A Bad Day for Sunshine (Sunshine Vicram #1)(54)

If they’d had a printer hooked up, she would’ve printed a copy. Because that wasn’t creepy. Or underhanded. Or frowned upon in most states.

His grades were pretty much what she’d expected. Bs and Cs for the most part with a few As sprinkled in for good measure. He was more than smart enough to get straight As. At the same time, he didn’t seem particularly interested in impressing anyone, so why not squeak by?

But she wasn’t looking for his grades. That was none of her business, she told herself after she’d scoured his entire public-school career. She only wanted his address.

She’d tried texting him several times since she’d gotten home, but he’d never answered, and they had a report to do. Or so she told herself to justify her despicable behavior.

She jotted the address down, cleared the search history, and logged off. There was one more component to all this snooping. If her mother just happened to see what times she’d logged on and realized she hadn’t logged on at that particular time, but what were the odds of that?


Thirty minutes and four pieces of pizza later, Auri looked at her grandparents as they watched the news. They were really, really into the news. She swallowed her last bite and said, “So, I have a school project.”

They both gave her their full attention. They were kind of awesome that way.

“And I have to interview another student and do a report.”

“Really? Who?”

“Oh, you don’t know him. His name is Cruz. Cruz De los Santos.”

The couple cast sideways glances at each other as though in cahoots over something. “We know his dad,” her grandma said. “Such a great guy.”

“He’s a mechanic,” Grandpa said, like that explained everything. “Guy could rebuild a Hemi in a hurricane.”

“He certainly sounds talented. So, I was wondering if I could take the car to his house to work on our project.”

They stared at her a minute, then burst out laughing. “And just when did you get your license?”

“You used to let Mom drive when she was almost fifteen.”

“Sweetheart,” Grandma said, not patronizingly at all, “there is a difference between our letting her take the car and her taking it. Your mother didn’t actually have permission the one time she decided to wreak havoc on society before she actually had a license to do so.”

A wave of shock vibrated through Auri. “My mother broke the law?”

Grandpa chuckled. “Stole that sucker right out from under our noses.”

“Our sleeping noses,” Grandma corrected.

Auri clasped her hands together over her heart. “This is the best thing I’ve ever heard all day.”

They laughed out loud. “Now, don’t go getting us in trouble,” they said, almost simultaneously.

“Never.”

Her grandpa lifted a shaggy brow. “That being said, if you’re game, I can drive you over.”

Her emotions skyrocketed. She jumped up, ready to go. Almost. “Thanks, Grandpa! I’ll get my things and meet you in the car!”

She heard her grandmother say, “I think she’s in a hurry.”

“I meant to tell you,” she said, growing anxious, “I’m not actually sure he’s home. I can’t get ahold of him. We have the rest of the week to do this project, but I wanted to get a jump on it.”

Cruz didn’t exactly throw her a kiss goodbye when they’d parted ways after sixth period. He’d looked at her oddly. Then again, he looked at her oddly all the time. She could never tell what he was thinking.

“No worries, sweetness. It’s not like it’s a long drive.”

He was right there. They found the place in about four minutes, a white house with blue trim.

She drew in a deep breath and got out of the car.

Her grandpa got out as well. “I’ll just make sure it’s okay, then you can call me when you’re ready to come home. I’ll be here in a jiff.”

“Thanks, Grandpa.”

He looked up at the ever-darkening sky. “That storm is going to hit soon, so you might hurry.”

“I will. I’m sorry to do this to you.”

Her favorite grandpa in the world stopped and turned her to face him. “Your grandmother and I are beside ourselves with excitement that you two moved back here. I will drive you wherever I can whenever I can. You just say the word. I am now the official Auri Vicram chauffeur. I am yours to command.” He did a silly bow that made Auri giggle.

“Can you drive me to my next mani-pedi?”

“When do we leave?”

She laughed again and wrapped her arms around his chest. He drew her into a deep hug, then they walked to the porch arm in arm and rang the bell. A light blinked off and on inside the house, and Auri couldn’t fathom why.

A thin wood door opened, and Cruz stood on the other side. He didn’t seem at all surprised to see her. Or happy about it.

“Hey,” she said.

He nodded a greeting, then looked at her grandpa.

“Oh, this is my grandpa, Cyrus Freyr.”

Cruz opened the door wider and took his hand. “We’ve met. This summer. And my dad works on his car sometimes.”

“He sure does. Guy could rebuild a—”

“—Hemi in a hurricane,” Auri finished for him.