“Because I cared what you thought. And I couldn’t take that look—the one you have in your eyes now.”
I shake my head and return to sweeping. “It’s over, Eli.Behind us.”
“No, it’s not.” He steps toward me. “Scarlett, I heard what you said in the hospital. I’m paying back everything I owe. I don’t want the Marcos holding my mistake over our family anymore.”
I stare at him for a long moment. “You don’t even have a full-time job right now.”
He pulls something from his pocket, then holds it out for me.
“Is that a check?” I look at the amount on it and let out a short laugh. “Where’d you get that kind of money?”
“I went down to Eddie’s Garage and told him I’d accept the apprenticeship position he offered me a week ago.”
“At the mechanic shop?”
He nods. “Instead of tinkering around on my truck, I’m going to work for him until I become a full mechanic.”
“Wait,” I say, my eyes sliding from the check to him. “Did he pay you in advance before you started working?”
“No.” He glances over his shoulder, and that’s when it sinks in—there’s no truck outside. Only his bike.
“I sold my truck,” he says before I can ask.
“Noooo,” I gasp under my breath. “Not Mona.”
He loved that beat-up truck, the same one I burned the clutch out on.
“Eddie bought it. He sells cars online for extra cash, but he’s holding on to it for a few months—hopefully until I can buy it back from him. Between that and what I have in the bank, I have enough to pay Brendan back.”
I don’t want him to lose his truck over this. But it isn’t my decision to make.
“Eli,” I murmur, swallowing the lump in my throat at the sacrifice he’s making. “Are you sure about all this?”
He nods, and his expression tells me his mind is made up.
Maybe this is what a fresh start looks like for Eli, not erasing who he was, but choosing who he wants to become.
“But losing Mona has to be so hard for you,” I say.
“Yeah, well, maybe not as hard as seeing the look on your face when you confronted me at the hospital. I’m sorry, Scarlett.”
I drop the broom, walk over to my brother, and wrap my arms around him in a bear hug. He hugs me back—tightly, maybe the first one we’ve had in years.
“I don’t blame you for anything, Eli,” I say against his old t-shirt with the Chevy logo on it. “People make mistakes. Ishould’ve told you the truth about Brendan and me from the start.”
“I can understand why you didn’t tell me,” he murmurs. “I didn’t exactly welcome Brendan back with open arms.”
“Can you at least promise me one thing?” I step away from him. “That you’ll try to be friends with Brendan again? For my sake?”
He looks at me, then pauses. “I’ll try.”
“Maybe you two can teach me to drive a stick again.”
“Not a chance,” he says with that smug grin. “One time was bad enough.”
“Hey!” I say, elbowing him.
Then he smiles wider, and it feels like something’s starting to mend that’s been broken for a long time. “I’m proud of you, sis. You’re really good at running this place.”