A softness appears in his eyes. “We’re due to leave next weekend.”
“That soon?” I gasp.
“Yeah, you know how it is with my work. There’s never much notice. But your mother and I will be in touch all the time.”
“I know,” I sigh before pausing a while. “I’m going to head out for a bit. I’ll be home for dinner.”
“Ok,” he says as his eyes move back to his laptop screen. “Drive safely.”
With that, I walk out the door with too many thoughts floating around in my head and no idea where to begin sorting them, though I know one thing that’s bound to help.
I drop down into my car and fifteen minutes later, I’m pulling up at Nate’s shop. I walk towards the entrance and lean against the wall, watching him work in nothing but a pair of lose hanging shorts. I don’t doubt he already knows I’m here, but watching him work is too damn good to interrupt.
“What’s going on, babe?” he says with his eyes still trained on the engine before him.
“Got some news,” I say, pushing off the wall and walking forward.
He turns and looks at me, and just like that, every last thought leaves my mind, and everything is suddenly right in the world.
Chapter 4
I hurry out of my morning History lecture and race towards my car. I have all of about three minutes to get my ass in my car and get to the home inspection. I told dad to make it for half-past ten but nooooo, he had to go ahead and schedule it for ten o’clock on the dot. I mean, I get his work is important, but so are my classes.
I drop down into my R8 and bring her to life before peeling out of my parking space, hoping I manage to remember the directions to this place as I seriously don’t have a spare minute to look it up again.
Shit, he’s going to have the shits with me if I miss this appointment. I swear, he’d probably bail out of the whole thing just to teach me a lesson. I’m lucky Brooke is already there to save my ass. She wouldn’t let this slip through her fingers for anything.
I weave through the traffic, inwardly cursing my father for having such a tight schedule. Oh, man. He’s going to have the shits. I can just see it now, he’s going to give me ‘the look’ and it’s going to suck big time. It’ll be silent and terrifying at the same time while he somehow manages to look as though not a damn thing has happened to the people standing around us.
Mom has a pretty nasty ‘look’ as well, but dad takes me back to my childhood and has me wanting to grovel at his feet for forgiveness. I don’t know how he does it, but when I have Nate’s kids one day, I’m going to have to hope I have one hell of a terrifying ‘look’. After all, Nate’s kids are going to be more than a handful. They’ll keep me busier than I ever thought possible and I can’t freaking wait.
I turn left. Another left. Right. Then one last left. And finally, I see Brooke’s Mercedes up ahead and dad’s car parked on the other side of the road.
I pull up behind Brooke’s car to see dad, Brooke, and a guy in some fancy suit who I assume is the realtor, standing out the front of the beautiful little cottage. The second my eyes take in the home behind them, I find myself gawking while ignoring the fact that my father is busily glaring at me as Brooke is shooting me looks suggesting things are a little awkward and I better hurry the hell up.
With dad’s piercing stare, I quickly unbuckle and throw my door open before hurrying up to them. “Sorry,” I say towards the realtor, reaching out to offer him my hand while purposefully avoiding my father’s sharp glare. “I’m Tora. My lecture only just let out. I came as quickly as I could.”
“No problem at all,” he says, taking my hand and giving it a quick shake. “My name is Jacob. What do you say we get this show on the road?”
“With pleasure,” I smile moments before dad steps in and takes over.
Dad and Jacob lead the way in, however, it seems they’re both gentlemen and open the door for me and Brooke, allowing us to pass the threshold first.
Brooke latches onto my hand as we step into the empty home, each with a gasp sailing out of us. “Oh, my god,” she murmurs beside me, squeezing my hand impossibly tighter. “I love it already.”
“I know,” I gush, wide eyed.
Dad and the realtor practically have to push us forward out of the doorway to make room for themselves behind us. “Ok,” Jacob says. “As you can see the home opens into a quaint living room which possesses a fireplace and natural wood floorboards that flow throughout the entire home.”
