suddenly draped his arm around me.
“What are you doing? I’m gonna call Drew…”
“Who? You’re uncle?”
He leaned in that his face was inches from mine and I almost shouted, “Yes, my uncle Drew!”
“Drei?”
“Go away!”
“Drei? Are you okay?”
“Drew!”
“Drei, wake up!”
Then the ugly, full-of-himself blonde was nowhere in sight and I felt my back resting against
something soft. Then it hit me. I dreaded opening my eyes. I realized that we were still in the
car, fresh from a getaway from Carley and Zed’s men. What was worse, I realized that there
were two more people in the car, whom I wasn’t so familiar with. Which only made my actions a
little more painfully awkward.
I willed my eyes to open. And they did. But I peeped first to make sure it was just Drew waiting
for me to wake up. But to my dismay, I also saw Anthony peering over at me.
I opened my eyes fully, and straightened myself in the seat, slightly stretching in the process,
then I laughed under my breath awkwardly. “Nightmare.” I muttered, wishing they’d just look
somewhere else, and not at my slowly reddening face. I dared to glance at Drew, and he eyed
me with an amused expression. I wanted to wrestle with him at this very moment just to wipe off
that degrading expression but I know I couldn’t. I’ve had enough embarrassment for one night.
I heard Anthony clear his throat beside me. I was jammed in between him and Drew, and the
two unfamiliar people were in front. I pretended to stretch my arms when all of a sudden,
Anthony spoke up.
“Is Mr. Hamilton real y your---“
“Uncle, yes.” I heard Drew supply for him.
Then my mind went in flashback. What was I saying in my dream again? That Drew was my---
“Sorry if we didn’t tell you immediately Anthony,” Drew apologized.
I scratched my head. I was planning to tell him but not this way. What just happened was way
too awkward.
“Yea, sorry,” I echoed Drew’s words. My mind felt so drained. I just woke up from a nap, didn’t
I? But I felt like I just finished a triathlon.
Then out of the blue, I heard Anthony laugh. A genuine one.
I covered my face with my hands. I know he would react to my disadvantage, but not this way! I
wanted to melt now. I felt Drew beside me shift in his seat to get a better look at Anthony. Then,
much to my discomfort, Drew chuckled. Yea, I know that I should’ve told him earlier. I almost
gasped. Or maybe he already knew it and maybe he was just pulling this trick on me? But
wasn’t it rude to laugh at someone who just happened to do something that would complete her
hal of most embarrassing moments? At least he should’ve saved me some of the scrap left of
my dignity!
Glaring at Drew, I mustered enough courage to face Anthony.
“What’s so funny? If you knew that already, at least you could’ve told me! Don’t laugh at me like
that!”
He shook his head, stil caught in his laughing fit. “You--- just don’t know how relieved I am!”
I blinked at him. Did I hear him right?
“Relieved?” I repeated.
He nodded, unable to hold his laughter. I heard Drew beginning to laugh on my opposite side. I
nudged his side with my elbow, and he neared me. “That’s almost like an indirect confession
Drei. He’s probably laughing because he can’t help it. I was a bit of a competition.” I stared at
him and he winked, a bit smug.
I raised an eyebrow at him and he shrugged.
Feeling the need to escape this almost implausible situation, I slouched in my seat and
prepared to take a nap (or at least look like I was taking a nap; I wasn’t in for more sleep-talk)
when suddenly the man behind the wheel pulled into what looked like a small inn.
“Where are we?” I asked Drew.
Good thing, Anthony sobered up now. But stil , I couldn’t look at him. Wait, why was I so
ashamed? It’s not that I was acting like Drew was more than family friend. I just sleep-talked.
And was practically screaming that Drew was my uncle. Ugh. I sighed. Thanks to that annoying
blonde in our neighborhood back at London.
“We should stay here. Tanner and Riley would dispose the car and return here after the task.
I’ve called up another car to take us but it isn’t ready until tomorrow.” Drew explained.
I paused, taking in his words as the people in front got off the car and we followed suit. “Another car? From who? Wouldn’t it be dangerous if you called up your friends or even car rentals?”
Drew was now in front of me, Anthony following closely behind me. Drew looked over his
shoulder. “What do you suppose your Mom’s been doing all the time she wasn’t with us?”
I stared at his back, then on the ground, lost in thought. “Dunno,” I muttered.
He suddenly stopped, making me smack against his back. “Ow!” I protested.
“Sorry.”
I felt Anthony’s hands on both my upper arms to steady me from behind. “Gee.” I whined,
rubbing my nose.
“Sorry,” he repeated, facing me now. I realized we were about to enter the reception area of the
inn. The two men were inside now, based on what I glimpsed from around Drew’s arm (he was
that tall that I couldn’t peek over his shoulder). “Your mom has “contacts” if ever this time should come,” he gestured the quotation marks.
“Oh.” I muttered, realizing how much my Mom has worked while she was gone.
I was suddenly pul ed from my thoughts when Drew pul ed me forward. “Now let’s get you a
room.”
I looked up at him and saw there was a trace of a smile on his features. I narrowed my eyes at
him. That look always signaled mischief.
I heard Anthony trail behind us. He was still silent since his laughing fit in the car. I wonder what his silence meant.
“Has Mr. Tanner and Mr. Riley left?” Drew asked the man at the reception. He looked like he
has been working at the inn all his life. I
