The words that leave his mouth next leave me even more dazed and confused. “Goodnight, Elodie.”
And then he’s gone, walking back to his room, leaving me standing there, wondering why the hell my boss just kissed me—and knowing that it was the best kiss of my life.
Chapter 13
Henley
French Toast & Pink Paint
Fuck, I shouldn’t have kissed her.
“Henley? Are you listening to me?” Carol’s voice cuts through my thoughts. I look up from the dining room table to find her staring at me, Remy nestled against her chest while Nick and Dilynne work their way through plates of French toast.
“Sorry. I blanked for a second,” I lie, knowing full well where my mind was just now.
It’s Sunday morning and Carol and Nick invited me and Dilynne over for breakfast. They’ll do this every once in a while since my sister is obsessed with Carol’s French toast. The other reason they invited us was to see Remy, especially after her ER visit last night, which we’ve already dissected in great detail. I’ve only been able to bring her by once since she’s entered my life, but since Carol and Nick are the closestthing to grandparents she’ll have, I want to make sure they have a relationship with her.
“I said, how’s the lodge?”
“Good. Waiting for that first snow so we can get the slopes open, but my snow machine is on standby just in case.”
“It’s nearly October. Give it a few weeks and I bet we have some snow on the ground,” Nick says as he cuts into his French toast. His eyes drift over to my sister who’s been abnormally quiet, but that’s probably because she’s stuffing her face. “When’s your next car show, Dilynne?”
My sister looks up from her plate, syrup dripping down her chin. “What?”
Carol laughs. “Nick, you know better than to ask Dilynne anything while she’s eating my French toast.” With a wink, she turns her attention back to Remy, holding her hand. “Just wait until you can try it, little girl. You’re gonna be begging your daddy to bring you over here as well.”
Dilynne wipes her face with her napkin. “It is obsession worthy, Remy,” she says to my daughter and then turns back to Nick. “My next show is in a few weeks. I’m taking the ’56 Bel Air to the Springfield Car Show in Ohio.”
“Does this one have a prize?”
“No, it’s more for networking. I want to get my name out there more before Motorlux next August.”
“You got into that show?” I ask my sister.
Her smile is instant. “Hell yeah I did, and I’m going to auction off the Porsche 356.”
Nick’s mouth drops open. “Seriously?”
The look of determination on Dilynne’s face shouldn’t surprise any of us. “Yup. And when I get top dollar for it, Vinnie won’t be able to say another word about how everything I know is because of him.”
Vinnie Delatorre is my sister’s one and only ex. They dated for four years when my sister first started going to car shows, but their relationship ended disastrously. Let’s just say Dilynne made sure one of Vinnie’s beloved cars paid the price when she found out he betrayed her. She’s been on a mission to prove herself and that she belongs in the restoration industry ever since, even though no one who knows her has ever questioned that.
“Do you need any help?” Nick asks. “You know I’d love to get my hands on the car.”
Dilynne covers his hand with her own. Nick’s a huge reason my sister fell in love with cars. When we moved in with him and Carol, he introduced her to Barrett-Jackson Auctions on the History channel, and the rest was history, pun intended.
“I appreciate the offer, but I really want to complete this one on my own. I’m not even letting Steven touch it. I’ve already made some progress on the body. The engine is next and will take the bulk of my time leading up to the event.”
“Then can I at least come watch you work?” Nick prods.
Dilynne laughs. “Of course you can, old man.”
Nick turns to me, the smile on his face reminiscent of a kid in a candy store. “I can’t believe my girl is going to Motorlux. I’m so proud.”
As soon as he says the words, a realization dawns on me. Nick isn’t even our biological dad, but the pride he has for Dilynne would make you think she’s his own. We sure as shit never heard those words from our real dad growing up.
I glance at my daughter and wonder what she’ll be interested in as she grows, and how proud the simplest things she does will make me. Will she take dance classes or play t-ball? Will she want to play football with the boys? Or will she be an artist, maybe teacher?
