My Wolf’s Bane(42)
He changed lanes to make a left turn. “Did you quit smoking?”
“What?” I stared at him, my eyes bulging and my jaw slack “I can’t quit something I never started.” I wondered if that was why Zack sniffed me sometimes.
“Normally, you smell like smoke. Not today.”
God. I hadn’t realized the stench of the house had followed me. I shrunk in my seat and gazed out the window. “My parents smoke inside,” I mumbled toward the glass. “They’re out-of-town and I cleaned this morning. There wasn’t as much stink to cling to me, I guess.” Why hadn’t anyone ever told me?
A few minutes later, Zack parked and I made a beeline for the Cruisers.
“These are good cars. Gas mileage isn’t great, but not horrible either. Built for off-roading, so they’ll move when you need them to. They’re not cheap though.” He stopped to scan the rest of the lot. “I don’t see any other used ones except these.”
“None of them are in my price range.” My whole body deflated and I sagged against a silver FJ. “I’d have to get one that has something seriously wrong with it or super high miles. Either way, my parents won’t like it.”
“Let’s see what else they have.” He nodded his head for me to follow.
I trailed after him. He occasionally stopped at a car and raised a brow, then I’d shake my head. When we’d gone through the entire used inventory, we returned to his Jeep.
“Did you Internet shop like I suggested?” he asked.
“Yes, but it’s hard to tell. You can’t walk around a picture or get inside it. I researched a bunch of SUVs and found the Cruiser. I really liked it but, well, we know how that turned out.”
“This isn’t life or death, Autumn. Relax. We’ll find you the perfect car. Come on.”
“You don’t know my parents,” I said, climbing back into his car. “It’s a miracle they’ve come this far. I need to seal the deal before they realize what they’ve done.”
He chuckled softly. “Duly noted.”
We drove a little further and stopped at a Honda dealer.
“These aren’t cheap either,” I pointed out.
“The idea is to see the real thing, not pictures. Walk around the car and get inside, like you said. We’ll go to several dealerships today and you’re not allowed to buy anything. When we’re done, we can regroup and decide what to do next. In the meantime, we’re window shopping, okay?”
That didn’t ease my anxiety at all.
“Are you trying to get this done before your parents come back to town? Less interference?”
“Exactly.”
“When do you expect them?”
“Not sure.” I shrugged. “A few days maybe.”
“Then there’s no pressure. We have all day today and tomorrow too.”
Except that would be two more days with Zack, torturing myself with someone who could never be mine. But what choice did I have?
When we were done with Hondas, we did the same thing at two more dealerships. We were examining the fact sheet of an SUV when Zack gave a man-nod to someone outside my line of vision. I turned to see the man we’d met before. Except this time he wasn’t wearing a cowboy hat. I glanced at Zack. “Do we have to leave?”
“I don’t think so.” Zack carried on, business as usual, but kept the man in his view.
I already knew not to invade his personal bubble. “What time does your family usually have dinner?”
“Around five-thirty, since my mom usually falls asleep early. We should get going.”
“Good. I’m starving.” I snuck a peek at the man, but a quick scan told me he’d taken off.
On the drive to Zack’s house, he frequently checked his rearview mirror. I wondered if he was making sure we weren’t being followed.
“How was your date with Gina? Or is that later tonight?” Not that it was any of my business. I fully expected Zack to shut me down.
“Date?”
“The other day, she asked if you two were still on for Saturday. You said yes. Remember?”
He waved a hand. “It’s not a date. We have Science together and need to work on our project.”
“Oh.” Gina had been at his house, sharing his family with him? I struggled to ignore the jealousy gnawing at me. “Your mom must have been excited for you to have a girl over.”
He snickered. “My mom didn’t like her at all. She doesn’t see Gina as settling down material.”
His mom didn’t like Gina, but she liked me. I turned away and smiled smugly.
Wait… did that mean she thought I was settling down material? Sure, I lusted after Zack — okay, I lusted after him a lot — but settle down with him? “At eighteen, she wants you settled? What does that mean? Engaged or married?”