He grinned. "I guess we helped each other out then."
I smiled back and we emerged from the movie theater into the warm summer night. There was a nice breeze and the humidity from the day had faded quite a bit. It was perfect.
"Wanna see my new place?" he asked me.
"I thought you hadn't moved in yet."
"We haven't, not technically, but we can drive by. Jacks is excited because the neighborhood has a really nice communal pool and playground. There's even a splash pad."
I knew exactly what neighborhood he was talking about and I would never, ever be able to afford a house there. Well, maybe in twenty or thirty years if I turned Crave into a franchise and had stores all over Texas.
Still, I wasn't quite ready for the evening to end, even if reality had brought me back to Earth with a resounding crash.
"Sure."
This time, Brody beat me to the passenger side door and opened it for me, smirking when I sighed. When he did things like that...well, it no longer seemed like a platonic evening out. I climbed into the car and muttered a grudging thank-you, which made him smile even more.
Brody just laughed and shut the door. That's when inspiration struck.
I waited until he rounded the car and reached out toward the driver's side door handle. Then I hit the lock button.
"Really?" I heard Brody ask from outside, his voice muffled.
He grabbed the handle and the doors automatically unlocked, but I'd been waiting for that. I hit the button again before he could open the door.
"Cameron," he said.
I giggled and ignored the warning in his voice. He tugged the handle again, but I was waiting for it. I used to do this to my brother, and by extension, him, all the time when we were younger and they were forced to give me rides to school or pick me up from my extracurricular activities.
This time, Brody pulled out his key fob, gave me a sinister grin, and hit a button on it. The car alarm blared, drawing the attention of any people within a fifty-foot radius.
"Oh, my God," I groaned, ducking down in the passenger seat when heads swiveled toward the noise. I crouched on the floor and put my head on my knees.
From my position on the floorboard, I heard the locks bleep and then the alarm chirped before it died. Then Brody started laughing. Not just laughing. Guffawing.
Deep, rolling belly laughs erupted from him, so loud that I was sure they could hear him in the lobby of the movie theater.
I lifted my head from my knees and glared at him. "It wasn't that funny, Brody."
He just kept laughing, smacking the steering wheel with his right hand as he rocked back and forth in his seat.
"Brody!"
He wiped his eyes as he calmed somewhat. "God, I wish J.J. had a car alarm in high school. It would have saved us so much time and annoyance."
"Whatever," I grumbled, levering myself back up into the passenger seat.
"C'mon, Cam. You wouldn't have done it if you didn't think it was funny. You're just mad because I got the best of you for a change."
I didn't say anything because it was true and we both knew it.
Brody still had a huge smile on his face as he started his car and drove out of the parking lot.
A few seconds later, I was smiling out the window because he was right. It was pretty funny.
"I see that shit-eating grin," he commented.
I rolled my lips together and fought to keep my mouth in a straight line before I faced him. As soon as our eyes met, I burst out laughing. I just couldn't help it. The expression on his face was classic Brody, one I was used to seeing from him during high school. One that I used to look forward to seeing every chance I got.
His green eye sparkled with mischief and good humor and his grin was so wide that the small dimple in his right cheek was visible.
"Fine," I sighed, flopping back in the passenger seat. "So it was funny."
He laughed again but didn't say anything else. Though I could feel him gloating all the way across the front seat of his SUV.
He drove in silence for a few moments, but when he pulled up to a red light, he turned to look at me. In the shadowed interior, I could just make out the point of his chin and the sharp angle of his cheekbones.
"Thank you for coming out with me tonight," he said. "I won't go into details because it will lower my cool level, but I'm pretty pathetic during the weekends that Jacks is with her mom."
My chest tightened, but I ignored it and quipped, "I hate to break it to you, Brody, but your cool level became non-existent when you started driving a mom vehicle."
He gaped at me. "This isn't a mom vehicle. It's an SUV! A very nice, luxurious SUV."
I gave the leather interior and the fancy dash a dismissive wave. "Doesn't matter how many upgrades it has, it's still a mom car. Maybe one step up from a minivan."
Brody stared at me, open-mouthed and speechless until the car behind us honked.
I reached out and patted his forearm. "Oh, bless your heart, darlin'. I'm sorry I had to be the one to tell you."
It took every ounce of willpower I had not to burst into laughter at the glare he shot me.
Then he groaned. "You're fucking with me, aren't you?"
I couldn't hold back the laughter anymore. I clutched my stomach and giggled for a few seconds before I managed to say, "It took you long enough to catch on. I guess I can attribute your sloth-like reflexes to old age."
"Ass," he muttered.
I giggle-snorted. "I had to do something. You were getting all mushy on me."
Brody rolled his eyes. "Don't worry. I won't ever make that mistake again."
I chuckled to myself for a few minutes as he drove back toward Farley. But by the time he'd turned on to the main road that led to town, my urge to laugh had faded, leaving me a little sad for him.
I put my hand on his arm again and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm glad I could help."
Before I could move away, his palm landed on mine, holding my fingers closer to his skin. His fingers clasped mine for a brief moment before he released me, but I understood what he wanted to say anyway.
10
The next day, I woke up bright and early.
And in a great mood.
I came out of my room dressed in my yoga clothes with my mat tucked beneath my arm. I whistled a short tune. The sun seemed to shine brighter than usual and I felt rested. Full of energy.
"Damn, girl. Why are you so chipper this morning?" Sierra grumbled from the couch.
I leaned over the back and stared down at her. She was in the clothes she was wearing last night and her hair was in a messy bun on the top of her head. Mascara was smeared around her bleary eyes and there was a streak of lip gloss angling from the corner of her mouth to her cheek.
"What happened to you?" I shot back, glancing at the mess around her. "Did you host a stoner party here after I went to bed?"
There were junk food wrappers, soda cans, and tissues all over the coffee table. They surrounded her laptop as if they were offerings to a shrine for the gods of technology.
She moaned as she sat up and rubbed hard at the back of her neck. "Damn, I'm getting too old to sleep on the couch anymore."
"We're twenty-eight, not ninety-seven," I said.