The Peer and the Puppet (When Rivals Play, #1) (100)
And just like that, the bubble I’d been floating in popped. “I’m pretty busy with school and Jay D. Besides, I have no intention of wearing makeup or changing my clothes.”
“What about your gorgeous hair? I could show you different ways to wear it now that it’s grown back.”
“Don’t bother,” I said as I strolled backward with milk and cookies in hand. “As soon as I find the time, I’ll be cutting it off again.”
“Don’t you dare. I forbid it.” Her gaze suddenly shifted behind me. “Oh, hello, Ever.”
“Rosalyn.”
I peeked over my shoulder in time to see him give her a polite nod. He was standing so close I wondered how I hadn’t felt his presence.
“Your father is in his office if you’d like to speak to him.”
A curt ‘thanks’ was all he gave before sliding past me. I watched him pull one of his many bottles of orange Gatorade from the fridge, barely feeling Rosalyn’s soft hand on my shoulder as she clicked out of the kitchen in her heels.
“What’s the deal with you and those drinks?”
“The deal?” he echoed as he eyed Mrs. Greene’s fresh cookies with regret. I guess the swelling still hadn’t gone down although he wasn’t as hard to understand as he’d been yesterday.
“Other than water, I’ve never seen you drink much of anything else. Are you addicted or something?”
“No.” The air turned stale after that, so I turned to leave. “Hey.”
I stopped even though common sense screamed at me to keep walking. “Yeah?”
With a motion for me to follow, he left the kitchen and headed for the stairs in the west wing. We didn’t exchange words until we entered his workroom. Standing by the doors in case I needed a quick getaway, I watched him move to the other side of the room to his drafting table. After setting down his drink, he picked up some papers and began studying them. I could see the wheels turning in his head but couldn’t tell what he was thinking or what made him seem almost nervous. I could definitely tell the feeling was a novelty for him—because who would ever tell Ever McNamara no? I certainly didn’t seem to be able to.
After a few seconds, I lost my patience and cleared my throat. “So, is there a reason you brought me here?”
With papers in hand, he crossed the room until he stood in front of me, and I was surprised when he handed them to me. I hesitated to take them until I noticed the logo at the top.
“What is this?”
“I did as much as I could, but you’ll have to prove you don’t have a concussion before you can apply for a license. You can take the test online, so I created the account and paid the fee. Your login, password, and membership details for the network are also there. Rosalyn still has her health benefits through the company, so I used that as proof of medical coverage.”
My mouth opened and closed for a few seconds. “So is this an apology for insulting me earlier?”
“It’s not the Road to Rookies Cup, but it’s a way in, right?”
My heart swelled at his hopeful look. The night he insisted on pillow talk, I’d told him all about my dream to race in the Grand Prix and how Rosalyn had denied me my best chance: the Road to Rookies Cup.
“I don’t hear any singing, so it’s not over just yet.” I smiled shyly, causing his own boyish grin to appear.
“You’ll just need to fill out the direct deposit and tax forms and provide a copy of your birth certificate before you can complete the application.”
“I—I don’t have a bank account.”
His eyebrows bunched. “Where did you keep the money you earned at the shop and from racing?”
“I worked for Gruff before I was legal, so he paid me cash off the books, and of course, the money I made from racing was dirty.” I shrugged while feeling a little embarrassed. The more we learned about each other, the further apart our worlds seemed.
Ever studied me for a long moment before kissing my lips. “No biggie, baby.” He was backpedaling across the room before I could register what had happened. I touched my fingers to my lips, feeling them tingle while he booted up his laptop and hopped online.
“What are you doing?” Deciding this wasn’t a trap, I moved to stand next to him, only for him to pull me into his lap. He had a banking website pulled up and began the process to open up an account.
“Do you know your driver’s license number?”
“People actually memorize that?”
With a chuckle, he grabbed the laptop and said, “Hang on, baby.” As soon as I circled my arms around his neck, he stood and headed for the private stairs with me wrapped around him. We got my license from my room before heading to his. After setting up my bank account, we completed the tax form, and I promised Ever I’d ask Rosalyn for my birth certificate at dinner. I could tell he knew it was a conversation I was not looking forward to having and that if he left it up to me, I’d probably back out.
Jamie had invited us out to go bowling, but we declined and spent the day locked away in Ever’s bedroom, talking about everything and nothing at all. At dinner that night, Ever tempted fate by barely taking his eyes off me. I was having a hard enough time figuring out a way to convince Rosalyn to fork over my birth certificate. Since I was eighteen now, she couldn’t legally keep me from racing. That left my birth certificate as the only card left she had to play.