Evening.
On the empty lot beside Karen's house, inside the BMW.
Lip was messing around with Karen, while Karen's mind was mostly occupied with ideas about how to decorate the car. Still, when the moment called for it, she made the appropriate noises.
When they were done—
"Let's wash the car together," Karen said.
Lip's first instinct was to say no. The refusal was already on the tip of his tongue. After all, there was nothing in it for him, and he didn't do things that didn't benefit him.
But then he reconsidered.
"How about another round after we're done?" he asked.
Karen gave him a faint smile. "Deal."
That was the only reason Lip finally moved.
About ten minutes later.
Eddie drove back, parked along the curb in front of the house, got out, and started grabbing his bags so he could head inside and settle into the basement. That's when he saw Lip and Karen washing the car…
Eddie was still pretty annoyed that Karen was fooling around with that little punk again, but he didn't feel like dealing with it anymore.
So he walked a few steps closer, didn't bring it up, and just asked Karen with a hint of confusion, "Karen, it's pretty late. Whose car are you washing?"
Karen shot him a vicious look and ignored him. Instead, she turned to Lip and said, "Did you hear a dead man talking just now?"
Lip heard it. Even though he hated Eddie's guts after that brutal beating the other day, he kept his mouth shut and stayed out of the messed-up father-daughter drama.
Simple reason: he didn't like the way Karen treated her dad.
To Lip, family was still family.
Eddie heard Karen's words loud and clear. He shook his head, said nothing, went back to the car, grabbed his bags, and went inside.
Sheila was busy in the kitchen, happily cooking dinner. When she suddenly saw Eddie, she jumped, staring at him in surprise.
Holding his bags, Eddie thought for a moment, then asked, "What's the deal with that BMW outside?"
"Karen earned it," Sheila replied, her voice full of pride. "She's very capable. Met a big-shot businessman and closed a deal."
Hearing that—
Looking at Sheila's proud expression, Eddie was completely stunned. He honestly couldn't believe a woman could be this stupid.
A few seconds later.
Eddie didn't even have the energy to argue with Sheila. He just shook his head, sighed, and headed toward the basement, muttering to himself, "Figures. Like mother, like daughter."
As for how Karen got that BMW…
Eddie didn't even need to think about it. He already knew.
So what was there to say?
Nothing to say.
Whatever.
Just then—
Watching Eddie go inside, Karen stormed in after him. As he opened the basement door, she shouted, "Why are you back?"
Eddie replied flatly, "I can't afford to live outside and support you and your mom. Starting today, I'm living in the basement."
Karen raised an eyebrow immediately. "You're not welcome here."
Sheila hurried to smooth things over. "Karen, don't say that. He's still your father."
Eddie ignored Karen, holding his bags as he walked down into the basement.
Karen watched him, then let out a cold laugh. An idea formed in her head.
You want to stay here? Fine. I'll drive you crazy, she thought.
---
Kevin and Veronica moved fast. It didn't take long before they found an empty house on North Wallace Street, then called Dexter over.
Dexter took a quick look.
The place had been vacant for a long time—dirty and run-down—but overall, it was still workable. With some effort and cleaning, it would be fine.
So he didn't bother looking elsewhere. They quickly signed the lease, paid the money, and locked the place down.
After that—
"Oh, by the way," Dexter said with a smile to Veronica and Kevin, "the restaurant permits just came through. We're opening the day after tomorrow. Veronica, come in for your shift then. Kevin, you'd better show up and support us."
"Of course," Kevin grinned. "What time?"
"Probably 9 a.m. I can't wake up if it's any earlier."
Kevin gave him a big thumbs-up. "That's a very laid-back way to run a business."
"Boss, I'm really looking forward to your cooking," Veronica said with a smile.
They chatted briefly.
Then the three of them split up.
Kevin went with Veronica to buy clothes.
Dexter stayed behind.
There was a pile of trash in the house. Technically, he could've left it for Vivian to deal with—knowing her personality, she probably wouldn't care. But it just didn't feel right to him. Bringing her here tomorrow without cleaning felt like dragging the god of poverty straight into a garbage dump…
So, with that thought in mind, Dexter started cleaning up a bit.
Once he was done—
There wasn't much else to do. He got into his car, planning to head back to the hotel to shower and change.
On the way back, he had to pass by the Gallagher house.
Parked in front of it was a brand-new BMW 7 Series.
Dexter saw it from a distance and laughed out loud. As he drove closer, he noticed Steve standing outside the Gallagher house, looking like he had just arrived. That made him grin even wider.
"This is interesting," Dexter muttered with a smile, slowing the car slightly.
A Ferrari had a very recognizable sound.
Steve, being a car thief, heard it immediately and turned his head. When he saw Dexter's Ferrari, his mind instantly started calculating how much it could sell for.
At that moment, Fiona opened the door. She saw Steve, then the Ferrari on the street, then Dexter inside it. Her expression immediately grew awkward.
Steve was there for Fiona. The car was nice, but the woman mattered more. He quickly pulled his gaze away and looked at Fiona instead.
One glance—
Steve noticed Fiona was still staring at the Ferrari, her expression a little strange. He thought for a second, then asked, "You know the guy driving the Ferrari?"
"Yeah," Fiona said, snapping back to reality and nodding. Not wanting to talk about it, she quickly changed the subject. "Why are you here so early?"
Steve smiled. "It's dinnertime. I made a reservation. Want to have dinner with me?"
Fiona: "????"
When Fiona had called Steve earlier, what she really wanted was a no-strings-attached, stress-relieving hookup. She didn't want—and didn't dare—to get into anything emotional.
But Steve clearly wanted something more…
Fiona hesitated. She subconsciously glanced again at Dexter's car disappearing down the street. Her emotions were complicated, hard to put into words.
Finally, she stopped overthinking it, clenched her teeth, and nodded. "Okay. But you'll have to wait a bit. I'm cooking for my family. I can't leave until I'm done."
"Sure, I can wait," Steve said easily.
"Then come inside," Fiona invited him.
They went in together.
Most of the Gallaghers were home—except Lip.
Fiona briefly introduced Steve to Ian and the others.
Steve greeted them politely.
Naturally, Frank recognized Steve. Realizing that Dexter was probably a lost cause, Frank immediately switched targets and said with a grin, "Steve, that new washing machine—was that from you? Must be nice being rich."
Steve shook his head quickly. "You're joking. I'm not rich—just a regular guy."
Yeah, right, Frank thought, his smile growing wider. "You shouldn't be so modest. The last guy chasing my daughter drove a Ferrari…"
As soon as those words came out—
Steve instantly understood what had just happened. His smile stiffened for a moment.
Fiona quickly cut in before Frank could keep running his mouth. "Frank, this has nothing to do with you. Shut up."