was full. Then I shut off the tap, emptied my lungs, and thrust my head under surface.
It was dark and cold and blessedly still.
When I got back to the RV, Dad was seated at the table, reading something in his ancient leather-bound journal. He’d had it as long as I could remember, but he never let me see inside.
Dad closed the journal and looked up at me. “While you were out, that young man from the party called.”
I noticed my phone sitting in front of him on the table, and my stomach gave a wild lurch.
“When?”
Dad glanced down at the dead watch on his wrist. “I’m not sure. A few minutes ago.”
“What did he say?”
“He asked for you, and I told him you’d return his call at your earliest convenience.”
“You’re sure it was him?”
Dad smiled. “Liam Miller, brother of the bride. Quite sure.”
Holy shit. He’d actually called. My face felt freshly sunburned as I walked down the aisle to grab my phone. But before I could, Dad covered it with his hand.
“I think it’s wonderful you’re making friends.”
“He’s not a friend, Dad. He’s just . . . I know him from Eastside.”
“Well, I still think it’s wonderful. Are you going to—”
“Thank you,” I said, peeling his hand back and snatching the phone. I thought I saw him smile as I moved past him and shut the accordion door.
I lay down on the bed and stared at Liam’s number on the screen. He had called, even after the way I’d called him out on his bullshit. Even after I had sort of burned him in front of those girls when he asked for my cell. It didn’t make sense. Was he playing some kind of head game on me? Why?
And even if he was genuinely interested, I didn’t have time to go on a date. I had props to acquire and gigs to book. I had to take care of my dad. Plus I was hopelessly awkward around people my own age—especially boys. Hadn’t I proven that last night?
And yet the thought of escaping the RV and getting away from Dad, even if only for a few hours, was like the last ray of sunlight before an approaching storm. Liam had been earnest, even charming. And he had kept up with my “caustic wit,” as Ripley put it. But more than that, he seemed genuinely interested in me. He didn’t treat me like an alien. And if I was being totally honest, I was attracted to him. Stupidly attracted.
Plus, if everything went as planned—if Dad and I drove to LA and did the Truck Drop on national TV—I might never come back to Indiana. I might never see him again. So what did I have to lose?
I tapped his number and held my breath. The phone rang.
“Hello?” Liam answered. His voice was like warm syrup.
“Hi.”
“Ellie. You called back.”
“You didn’t think I would?”
“No.”
For a moment, each of us waited for the other to speak.
Then he said, “Panic! at the Disco is playing in Chicago tonight. Come with me.”
My stomach lurched again. Liam Miller wanted to take me to a concert? In Chicago?
“That’s three hours away,” I said.
“I’ll have you home by two a.m. Three at the latest.”
I glanced toward the accordion door. “You realize I have a father, right?”
“I’m great with parents.” He paused. “Do you not like Panic! at the Disco? Oh God, you’re not a country fan, are you?”
“Not unless you count Mellencamp.”
“Mellencamp, country? That’s blasphemy.”
I laughed. He laughed.
“So wait,” he said. “Are you turning me down?”
I bit my lip. “No. I just . . . Could we do something . . . simpler?”
“What, like Culver’s and a movie?”
I smiled. “Actually, that sounds great.”
He laughed again. “Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve found myself a keeper! When can I pick you up? And where?”
CHAPTER 6
I OWNED ONE DRESS, a little black one, and a single pair of heels that had belonged to my mother and that increased my height to a respectable five five. Since Liam was at least six feet tall, I would probably only come up to his shoulder, but at least I wouldn’t look like a hobbit.
I wanted to wait for him on a bench at the entrance to the KOA, but Dad insisted that Liam knock on the RV door and pick me up “like a proper gentleman.” I was annoyed—but it was also weirdly nice to have him act like a regular father for once. In any case, it meant I had to spend the afternoon cleaning