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When they left the restaurant, Cody and Summer made sure they left first out of the parking lot, while her dad and Miranda stalled by carrying on a conversation with Brooke by the car, irking Natalie, Summer was sure.
But she and Cody arrived home with just enough time to pull the brand-new BMW out of the garage and stick the over-the-top, too-big-for-one-person-to-handle bow on top of it.
When Nate pulled into the driveway, he’d barely stopped the car before Natalie jumped out and ran for her present, screaming, “You got it for me!”
Summer had never seen her sister so happy.
Cody held the keys out to her. “I guess you’ll be attending your friend’s graduation party tonight in style.”
Natalie snatched the keys, eyes bright with delight, and ran for the driver’s side.
Cody opened the passenger door, sat in the seat, but kept one leg out the door. “Take a minute to enjoy this and figure out where all the gadgets are and how they work.”
Nate and Miranda went to the driver’s side and stared in at their daughter.
Miranda tapped on the window and waited for Natalie to put it down. “Do you love it?”
“Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much.” Natalie’s eyes were bright with enthusiasm and sheer joy.
Their dad nodded. “You need to take care of it.”
“I will,” Natalie swore, not looking at him, but fiddling with the radio until she paired her phone with it and put on one of her favorite playlists. “It works. Yes!” She turned to Cody. “Let’s go for a drive.”
Haley stood next to Cody. “Can I go with you?”
Cody climbed out, put the seat forward, and let Haley slip into the back seat. He turned to Summer. “Come with us.”
They’d promised each other they wouldn’t let anyone come between them, so Summer ignored Natalie’s disappointment when she nodded yes and climbed in back with Haley.
“Be careful,” Miranda said.
Natalie hit the gas, throwing her and Haley back into their seats and scrambling for their seat belts, while Cody reached over, put his hand on Natalie’s arm, and warned, “Slow down, Danica Patrick. You don’t want to wreck it your first time out.”
Natalie turned left on the main road and grinned. “Not a chance. This baby is mine.”
Cody hung on to the oh-shit handle above his head and grinned.
Summer enjoyed watching Natalie drive, her excitement and glee so palpable in the car.
Cody turned to the back seat. “What do you think, Haley? You want something like this when you graduate?”
Haley shook her head. “I want a Jeep with big tires and four-wheel drive, so I can take it to the beach, or up to the snow. It can go anywhere.”
“I have one at my Wyoming house. I love to take it on the back roads. It’s so pretty there.”
“I want to go,” Haley exclaimed.
“We’ll do it, then.”
Haley’s grin grew wider. “When? This summer?”
Natalie met Haley’s eyes in the rearview mirror. “Probably not going to happen. She’s leaving soon,” Natalie reminded her. “Summer is expected back at work now that the whole family reunion is done.”
“That doesn’t mean we can’t plan a trip, even if it’s just a long weekend,” Summer assured Haley, really liking the idea of them going to the Wyoming house. “You’d love it there. It’s so pretty with all the trees and land. The property has this beautiful lake and a creek with lots of fish.”
It wasn’t lost on Summer that Cody had gone quiet on her.
Neither of them liked talking about her returning to Texas, but that talk was coming, sooner rather than later.
