“Becca?”
“Hm hmm?”
“I lied to you.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter.
She cracked open one eyelid and peeked at him. “About what?”
“Well, I guess it wasn’t really a lie since I hadn’t said anything. But my house isn’t on the way. I want to check on my cat and—” He cleared his throat. “I want to hang out with you.”
That got him double peepers opening up and some serious stink eye.
“Are you going to make me talk to you?” she asked.
“No.”
“Do I still get my milkshake?”
Of course, she did. He grinned.
“Extra whip?”
“Sure.” He grinned. He liked whipped cream, too.
“With a cherry?” she asked, singsong.
“If that’s what you want.” He pinched his lips together to keep from smiling.
She crossed her arms. “And sprinkles?”
“Would it be a vacation milkshake without them?”
“And you’ll let me stay here in this remarkably comfortable, heated seat, drinking my milkshake while you deal with your cat situation?” she asked.
He nodded. “Uh huh.”
She shrugged and settled deeper in the seat, even reclining it a touch. “That’s fine. This seat is comfier than my futon.”
Wait, what?
“You sleep on a futon?” He wasn’t super picky about where he slept. Not really. Especially when they were on the road.
At home, though, he was very specific about his mattress—a climate-controlled version that felt like sleeping on a cloud. Somehow, it wrapped around him without even moving.
“Why would you regularly sleep on a futon?” he asked, unable to keep the incredulity from his voice.
“You said I didn’t have to talk.” She added a touch of grouch to her words for good measure, but she didn’t seem too invested in being grumpy.
“Fair enough.” He tapped against the steering wheel with his fingertips. “Can I turn on music?”
“Will it be good music?” Her eyes remained closed, even as she spoke.
Would it be good music? He scoffed internally at the suggestion that anything he picked would be terrible. “I’m a professional. Everything I pick will be good.”
He even had a hankering to surprise her by turning on a few of the Dimefront demo tracks the label had sent over to him to review.
“Fine.” She settled on her side, hands in prayer mode under her cheek, facing his direction.
She settled deep. Didn’t hardly move.
