I ran my hands through my freshly brushed hair as I made my way down the stairs for breakfast. The air was a little warmer today, and I'd actually woken up to sunshine. My empty stomach had been bubbling for the past hour, nagging me to feed it.

"Good morning," I muttered as I walked into the kitchen. Seated at the table was Sam, along with three of the boys I had met yesterday.

"Morning," everyone responded. I paid them little mind as I shuffled over to the stove, where Emily was making eggs.

"Good morning, baby," she greeted me while I poured myself a cup of coffee.

"Hello," I said weakly, taking a sip from my mug.

"Do you want any eggs?" she asked me, sprinkling cheese into the pan.

"Umm, I'm not sure, I kind of want grits," I admitted sheepishly, crossing my ankles as I leaned against the counter. I batted my eyes at her over my cup, hoping I could persuade her to make them for me.

"Mmm, well, I'm not making them, so—"

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, making Emily giggle. I kissed her quickly on the cheek before making my way back to the table.

"Are you planning on being productive today, or are you and Emily going shopping again?" Sam asked from his seat without looking up from his crossword puzzle.

My brow creased as I narrowed my eyes at Sam. "Um," I started, taking a seat at the table between him and the puppy named Jacob. "I'm pretty sure your girl came home last night with not one, but two new Vitoria's Secret pieces. Is that correct?"

"Oh?" Jared said, looking at Sam expectantly. He gave a shy grin and nodded softly.

"Yeah, yeah," he reluctantly agreed.

"I share a wall with ya'll…that shit sounded awfully productive last night."

"Oh!" Jared hollered, now sitting up in his seat.

"You're right! You're right," Sam laughed, waving his hands. I could see Emily smiling smugly in the kitchen.

"How you gonna do me like that, Sam?" I asked him, laughing and clutching my warm mug. "You're really gonna sit up here and talk to me like this?" Everyone was chuckling now.

"Got your girl up there making you breakfast, how dare you? You wilin', Sam." From beside me, Jacob let out a loud bark of laughter before clapping his hand over his mouth and continuing quietly. "What?" I asked, looking to him, slightly amused. He looked over at me, slowly bringing his hands down from his mouth. His warm brown eyes sparkled, and I felt hot pinpricks in my core.

"Sam be wilin'," he said, his bright smile broadening. I let out my own loud laugh.

"Sam! Be! Straight! Wilin'!" I shouted, clapping my hands with each word.

"Baby, what do you want for breakfast?" we heard Sam ask Emily from the kitchen, standing behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Faaaaaaaaake!" I shouted from the table.

"What do you want for breakfast?" Sam asked me over his shoulder.

"Grits," I responded easily, with a clean smile. I heard Jacob chuckle beside me.

"So. What are you doing for the day?" Embry asked me from across the table. I sighed, wiping my smile away as I dragged my hands down my face.

"Getting dressed and handing out resumes. I have to get a job," I bemoaned. "Somehow. Somewhere."

"Jobs aren't so bad!" Seth chirped from his side of the table.

"Jobs are terrible. Bosses, schedules, customers that I can't yell at. It's awful."

"Jobs mean money," Seth pointed out. I laughed to myself, hiding my smile behind my mug.

"Honey, I know how to make money."

"I'm sure you'll do great, dear!" Emily yelled to me from the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and continued drinking my coffee.

"So where are you thinking of looking?" Jacob asked from beside me.

"I don't know. The Forks Coffee Shop—the Forks Coffee Shop, singular," I pointed out, irritated by the quaint nature of the town, "is looking for a barista." I almost had a headache from how small the town was. I missed the sound of traffic outside my window and seeing the streets flooded with people as far as I could see.

"That place is right by the high school, it's like 15 minutes from here," Jared said.

"Okay, cool," I responded. "Speaking of, there is virtually no form of public transportation here, right?" Everybody laughed. I nodded. "Right."

"The 15 stops a few miles down the road and will take you right into town, but it comes like 4 times a day," Seth explained.

