“Understandable. But you don’t need to be. You make incredible things that everybody is going to want.”
“I’ll have to use your kitchen,” I warned him. “And I’ll need some equipment.”
“Since I don’t use the kitchen, it’s all yours,” he teased. “And you can either dip into your savings, or I’ll get all the equipment you want. In return, you can make extras of everything for me. I think I’m getting the good end of the deal.”
I smiled at him. I loved the way he always tried to make it seem like he was the lucky one. “I accept that deal,” I said with laughter in my voice.
The light turned and we started to walk across the street.
“How was the test?” he asked as we made it to the other side.
“I think I did good. It didn’t seem that bad. It was just a really long day.”
“How long for the results?”
“They said that they’d probably be entered by the end of the day. I’ll have to check the GED site.”
“We’ll check together when we get up to the condo, but I want you to come with me first,” he said mysteriously as we stepped into the elevator and he keyed in access for the underground parking.
“Where are we going?” I asked, willing to let him take me wherever he wanted to go.
“You’ll see,” he said with a devilish grin.
When we stepped into the parking garage, Jett led me forward and then stopped in front of a small SUV that looked brand-new. I admired the gorgeous BMW that was a deep red color that was almost burgundy, and had what looked like a luxurious beige leather interior.
Jett reached into his pocket and handed me a small black object.
I took it, but I was confused. “What is this?”
“The keys for your new vehicle. Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
I looked at the controller in my hand, and then at the beautiful BMW in front of us.
And my brain finally connected the dots.
“Mine?” I squeaked.
“All yours. I didn’t want to go expensive because I knew you wouldn’t like that. So I compromised. The X3 has a great safety rating.”
I opened my mouth but nothing came out, so I ended up flapping my lips like a fish out of water.
“Do you like it?” Jett asked.
I put my hand gingerly on the hood and stroked the beautiful vehicle. “It’s too much,” I finally said between my bouts of hyperventilation. “Oh, my God. It’s a BMW.”
“It’s not that expensive, Ruby. And I doubt you’re going to like driving my expensive Bugatti or the Escalade I have for going to the mountains. And I don’t think Pete is going to part with the sedan again after you used it for your driver’s test.”
I knew he was probably right. Pete had looked like a nervous wreck when he’d taken me to get my license, and had to part with his sedan while I used it to perform the required driving part of the exam.
I took some deep breaths to normalize my breathing and help my heart to slow down. “It’s so beautiful,” I said as I slowly made my way to the door and fumbled with the remote to open it.
“It’s safe,” Jett told me. “And reliable.”
I finally unlocked the driver’s door and slid inside.
The car smelled like leather and luxury, something that was so far beyond anything I knew that it was almost intoxicating.
I petted the smooth leather, marveling over every feature in the car.
“If you don’t like it, I’ll get you something else,” Jett said softly from the open door. “I should have asked you, but I wanted to surprise you for your birthday.”
I hadn’t even remembered it was my birthday. But it touched me that Jett had known, and had obviously planned for it.
I clambered out of the vehicle and threw myself into his arms. “It’s beautiful,” I said with a sob. “I love the red. I love the size. I love everything about it.”
“Then why are you crying?” he asked as he tightened his arms around me.
“I guess I was just…shocked.”
He stroked my hair as he explained, “You’re going to need a vehicle, and this is actually a compromise for me. It’s a reasonably priced vehicle.”