“Do you like it?” he asked, watching me intently.
“Yes, of course! It’s gorgeous. It’s perfect. It’s just…”
“Good, then it’s yours,” he said, handing me the keys.
“Oh, my god,” I breathed. “I can’t believe you did this for me,” I marveled, walking around the car admiring every line, every detail.
“She purrs like a cat. Motor’s completely rebuilt, new sound, and brakes. It’s a safe ride as long as you ease off your lead foot,” he warned.
“You wanted me to drive slower so you bought me a muscle car?” I demanded incredulously.
He scratched his head so clearly baffled as to how to respond that I couldn’t help but break into laughter.
I threw my arms around him and kissed his neck. “I’ll be careful, promise,” I told him with a smile.
The drive home was amazing. She did indeed purr with a heady rumble that vibrated beneath me.
I took the long way, blasting music and loving the rumble of the engine as I hit the gas. The thought of Sal spending his free time working on this car for me was so touching that I didn’t quite know what to do with it. It was so thoughtful and generous.
I swung by Cole and Scar’s, revving the engine out front and squealing in delight when Cole opened the door, grinning and shaking his head at my antics. Scarlet was soon at his side, and after a quick exchange, she shot out of the house with a whoop.
“Let’s go for a ride!” she cried excitedly, hopping in as we roared off.
“Did you know?” I demanded over the music. The sound system he’d put in was amazing.
“Only recently,” she admitted. “It was so hard not to tell you, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of spoiling the surprise,” she told me, running her hand appreciatively over the black leather interior.
“It was a hell of a surprise,” I said as I grinned.
We drove for a little while in silence, hitting the freeway briefly before exiting to wind our way through downtown.
“Hey, I was wondering, do you think you could watch Gracie tomorrow night for a little bit?” she asked as we sat idling at an intersection.
“Sure, absolutely. What’s up?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I think Cole and I need to get out. He’s been so tense with all this stuff going on and we’re both sleep deprived. I think we need to go and have a few drinks. Have some time together,” she explained.
“Of course you do,” I agreed whole-heartedly. “I’d be happy to take her overnight even.” I offered.
“I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet, but I’ll talk to Cole,” she replied. “Thank you so much. I’ll return the favor someday,” she said as she winked.
I laughed a bit nervously. Sal and I hadn’t broached the kid topic. I was kind of afraid to bring it up.
I dropped her off from our quick joy ride with the agreement she’d drop Grace off before dinner the next night. I was excited to spend some time with my favorite infant, and I was glad to give Scarlet and Cole some time together.
“So what do we do with her?” Sal asked the next night, peering down at the baby as though she was some sort of science experiment. She had been dropped off fifteen minutes earlier with a few instructions from Scarlet and worried glances from Cole.
“Don’t worry, man, go out with your lady. Have fun,” Sal had instructed, practically pushing them out the door.
“Yeah, guys. Go have fun, remember fun?” I’d winked to Scar, repeating the words she’d shared so frequently with me.
She’d grinned as Cole slung an arm over her shoulder and guided them to his truck.
Now, we were alone with Grace and I tried not to be too amused with Sal’s look of distress. I lost the battle and looked up at him with a laugh. “She’s not going to do much, babe. She’s only a few months old. She’ll lay here until she starts crying and then she’ll probably want to eat or need a diaper change.”
He looked at me quizzically for a minute. “How do you know so much about babies?”
My face grew hot and I looked away. “Where we lived when I was growing up, there were a lot of less than stellar parents. I guess I just naturally became the resident babysitter whether I wanted to or not. I’m not as maternal as Scarlet, but I picked up a few tricks,” I shrugged, hoping he’d leave it at that.
