Page 162 of Hell Bent

It was a workshop, I guessed. With a metal sink, stampedconcrete floors, an enormous workbench, and about an acre of space. And with double doors out to the driveway.

“Full bathroom off that game room,” the realtor said, “if you wanted to use part of it as a gym. I understand you play football.”

“Yes,” I said. “Hey, Ben?”

“Yeah?” Ben asked. “If you’re going to ask if I like this one—yes.Yes! This is the house.”

I said, “It’s your birthday next week. Fifteen.”

He stood stock-still. He turned red again. He stared at me like this might be something good, and he couldn’t quite believe it.

“I know I just said the bike,” I said. “And you definitely need a bike. But I had another birthday present planned. What do you think about fixing up a car with me, this next year? Say, a classic one?”

“A Mustang?” He barely breathed it.

“You bet. Great choice. That first generation? Plenty of parts for it, and plenty of YouTube videos. That was going to be one of my suggestions. And if we get this house, we’ve got the space to do it right here.”

“But do you know how?” he asked.

I laughed. “I actually do know some things, and Harlan knows more. He said he’d like to give us a hand with it. I was thinking, do it at his place, but?—”

“But we could do it here,” Ben said. “At home. Oh, boy.”

“Alix might be willing to help with the wiring and all that, too,” I said.

“I would,” she said. “I think that’s a great idea.”

“Obviously,” I said, “you couldn’t drive it until you were sixteen, but it’s going to take us a while to get there anyway. School, training camp, the season … Think you can defer gratification for a year?”

Ben’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He was still red in the face.He tried to say something, but couldn’t get it out. His chin quivered, and he looked around desperately.

“Hey,” I said. “Hey. Let’s go upstairs a minute.” I looked around at the others. “Maybe you’d do me a favor, Elise, in the meantime. We’ll get an inspection, and do whatever else you think we ought to here, make sure we’re buying the right thing. But Alix says you’re a genius at this stuff. Before we get our hopes up too high, would you poke around a little, make sure we’re not missing something big?”

She said, “I’d be delighted to.”

Alix looked at me, like,You’re kidding. You smooth talker.And I looked back at her like,Who, me?

Plus, I really did want to make sure our house was legit.

Three bedrooms upstairs, plus a sort of extra space next to the master that was perfect for a nursery. I got a flash of Alix sitting in a rocking chair by the big windows, feeding that baby, and a thrill went straight through me.

I turned back to Ben and said, “Let’s go figure out which room you want.” If a guy was going to cry, he needed some privacy to do it. And somebody with him to tell him it was OK, too. Somebody who loved him.

We headed out, but at the last minute, I turned back to Alix and said, “You know that trip to Germany with your grandmother in June? To look for the tiara?”

“Yes,” she said. “What about it?”

“You want a couple of escorts?” I asked. “To carry the bags? Fetch ice packs, possibly? Maybe even pay for that fancy old hotel that’s right by the palace, and insist that you really do need to lie down to sleep on the plane? We could pretend to be rich for a little while. Just until we go back to being normal in our almost normal house. What do you say?”

“Oh, my,” Alix’s mother said.

Alix’s face broke into a smile. “Yes,” she said. “I’d like that …” She had to stop and take a breath. “I’d like that very much. And I love you.”

“Fortunately,” I said, “I love you more.”

Ben probably groaned.

I didn’t care.