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“I’m coming back.” Someday.
“Where are you going again?” his mom asked.
“Boulder City?”
“And why? You said there was a girl? Are you dating someone and haven’t told us? You know your Uncle Ben asked several times, and you avoided the question.”
Heat tickled the tips of his ears. “We’re not dating. These are just girls we met at school. We’re going to hang out some, go see the city.” He and Cameron had already made the plan to stay in the city if the girls didn’t want them around. They would drop off the presents, head back to the city and stay the night, and then head home the next day. But he really hoped that didn’t happen. If nothing else, Diane liked Cameron enough that she wouldn’t say no to a visit.
“Well, you better be careful. The strip has gotten pretty raunchy. Have a plan, park in a casino garage, and go straight in. And no gambling. You don’t get a school allowance for that kind of stuff.”
He hugged his mom and laughed at her use of raunchy. “Don’t worry, I’ll use all my Christmas money instead.”
She slapped his backside with a newspaper from the counter, and when the doorbell sounded, he had to dodge another swat. “Have fun,” she said. “And be safe. Call me when you get there. And no making trouble with the girls.”
He saluted her. “Thanks, Mom. Love you!”
Cameron was bouncing on his heels when Eric came outside. “Ready to go?”
Eric gave a wide grin. “You know it.” They hadn’t had a chance to talk about the dance since he’d left so abruptly, but Eric could guess. “Let’s go visit our girls.”
11
Holly
As soon as Diane came back from the mechanic’s with her dad, Holly hurried downstairs to check on the status of the car. When they were an hour away from home, it had started smoking and then lurched funny before coming to a sudden stop. Some passerby stopped to check the engine with them, telling the girls to let it cool down and to start it up again in half an hour. They were already exhausted from speeding up the trip and deciding to drive through the night and into the morning, but by some miracle, they’d made it home.
Holly checked Diane’s face to see if she was upset about her car, but she wore a mask of emotions.
“Good or bad?” Holly asked.
“Both. Which one do you want to hear first?”
“Bad.” Always bad first.
“The car’s engine is dead, and the car’s not worth as much as it would cost to fix it.”
“Okay, so what’s the good news?”
Diane grinned at her. “The good news is that we’re getting a new car!”
“Really?” That was good news, though by we, Diane meant that she owned the car and that Holly was allowed to use it whenever she needed to. It was becoming a real problem to not have her own car. Her internship was coming up, and she had no money to buy a vehicle. First thing when she returned to campus, she was getting a job. Every penny would be saved for an inexpensive but reliable car.
“Yeah, but the problem is, the car’s in Salt Lake City.”
“We could fly you both up there, no problem,” Jack said. “Heck, we could even get Holly her own car, and you two could drive back to Salt Lake City together.”
Holly shook her head. It was so tempting. Diane’s parents were generous, and they both had good jobs. Her dad was a doctor, and her mom was a teacher at a nearby school. There were no kids in the house since Diane was an only child, and they really wanted to do it for her, she could tell. “Thank you, but no. I really want to save up for it myself.”
Jack sighed and nodded. “All right. Well, at least, we can give you some starter money. If you don’t spend over five grand, it’ll be a piece of junk in less than a year. How about we give you that much toward your purchase, and you can save what you need for the rest. Don’t buy a too-cheap car because then you’ll have to spend too much to maintain it.”
Good point. She still felt uneasy. “As long as you let me pay you back.”
Jack’s lips twitched, and she knew him enough to know he wasn’t going to take her money back. Ever.
Diane pulled at her arm. “Come on, Holly. You never let them do anything for you, and it’ll be so nice to have a car when internships come up.”
“Fine,” Jack said. “You can pay us back if you feel the need to, but I hope you don’t.”
