8. Wicked

8

Wicked

New Bitch In Town

I'm going to kill the motherfucker calling my phone at seven thirty in the goddamn morning.

There's a reason I don't open either of my businesses until ten o'clock.

I hazily reach across my nightstand for my cell phone, groaning as I force open my eyes and squint at the brightness. An unsaved number with an out-of-state area code is on my screen. My mind immediately filters to Dahlia, who I know wouldn't be calling me for anything less than a true emergency.

"Hello?" I answer.

"I'm sorry. Were you still asleep?" Her voice sounds calmer than I expected but more frantic than I'd like it to.

"Hi, Wildflower." A smile forms on my mouth at the nickname. It's an involuntary reaction. I have no control over it.

"How'd you know it was me?"

"I know your voice, cari?o ."

"What does that mean? Cari?o. " She's practically purring through the phone, and my morning wood does not need the reminder of the way her tongue can roll.

"Dear. Darling. Sweetheart. Whatever you want it to, really."

A soft laugh echoes on the other side of the line. My cock jumps at that too. "How about you just call me by my name instead?"

"Okay, Wildflower." I smile. "What's going on?"

I can almost see those pretty blue eyes rolling in my mind.

"I…I'm sorry to bother you. It's my car… It won't start. Today's Lou's first day of school, and she's already going to be late, which is so not a sign of good parenting for the new bitch in town. Plus, she's already the new kid, and I don't want to make things worse for her by making her late. I tried calling your mom, but I think she's at her Pilates class and—"

"Whoa, Dahlia." I sit up and swing my legs over the side of the bed. "Slow down. It's alright. We'll figure it out." I press my phone between my ear and my shoulder as I throw on a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie. "What time does school start?"

"Eight-thirty."

I glance at the clock. "Okay. We have time. I'm on my way over to your place now. You can take Lou to school in my car, and I'll take a look at yours in the meantime."

"I…" She pauses, as if stunned. "Are you sure? I mean, don't you have to work?"

"I'm the boss, baby. I can delegate."

She's quiet for a moment, but finally, she murmurs, "Thank you."

"Of course. I'll be there soon. Just hang tight."

I slip my shoes on my feet, swipe my keys from the hook next to my front door, and whistle like a happy idiot all the way to my Jeep.

Ten minutes later, I pull up to the curb of Leo and Darby's house. Dahlia's car sits in the driveway with the hood up, and I catch a flash of blonde hair on the other side of it as I step out of my Jeep. I make my way up the driveway to find her bent over inside the car, inspecting it.

Hands braced inside the hood, her back arches, creating a curve that sends my mind spiraling. As I enter her peripheral, she stands straight up and looks at me. Her blue eyes are wildly bright, and there's a faint glow of sweat on her forehead that she wipes away with a dirty hand. Her breathing is heavy, chest expanding with each inhale she makes.

It reminds me how hard I made her pant when I was inside her.

"It's not the oil," she says without greeting me. "I was just trying to figure out the issue, but I'm stumped."

Fuck . She's so beautiful, I think I forgot how to speak.

I attempt to piece my mind back together, to get my cock to calm the fuck down and stop thinking about the way she felt wrapped around me. A crease forms on her brows the longer I go without providing a response.

"Are you–"

"Yeah, no worries. I'll take a look while you drop Lou off at school. Take my car."

I nod behind me. Her eyes follow the direction of my head before going wide. She looks back at me with a horrified expression. " That is what you drive?"

I glance back at my orange Jeep. I've still got the top and doors off for the summer. I suppose it's a bit less practical than her Honda, but I'm honestly confused on what her surprise is about. "Yeah?"

"I can't take my child to school in that thing, Everett. That's a fucking death trap. CPS will be knocking on the front door before I even make it back home."

I shuffle around her, taking a look inside her car. "Chill, Wildflower. It's just for one day. The Jeep is entirely legal. Plus, the school is about three blocks away. Honestly, you could just walk if you wanted to."

She seems to contemplate that for a moment before shaking her head. "No. I'll drive her." She lets out a long sigh. "God, I fucking hate this."

"What?" I ask.

She waves around us. "My car breaking down. Being unable to take my daughter to school without calling in help. Being stuck. Just…" She blinks and looks away. "Whatever. I'm going to finish getting her ready." She turns to head back inside, pausing briefly to add, "Thank you."

I wait until she's no longer looking at me, until she's almost reached the front door before I say, "I told you we were going to take care of you, Dahlia."

She doesn't respond as I hear the front door click shut.

A few moments later, I hear the patter of small footsteps making their way down the entry of the house. "Hi, Everett!" a sweet, young voice calls.

I pull my head from the hood of the car and look down at two bright green eyes and a soft smile beaming up at me. They're a different color than her mother's, but Lou's eyes have that iridescent glow to them that Dahlia's have, a brightness that must only exist in their genes.

"Hi, Luz." I smile.

"No!" She clamps her hands over her ears. "You can't give me a nickname yet. I haven't thought of one for you."

"Oh. My apologies." I hold my hands up, holding back a laugh. "Have a good first day of school, Lucille."

Dahlia smiles at me, placing a hand on the top of her daughter's head and nudging her toward the street. "Alright, kid. Let's go. You're gonna be late." She turns to me briefly. "I'll be right back!"

I wave them off just as Lou shouts, "Oh my God! This is what you're driving me to school in?"

"Don't get used to it," Dahlia chimes as Lou climbs inside the backseat.

I go back to work on Dahlia's car, but I don't miss the burst of delighted giggles as the engine roars to life. I don't miss the way it makes me smile, either.