“Fun, isn’t it?” Karli says, her words like a challenge.
I’m normally a positive-mindset kind of guy, but this van is testing my limits.
“A riot.” I force a smile and bounce a couple of times for emphasis. It doesn’t matter, none of it matters except getting home.
“You don’t get out much, do you?” Karli asks.
“I go out plenty.” Iusedto go out plenty. These days have been more about work and school. Not for the first time tonight, Sean’s accusations come back to me. As do my insulting rebuttals. I’ll apologize eventually. After he apologizes first.
“And judging by that grimace on your face, let me guess, you have a ‘riot’?” Karlie flips the key in the ignition and the van roars to life. Like actually roars. Then settles into a weird putting sound. This does not bode well.
“Are you sure this vehicle is safe?”
“One hundred percent,” Karli says.
She shifts the behemoth into reverse and sticks her tongue out the corner of her mouth as she watches the mirrors. It’s kind of cute the way she’s doing th–
She slams on the brakes. The van jolts and my bouncy chair flings me off its cushion and straight into Karli. My face hits her shoulder, but my body continues until I’m splayed across her lap like a helpless damsel in distress.
I freeze, my face pressed into her thighs, immobilized by the embarrassment. “What. Was. That?”
Karli doesn’t even try to control her laughter. “I saw a cat.”
I rip myself off her lap. A cat?
“This van is a safety hazard.”
She cocks her head to the side. “Have you seriously not learned your lesson about insulting Bertha?”
I straighten in my seat and make a point of pulling my seatbelt out wide, then clicking it. I tug on it a couple of times for good measure. Then I grip the dash with both hands. All I need is a helmet. “Ready for take-off.”
“Loving the positivity. But, we have to find my mom first.” Karli puts the van in drive and maneuvers out of the parking lot.
“I thought we were leaving.”
“Come on, you know you want to gamble a little.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
I feel like I’m taking a very risky gamble right now, being here with her. Being in this vehicle.
Karli flips on the blinker a millisecond before cutting in front of a Tesla and I grip the handlebar above my head.
“Thanksgiving is still two days away, we have plenty of time,” she says.
“I feel like I’ve seen a show like this. And guess what? They didn’t make it home until all the food was gone.”
“Your priorities have been noted. But my mom has something of mine, and I can’t leave without it.”
At this rate, I’m never going to make it home for Mom’s apple pie. But that’s surprisingly not my biggest concern right now. I’m more worried about what my family is going to think when I bring Karli with me. They will assume we are dating, and there’s no way I would date her. She’s reckless and pushy, and… I glance over, and she flashes me a mischievous smile.
…and that. Mischievous should be her middle name. With how little I know about her, maybe it is.
“What’s your middle name?” I blurt.
“Jane.”
Ugh, why does she have to have a normal, adorable middle name?
“Why? What’s yours?” she asks.