"So in order to do anything in this God forsaken place, I have to buy a car?"

"Pretty much," Jared confirmed.

"Okay, I guess I'm buying a car today," I sighed. Sam placed my grits with butter and sausage in front of me before walking back to the kitchen.

"You have car buying money?" Emily asked with a raised brow from her perch beside the oven. I looked up and locked eyes with her across the room. I could see the furrow of restrained suspicion in her brow, her lips just slightly puckered as she narrowed her eyes at me. I returned her stare with a poised grin, so innocent that she just had to know I was hiding something; this particular face was a specialty of mine.

"I have what I need," I responded simply. The room was quiet as she and I stared each other down for a moment. Slowly, the scarred corner of Emily's mouth turned up, stretching into a smirk.

"Okay," she uttered as she eyed me over her coffee mug, just before taking a sip. I gave a small laugh before turning my attention elsewhere.

"Where do I buy a car?" I asked. I highly doubted there were any car dealerships in the area.

"You're gonna wanna ask Jacob about that one," Sam suggested. I turned to look at the boy sitting beside me. It was my first time looking him full in the face, or really addressing him I supposed, and I found him surprisingly handsome. He had a sweet face, but his gaze had a way of pinning you to your seat, and it sent a shiver through me.

"Okay. Jacob," I said, soft enough that he was almost the only one who could hear me. I said his name deliberately, carefully wrapping my lips around each syllable and making him watch my mouth as I spoke. "Talk to me." He swallowed before speaking.

"Last I heard, my friend Terry who lives near town is trying to sell his pick-up truck. I haven't gone to look at it yet, but I could tell you if it's worth getting."

I considered it for a moment. "Well I'm going into town today."

"Yes."

"Would you be interested in giving me a ride, and we could maybe check it out on the way back?" I tried not to laugh as I watched Jacob's eyes brighten at my offer, straightening up in his seat.

"Yeah!" He cleared his throat and tried to compose himself, concealing his clear excitement. "Yeah, that's fine," he finished in an even tone. He still hadn't dropped my eyes. I couldn't help but smile as I returned my attention to my breakfast. I lifted my fork, excited to dig into the hot grits, the melted butter running in delicate rivers over the sausage. I was getting ready to eat when I realized that something was missing. I was lifting my hand to reach for the hot sauce that had been sitting in the middle of the table when it came sliding in front of my bowl.

I looked up and saw Jacob sitting beside me, one arm on the table and one hand under his chin, looking at me with a poorly suppressed look of pride. I opened my mouth, ready to express my surprise at just how easily he had anticipated my need, but I shut it quickly. Judging by the smug glint in his eye, he knew how smooth he was.

"Thanks," I said, trying to subdue my grin. I ignored the strange twisting sensation in the center of my rib cage and uncapped the hot sauce.

After breakfast, I dashed upstairs to get ready for handing out job applications. I picked a pair of jeans that fit nicely, and a fitted v neck sweater. After brushing on some mascara and sculpting my brows, I put a quick curl in my hair with my straightener and called it good. I had never really been one for makeup, but for reasons somewhat out of my control, I'd ended up learning how to do it anyways. It was a skill that came in handy when it needed to. For the most part though, I tended to stick to my trusty sweats and sports bras that I could rock with a pair of nice kicks.

Once I was satisfied with my look, I grabbed my green Michael Kors bag and made my way downstairs. "You look so nice!" Emily gushed as I exited the stairs.

"Thanks, that's the goal," I said, walking over to the fridge. I pulled out a bottle of water and grabbed a granola bar for the road. After throwing them in my bag, I looked around the dining room for my ride. I saw Jacob leaning up against the opposite wall, already watching me. I lifted a finger and pointed to him. "You ready, puppy?" I asked, dropping my arm by my side.

He nodded. "Ready whenever you are," he said.

"Let's hit it."

"Bye! Good luck," Emily said from the table as Jacob and I made our way to the door.

"Thanks, yo," I said, throwing up the peace sign over my shoulder as I continued walking.

