Page 72 of A Lonely Road
By silent agreement, we moved onto less fraught topics, including Sam’s degree in marketing, her love of real estate, and the history of The Mermaid—all things that required little contribution from me, since my brain was stuck on the terrifying idea of marriage. Still, I loved watching Sam talk, all enthusiastic hand gestures and animated expressions, and I found myself appreciating more and more the way she was able to introduce a topic then dance away before I became uncomfortable.
It had to be a family trait. These twins had stellar genes and a loving upbringing; both of those were abundantly evident in their personalities.
Sometime just after noon, Jake appeared from around the side of the house and insisted that I close my eyes. He led me carefully down the stairs of the deck and along the driveway, gave Sam a sharp warning when she gasped aloud, and dropped a light kiss to the side of my neck before saying, “Okay, you can look now.”
Baby shimmered in the sun, completely devoid of spray paint. Even the rust patches marring the original paint job couldn’t detract from the car’s beauty in my eyes. I moved forward as if in a trance and ran my hands over the shining hood with a sigh that sent Sam and Casey into a fit of laughter.
Maybe it was ridiculous to be so attached to this little car, but I was. She’d seen me through a dozen new places, including bringing me here.
Bringing me home.
Jake never even questioned my love for Baby, though he might tease me occasionally, and now he had washed away all that ugliness with his own hands, leaving behind something that was close enough to beautiful to make my eyes fill with tears.
“You’d think Jake bought her a Porsche,” Sam said to Casey in a whisper just loud enough for me to hear.
“A Porsche can’t compare to my Baby,” I replied, then I threw myself into Jake’s arms and covered his face in kisses. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
He laughed softly against my ear as he lifted me off my feet. “You’re welcome. I told you she’d be good as new. Probably better, really, because she wasn’t much of a looker before. I guess she’s not so bad now that she’s shiny and clean.”
Over Jake’s shoulder, I smiled at Casey and my father. “Thank you both. I didn’t think it was possible, but Baby looks wonderful.”
Sam snorted in disbelief, but my dad gave me a fond smile. “Yes, she does. And I agree with Jake, she most definitely looks better than when you bought that pile of junk.”
“She can hear you, you know.” I let go of Jake to scowl at my father while I patted the car affectionately. “But since you did such a good job cleaning her up, I’m sure she’ll forgive you.”
Sam hooked her arm through Casey’s and said, “C’mon, then, our work here is done. Let’s get out of their hair so Nora can thank Jake properly.”
Though Jake glared at her and my cheeks flushed hot, Sam merely winked, bid goodbye to us all, and strolled down the driveway to her Mustang with Casey.
Even my father couldn’t help but smile. “Right, well. I’ll be off, too. Enjoy your day, kids, and make sure you keep those cars parked in the garage for the time being.”
I gave my father a hug, then Jake clasped his hand. While he headed back toward the apartment, I gave Baby another adoring look.
“I’d be jealous of that expression, if I hadn’t been on the receiving end of so many similar ones in the past week,” he teased, but he slipped an arm around my waist and pressed a kiss to my temple.
“You guys really did an amazing job,” I said, smiling up at him.
“We did, didn’t we? Ready to move her back to the garage?”
I wrinkled my nose at him and joked, “Nobody puts Baby in a corner.”
Jake laughed, tossing me the keys. I slid behind the wheel and ran my hands lovingly over the dashboard. Baby might not be the picture of vehicular beauty, but the stark contrast between her now-gleaming exterior and the angry insults we’d found the day before made my heart lighter.
However, it was being surrounded and cared for by this little circle I'd begun to think of as family that filled my heart until I thought it might float right out of my chest.
Jake closed the garage door once Baby was safely parked beside his truck. “I could use a nice cold drink,” he said after pulling me in for a thorough kiss.
“You might want some lunch, too, or at least one of the leftover muffins.”
With a slow, devastating smile, Jake lifted a brow. “Oh? Why would I need such fortification, my darling Nora?”
“Because,” I drawled as I handed him a soda bottle, “I think Sam was spot on. I intend to show you just how much I appreciate your hard work this morning.”
Jake’s blue gaze stayed intently on my face as he set the Coke aside and placed his hands firmly on my hips. “In that case, sustenance can wait.”
My laughter swiftly gave way to breathless surrender as we shoved that ugliness even deeper into the recesses of our minds.
Chapter Thirty-Four
