“You have a point.”
“You know I’m right,” I say to him. “Up you go, big man.”
He chuckles as he stands and follows me toward the glass front doors of the dealership.
“I think the SUV is going to be perfect for my business.”
“It has a good engine on it, but you’re going to pay a ton for gas with that hemi.”
“Oh. I didn’t notice,” I say, playing stupid, but I totally did. “Is that good?” I know the thing is going to purr when I start it. Hemi engines always do.
“If you like horsepower and speed, it is.”
“I want something that when a car hits it, they bounce off and not the other way around.”
“That’ll be this one,” he says as we stop in front of the beautiful black SUV.
Everything is black. The grill. The wheels. Therims. Even the windows are tinted. “I love it so much,” I say as I drag my finger over the newly polished paint. “I need to drive it.” I push the button on the remote, and the doors unlock, sending a thrill through me.
“Do you know what to do with this much power?”
“Handle it like a boss,” I tell him as I open the door and climb inside.
Oliver’s laugh makes me giggle in return. “You’re something else, Lulu. You’re funny as shit.”
“You won’t be laughing when I handle the turns.”
“That’s hard to do when the speed limit is twenty-five in the city.”
“Can we take it on the freeway?”
His happy face falls instantly. “You want to take this on the freeway?”
I nod quickly. “Well, of course.”
“Then let’s do it. I want to see what you think is fast.”
I raise an eyebrow, loving a challenge. “If there’s no traffic, I’m going to make your heart stop.”
“You already do,” he whispers.
“What?” I ask, because I’m not sure I heard him right.
“I’m ready,” he says, but I know that’s not what he muttered before.
“Buckle up, buddy,” I tell him as I reach behind my shoulder and grab the seat belt. “This is going to be a wild ride.”
“Oh boy,” he mutters as he grabs the seat belt and clicks in before gripping the handle on the side door.
“Scared?” I ask, teasing him. I’m going to drive like a grandma. I already have enough tickets, and the last thing I need is more. But it was fun to joke about it and see the panic start to rise behind his eyes.
“A little.” He gives me a nervous smile as I ease the car into drive.
“It’s good to get your blood pumping a little each day.”
“I’d prefer it not to be from fear of dying.”
I chuckle. “You’re too easy,” I tell him, finally coming clean. “I’m not going to hurt this baby before I have a chance to buy her. Anyway, I have too many tickets right now to risk getting another one. They’re so damn expensive too.”
