This Much is True - Tia Louise Page 0,11

looks up at me. “You’re kidding?”

“He said you’re the first person needing anything but gas in four months.”

“Well, I’ll be.” She turns side to side then smiles at me. “Thank you. I really will pay you back as soon as I get my wallet—”

“Don’t worry about it. I can spot you a pair of shoes.”

She wrinkles her nose like she does. “In case you decide to leave me on the side of the road again?”

I can’t tell if she’s flirting with me or if she’s fishing for reassurance. Either way, I’m not getting mixed up with my brother’s charity case—or whatever she is. I’ve got one reason for this trip, and it isn’t romance.

Clearing my throat, I start for the passenger’s side. “You’d better go to the restroom. We’re not going to stop again for a while.”

“Okay…” She shakes her blonde head at me and rolls her eyes. “Dad.”

I watch her sass away in that thin yellow dress with no bra in those white boots, and dirty thoughts come uninvited to my mind. Thoughts that start with her on the hood of the car and end with her on my lap in the backseat… legs spread, hips rolling.

“She’s pretty damn cute, huh?” Scout walks out, breaking my pornographic fantasy.

He shoves a mask in his pocket and tosses a football in the air. He throws it to me, and like muscle memory, I catch it.

“I don’t care.” Looking at the brown leather, I shake my head. “Not interested in this either.”

Scout slides in the driver’s side, and I climb in the back. “You’re just a barrel of laughs these days.”

“Nothing to laugh about.”

“Getting out two years early sounds like a good place to start.”

“I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.” Lying across the bench seat, I dig in my bag for a ball cap.

“Right.” My brother nods, looking out the windshield. “I was thinking you might ask her to stay when we get to Fireside.”

“Why the fuck would I do that?”

“Because she’s cute as hell, and you’re both starting from scratch…”

“When we get to Fireside, I’m sending you both back to California. That’s the end of it.”

Exhaustion creeps up the back of my neck as I pull the cap over my eyes. I don’t even respond when my brother makes some additional remark about life going on. I’m too tired to get pissed again about what happened to me. I’m too tired for much of anything right now.

And as I’ve already noted, this road trip isn’t about romance.

Hope

“I walked into the conference room and said, ‘Here’s the file you needed.’ Dustin Hoffman says, ‘Thank you, Scout,’ and boom. I’m in the union.” He smiles, and I can’t help smiling back.

“That’s amazing. Dustin Hoffman?”

“Yep.” Scout is infectious—adorable and open, and so friendly.

Nothing like the dark cloud currently snoring on the backseat. The dark cloud I can’t help stealing another glance at… Something about John “JR” Dunne makes my insides all hot and zippy. I want to put my thumb on that full bottom lip and pull it down. I want to bite him… I want him to put his hands on my body and do dirty things to me.

Blinking away that impossible thought, I exhale a laugh, returning my attention to his brother. “It took how long for you to get in the union?”

“Three years…” He winces, looking out the window as if he’s embarrassed. “I kind of got off on the wrong foot in Hollywood.”

I’m about to ask what happened when Mr. Dark Cloud cuts in. “You can say that again.” John sits up in the backseat, and my heart beats a little faster. “Damn I’m starving. Anybody else hungry?”

“Fuck, I could eat a horse!” Scout yells, and I’m glad I’m not the only one starving to death.

All we’ve eaten today is road junk—Combos, Red Vines, and water. That’s following a morning of me barfing up a whole bottle of wine from last night.

“I could eat… if that’s okay?” My voice is quiet, because I have no money…

Also, what the hell am I doing here? I didn’t even have shoes before four hours ago. I was still drunk and hungover when I got in the car this morning, I can’t believe I agreed to this trip. My brain is coming back around, and I am very aware I’m driving across the country with two men I don’t know.

I blame it all on Metallicar.

And Scout sounding like my dad talking about serendipity and how this year is magical… I’d call