Theo nods his agreement. “Sounds like a nice life you’ve got planned.”
I smile softly at him, “Thank you. I know I’m technically helping you here, but I appreciate you helping me get a job in return. I’m not sure I could take another rejection letter.”
“Well, anyone who rejects you is a certified idiot in my eyes.” As he responds, he places his hand on my knee, not an intrusion, but as reassurance.
The rough callouses on his hands graze against the top of my bare knee. I mentally send Beth a thank you for suggesting I wear shorts for the road trip. Heat begins to pool in my lower stomach, and a chill is shot up my spine when his thumb lightly brushes across my skin.
When I look up from our connection, our eyes lock, and his hand jolts away from my knee, snapping back to the steering wheel. Both hands are now in a tense 10 and 2 position. Beth begins to wake up from her nap and says she needs to stop for a bathroom break.
“There’s a stop only ten minutes from here,” Theo tells Beth.
Theo’s hands haven’t budged from the wheel, his knuckles turning white from his grip. Neither one of us says a word for the remainder of the drive.
10
SIENNA
I’m relieved when we finally pull up to the lake house. Since Theo’s hand left my knee, the air in the Mustang has been cold, and it’s not just because of the AC.
As we drive down the long, winding road into the driveway, I take in the stunning views of the house and the lake behind it. Given that Theo had said it’s been here since he was at least six years old, I wasn’t expecting something so grand. It’s dated, sure, with older stone and traditional lines used on the pillars in the entryway, but it’s gorgeous. The dark tones of the wood contrast with the evergreens surrounding the lake.
After parking, Theo gets out of the car as I help Beth out of the back seat, both of us fighting the front seat as she squeezes through the opening. Once out, we stretch our limbs, looking around the side of the house to steal a view of the lake. The late afternoon sun reflects off the deep blue water, making it sparkle. As birds fly across, they just barely tap the water as they go. In the fardistance, the trees perfectly frame the snowy peaks of Mount Hood. The summer wind blows, ruffling my T-shirt as I take a deep breath of the fresh air.
If I refuse to take one thing for granted, it’s the air quality of the Pacific Northwest. That, and our tap water.
“Theo, it’s been too long.” A man slightly shorter than Theo approaches, holding his arms out. He wraps them around Theo’s shoulders, and Theo lets out a laugh.
“We saw each other a few months ago. It hasn’t been that long.” Theo rolls his eyes.
Waiting for an introduction, but not wanting to intrude on their catching up, I move to help Beth grab the bags from the trunk of the car. The trunk is empty once she pulls her bags out, and I look around for mine. Looking down, I see my bag by Theo’s feet, next to his. He must have grabbed it when he first got out of the car.
Turning to me, Theo wraps his arm around the man’s shoulders. “This is my brother Leonardo. Leonardo, this is Sienna, my girlfriend. And her friend Beth.” He gestures to both of us, and I accept Leo’s offering to shake my hand.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you,” he says with a smile almost as heart-stopping as Theo’s.
“You’re too kind. It’s nice to meet you, Leonardo,” I respond. I have to suppress a laugh at his politeness, considering I know there’s no way he could have heard that much about me.
“Please, it’s just Leo. Theodore here likes to use my full name just to fuck with me.” He wraps his arm around Theo’s neck and pulls him into a playful chokehold. It’swhen he decides to rough up Theo’s hair a little bit that I decide I quite like Leo.
While Beth and Leo make their introductions, I notice the classic green Mustang parked next to Theo’s. Considering it’s the only other car on the lot, I’d assume it’s Leo’s. It seems fitting given his appearance. Medium brown hair with a small amount of wave, similar to Theo’s, but chopped a little shorter. A loose light blue button-down T-shirt that brings out the blue of his irises, and tan shorts slightly shorter than Theo’s. With his toned but slimmer build, clean shave, and dashing smile, he looks very fitting for his Mustang.
I’m analyzing Leo’s outfit when fingers brush the inside of my wrist. My eyes are pulled to Theo, who has gently wrapped his hand around my wrist to get my attention. He opens his mouth to say something, but a loud noise cuts through the air before he gets the chance.
A high-pitched whine abuses my ears as the sound travels down to the lake from atop the winding road. Beth and I are quick to cover our ears as the noise grows louder.
When we see a red blur come into view, Beth yells over the noise, “Is that a car? How could anyone drive a car that sounds like that?”
I look at Theo and Leo to make sure they aren’t offended by Beth’s unfiltered question. Judging by the two Mustangs sitting in the driveway and what I can now see is a red Mustang headed toward us, I’d assume this is a family hobby. Not sure how easily I can secure a job if we offend the guys on day one.
To my relief, Theo and Leo are laughing, quite hysterically, at Beth’s comment.
“That’s Alex for you,” Theo says, shrugging.
As if right on cue, the whining, bright red Mustang pulls into the driveway right behind Leo’s green Mustang. Something resembling a WWE belt hangs out of the driver’s side window as music blares through the open windows of the car. The bass is turned up so high that I can’t make out the song.
Alex pops out of the driver's side window, his body half hanging out of the car as the music continues to play.
He raises the belt above his head, yelling, “Ready to lose to me again this year, motherfuckers?”
