by Layla Frost
Balls. What if it didn’t start or something?
I got up early and sat at the DMV for no flippin’ reason!
“Was there an issue with the car?” I asked.
“No.”
I didn’t want to sound selfish or impatient. They were doing me a huge favor, and I appreciated it. Seeing the car would just go a long way toward easing some of my stress.
“Then, uhh, where is it?”
Taking the garage door opener off the visor, Kase handed it to me.
“Oh, yeah,” I mumbled, feeling like an idiot.
Unless he was working on something, Kase rarely parked in there. Instead, the massive three car garage held enough parts and equipment to classify as a mini-Hyde.
I pressed the button and watched one of the doors slowly raise open.
I hadn’t thought much about what kind of car I was getting. Truthfully, I hadn’t much cared. As long as it ran, I’d have happily driven around in a rust bucket that looked like a before it was pimped ride.
When the door opened fully and what I was seeing sank in, I narrowed my eyes at Kase. “Take it back.”
“Can’t.”
“Why not?”
He dropped the papers from the DMV onto my lap. “It’s yours, remember?”
I didn’t know much about cars, but I did know one thing.
It was no junker.
The front end looked similar to Kase’s car. It was a little less angular, though.
Sleeker.
“Is it a Challenger?” I asked, not reaching for the door handle.
Kase grabbed my hand and lifted it to his mouth, kissing my palm. “The new model. Look at you, learning about cars already.”
“Yeah, you must be rubbing off on me.” I held up a finger. “Don’t even say anything.”
He snapped his mouth shut. Instead, he took a set of keys from his pocket. “Go look at it.” When I didn’t move, he shifted in his seat and weaved his fingers into my hair. He tugged gently so I’d turn my head. “Your old car was dangerous, ipo. It was only a matter of time before it broke down.”
“It did.” My brows lowered, and I studied him through narrowed eyes. “Didn’t it?”
He rubbed along his jaw. “Let’s go—”
“Kase.” My tone was a low warning.
“I might’ve helped it along.” He raised his hands. “But it didn’t take much. All the shit Key said was true.”
I nodded and opened the door, exiting without a word. Spinning the keyring around my finger, I circled the new car.
The inside was immaculate. Deep, comfortable looking black seats were detailed with blue and white stitching. There was a black screen on the dashboard in place of the typical stereo.
“What’s that?” I asked, pointing to it.
“Touch screen. It controls the radio, temperature, GPS, bunch of other shit. You can connect your phone to it and make calls.”
I just nodded again, moving around to the front of the car where the sun streamed in. I bounced on my feet, shifting from side to side.
Kase stood close to me. “You gonna start throwing punches?”
“What?”
“You’re bouncing around like a boxer.” He smiled. “Give me a heads-up if I need to start bobbing and weaving.”
“I’m not really the violent type.”
“Good to know,” he muttered.
I squinted at the car. “I thought it was blue, but there’s also green. You painted this, didn’t you?”
I wasn’t sure why I was asking. I already knew the answer. That kind of subtle color change would’ve taken a skilled hand to create.
Curving his hand around the back of my neck, Kase used his hold to shift my body to face him. “Like your eyes.”
Of course he’d notice. And of course he’d go through the added trouble of painting it special like that.
Like it was art.
Like my eyes were.
“Look at me,” he ordered.
Dragging my attention away from the car, I met his gaze. “How much of this is the original car?”
His lips turned down as he cocked his head to the side. “Fifty percent.” He paused. “Maybe less.”
I nodded, trying to process that. Or any of it, really.
“You weren’t safe. Popped the hood and couldn’t believe that piece of shit was still running.”
“I agree I needed a new car. Well, a new to me one. And it’s on my list.”
“How long is that list?”
I didn’t even want to think about it. I’d planned on running my car into the ground before sucking it up and getting a new one. Even then, it would’ve been another piece of junk, and not the refined and cool as hell ride I was looking at.
Too bad I couldn’t keep it.
I wanted to. God, did I want to. It was the prettiest car I’d ever seen in my life.
I wanted it to be mine, but I couldn’t have it.
Not because of the money.
It was just too much. Too nice.
Too good.
And when life got too good, the universe fixed it.
I opened my mouth, ready to object again, but Kase beat me to it.
“Hads will be safer in it, too.”
Grand slam, touchdown, three-pointer at the buzzer, checkmate, gooooooooooal.
Of any argument he could’ve used to convince me, bringing Hadley’s safety into it was the most effective. I’d often worried about what I’d do if I broke down on my way to get her. Or worse, if it happened with her in the car.
I scowled at him. “You don’t play fair, Teo.”
“Nope.” His smile faded. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
I glanced to the side quickly. “Do you have time for a ride?”
His face softened, his relief evident. I hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until I felt his muscles loosen.
“Whenever you want,” he said. “It’s yours.”
Grabbing his hand, I pulled him up the path to the house. I looked over my shoulder, smiling. “I wasn’t talking about the car.”
“Answer’s still the same, ipo.”
