By Chance (Accidentally In Luck #1)

17. Just a Casual, Quick Trip to Italy- E

*E*

I really like my Audi.

No, that's an understatement. I love my Audi. I love driving it down the road at speeds well over the posted limit like I was now. I love feeling the raw power of the engine in my hands as I whipped around corners like I was now. I love seeing people stare as she glides by them in all her electric blue glory like they were now.

Yet as much as I love it, I'd never seen it look as good as it did with Pip in the passenger seat.

I was taking her to the beach. She'd told me on the phone at some point that the day I saw her there was her first ever all-day trip to any beach and that she'd only ever been to the beach a few times anyway. Apparently, any beach time she'd ever had (except the possible exclusion of her day with Elle) could be described as "meh," at least according to her.

I looked over at her for about the hundredth time as we cruised to the outskirts of town. Her short legs were pale but glowing from a very slight summer tan and the tank top she wore was tight enough but wasn't a second skin. She looked so different from the first time I saw her in that over-sized hoodie with the sleeves draped over her arms. By the time I made it to her face, her eyes were boring into mine. Those beautiful green irises that reminded me so much of spring grass.

"You really shouldn't stare at your passengers while you're driving," Pip admonished. "It's dangerous."

I hadn't stopped looking at her and at this point I knew I should be careful because I was still navigating downtown traffic. "Yeah. It is." I wasn't exactly talking about the driving though. At that second, an Albert Einstein quote my mom used to laugh about before I hit it big and we stopped talking came to mind: Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.

I shook my head and turned back to the road slipping away under my tires.

She noticed and shifted in her seat. "This, uh, this isn't what I normally wear," she said, dropping her gaze to her lap. "Actually, this is the only outfit I have like this."

My gaze snapped back to her. I would like to think that's not the truth, but judging by the uncomfortable shifting Pip was doing, I couldn't exactly dispute it.

Cora continued, looking out the window at the passing scenery wistfully, "My mom doesn't like it. She says I need to better embrace who I should be and how I should want to live. Then, and only then, will my true fashion shine through," Pip was talking like this was just a casual though saddening afternoon tea topic. I turned back to the road and clenched my jaw. "She says I'm too shy and reserved for my own good; that if I branch out, I might make new friends or find something or someone I love which would cause my fashion sense to increase exponentially. She says I need to be less like me and more like her."

The only thing I knew about Pip's mom was that she was a fashion designer for some higher ups. Higher ups, Pip had said, like me. "Bullshit," I found myself blurting out.

A surprised look came across her face as she turned from the window to look at me. "What?"

"Bullshit."

The beginnings of a grin mingled with the confusion now. "Yes. So I heard. Why bullshit though?" she said, and I could hear the gentle teasing she was throwing my way.

I decided to ignore it and go for the serious answer. "No one Pip, and mean no one, can tell you who you should be or who you should be like. Who gives a shit if she doesn't like the way you dress? Who cares if you're shy and reserved? I, for one, think it's adorable and endearing. Besides, you're not all that shy. Remember the day at the mall?"