Samir rolls his eyes, but there’s a hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth. I think he enjoyed himself today despite losing miserably to Mia and Daniela. “I’ll do my best.”

Daniela murmurs a soft goodbye, reaching over to pat my hand, before exiting the car and joining her girlfriend. Ace backs out of the driveway, leaving them behind holding hands.

It’s another ten minutes before we arrive at my house. I reach for the handle as he shifts the car into Park, but Ace says, “Wait.”

I pause and Ace turns to Samir, holding out his fist again. “Thanks for coming out with us today. It was really cool to meet you, bro.”

Bro. Sometimes I seriously wonder if Ace has multiple stunt doubles he switches out based on his mood.

Samir fist bumps him back. “Yeah, bro, you too.”

Before Samir can open the door on his side, Ace pulls out his wallet and removes a crisp ten-dollar bill. “Don’t tell Mia.”

Samir looks between the bill and Ace in disbelief before breaking into a grin. “I knew you were on my team, dude. Bros before hoes.”

“No,” Ace and I say at once.

I give Ace a surprised look but he’s still looking at Samir. “Dude, respect women as much as you respect everyone else.”

“And stop calling them hoes,” I add darkly.

Samir rolls his eyes, but there’s an embarrassed flush to his cheeks. “Yeah, okay.”

I arch an eyebrow. “So you’ll stop being misogynistic when a man tells you to?”

My brother groans, the tips of his ears turning red. “Don’t start. It’s not that deep.”

Before I can say how deep it really is, Ace touches my wrist, staying me.

“Just do me a favor and respect your own sister, if no one else.” He waves the ten-dollar bill toward Samir again. “Anyway, do you mind if I speak to Karina privately for a minute?”

Samir grins suddenly. “Sure, dude. Whatever.” He takes the money, salutes Ace, winks at me again, and exits the car.

I sigh after him. “I hope he’s not such a dumbass in a few years. I feel bad for his future girlfriends.”

Ace laughs quietly. “I want to talk to you.” He gestures to the passenger seat. “Before you argue, I’m going to use the magic word. Please come up front?”

I close my mouth silently, wondering when Ace came to know me well enough to predict my actions. I grudgingly climb into the passenger seat and turn to look at him. “What’s so important it couldn’t wait until later?”

“Put on your seatbelt.”

“What? Your car is in Park.”

“Still,” Ace says. “Come on, Karina. It’ll take a second.”

“Who knew Ace Clyde was a safety nut,” I say under my breath. “For all intents and purposes, you should be riding a motorcycle.”