Page 99 of Love at First Ride
We sit in silence for another moment. My bloodied knuckles throb.
‘How do I know if I love her?’ I ask quietly.
Echo shakes his head, rolls his eyes. He thinks about it for a moment. ‘You really don’t know nothin’ about women, do you?’
I stare at him, then shrug in response.
Echo blows out his cheeks. ‘Imagine you’re at a crossroads. On the one side, you see a custom-built hog, a dragster, one hundred ten horsepower, twelve fifty cc, aluminium body panels, twenty-three-inch wheels with Vegas cut rims, low suspension, black as night. Sweetest ride you ever saw. On the other side is Hollie Palmer. Which road do you go down?’
‘The one where Hollie is,’ I say, and I don’t drop a beat.
Echo stares at me, as though wondering if I’m being serious. Then he bursts into laughter that gurgles up from his chest. ‘Who am I kidding? You’d prolly choose some Japanese superbike anyways.’
I picture my ideal ride. ‘Nah. Still Hollie. I just might pause to check out the superbike first, then go get my girl.’
A smile tugs at his lips. He hammers a fist into his bent knee. ‘Congratulations, AJ You finally became a man. Sounds to me like you have your answer.’
My face falls.Does this mean I’m in love? Is this why I hate it when I’m not with her?
‘Does she love you?’ Echo asks, looking weirdly relaxed compared to a couple minutes ago.
Fear grips me. My knuckles straight up hurt.What if the answer is no?
‘I mean… we didn’t say so yet. Maybe. I dunno, I didn’t ask.’
‘Then maybe you try telling her first.’
This conversation is making my gut churn. I don’t catch feelings. This wasn’t supposed to happen.
‘Me and Hollie being a thing. Is that really gonna mess things up for you?’ I ask.
He sobers, then offers me a shrug. ‘Won’t change our respective positions. But it’s gonna piss the mayor off to high heaven when she finds out about the two of you.’
‘So, she don’t have to find out.’
He snorts. ‘And how long’s that gonna last, Romeo?’
‘We’ll be careful. Keep it on the DL.’
Echo sighs heavily. Massages the back of his neck with one hand.
‘I wasn’t nice to her,’ I say. ‘In high school. We used to call her Jenny English to her face. We used to prank her all the time. Chase, mainly, but I sat back and I let it happen. Tonight, she found out from Chase that I was there when he locked her inside this supply closet alone one time. It was hours before anyone came to her rescue. I think that’s why she went home.’
I feel my cheeks warm when Echo goes back to eyeballing me.
‘Do you blame her?’ he asks.
I lift the ice pack from my knuckles and glance underneath. They’re swollen and turning purple. I can’t move my fingers. And I’m mad at myself for my past behavior.
I raise my eyes to Echo. He’s more of a father figure to me than my deadbeat dad ever was. He’s given me discipline and a better outlook on life, plus a roof over my head. And he’s right. I gotta take responsibility for my actions.
‘You say I know nothing about women. So… what’s your advice… for how I should fix things with Hollie?’
Echo leans forward in his chair and rests his elbows on his knees. Then he strokes his mustache with big fingers. ‘If you love her, and you want her forgiveness… well then, boy, you’d best get on your knees and beg for a second chance.’ He looks me up and down. ‘But maybe clean yourself up first.’
Without warning, the door bursts open. Lester comes into the room.
‘What’s goin’ on?’ Echo asks.
