"Would I have to stay the whole day?" My friend Winnie sounds wary over the phone, like I'm trying to trick her into visiting the dentist.

I've gotten it into my mind that my best friend should meet the guy I keep thinking about. I want to be able to talk to her about him, but she's going to get frustrated at me if I keep babbling about a guy she's never met.

"Not unless you want to," I assure her. "Seth will probably be there, since it's the closest market to his house. Besides, isn't any excuse to drive a good one, Miss I-Just-Passed-My-Driving-Test?"

Winnie squeals. "Two excellent points. I can't believe I passed!"

"I can."

"That's because you're awesome. Now, this Seth guy. Is he, like, Dustin two-point-oh? Is he hotness incarnate?"

I cringe and wonder if telling my friend about him was a bad idea. "No, he's nothing like Dustin."

"That's okay. One Dustin is quite enough. You deserve better. This guy must be even hotter, am I right?"

I hesitate. Hot doesn't quite align with what Seth is. The boy has depths that transcend all that superficial stuff. "Not exactly. He's cute in his own way. A little awkward, but smart."

It's Winnie's turn to pause. "Is that like saying he's beautiful on the inside, but outside he looks like Quasimodo?"

I laugh at the image of Seth with a massive hump on his back. "No, but have an open mind, okay?"

"An open mind. Right. I'll expect a smart hunchback with a lazy eye. That way I won't be disappointed."

I shake my head at the phone. "Whatever works for you, Winnie."

The next day at the farmers market, Seth arrives as expected while I'm still setting up. I'm wondering when Winnie is going to show and if it's going to be awkward. Winnie is loyal but has strong opinions. There's a distinct possibility she might scare Seth, but she has to meet him sooner or later.

"Hi," he says as he takes a bucket from me and sets it on the ground.

I smile back at him, genuinely pleased to see him. "Hi. How did it go last night with your parents?"

"They were arguing when I got home, so there wasn't much of a discussion." He busies himself with aligning the bucket with a frying pan.

"That's okay. There'll be other times. Do it when it feels right."

Seth smiles warmly as he meets my gaze. "Thanks."

He settles himself on the bench as I begin to play, and I soon lose myself in the rhythms I'm creating.

When I finally notice Winnie standing there, arms crossed and playfully tapping a foot, I finish off the set with a flourish and stand up to greet her.

"You've actually gotten better," Winnie says as we hug.

"Then why do you always look like you're being forced to listen to opera?"

"It's only because I think you're wasting your time here." She tosses her short, straight hair to one side. "I keep telling you. Start a band, get noticed, and get rich. That's how it's done."

I poke Winnie's arm. "Does that mean you have a studio executive in your pocket I don't know about?"

Winnie rolls her eyes. "Details." When they stop rolling, her eyes drift over Jordi's shoulder. "Is that him?" she whispered.

I turn my head. Seth is watching us with curiosity. "Yeah, that's him."

"Taller than I expected."

"That's because he's not a hunchback."

"See? Keeping low expectations works." Winnie grins and wiggles her fingers at Seth.

He waves back uncertainly.

I pull my friend closer to him. "Seth, this is my good friend, Winnie Han."

He stands and stiffly offers a hand. "Hi. I'm Seth Jensen."

Winnie lists her head to one side, appraising him almost. "You look familiar." He squirms as she studies him further. "Jensen..." She snaps her fingers. "Jensen! Is your dad Brad Jensen?"

"Uh, yeah, you know him?"

"He's only the most brilliant mechanic in the world! My parents are cheapskates—"

"Very nice cheapskates," I add.

Winnie goes on as if I hadn't spoken. "They refuse to get a new car until the old ones completely fall apart." She pauses to take in a breath. "So anyway, they can't stop raving about BJ at Barton Auto Clinic." She turns to Jordi. "That's what they call him at the shop. BJ." She faces Seth again. "They won't let anyone else touch their cars. When there's a weird sound, when something leaks, or when the bumper falls off, he's their man. Fixes it every time. Never overcharges. I think that's what my parents like most."

I never thought to ask around about Seth. Why haven't I? I suddenly feel a tiny bit jealous that Winnie knows all this about his father while I know nothing. Then again, it's my fault for not putting in the effort. Am I self-centered?

I shake the errant thoughts from my head and focus back on Winnie. "Your parents make you go to the auto shop with them? And what do they do to make a bumper fall off?"

She completely ignores my bumper question. "They always do a bunch of errands at the same time and drag me along. Can you believe they made me go with them on my thirteenth birthday? BJ was so cool though. He gave me a flower." She grins her perfect teeth at Seth. "Your dad is the best. He keeps a picture of you on his workbench at the shop. You look like him."

Seth sticks his hands in his pockets and smiles at his shoes. "Thanks."

Winnie claps her hands together. "All right. Now that introductions are over, what are we doing next?"

"I'm not done here yet." I wave my wooden spoon at her.

Winnie rolls her eyes and sighs dramatically. "What are we talking here, like fifteen minutes?"

"More like three hours."

"Three hours? Seriously?" Winnie swings her head to Seth. "You listen to this racket for three hours?"

He doesn't even hesitate. "If I have the time, yeah. And it's more like four hours. We've been here an hour already."

Winnie's eyebrows gain elevation. "Jordi, this guy was made for you. But seriously, what's the point of being your own boss if you can't give yourself a day off?"

"I take Sundays off."

"Whoop-dee-doo." Winnie twirls her finger in the air. "One day. Come on."

I narrow my eyes. "Where are we going?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out." Winnie gives me a sidelong grin.

"You don't know, do you?"

She narrows her eyes back at me and we stare at each other for several seconds.

"Fine," Winnie finally relents. "I have no idea. Anywhere is better than here."

"We could go to the mall," Seth offers.

Two pairs of eyes swivel to him, and his own eyes widen a fraction, as if startled.

Winnie points to him. "I like this guy."

"Me too. Give me an hour, okay?"

"An hour?" Winnie's forehead wrinkles as she plants her hands on her hips.

"Yeah. If we're going to the mall, I want to earn some ice cream money first."

"Fine. I'll be in my car, parked over by that weird little pawn shop. Listening to real music." With that, Winnie flounces away.

I sigh and roll my eyes to Seth. "She listens to top forties pop and Korean boy bands."

He snorts. "I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. We'll have to listen to it later since she's driving."

"If you're in the car, I won't even notice," Seth says before reddening.

I beam at him. He is so sweet. Ice cream with Seth is going to be perfect.

I'm putting Heath bar pieces and votes on my ice cream. What about you?