And his light gray eyes were on fire. “Where do you think you’re going?” He glanced at me, then Brooklyn, then Tally, then back to me. Brooklyn had a bag of snacks on the floor, her feet up on the dash, ready to roll. I had an energy drink in the cup holder and sunglasses perched on the top of my head. And Tally was in back hugging a pillow, with her fuzzy blanket and a stack of books next to her. Red flags of a road trip waved everywhere. Still, I could’ve pulled a lie out of my back pocket.
But then his eyes flashed to theHeck, Yes! We’re Heading to Knoxville!playlist blaring like a neon sign on the touchscreen dashboard display.
Brooklyn swore and slapped her thigh. “What the freak?”
“What’s going on? Are you on the road yet?” Uncle Ford asked through the phone.
“Really?” Ashton said with a head tilt. “You called Ford to bankroll your trip? He’s not your sugar daddy, Anna.”
I bristled at the insinuation. I’d never asked Ford for money a single time before this.
“Is that Ash? Uh oh.” Ford swore on a chuckle. “That’s my cue. Love you, Anna Banana.” Then he ended the call.
My gaze flashed to the rearview mirror, giving me a shot of Tally in the back seat. Her lips were already pursed and she rolled her eyes. Tally was chill most of the time, except in two scenarios: late at night when she was hopped up on caffeine and got slap-happy, and whenever Uncle Ashton was around. Then she got major attitude. I was pretty sure she thought he was the biggest idiot on the planet. It all started five and a half years ago at a Dupree family dinner when they got into a table-pounding argument aboutJane Eyre. Needless to say, Ashton had not made a good impression and Tally had never let him forget it.
He leaned his tall body into my doorway, his hands pressed against the top of the car. His lecture expression was cued up and ready. “Next time you try to buy tickets to a Knoxville football game for you and all your friends using your meager trust fund money, you might want to remember that you grew up in a small town. Those bank teller ladies will report any and all suspicious activity to your ‘duncle.’”
I groaned and let my forehead hit the steering wheel. The payment hadn’t gone through when I’d tried to buy the tickets using my debit card attached to that account. I’d never tried using it before. Silas had given it to me when I left for college, cocked his paternal brow, and said to only use it in case of a zombie apocalypse. Now that he realized I was taking a road trip, he’d sent Ashton to stop me. And Ashton knew exactly where to find me because our entire family stalked each other on the stupid location tracker app. Sometimes it sucked having such a close family. Okay, almost never. But right now, definitely.
My head snapped back and I glared at Ashton. “Did he put some kind of flag on my account?”
“Your Mom did before she passed. She was no dummy, Anna. That money is to be put toward vet school or your wedding or to help with a down payment on a house. Not to flit off to Knoxville to see your hot-shot ex-boyfriend.”
My cheeks caught fire. “That’s so not what’s happening here. I don’t even want to go.” I threw my hands up. “Jonah gave me an ultimatum. Go see Blue and figure myself out or we’re over. Okay?”
He rolled his eyes. “Tell Jonah to man up and deal with the fact that you have issues. Most people do.”
“Some more than others,” Tally coughed into her hand, loudly.
“Seriously?” Ashton’s gaze flicked back to her. “You know I could fail you on yourDavid Copperfieldpaper.”
She shot him a toothy grin. I saw it in the rearview mirror. And then she shrugged. “That might look suspicious since you haven’t given me anything below an A minus all semester,Gramps.”
Ashton looked like he wanted to spit nails. Which was precisely why Tally constantly called him that. Ash wasn’t that much older than us. Just twenty-nine. But it niggled him that my bestie, who I was one hundred percent certain he had a major crush on, constantly threw their nine-year age difference in his face. She was oblivious about him. I might tell her. Someday. If I thought he wouldn’t kill me.
I huffed. “Nothing below an A minus?” He’d given me a B last year on a paper in his Freshman English class.That he’d helped me write.
Now he shrugged. “She’s a really good writer.” His lips pursed. “Like really good,” he said so low I almost didn’t hear and like it pained him to admit it. Then his head tilted. “You know I pride myself in being the fun uncle?—”
“Grandpa,” Tally coughed again and a snort-laugh shot straight out of my nose. I couldn’t help it. Ashton’s face was too funny. Red and rigid. Nobody got under his skin like her.
His jaw jutted. “But.This is crazy. Stella is too old to be driving this far.”
Uncle Ashton would only push this so much. He wasn’t a stifler. He believed in letting me have my freedom. But I could see the sense of duty in his expression. If he let me go, Silas would be livid. I hated that Ash had to be the go-between. But he was the one who’d convinced me to attend James River. He’d signed up for this.
“Uncle Ashton.” I sighed. “I’m going to Knoxville. I don’t have a choice. The end.” I patted Stella on the dash. “And Gramps told me she’ll go at least another hundred thousand miles, just fine.”
He stood, hands on his hips, staring off into the distance.
Brooklyn gripped my arm. “Just put the car in reverse,” she muttered.
“And make sure you back over his feet on the way out,” Tally added.
“Guys,” I whispered. “I’ve got it.”
He slouched and leaned back in. “Fine. Then I’m coming with you.”
I laughed in frustration. “Don’t you have papers to grade? And office hours for your students? And you don’t have any of your clothes here.” Ashton still lived on the ranch, in Momma’s and my old house. He commuted an hour to work every day so he could save money to buy his own house.
