I nodded automatically, resisting the urge to tell him I’d sold the family vehicles years ago and that there was nothing here to repossess anymore. I cleared my throat instead and offered him a polite smile, hoping like hell another creditor hadn’t somehow climbed out of the woodwork. “Uh, yes. That’s me. How can I help you?”
“Sign here, please.” He gingerly made his way up the steps, carefully gripping the railing, and then thrust the tablet toward me when he reached the stoop.
Before I asked what I was signing for, I took another glance at the truck, trying to piece it together, but that was when I saw it. A brand new Bentley being offloaded by the man’s coworker.
It was jet black and impossibly sleek, now sitting in my driveway like it had found a new home. My heart started pounding and my stomach flip-flopped so hard, I had to set my coffee down on the windowsill next to the door or it would slosh out all over my hands.
The man tried handing me the tablet again. “We just need your signature, Dr Thayer-Westwood.”
I didn’t ask why the car was here or who had sent it. I just signed on the dotted line without even being able to feel my own hand. I gawked at the car, the polished curves the kind of luxury that surely didn’t belong anywhere near me.
“Thanks, Doctor,” the man said when I handed back his tablet. “Congratulations on a fine purchase.”
I nodded lamely, trying to remember how to breathe as he tipped his head at me and took off. Snow settled softly on the hood of my new car. I stood in the doorway far longer than necessary, wondering if I was going to wake up from this dream.
From all of it but most especially Alex. There was no way he’d meant to havethiscar delivered here.Right?
The other day, he’d mentioned wanting to buy me a car, but this was more than justa car. It was a masterpiece ofengineering and I was relatively sure the towing company had gotten the delivery addresses mixed up. Perhaps this wasAlex’snew car and they’d meant to bring me his old one. Or something like that.
I couldn’t even bring myself to look inside at the luxury interior, just spinning around and heading back into the house. Feeling faintly like my knees had turned into goo, I closed the door, leaned my forehead against the wood for a moment, and exhaled, but my phone rang before I could spiral too far.
His name lit up the screen, an excited smile in his voice when I answered. “Killer! I knew you’d be awake.”
“It’s hard to sleep with a tow truck grinding in my driveway at dawn.”
He hummed an unapologetic sound. “Do you like it?”
My heart thudded against my ribs. “You sent a Bentley to my house.”
“Yes.”
I groaned. “Alex.”
“Jane.”
Realization started dawning then and my head shook. “No way.”
He chuckled, sounding way too pleased with himself. “Yes way.”
I walked back to the window and stared at the car again, watching as snow collected in delicate lines along the windshield. “You can’t justdothings like this.”
“Oh, but I can, and I will. More importantly, I have.”
“Alex—”
“I’m not deciding your life,” he cut in gently. “I’m solving a problem. Your transport situation was unacceptable.”
I laughed once, wondering if the car would still be there if I pinched myself. “Between Uber, taxis, and the train, I manage.”
“You run a major company.”
“Yes, and other people drive me around. So what if some of them are train conductors?”
“Not anymore.”
There it was again, that calm, infuriating certainty. The same tone he’d used in my office when he’d wrapped his arms around me like I might break if he didn’t.
“If I accept this, and that’s a bigif,” I said quietly. “This has to be the last time. You can’t keep buying me things like aBentley.”
