Coming Home(37)

“You suck,” she told the console before she turned the radio off.

And then her eye landed on her phone in the cup holder.

She had promised her sister she’d try.

Leah dropped her head back on the seat, staring at the roof of the car.

And they had ended their last conversation on good terms.

The car behind her beeped as the light turned green, and she sat up and hit the gas.

Come on, Leah. Put on your big girl panties and do it.

Leah glanced back down at her phone. “Oh, what the hell,” she murmured to herself as she grabbed it, quickly scrolling through her contacts until she found him.

He answered on the second ring, his voice gravelly. “Leah. Hey.”

The rough sound of it caused a fluttering low in her stomach. “Hey. Did I wake you?”

“No, not at all,” he answered. “I haven’t been to sleep in over twenty-four hours, so it’s all good.”

“Seriously? Why?”

Danny sighed before he said, “A buddy of mine races cars, and he’s entered in this big competition tomorrow. A shitload of money up for grabs. Anyway, he called me last night because he took it out for a spin to test some shit he just put in it, and he hit some black ice and crashed it.”

“Oh my God, is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s fine. Just pissed off,” he said with a laugh. “Fucked the car up pretty good, and he needed it to be in shape for this thing tomorrow. So me and a few of my guys drove out to him last night. Spent the whole night and all of today working on it.”

“Did you get it fixed?”

“Pshh. Did I get it fixed. Of course I got it fixed.”

Leah smiled. “Well, I apologize for questioning your automotive prowess. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Me either, but I’m not sure I forgive you,” he said through a yawn. “So what’s up? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” she said. “I just wanted to say hi. See how you were.”

“Right now, exhausted,” he said with a weak chuckle.

“Why aren’t you in bed?”

“Trying to get there. I’m driving back from Hempstead and I’m stuck on the Cross Island.”

“Traffic?”

“No, glue,” he said with a laugh. “Yes, traffic.”

“Wise ass,” she said, fighting a smile.

“What are you doing up? Don’t you have school tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” she said, glancing in her rearview before switching lanes. “I just had dinner at my sister’s. I’m almost home.”

“Oh man. What did you have?”

“Lasagna, why?”

He groaned, and the fluttering in her stomach returned with a vengeance. “God, that sounds amazing. I haven’t eaten anything but chips and frozen pizza rolls all day. Tell me what was in it, nice and slow.”

“Oh my God!” she laughed. “Knock it off, you sicko!”

Danny laughed into the phone, and the fluttering traveled up through her chest.

Screwed. You are so totally screwed. Beyond screwed.

“So how was your first day back?” he asked.

“Typical. You’d think they’d be reenergized, coming off a week and a half’s vacation, but it was like a scene out of The Walking Dead.”

“Do you watch The Walking Dead?”

“No.”

“I figured.”

“Why do you say that?”