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“Agreed,” Damien said to Ciara. “He can’t hurt you. You’ve got us.”
She smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
“Of course.” Mack bumped her shoulder. “That’s what family’s for. Or at least”—she made a face—“that’s what everyone but Zeke is for.”
The rest of the night went off without any problems. Ciara and I ended up staying the whole time, dancing, laughing, and talking with our guests. Surprisingly, it wasn’t too bad. And then, it was time to go home.
As we waited for the valet to pull my car around, Ciara was quiet again, looking at her phone. I frowned; though she wasn’t a big talker, an aura of sadness hung around her, dampening her spirit.
“Hey, are you sure you’re okay?” I asked. “You seem…sad.”
Her lips pulled to the side, and her eyes started to water. My level of concern went from mild to alarmed. “Ciara?”
“It’s nothing; I’m sure it’s nothing,” she said, sniffling. “It’s just…Brooklyn didn’t come to the party. And things have been strained with us since you and I got together…which probably wasn’t helped by the fact that I canceled on her today. I’m not sure how to fix it.”
“Oh, Cinderelly.” I gathered her in my arms, resting my cheek on the top of her head. “I’m sorry. That’s rough. Does she disagree with us being together?”
Ciara’s shoulders moved as if she shrugged. “All I know for sure is that now, she’s not answering my calls.”
“She’ll come around.” I said that more confidently than I felt it. I knew nothing about women’s friendships, and I hoped Ciara didn’t ask me for advice. The worst fight I’d ever had was with Brandon over a basketball game he swore I cheated in. We came to blows and then that was it.
“I hope so.” She pulled away as the valet pulled up with my car. “She’s been my best friend for fifteen years, and she’s my maid of honor. I don’t want to go through all of this without her. Especially since, if it weren’t for her suggestion, you and I would never have gotten together.” She smiled up at me. “I want her to share in that joy.”
I brushed a kiss against her lips. “Of course.”
Suddenly, I had an idea. “You up for an adventure?” I asked.
She squinted at me. “What kind of adventure?”
Grinning, I took the keys from the valet. “Get in the car,” I said. “You’ll see.”
ChapterThirty-Three
CIARA
“Just…ease off the gas,” Nathan suggested, hiding a smile.
I grumbled. “I don’t know why you think this is funny.”
“Because it is.” He leaned back in his seat, finally grinning as I tried, unsuccessfully, to follow his instructions. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you struggle with anything. You’re always so…contained.”
We were driving around the abandoned Hemingway High School parking lot, about an hour after the party ended. Nathan kept me in the dark about where we were going and what we were doing until we reached the lot, finally letting me in on the secret: he was going to teach me how to drive his car.
“Now, there’s not much to it,” he had said as we switched sides. “It just takes some getting used to because when you’re driving on regular town streets, you don’t really need the brakes. Unless something happens and you have to stop unexpectedly.”
I widened my eyes. “Isn’t that kinda dangerous?”
“Not really.” He fiddled with a few things on the massive screen, adjusting the passenger side. “The technology supports it. But that’s an explanation for a different day.”
He leaned over to tug on my seatbelt as if to secure it, then smoothed his hands down my sides to my hips. My eyelids fluttered closed as he kissed me languidly as if we were home and not in the empty parking lot of our old high school. When he pulled back, I blinked, my heart racing from the simple contact. He smirked.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Uh-huh,” I said faintly.
And now, ten minutes later, I was no closer to learning how to “ease off the gas” than I was when we started.
“Think of it this way,” he said finally. “It works the same way in a regular car. You don’t stomp the gas and immediately take your foot off, right?”