"Drive safe, Jacob," Sam advised.

"You got it, Sam," Jacob responded, opening the door for me. I slid past his huge frame, my chest close to his...abdomen.

Boy was tall.

I looked up at him as I scooted past, his heat radiating and warming the surface of my skin. "No, don't drive safe, Jacob," I said mischievously, looking into his eyes.

"Maybe. If you ask nicely," he countered easily, the mood still lighthearted though his words stirred something less innocent inside of me. He closed the door behind him and we started up the gravel drive.

"Pretty please drive like a wild man, Jacob," I said, throwing my arms open. He laughed and my heart clenched for a moment, almost missing its next beat. I was already having a great time with him, and we'd barely spoken 100 words to each other. We were laughing and making jokes; my classic Resting Bitch Face was constantly being broken by smiles.

This was unlike me. This was very, very unlike me. It was hard to understand, but I felt inexplicably at ease around Jacob. He didn't do much, and apparently he didn't have to. But the parts of me that were almost exclusively reserved for my family—my smiles, my care, my attention, my joy, my spirit—I felt myself compelled to share them with Jacob as well.

I took a deep breath, trying to refocus my head. I was getting carried away, which was typically a very hard thing for me to do. So talking myself down was fairly easy. I reminded myself that I'd known Jacob for all of 18 hours, and during that time, I had spent maybe an hour of it in his presence. I was being silly. I had regathered my composure by the time Jacob pulled my car door open for me.

"Thank you," I said calmly as I lifted myself into the truck. I heard Jacob chuckle to himself before beginning to close my door. I looked over and saw him laugh. It was an eyes-to-the-ground, shake-his-head kind of chuckle. I hated those chuckles, especially when they were about me.

Putting my hand out before he closed the door, I pushed it back open and glared at him. He looked up and met my eyes. "What?" I questioned plainly. He began to laugh again.

"It's nothing!" he said, before closing the door and walking around the front of the truck to the driver's side. We looked at each other the whole time, me frowning and him grinning. He finally arrived at his door and stepped inside, basically having to duck his head to get inside the massive truck.

"Tell me," I insisted once he was inside the car. He sighed as he put his key into his ignition and started the engine.

"You know," he said, looking out the rear view mirror and stretching his arm to place his hand on the back of my seat as we went in reverse. "I have half a mind to just keep you guessing since it's bugging you so much." He pulled his hand back and placed it on the steering wheel. The car drove forward and we pulled onto the empty road, driving back towards town.

"Well don't, I'll actually scratch your eyes out," I threatened casually. Jacob looked over at me with a raised eyebrow and an amused expression.

"I believe you," he said.

"Tell me!" I said, punching him in the shoulder.

"Woah!" he hollered, making the car swerve into the other lane momentarily. I shouted as the car jerked, swinging my body with its motion. "Put your seatbelt on," he said as we laughed, the car straightened out once again. "That's not safe." I was giggling to myself as I buckled my seatbelt, putting my feet up on the dashboard.

"Tell me, please," I said finally, looking over at him. Jacob cut his eyes over at me for a second before returning them to the road.

"You wanna know why I was laughing?" he asked. I nodded. I was watching his profile, absolutely enraptured by what I saw. I watched the way his arms flexed as he controlled the steering well, his muscles clenching and yawning under beautiful amber skin. "You're just so little, watching you climb into the truck was so adorable."

"Shut your fucking mouth," I snapped, irritated at being called "little" and "adorable" in the same sentence.

"Hey, now!" Jacob exclaimed, still smiling broadly.

"I'm not that little!" I protested, sitting up and turning to look at him.

"I hate to break it to you, but you kind of are."

"I'm 5'5"!"

"Yeah, and I'm 6'7"."

"Oooh," I exhaled, understanding now why he might view me a little smaller than I viewed myself.

"I'm literally over a foot taller than you. You're little."

"Okay. To be fair, you are a giant."

"I'll take that."

"Just make sure we get a car that fits me, okay?" Jacob laughed.