Chapter Seventeen
Alpaca My Giant Bags
Harlow
“Okay, this is officially the most kickass car ever.” Reaching out, Piper touched the screen, messing with the radio and temperature. “Don’t tell Bo,” she warned, talking about her own car like it was a person.
“He is getting up there in years,” I pointed out.
“Shh, don’t start. Jake’s already been on me about it. My dad gave me Bo, and I’m definitely not ready to move on.” She tapped the screen again, bumping the bass up. “But this thing is sweet.”
“You’ll have to teach me how to do that.” I’d had the car for two and a half weeks and was still clueless about most of the controls.
Flicking on my signal, I turned into the restaurant’s lot, parking next to Ray.
“I almost forgot. Ray’s gotta pop into Hyde to pick up something for Edge’s bike, so I’m gonna hitch a ride with her.” She jerked her head back to the pie and bag of cookies she’d set on the floor. “Any chance those will actually make it to your mom and Hadley?”
“I’ll go over for a visit after this.” I shrugged. “Maybe the goodies will still be around when I get there.”
Her lips tipped up. “Visit?”
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d slept in my own bed. Other than going to see Hadley and Mom, or pack different clothes, I hadn’t spent much time there.
My home doesn’t feel like home anymore.
When the hell did that happen?
Still smiling, Piper threw open the door and greeted Ray. “Long time no see.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I missed you both. Now move so I can take a look at the car.” Ray peeked in. “Oh, we are so cruising around sometime. We’ll grab coffee and just drive.”
I grinned. “You had me at coffee.”
Heading inside, I opened the re
staurant door and inhaled deeply.
“I freakin’ love that smell,” Piper said, beating me to it. “Carbs. So good.”
“Agreed. Do you think they make a perfume?” Ray asked.
“They make candles. Jake got me a bunch, but I don’t burn them often. They make me hungry!”
After getting our sandwiches, we sat in a booth in the corner, me on one side and them on the other.
I swallowed a bite of delicious, salty roast beef. “How’s the bakery?”
“Amazing, but busy,” Piper said. “I hired two part-time employees to work the register and do dishes, which is the only reason I’m able to sneak away on a Saturday. But I think I need to bring in another baker.”
Ray arched her brow. “You think you can give up control enough to do that?”
“Yeah. Maybe.” She drummed her fingers. “Probably not. I need someone who’s a good baker, but also happy to follow the exact recipe. That’s like finding a unicorn hanging out with Bigfoot.”
Thinking about the cooking shows I’d seen, I was confused. “I thought bakers always go by recipes.”
“Good bakers tweak. They play. We’re like chemists, but our end results are delicious.” Her lips turned down before she muttered, “Usually.”
“So you think someone would mess with your recipes?”
Her shoulder went up. “Dunno. But since I’m just getting the storefront running, it’s not necessarily a risk I wanna take. I’m not unreasonable. If they had an idea, we could totally test it. But my eye is twitchy just thinking about the potential drama.”
“Let’s change the subject before you start talking to yourself,” Ray suggested with a teasing smile.
“Good idea.”
Ray looked around, her mouth pulled in a mischievous smile. “So, Harlow, how are you?”
“Don’t start,” I warned around my mouthful.
“Speaking of things not starting, how’s the new car?”
“What’d I say?”
“I’m just asking an innocent question.”
I made a very ladylike, sarcastic snort. “Right.”
“How much did you fight him on it?”
“By the time I found it, it was already too late.”
Piper grinned. “Jake told me about their junker lie.” She turned to Ray and explained while I pretended to not be impressed.
“Sneaky,” Ray said, nodding her approval. “And clever.”
“And controlling and underhanded,” I added.
“And thoughtful and considerate.”
I smiled. “Yeah, it was that.”
“So you aren’t mad and plotting your escape?” Piper asked, a genuine question hidden in her humor.
“Nope. He knows I would’ve put off getting a new one until something major happened.” I focused on the condensation dripping down my cup, trailing my finger in it. “When I lost my dad and my mom got sick, I got pretty focused on saving money to help if anything happened. It’s, uhh, why I worked at Wicked before taking the job at Rye.”
I hadn’t planned on telling them, but it seemed like a good opening to blurt it out. I’d been putting off the conversation. Truth be told, I’d been hoping I could keep avoiding it and just move on.
Unfortunately, the longer I kept it to myself, the more it lurked in my mind, like a glitter tits elephant in the room.
I wasn’t ashamed, and I knew my friends wouldn’t judge me. It was just a random subject to broach.
When their silence stretched, I began to doubt my decision. Slowly, I looked up to see them staring at me with the same dropped jaw and wide-eyed shock.
Ray spoke first. “Like as a…” Her voice trailed off.
“Yup.”
A grin spread across Piper’s face. “That’s so kickass!”
Ray’s expression stayed stunned. “I’m normally good at reading people, but you’re always surprising me. I had you pegged as an airhead at first.”
Piper elbowed her in the side.
“Ouch!” Ray rolled her eyes at Piper’s glare. “I thought she was a cool airhead, at least. Then I thought you were kind of a goodie goodie.” She looked down at my ‘My fandom will salt and burn your fandom’ tee. “And a hipster geek. Now I don’t know what to think.”
I shrugged. “I’m me.”
