Page 37 of The Time It Takes
When we get into her SUV, she takes another deep breath and I know there’s more she wants to say. “Ben’s Camaro,” she states abruptly. “You mentioned it earlier…” she trails off, wincing. “Oliver has it.”
I go rigid in my seat. I’m not angry, because I have no right to be. I’m the one who left it behind. I hadn’t even thought of the damn thing in those moments. I couldn’t get out of here fast enough.
I’m assaulted by the memory of sitting on a bucket in the garage while watching Ben work on his car. The music was usually always too loud to speak over, so I mostly just sat on a bucket with a book in my hand.
I asked him once why he loved racing it so much.
“Cars are meant for racing,” he’d said as if it were as simple as that.
“And for transportation,” I’d shot back at him dryly.
“Yeah, from here to the finish line.”
“Be real with me,” I had urged him impatiently.
With an aggravated breath, he finally said, “I race because it feels like waking up. I don’t have to think about anything. I just get to feel.”
I was familiar with the adrenaline rush that came from being at the track. There’s nothing like it. It’s even more surreal being in the passenger seat, which he had only let me do once.
The car comes to a slow stop and Phoebe sucks in a sharp breath. When I glance out the front window, I see pedestrians walking across the street but think nothing of it at first.
Not until I seehim.
I barely register the woman he has wrapped under his arm until he recognizes Phoebe’s car after she honks at him.
Her eyes bug as she jerks her head toward me. “Sorry,” she mutters. “Habit.”
Before I can cover my face and slouch in my seat, his hand comes up to block out the headlights as he finds Phoebe. He waves, smiling at her and so does his…friend. Then his eyes roam to where I sit and his smile falls. Oliver stops walking completely, staring at me as if making sure he’s seeing what his eyes are showing him.
Before I can react, he turns away, grabbing the woman’s hand as they both eventually disappear across the street.
Then I’m opening the car door and throwing up Jim.
Chapter Eight
Present
Sofar,Ihavea box full of things I want to keep. It’s mostly photos and gifts Ben got me for Christmases and Birthdays throughout the years. I can’t believe I left so much of it behind. I hate that I thought of none of it until it was right in front of my face.
All I need to do is get it mailed to my apartment. I thought, what better time than now, since I was already headed into town to meet up with Phoebe and Dean for lunch. I’m leaving the post office when I see a red Camaro parked across the street that causes me to stop dead in my tracks.
“No fucking way,” I breathe.
My eyes immediately search for Oliver, but that’s not who I see. Instead, a woman steps out of the passenger side door. I check the license plate and it’s definitely Ben’s. I stand in the same place for several moments and watch as the long-legged blonde puts the keys to my brother’s car in her purse. It takes me longer than it should to realize it’s the same girl I saw Oliver with last night.
I’m not sure what to think about the idea of her in my brother’s car…that Oliver now has. My mind races in a surge of disbelief and agony. I never even got to drive—
She forgot to lock it.
I watch for the flash of lights and the sound of a beep, but it never comes. I watch her go inside the boutique. A devious smirk spreads across my lips and then I’m hauling ass across the street.
The thought of getting into legal trouble for this only crosses my mind for a second and then poof, it’s gone.
My hand runs along the smooth exterior of the car until I reach the driver side. I pause and consider my life choices for a moment. I mean, I’m not technically about to steal a car…am I? I just want to borrow it. I walk back toward the bumper and squat down, my tongue digging into my cheek as I drag my fingers against the surface until I find the key. I silently thank my brother for being paranoid about keeping more than one spare.
I open the door and slide into the driver’s seat.
“Whatcha gonna do about it now, Benji?” I mock out loud.