"Deal."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

A bell rang above our heads as Jacob and I entered The Forks Coffee Shop. It was a modest coffee house, with old hardwood floors and plenty of natural lighting. There was an old Miles Davis track was playing softly over the speakers. It smelled like coffee and timber inside, the entire place hosting two silent guests. One was sitting at a chair in the back corner, hastily typing away at a laptop. The other was seated in the small section of the store furnished with a couple of armchairs and a sofa, playing solitaire on the coffee table.

"I'll be right there," Jacob said, pointing to a chair up against the far wall. I glanced around the small café with an unconcerned expression.

"Yeah, don't move, I wouldn't wanna lose you," I said in deadpan tone of voice as I made my way to the counter. I could hear voices in the back, two deep ones that I took to be male. Nobody seemed to be heading out, so I tapped the bell sitting on top of the glass case. I knelt down to look at all the pastries on display; spinach quiches, chocolate croissants, shortbread cookies. I saw a figure moving into the doorway that led to the back and stood up to greet them. A tall, dark, bearded man approached the counter, his soulful brown eyes colliding with mine and making my heart spin in my chest.

"Fuck," I thought inwardly, reminding myself not to let my jaw drop.

"Hi," he said, flashing me a bright white smile and wiping his hands on his apron. "How's it going?" he asked.

"Hi. Perfect," I responded with a coy smile, turning my charm up to 101. "I'm Calypso," I said confidently, reaching my hand out across the counter. He took it, and the feel of my hand in his strong, sure grip was almost enough to make me swoon.

"Hi, Calypso, I'm Brandon."

"Great to meet you, Brandon."

"You as well, beautiful." A lot of men called me beautiful, but it had never really fazed me until I'd heard Brandon use it. He could probably call me anything and I'd be into it. I took a deep breath to refocus myself. I was here to get a job, not laid.

Yet.

"So, Calypso. What can I do for you today?" he asked, cocking his head just slightly and continuing to gaze at me. He gave me a sly, subtle once over and in that moment, I powerfully wished that I was naked.

"I just moved into town a few days ago, and I desperately need income," I started.

"Few days and you're already desperate, huh?" Brandon teased.

"I don't like not having my own money."

"Hard worker, huh?"

"You could say that." He nodded. "My resumé does," I added smoothly, sliding him the document across the glass counter. He took a step closer and reached his arm out to retrieve it.

"You were a barista, huh?" he asked.

"For about two and a half years. My first and only job. I just left like six months ago."

"Why?"

"There was a lot of stuff that led to me moving from New York, and that was about when it started getting a little wild," I explained briefly. "I had to take a leave of absence, and my family and I decided it would be best if I moved here." Brandon paused his review of my resumé to peek up at me.

"You moved from New York City to Forks, Washington?" he asked, an incredulous tone in his voice. I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"Please don't get me started…" He laughed and placed the resumé down.

"Come back here and pull me a shot," he ordered, beckoning to me with his finger and lifting a section of the counter to allow me behind it. I did so, letting him lead me to the espresso machine. I walked to the sink behind the counter.

"What's the date on the beans?" I asked him as I washed my hands, referring to the date the beans were roasted. He gave me a knowing smile and I returned it, he was clearly pleased that I hadn't missed a beat. He leaned over to look at the bag of beans beneath the counter, locating the date.

"4/27," he responded simply.

"And today's the 30th?" I asked, turning on the scale and zeroing it out.

"Yes, ma'am," he purred. His voice was so sexy to me, it sounded like melted dark chocolate and its delicious weight cloaked every inch of me. He placed one hand on the counter near the scale, leaning against it as he turned his body to face me. I tried to concentrate on the task at hand, not wanting to fudge my interview shot because of the way Brandon was melting me down with his eyes.

"So what made you move to Forks?" he asked as I continued with the espresso.

"Family stuff," I answered shortly, watching fresh grounds pour into my filter. He nodded.

"I hope everything's okay," he noted kindly. I shrugged, sweeping away the excess ground coffee.

