way you got rid of Manny…that was just fucking smart as hell.”
Sasha pulls in a sharp breath and tucks her hair around her ears. “Yeah.”
“I have an idea,” I tell her.
She looks over at me with question. “There’s a hotel a few miles down the road. A nice one. Want to hide out there for tonight?”
She bites down on her bottom lip and offers a small smile, so small it’s hardly there but it gives me something to work toward. “Your phone’s buzzing,” she says.
I look down at the three messages displayed on my phone. One from Tango, one from Cali, and one from Bambi. Bambi doesn’t know I found Sasha yet, and I have a text of nothing but ten question marks from her. “Everyone is pretty worried about you, doll-face. Even Bambi.”
“Greta,” she corrects me.
“Same thing.”
“I want to leave Texas,” she says. I’m not sure I expected to hear this from her, but I can’t say I’m overly surprised either. Especially after today.
“What about Cali and Tango?” I sort of figured she’d never leave them.
“I don’t know. I realize this stuff could follow me wherever I go but Texas is all I know, and I feel like I need a fresh start. I need to break away from what I’m on my way to becoming.”
“I’m not following,” I tell her.
She smiles a little and looks over at me. “I’m on my way to becoming someone’s housewife. That’s not what I want.”
“An apron, heels, and nothing else underneath? That does work for me.” I know that’ll earn me the incoming slap she’s preparing, but I’m kidding. Kind of.
With a light clap to the side of my face, she giggles. “I’m serious.”
I won’t dare tell her I am too. “Okay then.”
“You’ve talked about Boston a lot. You said the women are bitchy and tough as nails, and that the environment is completely different than Texas. Is that all true?”
“Well, yeah, it’s completely different out there. They get this white stuff too…it’s cold, and it turns black after a day. Sometimes yellow if you have a dog.”
“Snow?” she questions with a wry grin.
“Yeah, that shit.”
“I haven’t seen snow,” she tells me.
“How?”
“I’ve lived in South Texas my whole life. I don’t get out much, I guess.”
“Well, that explains it.” I get this feeling the conversation between us is about to fizzle, and I wish I had more insight to this split decision, or what appears to be a split decision.
“I’m going to leave. I am. I need to. For me.” She sounds like she’s still getting used to the idea herself.
I’d sound a lot like a chick if I asked about us right now. So I don’t. Us. It’s been less than a few weeks. There isn’t a defined us. This is the perfect time for her to pick up and leave. She has no commitments. She’s been polishing cars at my shop instead of working for her pissed-off dad, and I can’t think of one good reason why she should stay. Other than me.
“Then you should,” I tell her. But, I really don’t want you to.
A weak smile forms over her lips and I want to know what’s going through her head. Is this just in response to the trauma she went through today? If so, it’s understandable, and maybe she’ll change her mind in the morning.
Sasha wrenches her hand around the collar of my shirt and pulls me into her, kissing me so damn hard it almost hurts. Although that could be the pain in my heart I’m feeling too. With her legs resting over mine, I know exactly what this all means and I sure as hell wish it wasn’t a goodbye kiss.
“What’s that for?” I ask as she pulls away.
“You’ve changed my life in just a few weeks. I’m not sure I could thank you enough for that.” She’s saying goodbye.
“You want my car? It’s a rental anyway. I’ll settle the finances with it, and you can have the car. Make your way over to the east coast. Do you what you need to do, doll-face.”
She inhales a deep lungful of air and exhales the same way. “I can’t take your car,” she says. “But…you’d do that for me?”
“I’d do just about anything for you,” I tell her. This conversation is getting heavy. Heavier than I can handle. I don’t like when shit goes down like this.
She rests her head on my shoulder, nuzzling it into a comfortable crook and releases another bout of air. “Will you hate