CASILLAS: I’m so sorry. Really. I don’t think I’ve ever used that word in my life. I guess I’ve taken too many balls to my face… fuck my life, did I just… Oh God. I used the ‘F’ word and I said I’ve taken a lot of balls to my face in one sentence. I don’t…
GARDNER: [cracking up] Sal…
CASILLAS: I’m just going to shut up now.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
“We’ll havebreakfast in the morning?” Dad asked. We’d just had a late dinner out, following an afternoon spent at my apartment.
I nodded. “Yes. I promise.”
Dad eyed me critically. “You’ll call me if you hear anything from your agent?”
It was ten o’clock at night. I highly doubted she was going to call me before the next morning, but I kept my mouth closed. My dad seemed more nervous than I was about everything now that the season was over, and I didn’t want to fuel the fire. One of us with indigestion was bad enough. “Promise.”
“Okay.” He smiled over at me. “I’ll see you in the morning then.” One more hug and he whistled over to where Rey stood next to their car, talking to my mom while Ceci sat inside, the glow from her cell illuminating her face. “Amor,estas lista?”
Mom had to have rolled her eyes considering she was the one who’d been standing by the car waiting for him for the last five minutes. “Ya vamonos. Salomé, dame un abrazo.”
Snorting under my breath, I walked back and gave her the hug she just demanded, knocking on the window to wave at Ceci. I could see Mom and Dad arguing inside and a second later, the driver side window rolled down possibly an inch. I’m pretty sure the words, “Bye, Kulti,” were mumbled out a second before the window was rolled back up and my dad pulled the car away and out of the lot.
“I’m pretty sure my dad told you bye,” I laughed.
The German had a small smile on his face. “I believe so.”
Dad hadn’t said a word to him during dinner, using me as a workaround to ask him questions. He was a freaking lunatic. “At this rate it’ll be six months before he shakes your hand and a year before he asks you how you’re doing.”
“I’m in no rush,” he said, giving me a nudge.
I nudged him back. “Listo?” I asked him in Spanish if he was ready. His Audi was parked two rows down.
“Si,” he nodded, grabbing my hand.
Him speaking Spanish… Dear God. It would never get old.
We made our way to the car and got into the back. The driver must have turned it on when we’d walked out of the restaurant because the inside was nice and cool. Rey slid in after me, draping an arm over my shoulder. I tipped my head up to whisper, “I’m curious, when can you apply to get your license back?”
“In two months,” he replied, looking down at me.
“Are you going to get a new one?”
Rey raised a single shoulder. “If we’re here.”
If we’re here. The togetherness of his statement sent a chill down my spine. Two weeks ago, I would have laughed if someone told me I’d be sitting in the back of Rey’s Audi with his arm around me, talking about him following me to a different country. Yet here we were, and it made me feel so lame that I couldn’t find it in me to put up more of a fight. “You really will come with me?” I asked. “Even if I end up in Poland?”
“You won’t end up in Poland but if you did, then yes, I would still go with you.” He nudged me.
“What are you going to do? I don’t want you to get bored or hate me—“
“I can do whatever I want. I’ve enjoyed my career and nothing would make me happier than to see you enjoy yours. Understand?” Rey raised his thick, brown eyebrows at me, as his hand slid all the way down until he reached my bare thigh.
“I don’t see how I could get bored when I’ll have to keep you out of starting fights all the time.”
“Oh please.” I laughed.
“You’re a troublemaker,schnecke.” He grinned, the rough calluses on his fingertips brushed over my kneecaps as he shifted in his seat to get a better reach.
Rolling my eyes, I shook my head. “Whatever. I just want you to be happy. I think I can handle your circus—”