I look across the lot, and within seconds, I see the car I’m leaving with. It’s fucking beautiful. A black 1967 Chevrolet Impala gleams in the sunlight, and I want it. No, I need it.
It doesn’t take long for me to convince the salesman that I want what I want, and he’s not going to sell me on anything else. Less than thirty minutes later, after a swipe of my pretty little plastic and a call to Smithy to confirm the sale, I leave with the keys to my newest joy. Got to love the way that money makes everything go faster in Echoes Cove.
“I’m gonna call her Izzy the Impala.” I grin at Indi who laughs at me. “You want to follow me back to my house, and then I can show you the place properly since you ditched me earlier in the week?” I pout at her, and she rolls her eyes.
“Oh please, I ditched you to have dinner because my aunt came into town as a surprise. We both know I'd rather have been eating mac and cheese with you.”
“Oh I know, it’s just fun to poke.”
“Yeah, yeah, Royal.” She rolls her eyes and spins her keys on her finger. “Now get your pretty little butt in your car so I can follow you home in your beautiful new Impala.”
I grin at her and practically skip over to my new car. Once I’m in, I take in the fact I just bought my first car. I refuse to dwell on the fact that Dad and I talked about this day way too many times for this not to hurt a little, but I already hurt so much that I just can’t think about it properly.
I start the car up, practically quivering over the pure American muscle growl that it makes. I peel out of the lot, heading back toward Echoes Cove. The car drives like a dream, and I almost wish the journey was longer.
By the time we pull up to the gates of the house, I’m grinning from ear to ear, having played more than a little to see what the little beauty is capable of. I lean out of the window and hit the buzzer, smiling into the camera lens. It buzzes again, and the gate starts to open. I head up the drive, with Indi following behind me in the Wrangler. Our cars so do not fit into the whole uptown rich bitch vibe of Echoes Cove, but I kind of love that.
I jump out, before grabbing my duffel from the backseat of the Wrangler, and head to the door with Indi on my heels.
“Miss Octavia, welcome home.” Smithy greets me with a huge smile as he opens the door. “You must be Miss Indi. Welcome.”
“Oh, I like him. Where can I get one?” Indi snickers, and Smithy laughs in that deep, throaty way he does.
“You are welcome here at any time, Miss Indi.” He waves us in the house, and I swear, a weight I hadn’t realized I’d been carrying lifts from my shoulders. Even with the bullshit of everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, I’m finally home, and I almost feel content. “I’ve had the bedroom put together as per your directions, and all of the deliveries are arranged in the room for you too. I’ll start putting together something for lunch. Will you both be eating?”
“Thank you so much, Smithy.” I hug him tight, and he squeezes me just as tightly back. “We’ll both be here for lunch and maybe dinner too. And thank you for handling everything, really. I appreciate it.”
“That’s what family is for, Miss Octavia. Now then, head upstairs! Do you need me to get the rest of your things?”
I twist my lips instantly, still a little pissed off about everything, and he frowns in response. “This is everything I have left. Blair and her friends destroyed everything else.”
“That girl… I swear—”
“It’s fine,” I say, waving him off. If I go down this path again today, I’m never going to pull myself out of the pit of despair that’s always lurking just beneath the surface and threatening to pull me under. “You said you packed most of Dad’s stuff up in his study, right? And all the other stuff that was sent back from the tour bus is there too? I’m sure I’ll find some more momentos in that stuff, so no worries.”
“Yes, of course, if you say so.” He twists his lips like he disapproves but shakes his head before smiling at me again. “Now you girls head on upstairs. If anything isn’t to your liking, just let me know, and I’ll get it all sorted out for you.”
“Thank you, Smithy,” I say before turning to Indi. “Ready?”
“As a church goer on a Sunday.” We head up the stairs, and I show her my childhood room, which gives her more than a few laughs. The pink really needs to be sorted out. Maybe I’ll have Smithy arrange for the room to be painted and turned into a spare room or a second music room. Anything but this pink nightmare.
We leave the pink disaster behind and head to the master suite. I can’t help but grin as I take in what Smithy did to the room. He didn’t just do what I asked—he decked the room out to the extreme. There are guitars hanging on one wall with a keyboard sitting just beneath them, regardless of the fact that we have a baby grand the the basement music room. The carpet is a cream colored blanket of thick, plush luxury, and the walls are dark gray. All of the furniture is a shabby white, and it’s just… perfect. I smile as my eyes catch the accents of navy blue peppered throughout the room.
“Dude, can Smithy be my interior designer? This room looks amazing.”
“Right? He nailed it.” I walk in further and notice a ton of bags from what looks like clothes stores lined up beside the bed. Then I notice the envelope sitting on the pillow with my name on. “What the…”
I pick it up and take the note out.
To replace what was damaged at my behest.
Linc
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I practically spit, seething with the anger burning deep in my gut.
“What?” Indi asks, and I pass her the note. She reads it, and her eyes go wide as I clench and unclench my fists. What the actual fuck? “Oh boy, did he actually just buy you a new wardrobe?”
I reach for one of the bags, recognizing the lingerie brand and my anger ratchets up another thousand degrees or so. “He bought me fucking everything, including underwear.”