid not."

He muttered something under his breath that Melanie didn't catch, but based on the look on his face, she decided that was probably for the best.

"Maybe the person who's parked in front of you or behind you will show up," she suggested, hoping it was true.

"Based on the day I've had, they've probably gone on vacation and won't be back 'til Christmas." He took a deep breath. "I might as well jump you-"

"Whoa, buddy. Hold it right there." Melanie backed up several steps. "If you touch me, I'll scream. I've got chicken legs and I'm not afraid to use them."