CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR #2
The cab smelled new. The scent made him think of Bee before he could stop it. She would have leaned back against the seat and taken an exaggerated breath. Then she would have told him it smelled expensive before touching every button she could reach.
Wes looked across the empty passenger seat. He missed her, and there was no anger attached to the thought. He let the truth sit there for a moment. Then he started the engine and pulled out of the lot.
The drive home felt different from the test drive. Nobody explained the features, and nobody expected him to bring the truck back.
Wes took the longer road home. He listened to the engine and learned the feel of the steering beneath his hands.
His mother came outside before he shut off the engine. She stopped on the porch and stared at the truck.
Wes climbed out and tucked the keys into his pocket. His mother walked down the steps and looked along the side. Liking the new truck did not feel like betraying the old one. The memories attached to his old truck had not disappeared when the truck did.
“It smells new,” his mother said as she leaned into the cab.
Wes looked at her sharply. His mother turned toward him with one hand still on the door.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Wes replied.
She studied him for another second. Understanding softened her face.
“Bee would have said it smelled expensive,” his mother said.
“Yeah. She would have,” Wes replied as he looked inside the truck.
His mother closed the passenger door without adding anything else. She had already said enough.
“Are you taking me for a ride?” his mother asked.
“Later,” Wes replied.
“You bought a new truck and already don’t want your mother inside it?” his mother asked.
“I need to enjoy it first,” Wes said.
“That attitude is why I should charge you for using my car,” his mother said as she pointed at him.
“You still can,” Wes replied.
“I might,” his mother said.
Wes laughed and headed inside. His mother remained near the truck long enough to inspect the bed.
Later that afternoon, Wes sat in his room with the truck visible through the window. The keys rested on the dresser beside him. He kept glancing at them. Each time, they were still there.
Wes picked up his phone. For the first time in days, he wanted to make a video. He set the phone on the stand and checked the frame. The window behind him showed only part of the driveway.
“Okay,” Wes said after pressing record. “I’ve got an update.”
He turned the camera toward the window. The dark gray truck sat in the driveway beneath the afternoon sun.
“I got a truck,” Wes said as he turned the camera back toward himself.
A real smile spread across his face. He did not have to force it or check whether it looked convincing.
“Insurance finally came through. TikTok paid me. Somehow I walked into a dealership this morning and came home with that,” Wes said.
He looked toward the window again. The smile remained.
“No payment either,” Wes added. “All of you watching me complain on the internet finally did something useful.”
His mother called from somewhere in the hallway. “You’re welcome!”
“What did you do?” Wes asked as he looked toward the door.
“I watched!” his mother shouted.
“Apparently my mother wants credit,” Wes said as he looked back at the camera.
“I want ten percent!” his mother called.
“You’re not getting ten percent,” Wes said toward the hallway.
“I’m your manager!” his mother shouted.
“You’re absolutely not my manager,” Wes replied.
His mother said something farther down the hall that Wes could not make out. He shook his head and faced the camera again.
“Anyway, I’ve got a new truck,” Wes said. “I’m happy. Thanks, guys.”
Wes stopped recording and watched the video once. His smile looked unfamiliar, but it did not look false.
He posted the video. Comments began appearing before he lowered the phone.
@jakefromhome: LET’S GO
@cowboykev: New truck looking clean, brother.
@rezgirlxo: NO PAYMENT??? Okay, Wes.
@maddie_rae: Finally some good news.
@sarahlee: This made me smile. You deserve something good after everything you’ve been through.
Wes liked Sarahlee’s comment. He scrolled farther and found several people discussing his mother.
@countrygirl88: Your mom yelling for ten percent ??
@taytay87: MOMAGER ERA.
Wes laughed quietly. He swiped to the next video, and Bee appeared in Grandma’s kitchen. There was flour on the counter and a mixing bowl in front of her. Dough covered both of her hands while Grandma moved near the stove behind her.
Wes stopped scrolling. Bee’s hair was pulled back, and a streak of flour crossed one cheek. She looked different from the woman in the breakup video. Her shoulders were loose, and she was not measuring every expression before allowing it onto her face. Wes pressed play.
“Some of you think I can’t be trusted in the kitchen after the Blue Bird incident,” Bee said to the camera. “Grandma has decided to be brave.”
“I didn’t decide anything. I’m supervising,” Grandma called from the stove.
Bee laughed. The sound reached Wes before he was ready for it.
It was not the careful laugh from her recovery video. This one came out without effort.
“I’m learning to make dough today,” Bee said as she pressed both hands into it.
“You’re learning slowly,” Grandma said from behind her.
“Grandma says if I’m going to keep talking, I might as well work too,” Bee said over her shoulder.
“That’s true,” Grandma replied.
“See? Supportive,” Bee said as she faced the camera again.
“You’re slow,” Grandma repeated.
“I’m doing my best,” Bee replied as she looked at Grandma.
“Your best needs to move faster,” Grandma said after glancing at the dough.
Bee laughed again. Wes smiled before he realized he was doing it.
Flour covered the front of Bee’s shirt. When she noticed it, she looked at the camera with complete betrayal.
“See this?” Bee asked as she pointed at herself. “Nobody told me that making dough attacks you.”
“The dough didn’t do that,” Grandma said.
“Whose side are you on?” Bee asked.
“The dough,” Grandma replied.
Bee stared at her grandmother before looking back at the camera. Wes laughed with her.
The sound stopped when he remembered that Bee was no longer part of his life. The feeling did not erase the humor, but it settled beside it.
Wes kept watching. Bee was not pretending to be healed, and nothing about the video claimed that everything was perfect. She simply looked comfortable. Her laugh reached her eyes, and she did not apologize for enjoying herself.
The video ended and started again. Wes let it play a second time. He noticed Grandma quietly fixing the edge of the dough while Bee talked. Bee never noticed the flour on her cheek.
Wes opened the comments after the second viewing. He told himself he only wanted to see whether people had left her alone.
@livvyrose: THIS is the Bee content I missed.
@momofthree: Grandma choosing the dough over Bee ??
@countrygirl88: She looks so much happier.
@rezgirlxo: Bee learning to make dough is actually adorable.
Then he saw Sarahlee’s username. The familiarity of it made him stop.
@sarahlee: I’m still Team Wes, but I’m glad you’re doing better.
Wes read the comment once. Then he looked back at Bee’s face.
A few weeks earlier, somebody saying Bee looked happier would have felt like an accusation. He would have believed her happiness meant she had never cared as much as he did. The thought did not come this time. Wes only felt relieved that the happiness in her face looked real.
He glanced toward the new keys on his dresser. Bee had said she hoped he found another truck he loved as much as the last one. Wes looked at her frozen smile again. She had wanted something good for him, even after everything.
He locked the phone and placed it beside the keys. Through the window, the new truck sat in the driveway. Bee’s laugh stayed with him in the quiet room. Wes let himself be glad she was okay.