Page 24 of The Purest Fake
Her hand caresses the black leather seat. “It’s gorgeous.”
“She is,” I agree, and even more so with Scarlett sitting next to me. She’s the first woman not related to me to ride in my car.
“Was your Corvette the first extravagant purchase you made?” she asks.
“I bought a watch too, but it cost me a fraction of the money I paid for this car.”
“Where do you and your sister live?”
“In Surfside.”
“Are you close to the beach?”
“We’re a couple blocks from it, like you and Autumn are.”
“Did you buy a place or are you renting?”
“I bought a house. I figured if I’m going to be here for a while, I might as well own a home. I might regret that if they decide to get rid of me before my next contract negotiation, but…” I shrug.
She laughs. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.”
“I’m not planning on giving them a reason to be dissatisfied with me.”
“Where did you grow up,” she asks.
“Swanton, Ohio.”
“Is that a small town?”
“You could say that.”
She turns, angling her upper body toward me, as if she’s interested in learning more.
“Is that where your parents live?”
“Yep. They’ll stay there until the day they die.”
“What did you do for fun?”
I shift my hands on the steering wheel. “Played football, worked out with my friends… you know, the usual.”
“No parties?”
“Maybe a few. What about you? Where did you grow up?”
“Charlestown, Rhode Island.”
“Is that a small town?”
“The whole state is small,” she says, laughing.
“That’s true, but I’ve never been there.”
“Well, I wasn’t going to bring this up yet, but one of my cousins is getting married and I need a date. Any takers?” she asks.
I smile, sending a quick glance her way. “As long as it doesn’t interfere with my game schedule, I’ll be there. Just give me all the information ahead of time.”
“I’ll make sure you have plenty of notice. It’s not for a couple of months anyway.”
