Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94653 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“Fine,” she growls with an angry huff, sliding in beside me and slamming the door shut with more force than necessary.
She stares straight ahead as I shift into first and then second, pulling out of the parking lot and into traffic, which is always busy near campus no matter the time.
When she remains silent, I ask, “Why the sudden urge to learn how to drive a manual?” As soon as the question flies out of my mouth, I’m slammed with the answer, and my tone instantly softens. “They’re giving you the Porsche?”
I glance at her just in time to see her shoulders slump as if the weight of the world rests on those slender bones.
“Yeah. My parents are threatening to sell it since it’s just sitting in the garage.”
Her words are like a gut punch and leave me wheezing for breath.
Miles loved that car. His father bought it for him right before he turned sixteen. He spent that year working on it, getting it to purr. I can remember sitting in the oversized garage after hockey practice and watching him fiddle with the transmission. They were ordinary moments when we’d shoot the shit, but they’re some of my most cherished.
I glance at her. “Why would they do that?”
“You know why,” she grounds out.
“No, I don’t. It’s not like your folks need the money. I assume they no longer want the reminder sitting around, taking up space.”
“Nailed it.” Her voice is flat, devoid of emotion.
For some reason, her response pricks at me. None of this makes sense. Fallyn selling her virginity. Getting a job at Slap Shotz. This is what someone who’s cash strapped and desperate does. Not a girl who comes from a family flush with money. The company our parents co-own has only made them wealthier.
After all these years, it makes sense that Hugo and Eleanor would finally part with the vehicle. But why wouldn’t they just give it to Fallyn?
“So, let me get this straight,” I say slowly, trying to work it all out in my head. “They agreed to let you have the Porsche if you learned how to drive it?”
“Yeah,” she says warily, the bitterness that had flared to life surprisingly absent from her response.
“Okay. Here’s the deal—I’ll teach you if you let me drive you to and from work until you get your license and have your own mode of transportation.”
Her expression transforms into one of disbelief as she swings toward me. “Forget it.”
I shrug and watch her from the corner of my eye. “Is there someone else who can teach you?” I hold my breath, hoping like hell there’s not. My guess is that she wouldn’t have asked me unless she had no other choice.
Including the devil himself.
With gritted teeth, she shifts and stares straight ahead. “No.”
Relief escapes from my lungs like a tire with a slow leak. “That’s what I want in return. To make sure you’re safe. I’ll pick you up and drop you off from Slap Shotz each time you work. Take it or leave it, Fallyn. That’s my final offer.”
I really hope she’ll take it. The last thing I want is for her to tell me to fuck off and that she’ll find someone else to teach her.
Then I’d have to kill them.
With my bare hands.
I flex my fingers against the wheel in order to release some of the growing tension.
When she remains silent, I add, “You shouldn’t be walking home alone at two o’clock in the morning anyway. It’s dangerous. You’re just asking for trouble. You realize that, right?”
“I really fucking hate you,” she whispers, voice cracking with pent-up emotion.
My shoulders collapse at the animosity that bleeds through her tone. I can’t even take joy at her capitulation or the fact that I’ve managed to strong arm her into spending time with me after all these years.
“I know.”
As soon as I pull into the parking lot at Slap Shotz, Fallyn jerks the handle and jumps out of the vehicle, stalking to the brick building. My heart twists as I watch her slip inside the door and disappear from sight. Only then do I pull into traffic and head to campus, knowing I’ll be back after practice to keep an eye on things.
On her.
Chapter 13
Fallyn
“Next time you work, we’ll divide the place up into sections. It’s pretty easy, don’t you think?”
Easy?
Ha!
I’ve been running my ass off nonstop since I stepped foot through the door. But Erin, one of the waitresses who works here, has been great, helping me out and smoothing over any mistakes I’ve made when placing an order with a bartender or dropping off a tray full of drinks.
“It’s been something but easy, isn’t it,” I joke.
She flashes a grin. “Trust me, it’ll get better. It won’t always feel so hectic, even when it’s busy. Most of the customers are pretty chill.”