Blah, blah, blah.
Brooke and I instantly zone out as Jacob sucks up to my father, hoping for the sale. We make our way through the home and while it’s clear that this place is older than the others on our list, it’s obvious the owner loved it enough to keep it modern. A brand new kitchen stands, sparkly and welcoming, begging for me to make a mess of it while the walls are freshly painted, ready for me to hang the blown up photo of my group of friends partying at Broken Hill lake.
The bathroom has been updated and the bedrooms are spacious and clean. While it’s tiny compared to the homes Brooke and I have grown up in, it’s absolutely perfect for what we need.
I look over at Brooke to find the same adoration in her eyes that’s shining through mine, and it’s clear that while this isn’t either of our forever homes, this will be our right now home.
Dad asks the realtor to give us a moment to discuss and the guy heads out the front while pulling out his phone.
“Well?” dad questions coming to stand by us. Brooke grins up at my dad as a beaming smile takes over my face. We haven’t said a word and yet dad already has his answer. “You’re sure?” He questions. “It’s suitable for you both, but did you want to inspect the others first?”
“No,” I tell him. “This is the one.”
Dad looks at Brooke.
“Yep, I agree. This is home.”
“Alright,” he says, pulling out his checkbook. He starts writing out the check for the deposit and walks over to the window where he nods to the realtor. A moment later, Jacob makes his way back inside and walks straight up to my father with a cocky smile as though he already knows he has the sale in the bag.
Asshole.
“We’ll take it,” dad says, reaching out his hand. Jacob takes it and gives it a firm shake. “How soon can we get things moving along?”
“Well,” Jacob says. “As you can see, the home is empty. The previous owners have already moved on and are hoping for a quick sale. They’re wanting to close as soon as possible. If you need, I’m sure I can arrange for early occupation of the property.”
Dad looks to me. “Girls?”
We both nod eagerly.
“Alright,” dad says with a firm nod as he hands over the check. “Get it done.”
“Will do.” Jacob takes the check and walks out the front, pulling his phone out once again, probably to call the previous owners and let them know the deal is done.
I turn to Brooke with wide, excited eyes. “Do we have a home?”
“Hell yeah, we do,” she laughs.
Dad clears his throat and pulls out his wallet before handing me over his credit card. “Take this,” he says. “Assuming Jacob can get us early occupation, I’d like to have you moved in before we leave so your mother won't fret about it. You’ll need to purchase everything to furnish a house including kitchenware, towels, and bed linen.”
“Ok,” I smile. “When should I arrange for it all to be delivered?”
Dad looks back over his shoulder at Jacob outside before turning back to me. “I’ll let you know,” he says. “For now, just start shopping. I’m going to head home and arrange new insurances.”
A beaming smile rips across my face and I launch myself at my father. “Thanks, daddy.”
He winds his arms around me and pats my back. “Don’t make me regret this,” he says. “Make sure you buy good, sturdy furniture in case you move out. That way we can rent it out fully furnished.”
“Sure thing,” I smile. “Any
thing else?”
His eyebrows pull down before they shoot straight back up. “Yeah, actually. Buy your mother a gold chain. Our wedding anniversary is coming up. Make it a nice one. It’ll be twenty years.”
“You sure you want me picking it out?” I grunt, not really knowing too much about jewelry. I mean, I have that one necklace from Nate which I wear religiously and it’s absolutely beautiful, but apart from that, I don’t know much about the stuff.
Dad nods. “I trust you.”
“Ok,” I say.
Brooke and I follow dad out the front door still so excited we can hardly stop bouncing. We say thank you and goodbye to the realtor and I give a quick wave to dad who storms straight towards his car in a rush to get back to his office.
Brooke and I stand between our parked cars. “I have three hours to spare before I need to be back on campus,” I tell her. “What about you? Are you good to come shopping with me?”
“Yep,” she beams. “I have two hours.”
