Not like he’ll even want you, Kian.So don’t even go there. That’s not why you’re here.
Rhys interrupted my thoughts. “So I can either show you around, or you can rest, and we’ll have dinner later. Your choice.”
I thought about it. “I’m not really tired, so how about a little tour?”
Rhys grinned and linked our arms together, and we headed down a hallway, then pushed the door that opened into a kitchen.
“The fridge and freezer are fully stocked,” Rhys said. “Feel free to raid either and make whatever you want any time. Seriously, treat this as your place too.”
We’d already had this argument, but I felt the need to say again, “You know I can pay rent or even contribute to the utilities.”
Rhys shook his head and bumped my hip lightly. “Nope. But if you want, you can grab groceries if anything is running low. I will, too, although I forget easily. If you forget too, there’s always food at my parents’. By the way, they can’t wait to see you. Papa says you need a hug.”
I smiled because this was something I’d missed about my bestie. Rhys babbled when he was excited.
“Have I mentioned how thrilled I am that you’re here?” he asked.
“Once or twice,” I teased with a chuckle. “But I’m so happy I’m here too.”
“Good, now come on.” Rhys opened a door on the other side of the kitchen, not the one I could see led to a fenced-in garden. Instead, we stepped into a garage. Rhys unlinked our arms.
“Where did I keep that key?” he muttered to himself.
“We could take my car. It’s still out front,” I reminded him even as I shook my head because this was another very Rhys thing to do. I looked left, then right, and of course, there was a key holder.
“By any chance, are these the keys you’re looking for?” I asked, trying not to laugh as I slipped a set of keys off the hook.
He tapped his forehead. “Duh. Why do I never check there first?”
This was definitely a familiar conversation, so I simply laughed and tossed the keys over. As usual, Rhys caught them, even though I kinda sucked at the throw.
“All right, let’s boogie.” Rhys pulled a tarp off, and my mouth dropped open.
I looked at him, then back at the vehicle, then back at him, and found Rhys beaming with pride.
“Is that one of those mini kid cars for adults?” I asked. I couldn’t keep the surprise from my voice as I was looking at perhaps a black Mini Jeep? I wasn’t sure what it was.
“No, silly.” Rhys walked over and patted it like a proud papa. “It’s a UTV, kind of like an ATV but not.”
“Uhhh?” I raised a brow because that wasn’t really an explanation.
Rhys chuckled and got in, bidding, “Come on.”
I walked over and saw that it did look like one of those things you saw people on safaris riding in. But this one only seated two. I opened the low doors and got in, surprised to see it had seatbelts and even a display console.
I looked up to find Rhys’s eyes on me. “Buckle up,” he said.
I shook my head at the excited gleam in his eyes. “Did you just get this?”
He nodded, smiling. “Yup, came in two days ago, been dying to take it out.” Rhys turned on the engine and caressed the wheel like a lover. “She’s a beauty, right? 2021 Yamaha Wolverine RMAX 1000.” He said it like I would know what that meant. “I was going to get the Honda Pioneer since it’s got space for kids and all, but since I’m fresh out of those, this will have to do. By the way, I should tell you—the dating pool around here is nonexistent. I shoulda given you that heads-up before you packed up, huh?”
There was something in my friend’s voice, but when I looked over at him, he fiddled with something and refused to look my way. Before I could ask Rhys if he wanted to talk, the garage door opened. “All right, let’s get this show on the road.” And we were off.
“It’s not as loud as I thought it would be,” I said as we pulled out of the garage.
Rhys nodded and smiled. “I know, right? It gets louder on other settings, but since we’re just driving around the living area, there’s no need to show off those yet.”
“Do I need one of these?” I asked. “Because my Kia is cute and all, but I don’t think it was made for all-terrain.”
