Page 17 of All In Good Time

Apparently, there were quite a few people moving to Highburg from California recently. “Huh, I know someone else who moved from California.”

She finally turned to look at Becca, her interest piqued. Perhaps the idea of someone else from her home state was exciting. “Who?”

She doubted that he and Mal would really have much in common. “Just a classmate of mine.”

“Huh.” Mal turned her attention back to their path.

A nice silence settled between them. Sometimes silence was deafening, awkward with an intense need to fill it. But now, it was comforting. Maybe it was because Becca was just glad she wasn’t walking alone for once.

“You know, you don’t have to walk me all the way. It’s actually a lot farther from here. I kind of lied about it being close.” Mal didn’t look annoyed by the fact that Becca was walking with her, but she did look sheepish, maybe a bit embarrassed to admit she had lied about how far away her house was.

“Don’t worry about it. I like walking.”

“I would usually have a ride, but he said he was busy.”

“Who did?”

“My stepbrother.”

“Maybe you should have waited for him. It would be better than walking in the cold.”

She scoffed. “No thanks. He’s kind of an asshole, so I’d rather walk when I have the chance.”

Becca smiled and laughed, the air creating a steaming visual of her breath.

Their brief conversation was cut short by a honk and the rev of an engine coming up from behind them. Both girls jumped in surprise, and Becca turned to see a familiar dark blue Monte Carlo approaching them. Her entire body tensed, and her eyes widened in surprise.

Meanwhile, Mal cursed under her breath and rolled her eyes. “That’s him. Asshole.”

Derek Stokes pulled to the curb right next to them, his fogged-up window rolled down to reveal him inside as a puff of smoke came from his mouth. His eyes were narrowed at Mal, not even noticing Becca right away.

“Get in. Thanks to you I missed out on a very important—” His hard eyes shifted to Becca midsentence, and he halted, freezing as he recognized her standing there. She wasn’t sure if she should smile or wave or acknowledge him—instead she didn’t react at all. He tapped his barely smoked cigarette into the side of the car door and dropped it into the road. “Rebecca.”

Becca didn’t realize until that moment that Derek had never said her name before. She also realized that she didn’t even know he knew her name. Not until he said it with his voice light and surprised, his eyes conflicted.

Mal turned to look at her. “You know him?”

Becca tried to say something, but her throat was frozen shut. She wasn’t sure how to answer.

Derek did it for her. “We’re friends.”

Friends.Becca and Derek had a…confusing relationship, to say the least. One she didn’t fully understand, one she didn’t really know existed. But friends? She was as surprised as Mal.

“Right.” Mal looked between the two of them, clearly not convinced.

“Get in the back.” Derek ordered Mal, taking his eyes off Becca for a moment to make sure the girl got his command. His noticed Mal’s board. “And throw that out.”

“I’m gonna fix it.”

“Just get a new one. That one is shit now.”

She groaned but walked around the side of the two-door coupe, opened the passenger door, slid the front seat forward, and slipped into the back.

Becca still didn’t budge, and Derek turned his attention back to her. “You get in too.” His order to her was much softer than it was to Mal.

Becca finally found the willpower to clear her throat. “Oh, uh, that’s alright, I’m not far from here.”

“I know where you live. I’m still not letting you walk home. Get in.”

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