I hesitate, then nod. “Sure.”
We turn off to refuel, get food, and switch drivers.
“You’re cool with me driving your Pontiac?” he asks as he hits the gas.
I take a chunk out of my burger. “Lucky for you, I’ve got something to bite down on.”
“She’s pretty sweet, by the way. Really hugs the blacktop.”
“Yeah, I’m kinda obsessed,” I manage between chews.
“How’d you end up a gearhead?”
“I have my dad to thank for that.”Keep it simple.“How ’bout you?”
“I think I’m adopted—my parents’ taste in cars is embarrassing.”
“What do they drive?”
He shakes his head. “Sorry, Amy, but I’m finding this too triggering to share.” He shoots me a smile. “Guess time doesn’t heal all wounds.”
“You dumbass.” I laugh. “So if your parents weren’t your inspiration, who was?”
“I can’t remember, exactly.” He frowns. “I think I’ve just loved cars since I was little. My grandma’s neighbor had this Corvette, I spent hours watching him fix it up in the street.”
“You always had the Dodge?”
“No, I used to have a Mustang. Then I sold it to get the Dodge.”
“I had a Mustang, too,” I blurt out before I can stop myself. “It was my dad’s, actually. He taught me to drive in it.”
“You trade it in, too?”
“Nope. Went for scrap after it crashed.”
“Damn!” His eyes widen. “You couldn’t get it repaired?”
“No.”
I mean, I guess I could have. But there’s no way I’d be able to get back in the car that Dad died in.
I stuff a handful of fries in my mouth before I start oversharing even more.
TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILESalong, and it’s definitely starting to sting. Lewis is yawning again, and he’s starting to rub off on me, so I make the call—we’re done for the day.
“Okay, I think we should call it a night,” I announce. “Head for Deodate.”
“How long we got left to burn tomorrow?”
“About three hours.”
“Nice. I was starting to really feel it.”
We roll into Deodate and I run a search for a motel, guiding Lewis along until we pull up outside a ramshackle building.
“Wow.” He drapes his arms over the wheel, peering into the darkness. “It’s… cute.”
“It’ll do for one night.”
