Page 34 of Plaidypus
I eyed my new car with interest. “Is there any reason I shouldn’t take my truck beyond the mileage?”
“Beyond the fact I really want to take your truck for a spin and get mud on the tires?”
Ah. My brother wanted to have some fun after a lot of time stuck indoors. As he’d been struggling to adapt to life as a vampire, I nodded. “All right. You can play with my truck once she arrives in New York. I’ll go on a road trip with the car. To keep the internet from killing us, you can take pictures while I introduce myself to my truck, and I’m going to drive you to the airport in her. She’s far too pretty to be a man. It might help soothe the fragile nerves of any men who might enter my life and my truck. She won’t be competition this way.”
“She’s always going to be competition, Nadine. A smart man will just learn to love her almost as much as he loves you.”
My brows shot up. “Damn, Matthieu. If you talk that way to women who aren’t me, you might not stay single.”
“Really?”
“Really. Women like handsome, sensible men—and understanding the relationship between a woman and her truck is true sensibility.”
“Just go introduce yourself to your truck so I can take pictures and get to the airport. I’d rather not miss my flight.”
I drovemy new truck to the airport to drop my brother off while a woman from the CDC kept an eye on my car and played nice with the dealership. During the wait for our turn at the drop-off zone, I fidgeted, drumming my fingers on the wheel. True to his word, he’d gotten several steering wheel covers for me to choose from along with decals and seatbelt wraps, which I would do once I made it to New York. “Are you sure you want to fly by yourself, Matthieu?”
“If I am not in attendance, you can stop at every lycanthrope-friendly spa on the way to New York. There is surely a rock and mineral showsomewherenearby, and I bet you could find a bookstore in every town you venture through if you try hard enough. I had to turn off donations to the fundraiser because there was too much money, Nadine. I’m sending you plenty to go have a good time with. A bunch of people left notes to give you the money to have a good time since you sacrificed so much taking care of me.”
Sometimes, the internet amazed me with its generosity. Never for a moment had I anticipated being the target of any acts of kindness. “If I buy a book in every town, will they all fit in my car?”
“Go find out.”
“Funny.”
“But true. It’s a good idea. You need some time for you. Me flying to New York will let you have some time alone, something you haven’t had since the accident. You’ll feel better after having some independence back. While you’re being independent, I am going to be doted upon by our parents. By the time you arrive, they’ll have gotten it out of their system. I’m sacrificing myself for you.”
Despite my concerns for my brother, I laughed. “All right, all right. I’ll go on a road trip in the car, and I’ll have that CDC rep take a video of me telling my truck to be good while I’m gone. Please tell me the internet knows about my car?”
“I posted a video about it, which includes our parents complaining about your disgusting tendency to take care of yourself. Mom crowed her triumph over finally getting to get her baby a proper present. Dad showed up as a pony. It was ridiculous, so the internet loved it. We’re making a fortune in ad views on that.”
For fuck’s sake. I waited for a spot at the curb, parked, and shot my brother a glare. “Get out,” I ordered.
He laughed and opened his door. “I love you. Don’t be mad at me for long.”
“I’ll think about it. Love you, too. Behave for our parents, okay?”
“I’ll even prove to them I’m capable of doing chores without being threatened.”
“Eh? You can do chores?”
“Funny, Nadine.”
I grinned. “Go fly like a bird. Have a safe trip and don’t do anything stupid. Stay with the CDC, and only bite willing people.”
“I think I can handle that much. Have a good time on your drive, take pictures, and text me.”
“With what phone?” I complained, aware my phone didn’t have a plan that would work in the United States.
“The one that’s in your car. You can thank Dad for that one. There’s a laptop, too. In his words, yours is a piece of shit and you bring shame to our family.”
“They spent too much,” I muttered.
“And they did it in a way you can’t refuse. I weep for you, my beloved sister.”
“Get out of my truck.”
He obeyed, grinned at me, grabbed his backpack from the back seat, and waved before closing the doors and heading into the airport without looking back. I appreciated his confidence in his departure.