"Stuff is stuff. Everybody has stuff." After evenly tamping the beans, I locked the portafilter into the espresso machine, started the timer and began the shot. I placed the two glasses beneath the spouts, waiting patiently until the dark brown liquid began streaming out.

"How long are you planning to be here for?" Brandon asked as we waited for the glasses to fill.

"Hopefully no more than a year. I honestly hate it, and I can't wait to get out." Brandon chuckled, his broad shoulders going up and down a couple of times. "What's so funny?" I asked, clicking the machine off as my shots finished and handing one of the glasses to Brandon.

"You're just very blunt is all," he said to me with a seductive smile, looking me in my eyes. The lines in his face made him look a little weathered and mysterious and I was curious to learn about all of them.

"I'm just honest," I said, moving my body slightly closer to his and looking up into his face. We were maybe three feet from each other now, both leaning in slightly like there were magnets in our sternums.

"To blunt honesty," he said, holding out his shot glass. We held each other's gaze as our glasses clinked and we sipped our shots. Setting his cup down, Brandon licked his lips as he evaluated the taste of the coffee. His eyebrows went up and he smiled at me. "This is good," he conceded, nodding approvingly.

"You sound surprised," I noted as I dumped out the used portafilter and cleaned out the glasses.

"And you're cleaning the bar?" I nodded.

"I can't stand when people don't do it when they're done. Because guess who has to do it now before and after they make a drink?"

"You're hired," Brandon said. My jaw dropped.

"Are you serious?" I gasped. He nodded with a satisfied grin, watching my face contort with joy.

"Thank you," I said with a beaming smile, blown away at how well this interview had gone.

"Can you start next Monday? Be here by 8 am?" he asked as he walked me back to the counter entrance.

"For sure," I confirmed, turning to face him just before I exited.

"Sweet," he said, lifting his hand for a high five. I reached up to comply. Just as our hands collided, he said, "Top Gun it." Both of our arms continued their arc, falling at the elbow to meet again at our hips.

"Ohh!" we both hollered in celebration of our successful trick high-five. I snapped finger guns at him, biting my lower lip with a smile.

"I'll see you Monday," he reminded me as he lowered the counter back into place.

"Looking forward to it," I said, walking towards the door backwards. I turned and faced forward to see Jacob already standing there, holding the door open for me. I walked out and didn't look back at Brandon, no matter how much I may or may not have wanted to.

"Did you just flirt your way into a job?" Jacob asked me as we started down the sidewalk, his hands in his pockets. The day was overcast and gray, and cool enough that even Jacob had a t-shirt on. Though I somewhat believed that had more to do with us being in Forks and not on the reservation.

"Kind of, but I also pull one hell of a shot, so my skill helped too."

"So 50/50?"

"70/30."

"70/30, advantage flirting?" I flung my hand out and struck him in the stomach, only to feel the back of my hand get hot with a stinging pain before quickly transitioning to a dull ache. "How did your stomach hurt me?" I demanded, caressing my now tender hand.

Jacob looked at me as he lifted the hem of his shirt halfway up, exposing his abs. "I cut myself on these things all the time," he boasted, waving his hand over his midsection, like Vanna White presenting a Wheel of Fortune answer. Although I scoffed, I couldn't help but take a lingering look. He had a very attractive physique, and my eyes couldn't help but follow the curve of his defined hipbones to the waistband of his basketball shorts.

"Whatever," I laughed, shaking my head free of my impure thoughts and casually averting my eyes. His shirt dropped and my mind was free to think again. We made our way back to Jacob's truck and started down Forks Avenue.

While living here was a drag, driving through the countryside was undeniably beautiful. Mountains blanketed in green, lush forests; evergreens and tall grasses stretched out along the highway for miles. There was another breathtaking view everyplace you looked. I could understand how if you were the type of person who wanted to be secluded from everything, this is would be the place to be secluded.

