Chapter 5
Lainie
I watch as Keeton appears from around the side of the building driving a sleek black sports car. Anew,sleek black sports car. “What the…?”
“Sweet ride isn’t it?” says Eric at my side. He’s holding my purse as well as a sweater, umbrella, and a coat from the backseat.
“That’sthe loaner?”
“Loaner? Sure. If Keeton says so.”
Something tells me that’snota loaner.
Keeton pulls up next to me, turning the car off before opening the door. “I can’t drivethat.” I say pointing at the five-million-dollar car.
“Sure, you can. It’s an automatic. I wasn’t sure if you could drive a manual.”
“I can’t drive a manual.” I look at the car again and back to Keeton. “Can my sister drive it if she needs to?”
“Of course. No problem.” Keeton’s smiling. He looks sincere.
“Okay. Fine. But, please don’t fix anything on my car until you talk to me. If it’s too expensive to fix, I’ll have to talk to Keely.”
“Who’s Keely?” asks Eric.
“No one,” grunts Keeton.
“My little sister.”
“Sister, huh? Is she as hot as you?”
Is he kidding? I sputter for a second until I can think of a reply. “Keely’s beautiful. She’s sort of my exact opposite.”
Both men stare at me for a second. “Baby.” Keeton says stepping closer to me. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid eyes on. If your sister is the opposite, then she must be a real dog.”
Eric chuckles. This entire conversation is confusing me. I pull my phone out of the pocket in my dress. Opening the photo app, I search for the picture of Keely from last summer. Her blonde hair is long and wavy around her shoulders. She’s wearing a pretty white strapless sundress that shows off her perfect tan. It’s my favorite picture of her. “Here.” I hold out the image in front of the men. They’ll see what I mean. They both stare at Keely, then at me.
“She’s cute. That’s for sure,” says Eric. “But, you’re just as gorgeous, babe.”
“Knock off with thebabe, asshole.” Keeton barks. He turns to me. “I stand by my previous statement, Lainie.”
It takes me a minute to recall what his previous statement was. He’s said a lot of things today. I’m the most beautiful girl he’s ever seen? Impossible. “Okay, whatever.” I shrug. I’m not going to get into a pissing match about who’s prettier, me or my sister, because I already know. Keely’s way prettier. I’m tempted to show them the rest of my sisters. They’re prettier too. And I’m not saying that to get compliments. It’s just a fact.
“Hop in. Call me later.” He pauses. “Or tomorrow. Let me know what you decide.”
I walk around the open car door and lean inside. I can smell the leather seats from here. The interior is black and sleek like the outside of the car. There are knobs and gadgets all over the dash. It’s over the top fancy and luxurious. “What kind of car is this?”
“BMW,” Keeton mumbles.
“It’s a BMW M240i xDrive Coupe,” Eric adds smugly.
I have no idea what he just said but it sounds fancy and expensive. I’m tempted to look it up online but then I think if I did, I’d never drive the car again. “Oh. Wow. That sounds…”
Keeton chuckles. “It’s just a car, Lainie. Hop in.”
I slide onto the smooth leather and inhale. It smells like new car smell and him––musky and manly. I run my hands over the leather steering wheel and then let my right-hand slide over the gear shift. I think I hear Keeton make a noise but when I look over at him, he’s silent. Just watching me admire his wheels, I guess. I look for the key but there’s only a button. “Where do you put the key?”
Leaning down until he’s a breath away, Keeton says, “No key. There’s a fob in the cup holder. Put it in your purse. The car will unlock for you as soon as you touch the door handle. To start it, put your foot on the brake and press the button.”
