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“This is fancy,” Carly said from the back seat.
“It was Gramps’s car before he couldn’t drive it anymore. He and my grandma bought it right off the showroom floor in 1961.” Wyatt adjusted the vents. “Too cold? Too hot?”
“It’s fine.” Anita glanced about the pristine upholstery. “This car looks brand new. I can’t believe it’s over twenty years old.”
“Gramps babied it,” Wyatt said, firing up the engine. “Now where to?”
“We’re on Locust Street,” Anita said. “Your grandfather did an amazing job with this car. “I wish the Bug looked this good.”
He cast her a smile. “Maybe when you retire and have more time on your hands, you can spend every day polishing and buffing.”
“That will be the day,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll probably never retire since I have no pension or 401(k).”
Wyatt nodded. “I guess being self-employed has its pros and cons.”
“What’s your job, Mr. Davis?” Carly asked.
“Wyatt—please call me Wyatt,” he said. “As much as I love my grandpa, I don’t want to be called Mr. Davis.” He paused, glancing in the rearview mirror at Carly. “I’m an accountant for a couple of corporations.”
Anita could hear the frown in Carly’s voice when she asked, “What do you do there?”
“I keep the books, attend meetings, print out reports, that sort of thing.”
It all sounded interesting and gave Anita a little insight into Wyatt’s personality. She wondered if he felt cooped up spending every day dealing with numbers. His shirtsleeves were still rolled up, making him look the most casual she’d ever seen him.
“Do you have a 401(k)?” Carly asked.
“Carly—” Anita started to say.
“It’s all right,” Wyatt said with a chuckle. “I do, in fact. Corporate America and all that. Insurance benefits with dental and vision.”
“Oh, that must be nice,” Carly said wistfully.
Anita turned to look at her daughter, mostly to give her a stern look to stop this line of conversation.
“We have to pay out-of-pocket for the dentist,” Carly continued, completely oblivious to Anita’s stare-down. “Which is why my mom is so hyper about us brushing our teeth and flossing.”
“Those are good things to do no matter what,” Wyatt said, clearly amused.
“You know, Carly, we don’t need to tell Wyatt all of our secrets.”
“I won’t tell a soul.” He winked at Anita. “That’s what I like about teenagers—they keep things real.”
She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had winked at her. And was Wyatt complimenting her daughter? What was it with the Davis family? They didn’t seem to have any reservations around her or Carly.
“Oh, you should turn here, it’s a shortcut,” Carly said.
Anita blinked. She hadn’t even been paying attention to their route. In a few moments, they’d be at the house. Should she invite him in for refreshment? Maybe offer some money for gas? How did she repay this favor?
They passed the middle school. “Is this your school?” Wyatt asked.
“Yeah,” Carly said. “It’s a nightmare.”
Anita’s mouth dropped open, and he said, “What? Why’s that?”
Apparently he wasn’t as shocked as she was.
“Oh, I just got into the worst friend group, and now those girls have ostracized me.”