After ten minutes, we pulled up in front of an unassuming blue house, with a neatly trimmed yard and two wooden steps leading up to the front door. Jacob and I exited the car, and I followed him toward the garage. There were a few cinderblocks scattered near the entrance, black oil stains spotting the driveway. Inside the shelter I could see a boy bent over at the waist, his top half inside the hood of the car he was working on.

"Hey, Terry," Jacob said as we approached him. The boy straightened up, looking over at us. He pulled a rag out of his back jeans pocket and waved at us with it before wiping his hands.

"What's up, man?" Terry greeted Jacob, the two of them sharing a fist bump before he turned to me.

"Hi. Calypso," I introduced myself simply, raising a hand in salutation.

"Terry," he said back, running a hand through his jet black hair. "You tryna look at that car today, bro?" Jacob nodded.

"Yeah, Calypso here just moved into town and needs transportation," he explained.

"Oh, yeah? Where you from?" he asked me.

"New York," I answered in a dead tone with my hands in my pockets. He let out a bark of laughter, as I knew he would. At least I wasn't the only one who found the move from New York to Forks so preposterous that it was comical.

"Yeah, we don't have too many subways out here," he joked. I was unable to laugh, but he didn't seem fazed. "Come on and take a look," he said, leading us out to the side of the garage. There was an unremarkable dark blue car parked about ten feet in front of us, one of its side doors silver instead of blue. Although I tried to keep my face composed, I felt my left eyebrow rocket up in disapproval. I had to remember I didn't have very many options, however, and this might just have to be my ride until something better came along.

"Alright, here she is," Terry said, patting on the hood of the car. "It's a '97 Camry, automatic transmission, 4-wheel drive. It was already pretty functional when I got it, but after I did a bit of work, it's running almost good as new now." I took a walk around the car, slowly surveying it with my hands behind my back. I kicked one of the tires a couple of times, as it was something I saw in movies and was the only inspection I really knew how to do. I arrived at the other side of the car, where Jacob was standing. He and I looked at each other as I leaned against the passenger side door, stuffing my hands in my pockets.

"I mean." I wasn't sure what else to say. I turned my head to look at Terry, standing directly in front of the vehicle. "Does it drive?" I asked.

He nodded. "Yeah, drives fine." I sighed and looked at Jacob again, trying not to pout.

He stared back at me, narrowing his eyes. "What?" he asked, taking a step closer. I crossed my arms and lifted a hand to play with my ear, staring off into the woods just forty feet away. Sucking my teeth, a gave a quick glance at the car over my shoulder before returning my gaze to Jacob. Biting my index finger as I chose my words, I looked up at him from beneath my lashes to say,

"I don't like it." Jacob's eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me?" he said, stepping even closer this time. He put his hands in his pockets as he bit his lower lip. I shrugged and let my arms fall to my side.

"I don't know," I said, stepping away from the car and turning my back to Jacob. I was practically leaning against him now, my back almost touching his chest. I chewed on my thumb as my eyes ran over the car again. "I just don't really see myself in it. And I know I don't have very many options, but that's still a couple thousand that I could potentially spend on another car," I rationed aloud.

"I'm not sure how many other cars are up for sale around here," Jacob said. I nodded and continued nibbling on my thumb, trying not to be too picky, although I'd always been very picky about these types of things. I felt big, warm hands envelop my shoulders, squeezing so, so gently, more gentle than I'd never known one human could be with another. My whole body felt like it was glowing.

"You know you can always catch rides with me until we find you something suitable," Jacob suggested, the kindness in his voice making my insides get goopy and swirly. I groaned and leaned into him, letting his body heat seep into me as he gripped my shoulders.

"I just don't like being dependent on people like that," I admitted, a claustrophobic feeling of dread forming in the pit of my stomach. "I mean, I have to get to work and I'm probably going to be driving up to Port Angeles all the time just to be around city lights occasionally and—"

"Wait," Jacob said, cuing the sound of a lightbulb going off over his head. I looked up at him, practically bending back so I could see his face as he looked at Terry. "Do you still have that one we were working on a few months ago?" I looked at Terry as well, curious about what "one" Jacob was referring to. Terry made a skeptical face at Jacob, shaking his head slightly.

