Page 132 of The Renter
“So fucking old, twice my age.”
“I deserve that.” I chuckle, squeezing her feet and feeling grateful that she’s mine.
112
Saturday, November 19th
Vacation Adam has reemerged this past month, and I’m grateful I haven’t heard anything about new deals before the end of the year or even the first quarter of next year.
Standing outside my apartment, Adam pulls into the circle driveway in his Porsche. Getting out of the car, he leans in and plants a perfect kiss on my lips. He takes Lily’s present from my hand, places it in the trunk, and climbs back into the car.
“Why aren’t you wearing the ring?” he asks, glancing at my hand as he reaches for it.
“Today is Lily’s day. I don’t want to distract from that.”
“I don’t like seeing you without it.”
“The world doesn’t revolve around Adam Harris.” I poke him. “It’s Lily’s special day. I don’t want her to remember everyone asking about us.”
“I’ll get over myself.”
“It’s our pre-engagement ring. It makes sense to us, but when I wear it—no matter what finger it’s on—it screams engagement ring.”
“I know it makes sense to us … I get it. I love seeing it on your hand.”
Smirking, I ask, “How about I drive?”
He raises an eyebrow, likely surprised since I’ve never asked to drive his car before. “When we first started dating, I was too scared to ask. This car costs more than my parents’ house.”
“Okay, organ donor. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
I slide into the driver’s seat and look at all the buttons. “How do you put it in paddle shift mode?”
“You know how to drive stick?”
“What do you think?” I giggle as he taps the screen while I adjust the seat to my height. “Do you want a safe word?” I tease.
“For?”
“How fast I’ll be driving.”
He laughs. “You’re a lot of talk right now.”
It will take over an hour to drive to Barrington. With the roar of the engine as I pull out of my apartment building, I smile, excited to drive this car. After navigating some expected traffic, I floor it. A huge smile is glued to my face. Adam squeezes my thigh. “Don’t distract me.”
I fly past the cars, loving the thrill. I need to drive this car—and his other ones—more often.
“Full of surprises,” he muses.
As we enter Barrington, Adam says, “Eric and Lily’s house … It’s where I grew up.”
“That’s cool.” I smile, noticing the houses getting bigger as we get closer to our destination. “Shit.” I laugh, spotting the mansion as we arrive.
“Yeah. After my dad died, we decided Eric would get the house.”
“What does Eric even do? The taxes on this place must be insane.”
“Like I said, I help them out.”
