“What the fuck?”
Shoving my door open, I glared at Jeff as he lounged lazily against his truck.
“What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you,” he grinned, grabbing a bag out of the back of his truck.
“Why would you do that?”
“Because I got a call that you were going on a trip, and since your boyfriend/boy toy/lover can’t go with you, I’ve been designated by the town council to pick up the slack.”
My jaw dropped at his words. “The town?—”
“Council. Yep, they took a vote on it last night.”
“Who—”
“JR brought it to the attention of the council. He was worried Josie would insist on going with you, and then an argument broke out, and…honestly, it was chaos.” Sighing, he waved me over. “So, let’s hit the road.”
“No,” I stood firm. “I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Shrugging, he walked over to my Jeep and climbed in, slamming the door behind him. “Alright, so off we go to see fashion and shit.”
“You’re—No! This is not happening! I don’t need a babysitter!”
“You most definitely do, if only so the milkshakes don’t go flying. I had enough of those last night when I initially refused to go with you. Trust me, the number of them that hit me made me permanently hate milkshakes for the rest of my life.”
I stared at him, shocked that this had actually become some town discussion. How the hell was I supposed to get around this?
“Well, we can’t leave because your truck’s in the way.”
“Yeah, I considered moving it, but then I figured if I got out, you’d drive off and leave me behind. Which would only get me in trouble with everyone around here. That’s just not going to happen. So, you’re going to take the scenic route out of town, and we’ll be on our way.”
This was unbelievable. I scrambled for a way out of this, but Jeff’s determined look told me it was pointless. I had no choice but to take him with me.
“Fine. I hope you enjoy looking at clothes for days on end.”
“Oh, trust me. I’m mentally prepared for the excursion.”
There was no getting out of it. I was stuck with him, and if I wanted to get to the show anytime soon, I had no choice but to go.
“I hope this show turns you gay,” I muttered as we turned around.
“No possibility of that,” he grinned. “This is gonna be fun.”
38
RYDER
I checkedmy phone for the fifth time, waiting for the update I was told Jeff would send me. They’d been on the road an hour, and I’d yet to hear from him.
Bastard.
“Um…sir?” Lily asked hesitantly from the doorway.
“What is it?” I snapped, letting my anger take over.
She visibly shrank back, which only made me feel like an asshole. I had to be gentler, and I fucking knew that, but the way Ellie played me only pissed me off.
