Sheseems slightly surprised that I know that but doesn’t let it linger too long. “Yes.”
“So what? He’s in the competition too? Are you afraid he’s going to beat you?”
She scoffs. “First of all, he’snotgoing to beat me. And second, you don’t get it. You’re not a woman, let alone a woman in the car industry…”
“Dilynne, you’re one of the most confident people I know. Why the fuck would you care about your ex being at the same competition? Knowing how you are, you’re probably already envisioning winning the whole fucking thing…”
Her lack of response makes me feel uneasy. She looks away from me, lost in her thoughts for a few moments, but I’m captivated by the way her face transforms as she thinks—her throat bobbing with each rough swallow, her lips moving from flat lines to frowns and back, and the wrinkle between her brows that only softens once she’s ready to speak again.
When her eyes lock back onto mine, I realize I’m holding my breath as I wait for her to fill the silence.
“Everyone has an ex that feels like a weakness, Elliot—that one ex that gets to you like no other. Tori is yours, and Vinnie is mine. I don’t need you to understand my reasons for wanting a buffer between me and him, but the thing I do think you can understand is that having that buffer makes being in the same room with them easier to deal with, am I right?”
I think back to how grateful I was that Dilynne was in my office today when Tori came back in, trying to force me to talk to her. “Okay, I understand that.”
“You and I don’t see eye to eye on a lot, but I think we can on this.” Nodding, I wait for her to continue. “So, in this situation, I think we can help each other. Once Motorlux is done, we can break up, go back to hating each other, and no one will be shocked because, well? It’s you and me. That’s what we do.” She shrugs, but confusion fills my head.
“Why?”
Her brows draw together again. “Why what?”
“Why do we hate each other, Dilynne?”
Her lips part, but she closes them again. And for the second time, she ignores that question. The only other time I’ve prodded was the day she took me to the junkyard. After that, I tolerated her intrusion in my life because her annoying me actually gave me something to look forward to—whether it was her showing up to my house to make sure that I’d showered or eaten in those first few months, or the insulting baked goods she still delivers to me. But I’d never fucking admit that out loud.
Unfortunately, it’s those gestures that have also made me realize what my grandfather used to talk about—how the small things really turn out to be the big things in the long run.
And as I realize that my first crush on Dilynne back in high school wasn’t as far-fetched as I thought, I’m struggling with why these feelings are so much stronger this time around.
No matter what, though, no one can know about my feelings—past or present.
“Are you gonna agree to this or not, Elliot? I don’t have all night. I have a bubble bath with my name on it at home.”
“You take bubble baths?”
“It’s one of my guilty pleasures,” she answers curtly, surprising me yet again.
I drum my fingers on the table as I consider it. “Tell me how this is going to work, Dil.”
That makes her perk back up. She folds her hands together on the table in front of her. “Well, I think being boyfriend and girlfriend won’t be enough to deter Tori. If she thinks we are getting married, that will really seal the deal.”
I nearly choke. “You want to bemy fiancée? Not just my girlfriend?”
Dilynne laughs behind her hand. “I don’twantto be your anything, Elliot. But that girl is not giving up easily. And if she thinks that youreallymoved on from her, it’s going to piss her off even more.” The corner of her mouth tips up. “That part makes me even more giddy about this idea. But the reality is, she needs to really believe that there is not a single chance you would take her back.”
“Trust me. I wouldn’t.”
She nods. “I know. I know how far you’ve come and you’d be stupid to even consider it, just so we’re clear.”
“Believe me, I’m fully aware,” I say, surprised by how much her acknowledgment of my progress affects me. As much as it shouldn’t, her praise means something to me. And the truth is, I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for her—something else I don’t want to admit.
Fuck.
“And what about Vinnie? Would he believe that you’d be engaged to someone?”
Dilynne looks away from me. “Yes. He would.”
“Really?”