Page 12 of A Little Twist
Britt gives my arm a squeeze before hopping out of the passenger’s side. “Thanks for the ride,Bubba. See you tomorrow, Cass!”
“Owen hates that nickname.” I exhale a laugh, glancing over my shoulder, but Cass is behind me in the dark backseat, almost like she’s hiding. “Want to climb up front? You’ll be more comfortable.”
She hesitates a moment before sliding over and stepping out of the open door and climbing into the front. The door closes with a solid thump, and she pulls the seatbelt across her shoulder as I back out of the driveway.
“I've always wanted to ride in one of these.” Her voice is quiet, her eyes tracing the console. “This is where my expertise ends. I know nothing about electric cars.”
“Good news—you don’t have to know much. There are no oil changes or fuel filters, and the only wear and tear is on the brake pads. Even that’s reduced by regenerative braking.”
“Impressive.” She lifts her chin. “And they send you wireless upgrades?VeryBig Brother.”
I don’t miss her tone. “It’s one less thing to worry about in my opinion.” My eyes drift to her smooth legs, her slim hands clasped in her lap.Is she nervous?I try to find a more neutral subject. “I heard you’re looking for a place to live?”
“Do you know of anything?”
“Not at the moment—just wondering where I'm taking you tonight.”
“Oh, sorry, I’m back at Carol’s, I guess.” She sighs heavily, slumping back in her seat.
“I thought you got along with your aunt?” I cast another glance at her face.
Her lips pull into a frown. “I do, I guess. She’s always taken care of me, made sure I had a roof over my head and clothes to wear, food to eat…”
“But?”
She presses her head against the headrest, pinching the bridge of her nose. “It sounds so childish and selfish.”
“Consider me forewarned.”
More hesitation, and I feel her gray-blue eyes sizing me up before she continues. “If you must know, she says I’m just like my mother. And the truth is, I’m afraid she might be right. I never went to college. I chase dreams that don’t pay anything and get me nowhere… My mother was broke and alone by the time she was thirty. The farthest she ever got was a small-town gig in a main-street honkey tonk.”
“I never met your mother, but as far as I can tell, you’re far from alone.” Easing my foot off the gas, I do my best to prolong the drive across our town of only four stoplights. “You have a beautiful voice. It’s been a while since I’ve heard it, but I remember.”
A tenuous silence falls between us, and I wonder if we’re finally going to address the elephant in the room.
“That would’ve been the first time you saw me naked.”
Yep, we’re going there.
“It was your voice that caught my attention. I had no idea you were skinny dipping.”
“You expect me to believe you were entranced by my voice and not my prepubescent nipples?”
“They were pubescent.” A tightness is in my lower stomach. “And I saw more than your nipples.”
“You don’t sound any more sorry now than you did then.”
“I wasn’t sorry, but itwasan accident, a lot like what happened this afternoon when you walked in on me.”
Silence falls between us, and she exhales a short laugh as I pull into her aunt’s driveway. “I guess that makes us even.”
“I wasn’t keeping score.”
“Me either.” A tentative smile curls her lips, and she reaches for the door.
I wonder if she remembers kissing me that day. On that, I am keeping score, and I’d like to make us even—right now would be nice.
I catch her forearm before she steps out of my car. “It’s going to work out for you, Cass.”