Mule

Chapter Five: Home

The rain started up again, this time with a heavier downpour. The view from the terrace took Ana's breath away. She stood on the brick patio, leaning against the black iron railing and let the rain patter against her hood. She watched the cars below stop and go, stop and go while pedestrians who were too proud to use umbrellas tried to pull their collars as high up to their ears as possible.

Unable to stay inside any longer and feel Jared's sad eyes on her, she'd decided to wait for Connor outside. He would most likely take a rental. No way would he pay to have his car flown over, no matter how much he loved his red Dodge Hellcat, snobby bastard. He loved showing off how much money he made at his real estate job but always jumped to make her feel bad for getting to use her income on luxury and letting Jared take care of everything else.

A car she didn't recognize pulled up to the door down below. Her brother got out and handed the keys to the valet, so she hurried back inside. Her bags were all packed, so she just had to buzz him in and commence an awkward meal with Jared and him before booking it to Snoqualmie Pass before the big rush.

When Connor got up to her place, he knocked so loud she knew the neighbors in the other building across from the could probably hear it. she quickly answered to make it stop, and he smiled. She never noticed before, but he had small crow's feet on his eyes, though he was still handsome. He'd cut his hair since she last saw him.

"Hey, twin!" they said at the exact same time.

Ana threw her arms around him, and he swung her in a circle. He wasn't too gentle about it and accidently bumped her into the wall.

"Dammit, Connor, you're going to kill me!"

He laughed. "Good, then I can beat your stalker to it."

"What stalker?" Jared asked.

Anabelle cleared her throat. "Nothing, Jar. Just a stupid joke."

It grew uncomfortably quiet, and she was grateful when Connor broke the ice, holding up a white bag.

"I brought takeout!"

"Thanks." Jared took the bag. "I'll get plates. You make yourself at home."

He walked away and Connor frowned as she slipped her arm through his, leading him to the dining table.

"What's with him? He's so . . . friendly."

She rolled her eyes. "He's trying to win points with me. Just play along, okay?"

Surprisingly, dinner went well. Everyone got along, and Connor kept his snide remarks to himself. He didn't mention anything about Derek, probably since they needed something to talk about on the way to Moses. They had a two-and-a-half-hour drive ahead of them. They planned to meet their dad for dinner and see Derek in the morning since visitor hours would be over by then.

Jared helped her put her suitcase in the trunk of the rental then shut it. He shoved his hands in his pockets, giving her a forced smile.

"You two drive safe, alright?" he said. "And like I said, if you don't make it back Sunday just meet us when you can."

Ana bit her lip. "Jared . . . be honest, do you want me to meet you? Or are you just being polite?"

He pulled her close, pressing his lips to hers. There wasn't any real emotion behind it, like he'd done so out of guilt or because it was expected of him. It wasn't like when Derek used to kiss her. With him, she felt more love by the way he looked at her than any kiss they shared.

Jared ended it then stroked her cheek. "I'll see you soon."

Ana nodded then got into the car. She waved at him through the glass just as Connor took off, burning rubber as always. He hadn't looked so someone honked and he flipped them off. There was a reason it had taken him an extra month to get his driver's license. The DMV guy kept saying he was going to kill someone.