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“Did she believe you?”

“I think so.”

He gave a single nod, then put the car in reverse.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Not giving her the chance to see us again.”

“My car’s here.”

“Can I drive you back in a little bit? When we’re sure she’s gone?”

“Yeah, okay.”

It wasn’t until he pulled out of the parking lot and was driving in the opposite direction of our neighborhood that my shoulders relaxed and I felt like I could breathe again.

His grip on the steering wheel seemed to relax as well.

“Nice car,” I said, taking in the leather interior and lit-up screens. I didn’t know much about car brands and gadgets, but I did know this was fancier than any car I’d ever sat in.

“Are you going to make another comment about how spoiled I am?”

“Don’t think I have to,” I said with a smile.

“Funny.”

“Where are we going?” I asked as he kept driving.

“I have a place in mind.”

Chapter 14

I’m not huge on surprises. I like to know what to expect. Prepare myself. I must’ve made some sort of sound of disapproval because Ryan added, “Don’t worry, you’ll like it.”

“How do you know what I’ll like?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“You like all things Christmas.”

I laughed. “Fair enough.” I took in our surroundings as we drove. The leaves had long since fallen off many of the trees and they looked like skeletons flanking the road, lit by the headlights. “What’s your favorite time of year?” I asked.

“Summer, of course. No school. All the water sports. Mountain biking. No freezing hands and noses. But you probably like freezing hands and noses?”

“Maybe not the being frozen part, but all the ways to get warm.”

His eyebrows popped up.

“Like fireplaces and hot chocolate,” I said quickly, smacking his arm. I felt my cheeks flush. Ugh.

He smiled. “Fireplaces and hot chocolate are nice.”

“And scarves and fuzzy gloves and heating pads. Things you can’t use in the summer.”

“Things you don’t need to use in the summer because the sun is heating up your skin, and the barbecue is cooking perfect steaks, and the temperature is just right.”

“You can have summer,” I said.

“You’re giving it to me?”