"Yeah, but I don't know, man…" he said, walking over and perching on the hood of the car. "I'm not sure it's ready to sell just yet."

"I know, but I think she'll really like the body. And you know me, dude, I could probably have that thing fixed up in no time." Terry lifted his eyebrows almost in agreement, and considered it for a moment. He crossed his arms, looked at me, then at Jacob, then back at me again.

"Come on," he sighed, waving us to go with him as he walked around to the other side of the house. I followed excitedly, eager to know just what they were talking about. This vehicle was covered in a plain black tarp, but the tarp was pretty clean, so I assumed it was being removed regularly to tend to the car underneath. Terry practically whipped the cover off and my heart soared at what I saw.

"She's a 1999 BMW 3-series convertible," Terry announced, introducing the car. "It's got a tan soft top cover; the removable hard cover is in the garage somewhere. Manual transmission, so you'd either have to know or learn how to drive stick. Rear wheel drive, six cylinders, heated front seats. It honestly drives okay right now, but only for a few miles. So you could probably get her home, but it's gonna be a little work after that."

I walked around the car, my hand gliding along the body the whole time. It was low to the ground and long, a sexy little forest green car to go cruising down the highway. Its top was down, revealing the tan leather interior. The door was unlocked and I slid into the driver's seat, letting out a gasp of pleasure at the way my body felt in the chair. The upholstery was creamy and soft, and smelled like new leather. Finding the lever for seat adjustment, I kicked my chair back a little, reclining into its slope. I ignored the gaping hole in the dashboard where a sound system would usually be and placed my hand around the tortoiseshell stick shift. With one hand on the steering wheel, I couldn't help but grin as I imagined myself whipping down La Push Road, driving for miles until I got to the coast, and then driving a few miles more.

"How are ya feeling?" Jacob asked, standing by the passenger side door.

"Like this must be what love at first sight feels like," I said, turning my eyes to meet Jacob's. He smiled at me.

"I can imagine," he responded. My face got hot for some reason with the way he was looking at me, and I returned my attention back to the car. I surveyed the car one last time, slowly running my hands along the dashboard and along the steering wheel, the way one might do with a new lover. I slammed my hand on the horn, making both the boys jump, and holding it down for a few seconds as the blare filled me with life.

"I want it," I said, releasing the horn. I looked over my left shoulder at Terry, standing near the driver's door.

"Really?" he asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"How much?" I asked, still not releasing the steering wheel. His eyebrows went up once he knew I was serious.

"Well, I was gonna sell it for $7,000, but there's still a lot of work I've gotta do on it."

"How much is she gonna have to spend on parts?" Jacob asked. Terry sighed.

"Let's see…you'll probably want a stereo. Gotta change the oil, new shocks, struts, new brakes and rotors, probably a quick paint job…I'd say you're looking at about $1,500 or so in repairs?" I nodded slowly, not letting it play on my face how much that was to me. In all honesty, it wasn't that much, I had a ridiculous amount saved up. But they didn't need to know what that amount meant to me, either way.

"So let's say $4,500?"

"Not fifty five?" Terry asked, his brow furrowing.

"Well, $1,500 in repairs brings us to fifty-five. But I'm still paying someone else to fix what you haven't yet—"

"No you're not," Jacob protested from his side of the car.

"Or I would if he would let me," I finished, not breaking my negotiation stare with Terry. "That's technically another $1,000."

"Since you're not paying him though, throw in another $500 we'll say it's a clean $5,000?" I considered it for a moment. I opened the door and stepped out of the car, standing in front of Terry.

"Deal," I said, reaching out my hand. We shook on it, and the car was mine.

"Puppy, I want it purple," I said immediately, turning to look at him over the car. He just laughed affectionately at me, and I smiled in return.

"We'll see what we can do," he said, slinging his arm around my shoulder as the three of us made our way back to Jacob's truck.