"Um, it doesn't help with the Charlie situation if an unexplained Volvo is left in the driveway."
"I wasn't intending to bring the car."
"How —"
He cut me off with a wink. "Don't worry about it, dummy. I'll be there, no car."
I let it go. I had a more pressing question.
"Is it later yet?" I asked significantly, doing a little winking of my own.
He frowned. "I suppose it is later."
I kept my expression polite as I waited.
He stopped the car. I looked up, surprised—of course we were already at Charlie's house, parking behind the truck. It was easier to ride his way, by his rules, if I only looked when it was over. When I looked back at him, he was staring at me, measuring my face with his eyes.249
"And you still want to know why you can't see me hunt?" He seemed solemn, but I thought I saw a well of humor deep in his eyes. A place, I was beginning to learn, that all levity came from.
"Well," I clarified, "I was mostly wondering about your reaction."
"Did I frighten you?" Yes, there was definitely humor there.
"No," I lied significantly. He didn't buy it.
"I apologize for scaring you," he persisted with a slight smile, but then all evidence of teasing disappeared. "It was just the very thought of you being there... while we hunted." His jaw clenched, ratcheting itself tighter with every passing moment.
"That would be bad?" I guessed.
He spoke from between clenched teeth. "Totally. For sure."
249. Bella's face is approximately fifteen times the height of Fredward's eyes.