Page 83 of Infatuated as They Come
My eyes traveled from the key to Holly’s face, and a feeling of warmth weighed there in my heart knowing that she had gone out of her way to get me something so nice. No one had ever done anything like that for me before. “Look, I wanna go on this trip with you,” I told her, my hands squeezing at her waist. “I really do. I wanna spend the week with you. I want time for us together, and I know we haven’t been doing that lately, so one whole week where it’s just us sounds perfect. I’ve been missing you so much, Holly, but… I can’t take the truck. Thank you for buying it for me, for doing something so special, but I can’t do it.”
“Well, how else are we gonna get up there?” she asked.
I thought about it for a moment, letting out a long breath. “We’ll use itfor the trip. And then as soon as we get back, we’re selling it.”
“If you sell it, I’ll just buy you another one. And then another one. And then some more, so you have one for every day of the week.”
“Anyone ever tell you what a pain in the ass you are?” I mumbled.
She giggled, pecking my lips. “Just you. Come on, let’s go.”
* * *
The truck drove like a dream. All smooth and seamless, the wheels the total opposite to the ones I had on my old truck. The hum of the engine was low and clean, the leather seats smooth and comfortable, and the heating actually worked. But the best part was having Holly right next to me. I kept one hand on the wheel, the other on her thigh, squeezing at her softly as we drove past the deep orange and red leaves of the Saratoga Springs trees. She had her head on my shoulder, her voice soft as she told me about all the things she wanted us to do when we got to her parents’ house. Second house. Third house, probably. I didn’t know how many they fucking had.
I still couldn’t quite believe that Holly had gotten me something so damn nice. Expensive too. I had no idea how much it cost exactly, but my guess was close to a good hundred grand. It was a 1968 Chevrolet, but whoever had fixed it up had done such a good job that it was like the truck hadn’t aged a day.
I didn’t even need the nice gifts. Just being around Holly was more than enough—she was the perfect present. Feeling her close. Waking up to her. Coming home at the end of the day and seeing her there waiting for me with a big smile as she whispered out a gentle, little, “I missed you so much today” before I kissed her. That alone made me happy. It was the normal, little things I never had that made everything with her so damn special.
“Ooh, we’re almost there!” Holly said, snapping me right out of my thoughts as she sat up straight. She picked her phone up and switched off the GPS. “I can tell you where to go the rest of the way. Just a couple minutes left.”
A few turns later, we were pulling up in front of some big old house thatwas surrounded by a hoard of looming trees, the leaves a blend of orange and red with just a hint of green in the mix. White paneling all around the front, the house had three stories and what seemed like a hundred windows. Old money through and through.
“This place looks haunted,” I said.
“I swear it’s not.”
“I think I saw someone in the window.”
“Stop.” She squeezed at my hand. “Don’t scare me.”
“How old is it?”
“It was built in 1899, I think.”
“It’s definitely haunted. We’re gonna see a ghost in there, aren’t we? Is this why you brought me here?” I turned to her. “Am I your next victim?”
“I don’t wanna kill you anymore.” She leaned over and pecked my lips. “I used to, but not anymore. Come on, I’ll give you a quick tour.”
When we got outside, I was met with the crisp smell of water and pine trees, and if I listened close enough, I could hear the gentle rush of waves. Holly grabbed my hand and pulled me forward, the air cold but quiet. It was nice to hear absolutely nothing after all that noise in New York City.
Holly punched in a number on the little digital lock by the door—the only real piece of modern technology that I could see on the old-fashioned house—before showing me around. There was a lot to see. The giant kitchen and the countless bedrooms and the big ass lake right there at the back. We finally got settled in one of the living rooms, the walls an inviting cream color and the hardwood floors looking and feeling all expensive under my feet. Holly got settled on the light brown couch, hands tucked under her head as she rested against it.
“You tired, princess?” I asked, stroking at her hair.
Humming softly, she nodded lazily. “Long drives make me so sleepy.”
“Why don’t you sleep for a couple hours?”
“No, I have to go into town and get stuff for your birthday dinner,” she said, trying to stifle a little yawn, but she couldn’t fight it. So fucking cute. “What do you want? I’ll make you anything.”
“Why don’t we just order in?”
“Mm, no. You deserve a nice homecooked meal for your birthday.” She yawned again. “Pretend birthday. I’ll just rest my eyes for a second.”
“You do that.” I stroked a couple fingers through her hair, watching as her eyes fluttered closed. “I’ll get the stuff out of the car.”
“M’kay.”
