at me, “slow,” she finished and then walked off to get in her car.
I had no time to defend myself, nor would I try to. My concern was getting Addison to her mother whether these women trusted my driving or not.
Addy was buckled in when I waved the woman off and sat in my car. “Slow, mister,” she taunted, mocking the women who’d busted my ass since I first arrived in the parking lot.
“Are you making fun of me getting in trouble with Miss Shirley?” I smiled and rechecked her harness straps. “All right. You’re good to go. We’re taking side roads. I’m not sitting in traffic, and you need to call your mom.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“No.” I smiled and used the car to call Avery. “I’m the one in trouble.”
“Wow,” Addy said, as she looked around the car when the phone connected to the audio system while dialing out to Avery’s cell.
“When your mom answers, you can just talk in the car and she’ll hear you,” I informed her. “It works like a speakerphone.”
“Jim?” Avery answered her phone. “I’m just now on my way over to Addy’s grandparents. I texted you that address too, right?”
“You did and the GPS is bringing us up through the hills. Accidents have the 405 and 5 locked up.”
“Thank you so much again. Can I talk to Addy?”
“I’m here, Mom. You can talk through Jim’s car. You’re in it,” she squealed.
“Jim’s car?” she asked in confusion. “Is the driver listening too?”
“I’m driving,” I said.
“No chauffer?” I heard her laugh. “Well, I have to say I’m proud of you. Freedom calls, eh?”
“Yeah, you won’t be saying that when you see my car,” I smirked at Addy.
“He has the fastest, coolest car ever, Mom. I want one too.”
“I bet he does.” Avery’s voice changed. “You better not drive that car fast, Jim,” she demanded with humor and warning in her voice.
“I have precious cargo, and,” I said, looking over at Addy after we turned down another street, “should we tell your mom what the ladies taught me today?”
“Safety first. Children first!” Addy giggled.
“What the hell?” Avery said.
“Yeah, I didn’t have a car seat. Miss Shirley almost had a breakdown, but one of the other parents was there at the same time and saved the day.”
“I didn’t even think about the car seat. Did they give you crap?”
“Bad words, Mommy,” Addison scolded Avery.
“Sorry, Addy,” she said. “Jim, did they say anything nasty to you about it?”
“They were concerned, as any good person would be when some guy shows up in a sports car and no car seat.”
“And knowing you and your car in England….” I could hear the smile in Avery’s voice, and it made me smile. “It’s probably the most expensive sports car on the market.”
“And why would you assume that?”
“I believe I met a man who enjoys cars—preferably Ferraris.”
“Well, that one isn’t with us today, and last I recall, you almost wrecked my Ferrari.”
“Funny,” she said, and I could hear her voice calming as we talked.
After Avery and I got off the phone, Addy and I enjoyed my car, grabbing the ground on turns. We weren’t flying through the hills; in fact, we were embarrassing the vehicle by taking it slower than usual. The cars behind us were trying to use this route to get out of downtown LA and were likely pissed that my car was moving no faster than the speed limit.
Addy had officially named my car the rollercoaster, and she danced in her car seat to the music on the radio while we drove toward Anaheim to meet up with her mom. I noticed Addy grow quiet when I made the last turn onto the road to her final destination, and her mood changed some.
“You excited?” I asked, seeing Avery standing on the lawn—not in the best of neighborhoods, and I didn’t say that because I was some Beverly Hills snob, either. Bars on all houses’ windows told me there was trouble around this area. It was clear that, while this might’ve been a great neighborhood fifty years ago, it’d seen plenty of dark days since.
“I kind of wanna stay with you and mommy,” she said.
I brought the car to turn around at the end of the cul-de-sac while some young man stood outside near Avery in a white tank and jeans. His hair was a mess, his arms were sleeved with shitty-looking tattoos, and he hid his eyes behind dark sunglasses. Jesus Christ, is that Derek? I thought as Addy looked