even buy a tree.”
“We paid for the room tonight already.”
“So? Forty bucks? Hey.” Ideas seemed to be rebounding around in his head. “I can teach you to drive on the way home. You have a license. It might come in handy.”
“I have a fake license.”
“I’m not a cop anymore. I don’t have to care about stuff like that.”
“You’re being weird.”
“Come on. Might as well do something useful.” He hadn’t really unpacked, but he went into the bathroom and began shoving his razor and toothbrush into their ziploc bag. “We did what we came for. We should head back.”
“All right.”
There was a reluctant slowness to Brian’s voice that made Nick stick his head back out into the room. “Are you too tired? I’m sorry. We could stay another night.”
Brian began stuffing a T-shirt into his backpack. “No, I’m fine. I can nap while you drive, if I need to.”
“Good. Right. It’s settled then. Let’s get going.”
Chapter 12
Whatever Brian’s problem with heading home had been, he didn’t bring it up. Nick watched narrowly, but he didn’t seem too painful or slow-moving as they packed their few things. The brightness when they opened the door didn’t make him wince. They checked out and were on the road in ten minutes.
Nick settled in behind the wheel. Driving was good. It only took a few minutes to get out of town, then he could open up the speed and let the road roll out behind them. Done with that. Stop worrying. Look forward. He searched his thoughts for a distraction, remembered his intention. “Hey, when we get a bit farther out, I’ll take an exit and we can find some nice empty road for you to practice on.”
“Practice what?”
“Driving, you dork.”
Brian flicked a glance at him. “I thought you were joking.”
“No way. Listen, it’ll be useful, right? You should know how. Like, what if there’s an emergency at the farm and you have to get help?”
“That’s what phones are for.”
“You never know, though.”
“And when I can’t read the signs?”
“Dammit, Brian, reading’s not a big fucking part of driving, except for passing the test and knowing when to get off the freeway. Right? That’s an excuse.”
He wasn’t so focused on the road that he missed Brian’s flinch.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean excuse. But… don’t you want to learn?”
“Yeah. Sure. I guess.”
He tried a teasing smile. “It’s fun. Speeding along, all that power under your foot.”
That did get a wry look from Brian. “Oh yeah, always dreamed about speeding across the countryside with the power of an ancient Taurus.”
Nick patted the dashboard. “Are you insulting Betsy?”
“Yes? And since when did you name your car?”
“Since, um, now.”
“The neighbor’s cow is named Betsy.”
Nick patted the dashboard again. “She’s fierce. She doesn’t care who else has the name.”
“Right. Fierce.” At least he finally got a chuckle from Brian.
“Too much for you to handle, huh?” He took a quick glance. Brian’s reaction still seemed more annoyance than humor.
Even so, Nick took the next exit, steering them off the busy freeway. When he found a stretch of back road that seemed quiet, he pulled onto the shoulder and turned to Brian. “Listen. Unless you’re really too beat for this, I want you to get behind the wheel for a bit. I swear, Betsy drives like a jumped-up lawn tractor, nothing more.” He bit his lip. Tell him, you moron. “I’ve had these dreams. You need to escape and the car is there, and you crash it.”
“Your subconscious worries that I’m a crap driver?” But Brian looked less irritated.
“Yes? But you could learn.”
“All right.” Brian unbuckled his belt and got out. They passed each other around the hood of the car. Brian tried to get in, grunted, and bent to shove the seat back first.
“We’re not all built like The Hulk,” Nick said.
“Or even like Thor.” Brian got in and wiggled around, getting comfortable. “Or like Batman. Or even Robin.”
Nick smacked his knee. “Set your mirrors so you can see properly, Chewbacca.”
Brian made a loud Wookie-noise at him. “What should I properly be able to see?”
Nick talked him through mirror angles and gears, and parking brake, and indicators. He was about to start on headlights and wipers and cruise control, but Brian looked less and less confident. Fuck it. “The rest you can learn when you need to. Let’s get this show on the road.”
Brian didn’t reach for the gear shift. “Where should I go?”
“Thataway.” Nick waved ahead down the road. “Drive straight ahead. Get up to speed. Go a few minutes, then pull