I nearly whimper, but hold back the tiny sound before it comes out of my mouth. “He did?” I laugh, breathy and unsteady. “Well, I do love my car.”
Do I sound like an idiot? Yes. Does Levi notice? I’m not sure. He just smiles at me and waves us around to the back, pulling my key out of his pocket. His nice sweater looks like it needs a good washing, and I’m seriously tempted to ask why he’s wearing it. But Tom is here, and Tom doesn’t seem confused or curious. I’d rather not be the one to ask a question when the obvious answer is lost only to me, so I press my lips together.
Levi unlocks my car and grabs some paperwork off the dashboard, then hands me my key. “Everything’s set to go,” he says. The light from the streetlamps along the road is a nice accent to the sharp features of his face. He grins.
“Thanks, dude.” Tom shakes his hand again and pats my shoulder. “Bye, Bee.”
When Tom is halfway across the lot to his car, I realize I’m still staring after him and that Levi is staring at me.
I face him, thankful for the semi-darkness to hide my blushing skin. “Thanks, Levi. I appreciate you staying late and everything.”
He shrugs. “It’s nothing. I was already going to be here.”
I smile, hold up the key, and reach for the door handle. “I’ll let you get back to it, then?”
He presses his lips together in a thin smile and doesn’t let go of my gaze. “Do you have a name for your car?”
I am completely taken aback by this question. “Oh, um. No?”
“Well, good. We started calling her Sylvie around the shop—because she’s silver. Just wanted you to know, in case she doesn’t come when you call anymore.”
It takes me a second too long to catch the joke.
Oh.
Oh, he’s good. Really good. So charming that I’m lost to his actual words. “Well, I suppose that settles it?” Bee, stop with the questions that are supposed to be statements.
He nods with finality.
I roll down my window and close the door, but he hasn’t left yet. I hook up my iPhone and ask, “So, how do you like working here?”
Look at me, making conversation with a cute boy all by myself!
“It’s a good time. Keagan got me the job—he knows I grew up on cars.”
“The guys are good company.”
Levi’s smile agrees with me (in more ways than one). “How come I’ve never seen you here?” he asks, as if he’s genuinely interested.
“Oh, just, graduation and a new job.” I smile at him as sweetly as I can, but inside…I swear there’s an angry gorilla in my chest, pounding out a jungle rhythm. “Thanks again,” I say. I need to get out of here. He’s so distracting, dammit. Distractingly beautiful. (Beautifully distracting?) Besides, I talk way too much when I’m nervous. I’m about to start babbling, and that will be the worst thing imaginable.
He understands I want to leave (Oh dear, I hope I’m not being rude) and backs up. “See you around, Bee,” he says, his voice lazy in that California way. I want to box it up and save it for a sad day.
Then, just like a snap of my fingers, he’s heading back to the shop, and I leave him behind.
See you around, Bee.
Chapter 5
“Bee? Did you pick up the bill?”
These are the first words I hear when I get home from Mike’s. I pause mid-stride, frowning, and backtrack. I put my head around the doorframe to find my mom sitting on the couch, checkbook in hand, her floral-patterned glasses falling off her nose. “What bill?” I ask.
“Didn’t Tom tell you?” she inquires without looking up.
I shake my head. “No.”
“He’s so busted,” Mama says, laughing, but I can tell she’s only half joking. “I told him to tell you to get the bill from Michael tonight. Remember the little job he did for your dad two weeks ago?”
“Oh, yeah. He can’t just mail it to you?”
“Well, he’s going to have to now. Unless you can pick it up tomorrow?”
I swallow. “Pick it up? Maybe.” I totally can, since I only work a four hour shift tomorrow, but the possibility of me making a fool of myself in front of Levi is very real. I already feel like I should be banned from spending extended periods of time with The Boy. If I can sneak in, grab the check, and get out before anyone can spot me, it will all be fine.
“Would you, please, baby?”
I swallow again—and nod. My social failures shouldn’t stop me from saving my mother from Tom’s lack of memory. “But only because Tom’s sleeping all day tomorrow. I have a few choice words for him…”
She chuckles. “Just make sure they’re nice. And Bee?” she asks as I turn again.
I smile at her over my shoulder.
She pauses over her work for a second, as if carefully choosing her words. “Do you…have any leads?”
My smile droops, because I instantly know what she’s talking about, and I don’t want to discuss it right now. “Um. No?”
Thing You Should Know About Me #601: I love a lot of things. I find genetics fascinating, and fashion trends, and gourmet cooking, and astronomy, and architecture and interior decorating and production. Which is why it is incredibly hard for me to figure out what to study and where to study. I decided shortly before graduation to take a gap year, which I think worries my mom. I’m pretty sure she imagines me homeless at twenty-five whenever this topic comes up.
“Are you doing research?” she asks.
I approach her and kiss her cheek. “Yes, of course,” I say, and instantly feel guilty for the white lie. It isn’t that I don’t want to research, I just haven’t had time these last few weeks. “I’ll have a lead soon, I’m sure.”
Possibly another white lie, but a very hopeful one.
My mom smiles. “Okay, Baby Bee.”
I smile back. “Okay. I’m going to get some sleep.”
She lets me go with another kiss and I hurry to my room. I try to shut my door behind me, but Tom appears out of nowhere and follows me in. He gives me a relieved look.
“What?” I ask as he leans against the doorframe.
“Thanks for saving my ass. I totally forgot.”
I shake my head at him. “Don’t you have to be at work?”
“I’m leaving in a few. Hey, I wanted you to know there’s a party tomorrow night at Keagan’s. You should come—it’s the first party of the summer.”
I raise both eyebrows. “Um…if I’m not too tired?”
“You can get the check from Michael, if you don’t want to go back to the shop.”
“Yeah, okay, probably.”
He stares at me.
“Okay, I’ll go.” I laugh at his look of pure excitement.
He grins. “Excellent. Maybe I can get you to play pool this time.”
“Don’t press your luck. Now get out and go to work, you turd.”
“Sleep well, Beef,” he says, kissing my forehead.
I roll my eyes at his stupid nickname for me, watching him go, and shut the door behind him. Since he sleeps most of the time I’m actually home (stupid night shift), I miss him more than I expected I would when he first got this job months ago.
I pull out my phone and text Michael to ask if he can bring the check to the party. Then I switch apps. As expected, Gretchen has messaged me, and she’s still awake—even though it’s one o’clock in the morning her time.
Bee