Kiss and Break Up (Magnolia Cove, #1)(35)

“Some special shampoo, a new flat iron, my own push-up bra, and a gift card to spend online.”

“Nice.” He turned out onto the street. “Are you by any chance wearing that bra right now?”

And so the flirting was back. “I’m not. It needed to be washed first.”

He forced a pout. “What color?”

“Not telling.”

He groaned. “Seriously? What’s the harm in telling me the color?”

I suppose there wasn’t. “Candy pink.”

“Candy pink,” he repeated, almost missing a red light.

“Dash, red.” I grabbed the oh-shit handle.

“Did you by any chance get matching panties?”

“This conversation is over. I’d like to live to see my nineteenth birthday, thank you.”

“So sure of yourself.”

I burst out laughing, then frowned when I saw he’d taken a wrong turn at the light. “Where are you going?”

“Just feel like taking the scenic route. So what’d you do with the balloons Romeo got you?”

“His name isn’t Romeo, and shit.” I cringed. “I left them in the teachers’ staff room.”

Dash barked out a laugh. “Oh, that’s too good.”

“Shut up.” I moaned. “This is so bad. What do I tell him when I get them on Monday?”

“That you didn’t want them, so you abandoned them.”

“You’re no help. I love balloons.”

He blew a raspberry, waving me off.

My eyes narrowed when he turned down a long, tree-lined street that sat opposite the bay.

I almost punched him in the chest as my arm flung out when he pulled into the long gravel drive that led to my dad’s place. “Okay, what the hell are you doing?”

“Thought we’d swing by and see your old man.” Dash didn’t say anything else as he jumped out of the car.

Clad in his usual tight white T-shirt, leather jacket, black denim jeans, and combat boots, he stood on the drive, dragging a hand over his thick hair as he waited for me to get out of the car.

Confusion held me in its befuddling grip as I followed him up the drive to my dad’s three-story yellow and white vintage restored home.

I used to swear to my parents it was haunted. I would hear creaking noises and mumbled shouts on the third floor long after my parents had gone to bed. But whoever it was that stalked the attic, office, and guest rooms never ventured down to the other floors.

“My dad’s away.”

“Ah, but he returned early.”

The front door opened, and there he was, a smile as glowing as the sun on his aging face. Wearing his jeans and a plaid shirt, he checked his Rolex. “Just in time, birthday girl.”

“For what?” I shook my head, then raced over, throwing my arms around his neck and inhaling the scent that could only ever belong to him. Cigars and some kind of cherry-scented soap used to wash his clothes.

His hold was strong, and when I stepped back, I smiled up into his green eyes.

I had him to thank for my blonde hair, but his was now mixed evenly with gray.

“You look good, Dad.”

“You look like you’ve shot up in a matter of months, not years.” His hands landed on my shoulders. “Eighteen.” His smile was nostalgic. “I got you something.” He turned and headed toward the four-car garage, clicking a button on the keys he’d plucked from his pocket.

My lungs almost collapsed, I sucked in a breath so hard and fast.

In the garage sat a bright red Volkswagen Beetle. I steeled myself, and the burning in my eyes, turning to him with a smile that hurt my face. “I wasn’t aware you were a fan of red.” The other two cars in the garage, a Lamborghini and a Porsche, were black.

He bellowed out a laugh, then walked over and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Very funny. It’s yours.”

“Dad …” I didn’t know what to say.

“Your mom was a bit pissed, but she’s held me off since you turned sixteen.”

“It’s freaking beautiful.”

That earned me another chuckle, and he pulled me closer, unlocking it and forcing me to take a seat inside.

My hands spread over the leather steering wheel, fingers floating over every dial and screen inside. “I can’t believe this.”

“Soon enough, you won’t need me for much at all.”

I’d almost forgotten Dash was there, and I got out of the car, grinning at him. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

His answering smile made my heart thrash, and heat spread up my neck. Looking back at Dad, I wrapped my arms around him again. “Thank you. I love it.”

“Dashiell helped me pick it out.” My dad was one of the only people Dash allowed to call him by his full name, but his nose still twitched whenever it happened. “Picked the color, model, all of it.”

“Didn’t get paid for out of my bank account, though,” Dash said, chuckling. “Thank fuck.”

I took a step back, gazing up at Dad. “You didn’t need to do this, especially one this expensive.”

Dad’s bushy brows met. “Don’t tell me what I did and didn’t need to do. No one was taking this opportunity from me.” He jerked his head at Dash. “Despite his smart mouth, if he didn’t like driving your tushy around town all the time, he’d probably have done it too.”