Chapter Eleven
Vivian
I can’t function at this ungodly hour, and the fact that Jonah, unlike myself, is a morning person, makes it a thousand times worse.
Bam. Bam.“Get up, Vivian.” Jonah pounds on my door for the third time, sounding like he’s ready to break it down and physically remove me from my bed if necessary.
I jolt upright, heart thumping low and deep like a bass drum reverberating through every part of my body. He wouldn’t dare muscle his way in. Would he?
“I have no problem leaving without you,” he says with one last bang on my door.
I scream into my pillow, at least in theory. Obviously, I have my sleep mask on, so—shit. I whip off my covers and jump out of bed. Jonah cannot see me in my charcoal mask. He’d never let me live it down.
At least things are back to normal. Yesterday was…unsettling. I prefer this Jonah. Grumpy and a bit of a dick. Predictable.
I rush through my routine, unable to abandon it completely. We’ll be driving for hours, but I still want to look fabulous.
George loads my stuff into the back. “Go on and get settled. I’m going to do one last check of the house.”
I’m the last one in the van, so of course, all the good seats are taken. And by good seats I mean the back, where I can avoid everyone until the coffee has kicked in and my brain decides to work.
George will be driving, and Mom is in the front passenger seat. Maisy has the middle seat, and Jonah is already in the back, legs wide, taking up the entire row.
My brain screeches to a halt. Why is he dressed in nothing but mesh shorts and a sleeveless tee? “We’re going on a trip, Jonah. Not the gym.”
A grin stretches across his stupid face. As if my grumpiness is fun for him. “I want to be comfortable.”
He stretches his arms above his head until his fingers brush the roof of the van, exposing his perfect abs and the light dusting of hair that leads down, down?—
“Problem, Vivian?” he asks, his voice low. Smokey.
My eyes dart away, and I swallow, fighting against the heat rushing to my face and other places. “No problem,” I reply coolly. “Other than you taking the best spot.”
A door slams, and I jump. George is behind the wheel, and he turns in his seat to look at me and then Jonah. “No fighting over seats. We’ll be switching it up. But for now, can we just get on the road?”
Jonah snickers, and I shoot him a glare. Big mistake. My eyes get stuck on his bare legs. Jesus Christ. I already regret agreeing to this trip, and we haven’t even left the driveway.
Remember your goal, Vivian. Get to Cali. Nail your routine. Impress Frankie’s boss.
“Sit by me, Vivie.” Maisy gives me a bright smile, and how can I refuse? Besides, I’m not sitting next to Jonah.
“Thanks, cupcake.” I ignore Jonah as I sit beside Maisy and set my bag next to me on the seat.
Maisy’s carseat takes up a lot of room, but for the most part, I have enough space to stretch out my legs. But I can’t go back to sleep or listen to music because Maisy immediately starts chattering about how excited Bell, her dragon princess, is about the trip. She walks the toy along my arm as she talks, and oh my God, how is she this awake this early?
George drives out of the driveway, and we’re off on our adventure. My heart gives a thump of excitement. This is going to be a long trip, but getting to see my bestie and possibly getting my dream job will be worth it.
By the time we reach the highway, Maisy is singing theDragon Princesstheme song at the top of her lungs. Jonah laughs, and I glare at him. He pulls his earbuds out of his backpack and winks. Jerkwad. But instead of snapping at him, I give him a sweet-as-pie smile. He falters, accidentally dropping one of the earbuds.
Still smiling, I turn to our sister and interrupt her song. “Maisy, do you and Bell want to play a game?”
Her face lights up. “You, me, and Bell?”
I tap my chin. “We should invite Jonah to play. He’s all by himself.”
We both turn to Jonah. He has one earbud in and the other one partway to his ear. “What?”
As if he doesn’t know. “Do you want to play a game with us?” I ask, trying to sound innocent.
