Page 4 of Hound Dog
I sat on the stoop of the house we were renting—Jimmy’s house, apparently—and kicked some gravel beneath my shoes. “I know. She’s like the worst guardian ever.”
“Or the best,” Maisie laughed.
Maisie had been my best friend since kindergarten when we both ran for the last swing on the playground. Instead of fighting me for it, she’d offered that we share it. And the rest was history.
A Jeep pulled down the road, kicking up dirt behind its giant tires.
“I gotta go, Maisie, he’s here!”
She gave me a final good luck before disconnecting the call just in time for him to pull into the driveway.
Like a gentleman, he got out, came around and opened the passenger door for me.
With that breezy, crooked grin of his, he said a simple, “Hey.”
I’d never had a man open a door for me.Holda door open for me? Sure. Like when a guy is going into the cafeteria ahead of you, and he’s not a total monster.
But never like this.
A nervous smile kicked up the corners of my mouth. “Hey, Finn. Thanks…”
Thanks for what? Picking me up? Taking me out? Opening my door?
My cheeks flushed as I realized I was just standing there staring at him.
“No problem.” He offered me his hand to hold onto as I climbed up into the seat. And thank God, because the Jeep was so dang high, I needed the leverage.
I gripped the overhead handle with white knuckles as he took off down the road the same way he’d come in.
I’d wanted to walk the mile into town that evening to meet Finn, but he insisted on picking me up at our rental. And Aunt Meryl fully supported me not only going out with but also getting into a car with a stranger I hardly knew.
I was pretty sure my mother would be rolling over in her grave right now. Mom was cautious. Careful. Like me.
I want to be here, I reminded myself. Even though this trip wasn’t supposed to be about meeting boys, being around Finn made me feel more alive than I had in the last four weeks.
With him, I felt something other than unspeakable sadness or, at best, numbness.
Even still, I had a charged cell phone just in case, and I’d saved the phone number for a local cab company.
And in the worst-case scenario, I could walk back to the house.
“Your aunt’s hilarious,” Finn said. His arm was draped over the wheel casually, practically driving it with his wrist alone. His carefree attitude left me dazzled, jealous,andnervous all at once.
“She’s… eccentric.”
“I’m into it,” he said, clicking on his directional at the stop sign.
My brows lifted. “You’reintoAunt Meryl?”
He stole a quick look at me, before bringing his eyes back to the road as he took a right turn. “Not likethat. Jeez, Haylee. Don’t make it weird. I just meant, she’s cool.”
“My mom used to call her a free spirit.” The words left my mouth before I realized what I was saying.
“Used to?” Finn asked.
“Yeah, used to. She… died.” The words echoed, feeling hollow in my ears.
“Oh.”