“The sweet and tattooed ex-con and the geeky, hipster stripper.” She smiled. “You two were made for each other.”
“To be fair, I’m an ex-stripper.”
“Semantics.”
Piper began shooting off rapid fire questions. “How long did you work there? How was it? Oh! Can you teach me some moves?”
“It was only a few months,” I said. “And it was actually kinda fun. We were like a dysfunctional family. And yes. But only after a pitcher or five of margaritas.”
“Sweet.” Her smile faded. “Why didn’t you tell me before? Did you think I—”
“It wasn’t that.” Reaching out, I covered her hand with mine. “I knew you’d be cool; it was just my own issues. If I told you I was dancing, I’d have to explain about Mom and all that. By the time I was ready, Kase had already gotten me fired, so it seemed like a moot point.”
Ray leaned in, looking more surprised than before. “He got you fired? What an asshole move. I could see him charming you until you agreed to quit, but getting you canned seems harsh.”
“He’d been trying to be patient with me, but sometimes I need a gentle push. And then a hard shove. And then to be dragged, kicking and screaming. He was chill for a lot longer than I expected, thank God.”
My stomach twisted at the thought of him giving up and moving on.
Piper didn’t say anything as she bit back a smile.
I guess me opening up makes her feel better, too.
I flipped over Piper’s wrist and tapped on her cupcake tattoo while looking at Ray. “Speaking of my goodie goodie vibe—”
Ray’s face lit up. “Are you finally gonna let me ink up that skin? I can squeeze you in tomorrow.”
Piper nudged her.
“Oh right, we got that, uhh, thing.”
And I thought I was a bad liar.
Before I could call her on it, she continued, increasing my heart rate. “I can do Monday.”
“So soon?” My voice was more of a squeak.
“We’ll sit down, get it all sketched, and do it before you back out.”
“Just something small, though.”
“Okay, a half sleeve, got it.”
“Tiny.” I held my thumb and index finger a miniscule distance apart.
I was already dizzy.
*******
Kase
This is either the smartest thing I’ve ever done or I’m fuckin’ up my whole life.
No pressure or anything.
I watched Helena carefully as she bounced around the room like she’d drunk her daughter’s quantity of coffee.
I was nervous, but it was nothing compared to her.
She glanced up at the clock for the twentieth time that minute. “Do you know what you’re going to say?”
I lifted my hand to gesture around us. “Think it’s pretty self-explanatory.”
“Yeah right. You know she’ll have questions. Then more questions. And then she’ll probably come back with a PowerPoint presentation of rebuttals and follow-up questions.”
Harlow was seriously fuckin’ funny. After spending time with her ma, it was easy to see where she got it from.
My ma and I’d had a special bond. Our good moods would feed off each other, growing and wiping out some of the ugliness from around our family. It fuckin’ sucked to lose her, but she’d been gone a long time. Willa obviously hadn’t been warm and maternal, scooping cookie dough with her heroin spoon.
I’d forgotten what it was like to have someone motherly around.
Having that back in some way was just another thing Harlow gave me.
“Probably,” I agreed through my chuckle. “But I think I’m covered.”
“I ho
pe so.” She glanced back at the clock.
“Helena.”
She looked at me, her expression concerned. Her coloring was paler than usual, the dark circles under her eyes showing her fatigue.
And I got it.
I seriously fuckin’ got it.
Looking at Helena, seeing how stress hit her harder than most, I finally understood why Harlow had been living her life like she was. The boxes, the anxiety, the worry.
The not living.
“It’s gonna be okay,” I said, my voice gentle. “No way would I do this if I didn’t know for sure.”
Tears filled her eyes, but she laughed. “I know.” She wiped at her cheeks. “Really, I do. I’m just being a mom.”
“Kinda your job.”
Just as she began to relax, a car pulled into the driveway, making her tense again.
She wasn’t the only one.
Here’s to not fuckin’ up my life.
The door opened and closed. “Anyone want cookies and pie?” Harlow called out, rushing on without giving time to respond. “No? I should just eat them all myself? Okay then, if you say so.”
When she reached the doorway, she glanced in quickly. Her eyes snapped back, darting around the room to all of the boxes.
Playing it cool, I finished assembling one before starting on another.
Her mom grabbed a stack of books and packed them up, following my lead.
Harlow’s brows drew together and she tilted her head to the side. “What’s going on?”
Her mom hustled over and took the desserts. “Piper is so sweet. I’ll just take these into the kitchen. And, uhh, stay there for a while.”
“What’s going on?” Harlow repeated as Helena rushed away.
“Stupid to keep your stuff here when you’re not.”
“Is that your way of saying I’m moving in with you?”
I jerked my chin up and set the assembled box with the other ones. “Doesn’t make sense for you to be getting up and hauling ass because you forgot something here. Or you having to pack and transfer ten fuckin’ duffle bags and giant purses back and forth.”
She crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall, her expression blank. “Ever heard of asking?”
“I did. You said no.”
“And you took that to mean I wanted you to come and pack up anyway?” While her tone wasn’t pissed, it was lacking her normal bubbly enthusiasm.
