Page 36 of No More Secrets
Ernest chuckled. “Let me introduce you to your new bride.” He keyed in a code on one of the garage bays and the door rose silently.
Jax let out a low wolf whistle. “Hello, beautiful.”
The black car squatted under a lift. Beefy tires and sleek, shiny lines gave it an aggressive look that even Summer found appealing.
“Summer, do you know what this is?”
“It appears to be a car of some sort.”
“You’ll have to excuse her, Ern. Summer’s from Manhattan. This car, Summer, is a 1969 Chevy Nova.”
Ernest tossed him the keys. “Might as well escort her out on a date. See if it’s true love.”
“Come on, Summer. Let’s see what she can do.”
She did a lot, in Summer’s estimation. The Nova’s deep purr was capable of shifting into a full on roar and gluing her shoulder blades to the pristine vinyl of the passenger seat.
After a five-minute thrill ride, Summer’s heart was in her throat and Jax was sold. He and Ernest haggled — more out of habit than necessity — for briefest of moments before settling on a price and shaking on it.
“I’ll treat her right,” Jax promised.
“You be sure to do so,” Ernest said, pocketing the check. “Summer, it was a delight.”
––––––––
Carter was attempting to enjoy a few moments of peace and quiet with a beer and some Beethoven when they returned. He nearly laughed when he watched his brother cart in eight jars of Julia’s wares. “I see Summer met Julia,” he said.
“We’re having a tasting,” Jax said, heaving the jars onto the counter. “Break out the shot glasses.”
Summer came in behind him, lugging what looked like a dozen shopping bags. Her face was flushed and happy. It hit him like a fist to the gut how much he liked seeing her in his house. As much as he enjoyed his solitude, his peace, there was something to be said for a beautiful woman happy to see him.
“Looks like shopping was successful,” he said, taking the bags from her and putting them down.
“I don’t know what came over me, Carter. I just went for one or two pairs of jeans and look what happened!”
“Summer got to meet Mrs. McCarthy,” Jax said, pulling plates out of the cabinet.
Carter dumped the subs out of the bag, while he listened to Summer chatter about their afternoon. A wax paper bag came tumbling out of the sub bag. Inside he found two heart shaped cookies.
The BC strikes again.
He held them up and Jax laughed. “I take you didn’t order those?”
Carter glared at him. “No. I did not order pink and blue heart cookies for dinner.”
His brother fished a set of car keys out of his pocket. “After you’re done crumbling cookies, check out the new wheels.”
“You took Summer car shopping?”
Jax shrugged. “She took me juice shopping.”
“Jax spent way more than I did,” Summer said, defending herself. “Go meet his new lady and I’ll get dinner ready.”
Since there was no actual cooking to be done, Carter figured it was safe to leave Summer alone in the kitchen.
The car was impressive, the test drive Jax allowed him was even more so.
It didn’t surprise him that his brother went vintage. Even in high school when everyone else thought newer was better, Jax and Joey bonded over their love of American muscle.
