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“Yeah, I just don’t like this place.”

She dips her hand under my shirt and rubs my side. “I can tell. I can’t imagine what being back here must be like for you, but I’m here. Cat already said your dad’s fine, so try and be a little less grumpy.”

She smirks playfully, and while it is calming in a way only she could manage, it’s her words that soothe me.

I’m here.

Unlike the last time I was in this place, I have her back in my life, and she makes it feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

“I’ll try to be less grumpy, but no promises.”

“Good. Now let’s go in.” She opens the door and gestures with her hand. “After you, grumpy pants.”

I lead the way into the room. Mom’s sitting by Dad’s bed holding his non-banged-up hand while he lies there with his eyes closed. Sisi’s flipping through channels on the TV from her seat in the corner.

“Hey, how’s it going?” I ask, noting the monitors Dad’s hooked up to and the bandages on his head and other hand.

This is why I work as hard as I do at the garage, especially after Uncle Dan retired. Seeing Dad like this reminds me why I can’t just leave. I have to be here.

“It was going great until you showed up,” my dad says, not even bothering to open his eyes. “I just finished my pudding and was taking a nap, but now I can literally feel you bringing the mood down.”

The three women in the room all snicker while I run my hand over my face, still not used to the feeling without my beard, and groan. “A nap? You know you’re not supposed to sleep with a concussion, right? Did you listen to anything the doctors told you?”

He opens his eyes just enough to squint at me but doesn’t say anything. He keeps his gaze narrowed on me until it’s fucking creepy.

“What?” I mutter.

He hums. “Needed to see your face and see if you looked as stupidly serious as you sound.”

“Cat said you were fine.” I sigh. “Really, old man? You’re going to make fun of me from that hospital bed? You’re the one who got hurt doing god knows what. What were you even doing alone in the garage?”

I’m about to tell him that I don’t really care what he was doing in the garage because he should know better than to do it alone. That’s until I feel a tapping sensation on my shoulder and look down to find Josie glaring up at me. “What happened to less grumpy?”

My dad chuckles, eyes fully open now, and wearing a shit-eating grin. I scowl back at him before answering Josie.

“Sorry, had to get that out of my system.” I kiss her forehead before turning my attention back to my childish father. “Seriously, what were you doing in the garage without me?”

He shrugs. “I was cleaning up after putting the hood back on your car. Slipped on a slick spot on the floor.” He touches the bandage on his head with his cast. Fuck. I should have known he did that on his own and didn’t get help. “Could’ve happened anywhere. Tried to catch myself, and ended up with a smashed hand and a bonked noggin. And what’s up with those weird gold swirls on the hood?”

“Gold swirls?” Mom asks, and I can already feel this conversation train going off the tracks.

“Yeah,” Dad says, making a swirling gesture with his cast. “Something scratched the shit out of his hood a week or two ago. I thought you were getting it fixed.”

“A couple weeks ago, huh?” Sisi’s knowing voice chimes in from the corner. I glare at her, but I already know I can’t stop this shit show.

“Yeah, it was right after that night in the garage when those two kissed.” Dad waggles a finger between Josie and me.

“How does he know about that?” Josie whispers nervously, but not as quietly as she thought.

“Oh, it was the security camera,” Dad says with a way too amused laugh. “Always figured you two would make up. Didn’t figure it would happen in the garage, though.”

“Sly, what did he see? I thought you said you wiped that video,” Josie whisper-shouts while Sisi continues cackling from the corner.

“He only saw us kiss, but that’s it,” I bend down to whisper back.

“Wait, what happened in the garage?” I look up to see the confused expression on my mom’s face.

“Oh, those two were necking…” Dad starts, and for the first time in my life, I contemplate smothering an old man in a hospital bed. “…and kissing, and there was some weird alien-looking thing stuck to the hood. I closed that app so fast. I did not want to know what was going to happen next.”