“Next trip to the car wash, yeah. I think this smell is something you'll want to skip.”
Addison pouted. “But I wanna smell it.”
“I’ll be back. Feel free to show these two the door any time,” he said, gesturing between his step-mom and Gracie.
“Boy, if you don’t get lost,” Monica said, shooting him that look that let him know she was still the boss.
“No, I love having you ladies here. I still feel new to L.A.. It’s so nice to meet more people outside of the hospital.”
“Okay, well you keep this women’s bruncheon going. I’ll be back.” Rafe kissed Monica on the cheek and high fived his sister and the girls. He tried not to make it too weird by just offering Sloan a firm nod. Back out in the garage, he opened the garage door so he wouldn’t be trapped inside that funk coffin a moment longer than he had to be. When the door was all the way up, he took a deep breath, then climbed behind the wheel.
Three hours and two rotten bag lunches later, Rafe pulled back into Sloan’s driveway. Monica and Gracie had left about an hour before, according to the text Gracie sent him.
We bounced.
Sloan is so cool!
Marry her.
He sent back a gif of Danny DeVito shaking his head no. Gracie replied with a few laughing emojis. The smell was gone, but Rafe knew that stench would haunt his nostrils for years to come. He was exhausted after sitting outside in the pounding heat. Even under the shaded waiting area at the car wash, he’d started to sweat. Blasting the AC helped cool him down and circulate the strong new car smell coming from the air freshers, but he was still a little worn out. He took a few seconds to shift gears before walking back into the house.
“It’s me,” he called out. He found Sloan and the girls cuddled up together on the couch, watchingMoana. He’d spent over a decade of Sundays coming home to find the parents and kids he worked for going about their afternoons and evenings, but something about this felt different. He knew what it was, but he decided to ignore what it meant and how ridiculous it made him sound.
“How’d it go?” she asked.
“Good. Your car smells springtime fresh.”
“Did you find out what it was?”
“Two sandwiches that I think contained a type of lunch meat and two rotten oranges.”
“What the—didn’t I make you guys turkey sandwiches last Monday? For your trip to the beach?”
“Yeah…” Avery sounded real damn guilty.
“Tess wanted Tito’s for lunch, but she told us not to tell you,” Addison said.
“Did you hide your sandwiches under the seat?”
“Yeah…”
“One under the seat and one tucked up in the backseat. Center cup holders,” Rafe added. It was ingenious really, how one of them had perfectly arranged the bag lunch so the orange fit in the cup hole. Finding that was an extra fun surprise.
Sloan squeezed her eyes shut and let out a deep breath. “Okay.”
“Are you mad?” Addison asked.
“I am upset with Tess. Not with you. It’s okay. But from now on, please don’t leave any food in the car if you can remember, okay?” She glanced at Rafe like she knew it was a pipe dream, but she at least had to try.
“I will remember,” Avery replied, her attention already back on the screen. Rafe made a note to check the car every night, just in case.
“Can we work on my puzzle now?” Addison asked. She was also ready to move on.
“Absolutely. Let me just go change my shirt.”
“You’re not technically on. You still have some time to yourself,” Sloan reminded him.
“I know, but I’m also in the mood for a good puzzle.”
