Page 25 of Colton
“How are you getting to work tomorrow?” Becca asks suddenly as she fidgets in her chair.
“I looked up the bus schedules this afternoon. There’s a bus that stops near here.”
“You’ll have to get up even earlier though, won’t you?” I ask.
Evie’s lip quirks. “But not nearly as early as I would have to if I walked.”
“Nicely played, lady!” Becca says with a laugh. “But seriously. You can take my car…Kade’s been begging to buy me a new one, and I think I’ll take him up on it. It’s super old, but it runs really well. Kade’s rebuilt the engine, so it purrs like a kitten.”
Evie’s eyebrows are in her hairline, and she opens her mouth to reply, but Jonas's shouted “No!” cuts her off.
All my brothers’ backs straighten at the same time. Shifting, we watch Jonas with concern. My hands fist at my sides, knowing exactly why he’s upset.
“It’s not safe. You can’t put a baby in an old car. Mothers can not drive old cars!” He says emphatically. “You can’t do that.”
Zach pushes back from his seat, rounding the table to slide into the chair Nick vacates. He wears his playboy persona like a mask, so it’s easy for an outsider to believe he’s shallow, cold. We know he’s anything but. His dedication to our family, but especially to Jonas, is bigger than the Grand Canyon.
Leaning into Jonas, Zach puts the back of his hand on his neck, squeezing tightly. “We won’t let her drive the old car. We’ll find her something with airbags, brother. Something really safe.” Jonas is rocking ever so slightly. If you didn’t know him well, you would never see it.
“What’s happening?” Evie asks softly, watching Jonas with gentle eyes. It’s Zach that answers her.
“Our parents drove an ancient car. They didn’t have much money, for anything really, but they had the best car seats money could buy. They lost control of the car one afternoon, and it flipped, killing them instantly. Jonas was strapped into the backseat. Other than some cuts from the glass, he was fine.”
She exhales heavily, rubbing her lips with her fingers. “Ok Jonas, I won’t drive an old car. I promise. I’ll save up and buy a really safe one when it’s time.”
Jonas glances at her, then away, but the rocking stops. Finally, he raises his head, reaching his hand to touch Zach’s on his neck. Like the well-rehearsed move it is, Zach slides his hand away, rising to return to his seat.
Jonas keeps his eyes on his plate, breathing deeply, before looking at Mia, who’s happily working on a massive piece of broccoli. “My minivan is really safe. It’s one of the top-rated vehicles on the market today.”
He glances at Evie briefly. “Sliding doors are much easier with children…Can I give you my minivan? It’s quite new, and I made sure none of my brothers threw up in this one. It’s got a built-in entertainment system for Mia. It would be much warmer for her than the bus, especially when winter comes.”
He finally looks at Evie, sliding his gaze from her eyes to her ear, then back again. He has trouble with prolonged eye contact with some people, but he’s trying with her.
We’re all silent, waiting for Evie’s response. “That’s incredibly kind of you Jonas. I…I don’t think I can accept such a generous gift.”
Jonas’s brow furrows. “Generous? Its MSRP is only $42,000.”
Evie chokes a little, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Let’s see how her stubbornness holds up to Jonas’s.
“Exactly. That’s more than some people make in a year.”
“I make $42,000 in roughly seventeen minutes. So it’s not very generous at all, in actuality.”
Evie chokes, then flaps her hands, trying to find a gentle way to turn Jonas down. Unfortunately for her, gentle doesn’t work on Jonas.
“Ah…I don’t even know if I want to drive a minivan.”
I cough out a laugh and cover my mouth with my hand. My brothers are all hiding grins, too. She just sunk herself and doesn’t even know it yet.
“Excellent point Evie. I’ll get you the keys and you can test drive it for a few weeks. Then if you find it’s not to your liking, we’ll pick you out something else…with all the safety features, of course.” He smiles, nods at her, and walks away from the table and out of the suite.
Snickers are coming from the other end of the table. Even Becca and Holly are laughing.
Evie looks shell-shocked. “What just happened?”
It’s Holly who answers her. “You just got a minivan. There’s no use fighting it. There is no logical reason you would turn down a free vehicle. Any emotional reason you might have? It’s not going to get you anywhere with Jonas. Not when it comes to safety. You better do some research on vehicles and their safety features, because if you don’t like his van, he’s definitely buying you something else.”
“But…but you just can’t keep giving me things. It’s not fair for me to keep taking and taking.”
