you …” Exasperation on Gavin wasn’t a good look. His cheeks were bulging out like a beaver as if he was thinking of chewing off … her head. Then a long-suffering sigh escaped Gavin, nearly parting her hair. “I don’t want to take any unnecessary chances. Jesus’s sister came back from a cruise. We’re just being precautious. Can that be good enough for you?”
“Of course.” She bopped her head to a new song coming on the radio. “I’m not a child. I’m only complaining to take my mind off having to use the potty. I’m sorry. Do you want to play another game?”
Gavin looked like he stepped on a rotten egg. “I’m gamed out. For a woman who hates games, it’s amazing how many car games you know.”
“I learned them when I traveled on the road with the band. I might not enjoy playing them, either, but it’s not like you were giving me any stimulating conversation when I tried to talk to you. You even complained about the light on my phone bothering you when you’re driving. And now you’re complaining about playing games, which—” Ginny paused to take another breath. “—I don’t understand, since you won four out of five of them.”
“I had to because when I let you win, you gloated for twenty fucking miles. I had to win to shut you up.”
“You let me win?” Ginny scoffed. “I was the one who let you win all those games.”
“Yeah right,” he scoffed back.
“Sweet man, you’re about to get your comeuppance,” she warned, ruining the effect by wiggling in her seat.
“Can you stop doing that?”
“Then pull over. I haven’t seen a car in ten miles.”
“You’re serious?”
“Yes, I lost my pride four exits ago.”
Gavin slowed her car, gradually pulling off the road near an out-cropping of trees. Ginny eagerly unfastened her seatbelt. then opened the glove box to take out a plastic container.
“What’s—”
“Handi Wipes. They’re for when I—”
“I know what they’re for,” he snapped. “For God’s sake, just hurry.”
Her hand stilled on the door handle. “Do you have a gun?”
Gavin lifted his head off the steering wheel. “Why?”
“To protect yourself while I’m gone.”
“Are you fucking serious?”
“Yes. I don’t want to be worried about you when I’m trying to go. You might not know this, but if a woman is nervous, it makes it hard to—”
Gavin put up his hand to stop her. “I have a gun.”
“Handy? The gun won’t be any good if it’s in the back seat.”
Gavin twisted on his seat, his hand going behind him. “If I give it to you, will you shoot me and put me out of my misery?”
“You don’t have to be so melodramatic.” She snorted, opening the car door.
Shutting the door, she used her cell phone’s flashlight to make her way to the closest tree. Making sure there was no little furry critters around, Ginny took care of her business. It didn’t take long before she was coming out from behind the trees to see the flashing lights behind her car. Gavin was going to kill her.
She nearly tripped, she hurried back so fast. Then Ginny froze when a bright flashlight was pointed at her.
“Freeze. Put your hands in the air. Approach the back of the car.”
“Yes, sir.”
Gavin was so going to kill her.
Walking to the back of the car, Ginny waited as the officer talked to Gavin, who had his hands hanging out the window.
“Officer,” Ginny spoke up as a car sped past them, “I can explain.”
“Shut up.”
She shut up.
Ginny could only make out every other word as oncoming cars whizzed past.
“License … Registration … Stolen ….”
Ginny grimaced at that one. She was dead meat.
“Don’t move.”
She jumped as the officer walked past her to return to his squad car. Keeping her gaze glued to the flashing lights, she would rather go blind than look to see how Gavin was reacting. She was debating asking for protective custody when the officer got out of his car and walked past her again to give Gavin his license back.
Her lips tightened when she heard the officer laughing as he casually leaned against her car door. Edging to the end of the trunk, closer to the driver’s side, Ginny could finally hear what the officer was saying, then wished she hadn’t.
“My wife would divorce me if I didn’t pull off for her to use the restroom.”
Gavin told the officer what she had been doing! She was never going to let him win Name the Celebrity again.
“I’ll radio ahead. Owen would have caught you when you