Eleven
V ini woke slowly. Normally, she would be up and out of bed as soon as she cracked her eyes open, but it was the day after Thanksgiving, and the shop was closed. She could afford to take her time and relax a little. She had survived the dinner from hell with no bruises to speak of so she was going to celebrate her win.
When Jessica had walked through the doorway, Vini hadn’t been sure how to act. She had extended the invite in a moment of vulnerability, but when Jessica hadn’t responded, Vini hadn’t known how to bring it up again. She thought for sure she had overstepped things. They were meant to be having some fun, and although their interactions also included a fair bit of getting to know one another, that didn’t mean that they had a relationship where family was involved. So color her surprised when Jessica had shown up to dinner the night before. Vini had tamped down her smile and forced her expression into indifference just to keep from making it obvious how excited she was to see Jessica.
And that, of course, led into the next problem. Her excitement to see Jessica. She could have chalked it up to the sex being fire if not for how often Vini felt the desire to just talk to Jessica or ask about her favorite foods. Seeing Jessica’s head thrown back in pleasure was just as much of a turn on as hearing her satisfied groan when she ate something good. And her laughter. Vini couldn’t even think about Jessica’s laugh without smiling.
“You’re still in bed?”
With a sigh, Vini rolled over. Dani was in the doorway still pajama-clad and looking far less awake than Vini felt.
“It’s a holiday,” Vini replied. “I’m giving myself the space to rest.”
Dani nodded. “Sounds like a perfect plan. Scoot over.” Before Vini could respond, Dani had already made her way across the room and was lifting the blankets. Vini could have protested and pushed her away, but that would have made her get louder, and Vini didn’t want to wake up the whole house.
“You do have your own bed.”
Dani’s smile was soft and still fuzzy-looking from sleep. “Yeah. But yours is more comfortable.”
Vini frowned as Dani settled in, tugging the blankets around her shoulders until only her head was left exposed. It wasn’t the first time Vini’s bed had been invaded, but usually it was Jordan making an appearance when Dani had to work a late-night shift. When they were children, Dani, Ava and Vini often did share beds, but it was a practice that had stopped years ago.
“What’s with the sudden need to be in my bed?” Vini asked as she rolled over onto her back. She stared up at her ceiling, its bumps and ridges familiar to her, as was the glow-in-the-dark stars that she had put up when she was in middle school. Some of them had fallen off over the years, but many of them remained glowing faintly in the dark of night.
Dani was quiet for a moment, and when Vini glanced over, she saw Dani’s eyes were closed. She was startled when Dani finally spoke.
“Yesterday went well.” When Vini hummed noncommittally, she continued. “Dad seemed to like Jessica.”
“That’s good,” Vini replied tentatively. She wasn’t sure what Dani was trying to get at, so she thought it best to play it safe. “I know Grace probably felt more comfortable with a friend.”
Dani snorted but conceded the point. “We can be overwhelming at times. But beyond Grace, it seemed like Jessica enjoyed herself. Have you talked to her since?”
Vini shook her head. “When would I have had the time?”
“Last night after she left maybe. It seemed like you two were getting along well, and people have seen her at your shop more often than not.”
Vini turned her head. She knew now where this conversation was going, and she wasn’t in the mood for it. Especially not when she was still trying to figure out how she felt about the whole thing. It had been three weeks of her and Jessica sneaking around and finding snatches of time to be together, and yet she still didn’t feel any closer to understanding who Jessica was. She knew she was a great kisser. She knew that one heated look could have Vini’s knees quaking with the need to bend. She knew that she loved to feel Jessica’s skin on hers and how she searched for traces of Jessica’s scent long after she was gone.
But she didn’t know how Jessica liked her eggs or what she’d wanted to be when she was a kid. Hell, she didn’t even know which college Jessica had gone to, and it was quickly becoming a problem. She wanted to ask all these questions and more, but would that be too much? Jessica asked plenty of questions about Vini, but she always seemed hesitant to answer Vini’s own curiosity about her life. Everything seemed to stay frustratingly surface-level and one-sided. Vini didn’t know how to approach things, and when Jessica was right in front of her all Vini could do was breathe.
“We don’t talk that often unless she’s coming to ask questions about car maintenance,” Vini said wincing at the slight whine in her voice. That wasn’t totally true, but she was trying not to spill the beans so soon. “We aren’t that close.”
Dani nodded. “Well, maybe you should change that.” Her response surprised Vini. Dani had been nice enough to Jessica, but she hadn’t paid more than the usual amount of attention to her. Dani opened her eyes, gaze locking on Vini in an instant. “What?”
“Ava warned me to stay away from Jessica, and yet here you are telling me I should, what, befriend her?” The whole thing was confusing. “Make it make sense.”
Dani rolled her eyes. “Ava is a bit overprotective. We both are when it comes to our favorite baby sister.”
“I’m your only baby sister,” Vini pointed out. “That still doesn’t explain why you think I should get closer to Jessica.”
“She seems nice,” Dani replied. “And as much as I know you enjoy your work and life here, I worry about you. Dad was right when he said most people your age go out with friends or vacation. They go dancing and drinking and make bad decisions. You have Aiden, sure, and he’s a great person, but other than him, you’re usually alone.”
Vini swallowed hard at how serious the conversation had gotten. “I like being alone.”