“Awesome,” I grin.
Before we know it, I’m following her down the street and pulling into a space beside her with dad’s magical credit card slipped into the safety of my jeans pocket.
We walk around the furniture store for a good hour, picking things out with the store assistant tagging along beside us, writing everything down. We bounce from one section to another, making sure to keep everything modern with neutral colors, as I know that’s what dad is going to approve of.
The only thing that takes us a while is when we get to the couches. You see, a lot goes into choosing a couch and I have a feeling we’re going to have quite a lot of people coming and crashing on it. It has to be big for when Jesse decides to pass out, and it has to be comfortable for when Brooke and I have movie night in our pajamas.
After fifteen minutes debating over the couch, we finally pick one that’s absolutely huge and screams comfort, only to groan when we get to the bedroom section. There’s nothing worse than having to pick out a mattress. I mean, so many things could go wrong here.
We get out of the store with half an hour to spare before Brooke has to be back on campus, so we stop for lunch on the way.
Brooke nibbles at a salad and I raise an eyebrow. It’s not like her to eat so carefully and sparingly. “What’s up?” I grunt.
“I have my date with Lukas tomorrow night. I’m trying not to pig out so I don’t look bloated.”
I roll my eyes. “You’re tiny. No matter what you do you’d never look bloated.”
“No, that’s just the thing, being tiny is the problem. The second I eat anything my stomach pokes out. If I eat too much today, I’d probably look nine months pregnant tomorrow.”
I scoff at her reasoning. Never in a million years would she ever look like that. Not even if she were nine months pregnant. She’ll probably be one of those beautiful pregnant women who have a tiny, perfect little bump and she’ll probably pop out her baby by accidentally sneezing. Me, on the other hand, will most likely look like a cow about to explode and be stuck in a week long labor covered in sweat and growling like a bear.
“Do you know where he’s taking you yet?”
“Yeah,” she smiles, looking up from her salad. “You know that little Italian restaurant? It’s kind of right between here and home.”
“Oh, yeah,” I smile. “I’ve been there a few times with Nate. They’re great, but you should get one of the booths in the back. It gets really busy and loud.”
“Ok,” she says as a beaming smile takes over her. She drops her fork into her salad and places her hands flat on the table. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she tells me. “I feel really nervous about this. I don’t get nervous, Tora. I’m so out of my depth here.”
“What?” I laugh. “Weren’t you the one saying how you don’t get affected by all this girly shit just yesterday?”
“Shut up,” she groans. “I didn’t feel nervous yesterday but the second he gave me a time and date, I just froze. I felt sick. Like, what if I screw this up? I really like this guy. He’s so perfect and he’s so damn sexy.”
“You’re not going to screw it up,” I tell her. “He’s going to see that you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, and if he can’t see that, then he’s not the guy you want in your life, and if that is the case, you screw him anyway, have a nasty, sweaty night, and send him on his way.”
“Yeah, you’re right,” she says, picking up her fork again. “I guess, I just really want this to work out. I hate being the single girl amongst a group of couples. Makes me feel like a loner.”
“You’re not a loner.”
“Bullshit,” she grunts. “All summer, everyone was shacked up, making out with their boyfriend and I was left to dodge Tyson.”
“You know, I think you’d be good with Tyson.”
“What?” she sputters out, laughing. “No thanks. That kid is more of a whore than me and I’d like to date someone who hasn’t licked every single one of my friends’ pussies.”
“A simple ‘No’ would have done it,” I laugh. “And for the record, my pussy has not been licked by Tyson.”
“Yeah, but you wish it had,” she grumbles low. “I mean, I reckon that kid would be extremely talented in the bedroom. Can you imagine how good he’d get you off?”
“Ewww,” I laugh. “I don’t even want to think about that, but I have no doubt he’s good, especially if all the stories are true. He must be keeping every single one of those girls at Broken Hill High busy. All the other boys are gone and Jesse is taken which means it’s only him keeping the bad boy reputation alive, and so far, I haven’t heard any complaints.”
