“I’m sure I’ll survive,” he says, then mutters, “Unlike if you were driving.”
I gasp, my head turning to him in an instant. “What is that supposed to mean? I’m a great driver, thank you very much. I’ll have you know that I passed my test on the first try.”
Vinnie doesn’t look impressed. “I rode behind you on the way here, remember? Babe, you suck. You swerve all over the road, probably because you’re singing along to some terrible song and not paying attention to what you’re doing. I saw you dancing too, and the car was flying all over the place. Don’t even get me started on the way you slam your foot on the brakes.” He glances at me and says, “I don’t know what the brakes ever did to you, but there’s no reason to kick the shit out of them.”
I roll my eyes at his exaggeration. “I’ve had only one accident, and that wasn’t even my fault. No one else has ever complained about my driving.” I pause and add, “I’m such a good driver that I get to sing and add in little dance moves when I see fit.”
“Sing and dance all you want on this trip, because I’m driving the whole fuckin’ way,” he says, softening the blow with a cheeky grin. “You can even listen to any music you want. I have a great skill of being able to block shit out when I don’t want to deal with it.”
“Charming,” I mutter, pursing my lips. Still, I turn on the radio, letting the music fill the car. Twenty minutes into the drive, I sigh heavily. “I’m hungry.”
“We planned to stop in about half an hour, so can you wait? If not there’s some snacks in the back. I got chips, chocolate, and bottled water.”
I turn around and see a plastic bag on the car seat that I didn’t notice before. I go through it and pull out a packet of chips. “You’re the best.”
“Can’t have my woman hungry, can I?” he says, reaching over to squeeze my thigh. I’m about to tell him how sweet he is when he continues talking. “Then I’d have to deal with you being grumpy the whole night. What’s it called? Hangry?”
“Hangry?”
“Yeah, when your hunger makes you angry.”
“I don’t get angry,” I say, scowling at him, then forcing my lips to soften to prove my point. “See? All smiles.” I shove a chip in my mouth. “Do you want one?”
“No, thank you,” he says, mouth twitching. “I don’t know how you can eat those.”
It’s the habanero ones I always get from the store; they’re my favorite, but after a while my mouth does start to burn a little. I must like it though, because I keep going back for more.
“They’re addictive,” I say, crunching into another one. “You’ve never even tried one, yet you don’t like them.”
“I can barely eat pepper, Shay,” he says, making me laugh. It’s true, he couldn’t really handle much of any spice.
“You think that’s funny, huh?”
“I do, it’s like we’re opposites.”
“Opposites attract,” he says, running his hand down my thigh.
“That they do. Are you sure you don’t want me to drive? Just let me know if you get tired. I won’t kill us, okay? I promise. Wouldn’t want to do the mobsters’ work for them.”
Vinnie smirks and says, “Shay, you’ll be asleep in an hour. Trust me. Especially if you play your Sam Smith CD.”
“You don’t know that.”
He puts in my Sam Smith CD.
I sleep for the rest of the drive.
THIRTY-TWO
“YOU wanted me to sleep so you could have a peaceful drive, didn’t you?” I ask him as we walk toward the house.
I pull out my key and hand it to him. The real estate agent will be here tomorrow morning, so I have all of tonight to take what I want. Vinnie said he’ll hire people to pack the rest of the stuff, so I don’t have to do it myself. I don’t really need anything from here—other than some clothes and belongings, everything is replaceable. The only thing I do want to take is my mom’s jewelry, something to remember my father by, and our old family photo albums.
“I wanted you to rest because I know that being back at your father’s house is going to be hard for you—both physically and mentally draining,” he says, looking out toward the road, probably waiting for the rumble of Sin’s bike.
“I’ll be fine,” I say gently, wrapping my arm around his waist. “But thank you for looking out for me.”
“That’s what I’m here for,” he says, eyes softening on me before he goes back to paying attention to his surroundings. He’s on alert, I notice, and probably with good reason. It would go without saying that people would be watching this house, and probably have been for a very long time. I look around myself but see nothing. Then again, what do I know? I hear Sin’s bike before I see it. He parks next to Vinnie’s four-wheel drive, dust filling the air.
“It’s so weird being here,” I say to Vinnie, shifting on my feet.
“This is probably the biggest house I’ve ever seen in my life,” he says, arm tightening around me.
So much has changed since I called this house home. Being back here is like stepping into the past, and bringing Vinnie with me is like mixing past, present, and future. Sin walks up to us, removing his leather jacket as he looks around.
“How was the ride?” Vinnie asks, with a tinge of longing in his voice. I know he couldn’t take his bike because we need to bring my stuff back, even though I told him that I could easily drive alone like last time.