Chapter 34
Chapter
Thirty-Four
Jayne
My first driving lesson is today and I’m a nervous wreck. I don’t work at the library until later, and the Thunder has the morning off, so West is picking me up and I do my best not to make eye contact with my dad as I make myself a cup of coffee.
“You’d better not be screwing him,” he growls when he hears the Ferrari in the driveway.
I turn and give him a scowl. “Why is everything about sex to you? He’s just being nice. If you’d rather fork out a thousand dollars for me to go to driving school, I can cancel?” I arch a brow.
“You cost me enough money,” he says, scowling back at me. “It doesn’t grow on trees.”
“I know that. So, please stop sexualizing everything. I have zero interest in West and I’m positive he doesn’t like me that way either.”
“You have breasts and a vagina. Of course, he likes you like that.”
“I have to go, dad.” I snap the top onto my travel mug and grab my backpack. “See you later.”
I slip outside and wave to West as I get into the passenger seat. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” He smiles as he puts the car in reverse. “Bodi’s waiting for us at this church we found that has a huge parking lot.”
“I have to admit I’m equal parts excited and terrified. I really don’t want to mess up a car this beautiful.”
He shrugs. “It’s just a car. As long as you’re okay, I don’t care that much.”
I look over at him. “You’re a nice guy.”
“Why do you sound so surprised?”
“I don’t know. You have this larger-than-life persona around the team, and you’re a badass on the ice. Guys are legit scared of you.”
“I’m six-four, two twenty-five, and fast as fuck. Yeah, they’re scared. But that’s hockey. I don’t scare anyone off the ice.”
“I think you do. At least, a little. I bet my dad is scared of you to a degree.”
He snorts. “Because I’m one of the only guys on the team he can’t screw with.
I could get traded to ten different teams today.
Right this minute. Probably for even more money than I’m making here.
He knows not to fuck with me beyond regular coaching stuff.
The question is why he finds it necessary to fuck with almost everyone else. ”
“Which seems to include me, though he’s more subtle about it when it comes to me.”
“You’re an adult, Jayne. It might be time to cut the apron strings and get out on your own.”
“That’s why I have to learn to drive. So, I can find a job and be prepared to pay the bills that come with cutting those apron strings.”
“Fair enough. So, the hardest thing about driving a stick is usually getting it into first gear. Now this model is a little older, so it still has the actual stick—” His hand is on it.
“And this one is a five-speed. When we stop, I’ll show you where everything is, including reverse, but today we’ll focus on getting into first. To be fair, this is an incredibly expensive, high-end car, so you don’t usually have to fight with it to get it into position, though reverse sticks sometimes.
The process is pretty smooth once you learn the feel of the car.
With one foot on the clutch, and the other on the gas, you have to let up on the clutch while simultaneously easing onto the gas.
You’ll feel it catch—that’s the only way to describe it.
I’ll do it a few times and then you can try. Okay?”
I nod.
It sounds simple enough.
I read all about how to do it last night to make sure I understood the basics so I feel as ready as I can be.
“Thank you for this,” I tell him as we pull into the parking lot. “It means a lot to me.”
He winks. “Are you kidding? This is fun. Vik is with Bodi because he wants to learn to drive a stick too, but I told him you’re the priority. He can step in once Bodi takes you to work.”
I brought a change of clothes, so that’s the plan.
“Hey, baby.” Bodi comes over and kisses me as I get out of the car. “Your dad give you a hard time?”
“Oh, just the usual ‘you’d better not be fucking him’ conversation.” I roll my eyes. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
“Okay.” He puts a hand on the side of my face. “You ready for this?”
“Hell, yes. I’m excited. Who else can say their first driving lesson beyond high school driver’s ed was in a Ferrari?”
He grins. “Certainly not me. He won’t even let me drive it and I know how!”
“I never said you couldn’t drive it,” West protests, folding his arms across his massive chest. “I said you couldn’t take it for date night. If you want to drive it to practice, with me in the car with you or something, no problem.”
“Good to know.” Bodi grins. He presses his lips to mine before I move over to the driver’s seat and give myself an internal pep talk.
You can do this, Jayne.
For once in your life, don’t make a fool of yourself.
For the first time in weeks, we eat dinner as a family the next night.
Usually, I grab a plate and either eat with Lindy at the kitchen island or take something up to my room.
Tonight, Lourdes has set the table in the breakfast nook and opened a bottle of wine.
I’ll have a little on special occasions but I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite, and the Bordeaux she’s chosen is dry for my taste.
Not that she cooked—she doesn’t cook unless it’s something like scrambled eggs for Lindy—and the scent that hits my nostrils makes my mouth water.
She and my father buy a lot of pre-made meals that either can be warmed up, microwaved, or come prepared in an oven-safe dish so someone can just toss it in.
“What’s the occasion?” I ask, politely sipping my wine as we gather at the table.
“Your father is rarely home for dinner so I thought we’d enjoy some family time,” Lourdes says primly.
“Well, the brisket is delicious.”
Lourdes smirks. “It should be for what it costs.”
Dad scowls at her. “Lourdes, we talked about this. We need to cut back.”
She rolls her eyes at him. “I’m not going to compromise on food. For heaven’s sake, Hugh.”
He arches a brow. “So, you wouldn’t compromise on the house. You wouldn’t compromise on private school for Lindy. And you’re not compromising on those shoes and purses you’re always buying. What, exactly, are you compromising on?”
“It’s not like we’re destitute!” she says, laughing as she twirls her wine glass. “And my interior design business is going to take off—you’ll see.”
“It better. It would be nice to have money coming in instead of going out, for once.”
I focus on my plate since I don’t want to get involved.
Until—
“Why are you yelling at me?” Lourdes pulls her lips into a pout. “Jayne’s the one you should be mad at.”
Oh, great. Now what?
“Jayne.”
I glance up warily.
“I hear you have a new friend.”
I arch a brow, hoping to look confused even as I pray he’s not talking about Bodi.
“Who are you talking about?” I finally ask.
“Billie.”
Okay, I can deal with this.
“What about her?”
“Well, for one thing—” Lourdes puts down her fork with a little thump. “—she’s engaged to my ex-husband. It’s downright incestuous.”
“Incestuous? You might need to look that word up,” I respond calmly. “Why can’t Billie and I be friends? We’re about the same age, we’re both in grad school, we have a lot in common.”
“She lives in Los Angeles,” Dad says. “You’re never going to see her!”
“She’s planning to come visit Bodi whenever she can.”
“And that’s reason number two,” Dad says. “I’ve told you I don’t want you hanging out with guys on the team. It’s bad enough you spent the morning with McGregor. Now you’re getting chummy with Bodi’s sister. Can you just do what I tell you, for once in your life?”
I stare at him in confusion. “You tell me I need to make friends and not be such a book worm in one breath, but the moment I do it, you tell me not to.”
“Go be friends with whomever you want!” Dad throws up a hand. “Just not anyone on the team or related to someone on the team. Is that too much to ask?”
“And that Billie girl, my God, she must be half his age!” Lourdes says with a sniff. “There’s no doubt why she’s with him.”
I open my mouth but snap it shut. No good will come of me calling her out on her bullshit.
“I don’t think that has anything to do with anything,” I say quietly.
Dad sets his wine glass down and stares at me, hard, his eyes narrowing. “Stay away from Billie, okay? That’s it.”
I want to challenge him, ask him what will happen if I don’t, but I’m not ready to be thrown out or quit school.
For a little while longer, I have to toe the line.
“Okay, Dad,” I whisper.
Even though I have absolutely no intention of doing any such thing.