Double Clutch - Реинхардт Лиз (книги полностью бесплатно TXT) 📗

My cell finally rang. I was so tired, I could barely fumble for it. I picked it up and yawned.

“Brenna?” Jake laughed.

“Hey you,” I said. “How was work?”

“Hell of a lot better since I didn’t have to freeze my ass off riding my dirt bike back and forth.”

“Isn’t that illegal, Jake?” I asked sleepily.

“Only if you get caught.” I could hear his smile. “Thanks for playing hooky with me.”

“I’d say ’any time,’ but you might convince me to never go back.” I laughed a punchy need-to-sleep laugh.

“You’re adorable when you’re tired. Go to sleep.”

“Not yet,” I babbled. “I have to tell you something.”

“What is it?” I could hear his can of soda pop.

“I told Mom. I told her about you today. And she wants to meet you. Saturday.” I yawned.

“Cool,” he said, his voice a little nervous. “Did it go okay?”

“She almost cried. Like I told you, Jake, she’s sad about the idea of me dating, not the idea of me dating you.” My pillow felt deliciously comfortable.

“I’m really glad. Thank you for telling her. I put your bike in the garage. You guys should really lock it.”

“Thanks. Thorsten’s Danish. He never thinks about locking doors.”

“I’ll meet you at the end of your road tomorrow morning. What time do you head in?” He sounded really excited.

“Usually seven thirty.” I snuggled under my comforter. “Jake, you don’t have to.”

“I’m just psyched to get to see you every morning, Brenna.” He was crunching down on something.

“Sandwich day?”

“Tuna and pickles. I love you, babe. Get some rest.”

“I love you, Jake Kelly,” I said dreamily as I let the phone drop on my bed and fell into an instant, deep sleep.

Chapter 12

The next morning I woke up super early, probably because I fell asleep before eight o’clock. I had time to shower. Blow dry my hair. Put on a lot of makeup. Change three times. By the time Mom was at the table with my oatmeal, I’d already been up for almost two hours.

“You look good, sweetie.” Mom kissed my head and sipped her coffee.

“Oh, look Mom.” I lifted the black and white striped ballet neck sweater I loved and showed her my Folly shirt, the one with Kelsie and Chris and the hearts.

“Bren, this is so beautiful.” She leaned close to look at the design elements. “The font is perfect. I love your color contrast.” Her eyes glowed with pride, and she grabbed my face in her hands, smushing my cheeks between her thumb and fingers. “I love you, my talented girl.”

I smiled, my cheeks still squashed. “Luff you, too.”

She released me and I headed out, knowing she would watch me ride down our driveway and onto the street. It made me feel bad and sneaky for agreeing to ride in with Jake. Maybe I should just ask her. I would, I decided, after Saturday. There was enough to worry about up until then.

I stopped my bike down the road from my house and saw Jake’s blue truck. He got out and threw my bike and helmet in the back.

“Hey beautiful.” He leaned over to kiss me, and it was still so shockingly good and exciting it sent shivers through me. I hoped kissing him never got boring. “Did you eat?”

“Yeah,” I said, still recovering from the feel of his lips on mine. “I always eat breakfast.”

“I figured, but I picked this up, so maybe you can just eat it later.” He handed me a bag with an orange juice and a bagel with cream cheese.

“Mmm. I just felt my appetite come back. Thanks, Jake. That was really sweet.”

He was so happy to be driving, it was ridiculous. Jake was always a happy guy, but in the matter of one day he went from basically happy to goofily, fantastically, colossally happy.

“I’m kind of freaked out to meet your mom,” Jake confessed suddenly. “But I’m also glad. That you told her. I know it was hard for you.”

I chewed carefully. “It’s not about you, Jake.” I hoped what I was telling him was accurate. My mother was going to grill him a little, and I figured Jake would probably have all the wrong answers. But I didn’t want to coach him at all. I was becoming pretty averse to lies. I wanted to tell Jake the truth about everything, but I just couldn’t do it. And now the lies were a tangled nest, a constant hissing threat in the back of my brain. I didn’t want any more of that.

“I hope it isn’t. I have a button down shirt.”

I smiled. “Aren’t you going to be racing a dirt bike?”

“Yeah, but I can change in the truck.” He glanced at me, his eyes almost hidden under his ball cap. “I want to make a good impression. You think it would be too much?”

“A shirt with buttons?” I teased. “I think my mom will be able to handle it.”

“Smartass.” He grinned and threw his arm around my shoulders. “Maybe I should do share time,” he said as we pulled into the parking lot. He took my hand in his lightly.

“You could, Jake.” I tried not to get too excited. I couldn’t imagine his Tech academic courses were any challenge. “You’re in district. I could help you with your homework.”

“I’ll look into it for next year.” He smiled shyly. “Do you think I’d be in any of your classes?”

I knew Jake was smart, but I couldn’t see him in AP Government or Honors English. I had completed my math requirements overseas. I was decent at math, but bored by it, so I figured it would be better to get them done. I was also a little ahead in science, but would be back in physics next year.

“Maybe. I might have some senior classes next year. I have a weird schedule because I homeschooled last year, but I’ll tell you what I’m taking next year when I decide.”

“So that’s why you have classes with Saxon this year?” Jake asked suddenly.

“One class. The class is mostly juniors,” I said carefully. Saxon was still a super sensitive topic between us. “But I’m not totally a sophomore. I’m like a sophomore and a half.”

“So you’re in some junior classes?”

“Just government. With Saxon. Same as we do in VoTech.” I grabbed his cap off of his head and brushed the hair that fell into his eyes back. “You need a haircut.”

“You want to stop talking about this?”

“I want to stop talking,” I slid over to his side of the truck. The interior was cavernous, so I had to drag my butt over a good two feet to be near him. I pulled his face down to mine and kissed him long and hard. I had my hands at his shoulders. I loved how they felt; big and muscled. He ran his hands down my back and grabbed me hard around the waist. He jerked me towards him, and soon we were fairly tangled around each other. I loved the taste of him. I loved the feel of his mouth against mine. I just loved Jake Kelly.