“Need to apply some WD-40 on that,” I say, neglecting to acknowledge he got me with a jump scare because I don’t want him relishing in the pleasure of it.
Tai hooks his thumbs through his belt loops and rocks back on his heels, his gaze raking over Cletus. “By the looks of it, even submersing it in a lake of WD-40 wouldn’t do much in way of improvements.”
“I don’t believe anyone asked your opinion.” I sniff. Sure, I might’ve said something similar an hour ago, but that was before I’d gotten to know Cletus. Things are different now.
Tai tilts his head, studying me.
I jut my chin out at him.
He in turn lets out an exasperated breath. “Angel says you’ve named it.”
Angel is Tai’s nickname for Evangeline. “Tai, Cletus, Cletus, Tai.” I move my hand between them as I make introductions.
Tai chokes on a laugh but doesn’t make any other comment. Being more like a second brother to me than a cousin, he’s very familiar with this particular quirk of mine. Growing up, I had a Hula-Hoop named Leilani and a Chia Pet I called Alex. My first car I named Ruth, which I thought was clever because of the what the biblical Ruth told her mother-in-law Naomi: “Where you go, I will go.” You get the point.
“Does it run?” Tai pushes against the front wheel with his toe.
“I’ll have you know that Cletus holds the world record in the five-hundred-meter dash.”
“Hayley.” He gives me a deadpan look.
I make my face a mirror of his. “Tai.”
He rakes a hand through his hair. He’s nervous for me. I get it. I was nervous for me too.
Okay, fine. I’m still fairly nervous for me.
“Someone had to have driven it over here, right? I’m sure Cletus is hiding all his magic under the hood. An ugly duckling just awaiting his transformation.”
Tai snorts.
“You know, I just so happen to be related to someone who does bodywork.” I hop out of the driver’s seat and shut the door behind me.
His eyes round, and he holds his hands up, palms out. “Get that idea out of your head right now. They are not the same thing.”
“Poe-tae-toe, Poe-tah-toe.”
“Potato, watermelon more like. Bodywork as in tattoos and bodywork as in car repair are not even in the same universe, and you know it.”
I simply look at him. Fold my arms over my chest and look at him.
Tai and I are closer than Elliot—who is my actual brother—and I are. Part of the reason is probably an age thing. Tai and I are only six months apart, while Elliot didn’t join the family until I was off to kindergarten. And part of the reason is probably the whole cheat-death thing. Tai had severe asthma growing up, and Aunt Missy worried that he would stop breathing at any second, which meant she tried to keep him in a little bubble as much as possible. When I got sick, Tai was one of the only people in my life who really got it. Who really understood the things I was thinking and feeling. We didn’t necessarily have telepathy, but there were a lot of times when we’d know from a single look that the other needed a rescue.
I give that look to Tai now.
He sighs and hangs his head in defeat. “Fine. I’ll see what I can do.”
“You’re the best.” I grin and bounce on my toes, planting a kiss on his cheek.
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve heard that before. Usually right after you’ve talked me into doing something I don’t want to do.”
I laugh. “As if you’d have it any other way.” I pat his shoulder and walk past him toward the library. The books won’t reshelve themselves.
“Hey, Hales?”
I pause mid-step and turn. “Yeah?”
“Be careful when you’re driving this thing around, won’t you?”
