“How hard can it be?” She waves me off. “It’s one night. Two max. I think I’ll survive.”
It’s that very attitude that concerns me.
“You don’t have to take every offer that comes along.”
“I know, but this is a good match for my brand.” She grabs a Twizzler from the open bag and bites off the end, chewing thoughtfully. “How better to showcase travelling on a budget than by camping in a tent? It’s far more practical than renting an RV or staying in a hotel.”
“What are the odds I’m going to talk you out of this?”
“Zero.” She takes another bite of her licorice. “Especially since they’re paying me.”
“I’ll match the offer if you decline the job.”
Shit. The minute the words slip out, I know I’ve stepped in it.
“I’ll leave you on the side of the road the next time you try to buy me off.” Lucy’s delivery is syrupy sweet, but there’s steel behind her words.
“I wasn’t trying to buy you off,” I say, scrambling to do damage control. “I was simply providing an alternative offer as a stakeholder with a vested interest in the outcome of the final decision.”
She rolls her eyes. “In English please? I’ve erased all business jargon from my vocabulary.”
“As your travel companion, I should have a say in our sleeping arrangements. And I can’t stress this enough, but I have no interest in sleeping on the ground. It’s cold and hard and, frankly, it sucks balls.”
Lucy laughs and reaches for another Twizzler, waving it in my direction like a pointer. “No one said anything about you sleeping in a tent. And I can’t stress this enough,” she adds in a mocking tone, “but you’re under no obligation to remain at my side until we get to California. You can leave at any time.”
And let her win the bet? “Not a chance.”
“Whatever. I’m going to message Tently. It looks like they’re online.”
“What kind of name is Tently, anyway? I’ve never even heard of them.”
“Really?” She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “Hard to believe, since you’re such an avid camper.”
She’s got me there. “Smartass.”
Lucy spends the next ten minutes tapping away on her phone while I try to figure out how the hell I can spin this to my advantage. Maybe she’ll hate the whole experience and realize a steady paycheck is far more practical than whatever terms Tently is offering.
“All set,” she announces, looking smug.
“Delightful. And when is the adventure taking place?”
“Tonight.”
The fuck?
I turn to stare at her—she can’t be serious—and accidentally jerk the wheel to the right. The Jeep veers onto the shoulder, throwing up a spray of dirt and rocks before I get it straightened out.
“Nice recovery,” Lucy says, totally unfazed. “See what I did there? I gave you a positive affirmation. I didn’t freak out or question your driving abilities.”
“You’re obviously the more evolved human.”
She laughs, the sound light and breezy and completely at odds with my racing heart. “It’s about time you figured it out.”
If only it hadn’t taken losing her to realize it.
What’s done is done. No point looking back.
“Now that we’ve established your superior evolution, how exactly do we get our tent?”
