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I breathe in a sigh of relief. “That’s perfect. Thank you, Wilder.”
“You betcha.” He taps his fingers to the table before getting up. “I need to finish this video before I head to the gym. We’ll talk soon.”
I watch as he walks away, then my eyes find Rome in the middle of the yard. He curls his fingers at me and hollers with a stern voice, “Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 16
ROME
With my car pulled in front of the house, I wait for Elodie, drumming my fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of “Like a Villain” by Bad Omens.
She walks out in a pair of sweatpants and a crossbody purse hanging over her tee shirt. She’s got her hair in a high ponytail behind a pair of plastic-framed sunglasses perched on the top of her head.
That’s not what has my attention, though, as she makes her way to me like the obedient puppy I asked her to be. Her eyes lack the sparkle they normally hold and she looks paler than normal. I can tell just by the way she’s carrying herself today, with her shoulders slumped forward and no pep in her step, she’s not feeling too hot.
Normally, I’d say she deserves it. She drank the booze and had the fun and now she has to reap the consequences. But I’d bet my life that booze didn’t do that to her. And if Elodie would have known that one drink would have stripped her of her control, there is no way she would have drank it.
Elodie pulls open the passenger side door and sinks into the seat. Before she closes the door, she drops her sunglasses over her eyes. “Where are we going?”
Even her voice is different. There’s no enthusiasm or zest for life. Who is usually a chipper and sassy girl is now someone who looks completely defeated. I suppose I can take credit for that.
“You’ll see,” I tell her as I shift the car into drive and press my foot to the gas pedal.
As if she just had an epiphany while passing by her car, Elodie shoots up in her seat. “Who the hell drove my car home last night? Please don’t tell me I drove.”
“You didn’t. And it wasn’t brought home last night. Brady drove it here this morning.”
Around eight o’clock, I got a text that he had dropped it off. I was pretty surprised to see that all four tires were replaced. He must really know some people to have pulled that off on a Saturday morning.
Elodie pushes her sunglasses back on her head and I can see clearly now that her eyes are still glossed over. “So who drove me home?”
“Yours truly.” I smirk. “You’re welcome.”
She sinks back into the seat and mumbles a very quiet, “Thank you.”
I’m actually surprised she thanked me at all, considering the way I’ve treated her. Thought for sure she’d say something smart-ass like, “I didn’t ask for your help.”
“We didn’t…” She pauses, moving her finger between us. “Ya know?”
I know what she’s asking, but the depraved side of me wants to humiliate her and make her say the words. I love to watch her squirm, and maybe it will bring some of that spark that I love to play with back into her today. “Didn’t what?”
The color slowly returns to her cheeks. “We didn’t do anything, did we?”
I bite my lip and look her up and down. “Do anything, like what?” My eyes return to the road, only after I watch her jaw drop.
She shakes her head, looking away from me and resting her head on the window. “Never mind.”
“Come on, Freckles. Just ask the damn question. Did we, what?”
There’s a strange feeling that starts to take hold of me. Almost something like sadness or regret when I look at Elodie. This is a woman who fights not just for herself, but for those around her, always.
Seeing her without that drive actually bothers me more than I thought it would. I have no real intention of ruining her life by sending that video to Stanford. I just want her to fall in line. But if this is what that looks like, then I’m not so sure I want it.
I stare at the road ahead and decide to give it one last go. If this doesn’t get her attention, then maybe Elodie isn’t the girl I thought she was. Maybe I’ve already broken my new toy.
“It’s Brady you should thank. He replaced all your tires that someone slashed last night.”
The casualness in my tone unnerves Elodie. She jerks her seat belt forward and turns in the seat to face me. “What?!”