“But you don’t have to be,” Dani replied. When Vini didn’t respond, she scooted closer and wrapped an arm around Vini’s waist. Vini let herself be moved until she was tucked into Dani’s chest like she used to do when she woke up from nightmares she couldn’t name. Dani’s cheek pressed against the top of her head, and Vini felt herself relax.
“What if she doesn’t want to get to know me?” Vini asked before she could talk herself out of it. It was a question that had been floating in the dredges of her mind and now that it was out there, she felt a little lighter. “I’m not that exciting of a person.”
“Then, she’s a fool. You’re awesome, and I should know because I’m the oldest and what I say goes.”
Vini laughed softly. So many arguments had been ended that way, but this wasn’t one where she wanted to argue back. Not when she so desperately wanted Dani to be right.
Vini stared at her phone. She had spent most of Friday turning over her and Dani’s conversation in her mind. Ava hadn’t said much about Thanksgiving beyond moping around now that Grace was gone to visit her mom. It had left Vini with time to come up with a strategy.
She and Jessica had exchanged numbers, but beyond a text here or there, they hadn’t really talked. Now that Jessica was out of town with Grace, Vini planned to rectify that and see if they could hold a conversation when clothes weren’t coming off. Before she could second-guess herself, she hit Jessica’s number and held the phone up to her ear as she waited. Each ring seemed to mock her, and she tapped her blunt nails on the counter in a staccato rhythm as she waited. When the line finally clicked, she almost hung up.
“Hey, Vin. What’s up? Everything okay there?”
“Yeah,” Vini replied. She looked around the shop as she tried to think of what more to say. It was quiet even for a Saturday after a holiday. Aiden had taken the morning off, so it was just Vini alone with her thoughts for another couple hours.
“Aw, do you miss me?” Jessica’s voice was teasing, but her words sent Vini into a tailspin. The truth was she did miss Jessica, but that wasn’t something she could admit. Could she? That was probably a step too far too soon.
She knew she needed to keep it casual and ease into conversation. “I wouldn’t go that far. Especially not with the way you still can’t figure out the difference between a wrench and a screwdriver.”
Jessica’s laugh was carefree and open, and it had Vini smiling at the phone. She pulled it away from her ear and put it on Speaker as she walked into the garage. “So how’s Miami?”
Jessica launched into a summary as Vini got to work. She let the sounds of Jessica’s words carry her through the first oil change of the day and into the second. As Jessica spoke, it was almost as if Vini could taste and hear the sights she described. Occasionally, Grace’s voice would filter over the line, but not once did Jessica mention needing to go. It wasn’t until Aiden walked in that Vini realized she and Jessica had been talking for more than two hours without a single lull in conversation.
“Who are you talking to?” Aiden called out, interrupting Jessica’s story of backpacking through Thailand with literally only a backpack of belongings. “Is that Jessica?”
“Aiden! Are you taking good care of my girl?”
Aiden’s smile then could only be described as catlike as he wagged his eyebrows at Vini. “Only until you get back here and take of her yourself.”
“That didn’t sound right at all,” Vini replied making a face. Aiden laughed before making his way back into the lobby. Vini sighed and grabbed a rag to clean her hands. Her stomach growled, protesting a lack of food. “I should probably go grab some lunch before my stomach decides to eat itself. When do you and Grace get back in town?”
More sounds started filtering in across the line. “Grace has to be back to work on Monday, so we get back tomorrow afternoon.” The sounds of people talking grew louder, as did the sound of upbeat music. Vini knew she needed to push through and say something before she lost her nerve.
“There’s a drive-in movie in the next town over that I planned on going to tomorrow night. Thought it might be something new for you if you want to join me.”
“Drive-in movie? Like, the type of drive-in you see in old movies with the cars and big screen and everything?” Jessica’s disbelief was clear in her voice. “I thought those things had gone the way of the dinosaurs.”
Vini shook her head. “No. I mean, not completely, I guess. This one happens once a month, and I try to catch it when I have time. Last time Dani and Ava joined me, but Dani has a shift and Ava will probably be sucking face with Grace.”
Jessica laughed. “You’re not wrong. Grace has mentioned Ava like once an hour since we left. If it wasn’t so cute, I would strangle her.” Vini chuckled not surprised in the slightest. If not for Ava having been gone and hanging out with Brad, Vini would probably have the same problem. “Also, what makes you think I won’t try to suck your face at the drive-in? Isn’t that what the cool kids do?”
Heat scorched through Vini at the thought. It would be a lie to say she hadn’t been hoping for it, but she also just wanted to spend some time with Jessica at one of the places she enjoyed. “I don’t know about the cool kids, but this drive-in has caramel popcorn that is guaranteed to turn you on.”
“You had me at caramel. I’m in.” Grace’s voice suddenly cut in loud and frantic. “I have to go. Grace is freaking out about finding her parents and not missing lunch. Our flight lands at two so we should be back to town around four.”
“That’s fine,” Vini replied quickly. “I’ll come pick you up around five when I get off. The movie starts at six, and we want to get there early to get a good parking spot.”
“Sounds great. Have a great rest of your day, Vin. Talk to you later.” Jessica’s phone disconnected before Vini had a moment to answer, but even so, the smile didn’t leave her face even when Aiden dropped a box of supplies.