“Who said that’s all I have planned?”
Her back stiffens as a gleeful smile stretches over her face. “Are we egging Des’s house next?”
I side-eye her and shake my head. “I’ve unleashed a monster.”
She leans back and laughs, sinking into her seat. “You’re right. Des has a teacher’s sixth sense. Plus Maya is pretty diabolical. I’m not sure I want to wage a prank war with them.”
I sense her tone. “At least, not without some planning you mean?”
“Maaaybe.”
Clicking on the signal, I turn on the lone street. We pass a few houses, including her brother’s, as I make my way to the main event. It takes everything in me to keep my fingers still and my breathing even, even as my heart thumps wildly in my chest.
“Oh, are we going to your place?”
“Yep.”
“Why? It’s well past midnight.”
“You’ll see.”
My barn door is ajar, a light flickering through the cracks. I sigh in relief. So far, everything is going to plan.
Pulling into my driveway, I cut the engine, and she’s already leaping out of the truck, too curious to stay away. She raises up on her toes, trying to peek through the windows from across the gravel driveway.
“What’s going on in there?”
“I used my audiobook money to buy something.” I fish out a ring of keys from my rear pocket and jingle them.
“A new car?”
“Even better. A motorhome. I’m going to need your help repairing it.”
“You what?” She shakes her head. “I’m having déjà vu.”
“Enough questions. Come see for yourself.”
I dramatically slide the barn door open, and she gasps at the sleek silver RV parked inside. The paint gleams from my earlier wash, and the royal blue decals swish down the sides with artistic flair. Bright LED lights run along the top perimeter, wrapping all around the camper. Bigger than Des’s motorhome by eight feet, it’s lost the cab over the driver seat and is a box shape like a celebrity tour bus. A flat-screen TV hangs from one of the open compartments, positioned in front of the new outdoor rug and camping chairs.
She grabs my arm, still in shock.
My eyes ping-pong between her and the camper.
“So? What do you think?”
“You bought this?”
“I did.” I jingle the keys again.
“It’s nicer than anything I’ve ever lived in. I don’t think you’re going to need any repairs. It seems brand new.”
“It’s two years old. I just had to go pick it up.”
“Gary?”
I bark a laugh. “No, not Gary. It was when I was in California recording for the video game. One of the guys is upgrading to something bigger, if you can imagine that. So instead of flying back, I drove this house-on-wheels. It’s about time I did something with the audiobook money.”
“It’s beautiful. Goodness, I can’t wait to check out the engine on this thing. What’s the towing capacity?” She bends down and rubs her hand over the tread. “I’m guessing forty-inch tires?” Dipping her head lower, she peers underneath, and I drag her back into a standing position before she considers inspecting it further.