“Yuck,” she laughs. “He’s in his element.”
“He sure is.”
----------
I get home after an exhausting day and collapse down into my bed before the clock has even reached eight. My eyes are fighting to close but guilt sails through me. I wanted to do some reading up on my Psychology paper that’s due next week, but it might have to wait. I’m not sure I can handle that right now.
It’s been a huge day. We bought a fucking house today. That shit just doesn’t happen. I mean, eventually, it would have happened, but I always thought it would be years down the track after I’d finished law school. Nate and I would have been happily together for years and possibly talking about marriage and babies. We would have searched through all the houses, making sure to stay close to Broken Hill. It would have been a dream come true. In fact, I still believe that’s all going to happen. I just never thought I’d be experiencing it for the second time. Though, I guess this is kind of different. After all, this was my parents buying a home for me, not me and Nate building our future together.
I snuggle up in my bed and go to turn off the lamp on my bedside table when a figure appears, grinning at me on my window ledge. “What the hell?” I grunt, throwing the blankets back and hurrying to let the idiot in before he falls off the roof. I slide it open and can’t help but grin at him. “You know you can use the front door now?” I laugh. “They’re cool with you staying here.”
“First off,” Nate says, climbing through the window and coming to stand before me. His arms instantly slide around my waist. “They’re not cool with me staying here. They just accept it because they’d rather me sneaking in, than you sneaking out. And secondly, I like climbing through your window. I get to watch you before you realize I’m there, and by the way, I caught you picking out that wedgie.”
“Shut up,” I laugh, swatting at his chest before crushing my face into it and inhaling his manly scent. It wraps around me, completely drawing me in as I listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. “You know these undies always ride up.”
His hand slides around my body before he finds the hem of my undies and flicks the elastic against my skin, making a sharp slapping sound. “Then take them off.” I’m too exhausted to look up at his face but I have no doubt there’s a cheeky grin sitting on his delicious lips as his eyes sparkle, absolu
tely loving the way he gets off by teasing me.
I bring my arms in against his warm chest and snuggle in, closing my eyes as I find unbelievable comfort with him. I shake my head against him. “Too tired.”
Nate ducks down and a second later, his arm is at the back of my legs and he scoops me up. He walks over to my bed and puts me down before I hear the familiar sound of his jeans dropping to the ground. He climbs in the other side of my bed and instantly pulls me against him. “How was work?” I mumble into his chest.
“Good,” he says with a tone that suggests it was way better than good. “I got my first real project.”
“Huh?” I grumble. “I thought you already had your first project. You know, the dirty old car.”
“Yeah,” he says. “That’s more of a personal project. I’m doing that up to sell at auction to help get my name out, but this was an actual client seeking me out because he’d heard what a great job I’d done with the Mustang and Camaro. He wants me to rebuild his old Miura.”
“His what?”
“Miura. It’s a Lamborghini.”
“Really?” I question. “That’s awesome.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be a huge job.”
“You can handle it,” I tell him. “And I bet you’d do a much better job than any of the other shops around here.”
His arms tighten around me. “I know,” he murmurs, pressing his lips to my hair. “How’d the inspection go today?”
I gasp as my eyes flick up to his. “Did I not tell you?” He shakes his head. “Mom and dad bought it and they want us to move in on Saturday so they can make sure we have everything we need before they go to London. Brooke is beside herself. She’s so excited.”
His eyes sparkle as he watches my excitement. “I’m assuming you need someone to help you move in?”
“A few someones would help. We bought a whole lot of furniture today,” I explain as my hand runs up his arm and I curl my fingers around his strong bicep and squeeze. “And I’m going to need someone with some of this to get it all inside and move it around a hundred times while Brooke and I decide how we want it to look.”
Broken Hill Havoc: The Broken Hill High Series (Book 5) Page 4