“No need to worry about furniture until you have a place to put it, which requires a job, which usually requires transportation. We need to tackle one obstacle at a time.” My dad leans forward past Ocean and shoots me a reassuring smile.

Parents have a way of bitch-slapping their kids with a heavy dose of reality under the guise of love. Yep. I definitely don’t need furniture at the moment.

“She needs a job to afford a car, and she won’t take money from us, so …” Sydney eyes me over the top of her menu.

Nope. There’s nothing degrading and completely embarrassing about this conversation. I should be angry with my family for discussing my situation in front of Jake, but he’s seen me naked in every sense of the word. None of this should be a surprise to him.

“I don’t want your money, Sis. I just want your Lexus. I’m certain I could live out of it until I save up for an apartment.”

“You know …” Deedy sets her menu down and rests her hand on my dad’s leg. “You should borrow my car. We’re leaving for another mission trip in six weeks. When I am home, I ride my bike and walk most places. We have Tommy’s car for longer trips and bad weather.”

“Or you could take public transportation,” Lautner murmurs, hiding his grin behind his glass of water. “Have you ever taken public transportation?”

I scratch my chin with my middle finger. “That’s like a limo, right? Yeah, I’ve taken public transportation a lot.”

Sydney shoves her elbow into the ribs of her snarky husband. “Play nice, you two.”

“So, Jake …” My dad clears his throat. “I really do appreciate all you did for Avery.”

Whoa!

Okay, so my dad must not know everything. He missed the newsflash—we hate Jake. He did nothing but break me down. No appreciation needed for that.

Jake takes a long sip of his water, probably sorting out the best response to my dad’s misplaced gratitude.

“You’re welcome.”

I stare at my index finger tapping the end of my fork.

And I wait …

Nothing.

Really? You’re welcome? No elaboration. No “It was my pleasure.” No “Anything for Deedy.” Or “We had a good time.”

“She can be a bit of a handful sometimes.” Dad laughs.

Sydney and Lautner stifle their reactions.

Jake rubs the back of his neck. “A bit.”

I ram the heel of my shoe into his shin.

He grunts, bending forward slightly and fisting his hand at his mouth as if to mask his reaction as a cough.

“Can I get everyone’s drink order?” the waiter asks.