“No, I get it. You’re super uptight and don’t like to have any fun.”
“Can we go?”
“There’s something I need to do first.”
“We are so behind schedule.” She sighed, exasperated.
“We don’t have a schedule,” he said. “We’re going to take our time and enjoy whatever comes our way. I’ll teach you to go with the flow.” He could tell by the look on her face that was like convincing her to eat chocolate-covered ants because they were chock full of protein.
“I’ll be right back. I need to take a picture over there first.” He ignored her glare. “Then we can go.”
“What’s over there?”
“The end of the road,” he said. “Or in our case, the beginning.”
She sat, lips pursed, unmoving.
“I’ll just do a selfie.” He sighed. “I’ll be right back.”
He got out, shut the door, and silently thanked God for a moment of peace. This trip was already hard. Taking it with a woman who loathed him made it ten times worse.
But, even with Miss Baltimore Crabs in the front seat, he was determined to make the best of it. It’s what he did, and it’s what Spencer deserved. He’d never had a better friend.
He jogged over to the sign that marked the end of the historic road trip, a trip he’d taken once before all those years ago—before he messed everything up. Back when he took the people who loved him for granted.
If only life came with a rewind button.
He snapped a few quick selfies, and when he returned to the Grand Cherokee, he found Lauren still as a statue, staring out the window.
He clapped his hands and rubbed them together. “You ready?” he asked as cheerfully as he could.
She stuck her earbuds in her ears, tapped something on her phone, and turned away.
Oh, yeah. This was going to be a great week.
Chapter 3
Road Trip Day One
Seven days? SEVEN??! Lauren hadn’t even truly mentally prepared for the three days she thought she’d be spending with Will, but. . .seven?
She texted her brother, hoping he could read how hard she was typing.
Really?
How did I end up spending my first vacation
in three years with your idiot best friend?
Did you know he’s planning to take a
FULL WEEK on this trip?
Did I forget to mention that?
SPENCER.
He’s been talking about this for years.
Glad he’s finally doing it. Keep him safe, OK?
Oh my gosh. WHAT!?
I can’t believe you would do this to me!
<mad devil face emoji>
Maybe you guys will be friends.
<pointed finger emoji> <gun emoji>
<gravestone emoji>
See you in a week!
Have bail ready for when I murder my driver.
About an hour into the trip, Lauren realized she wasn’t listening to her audiobook anymore. It had turned into evenly spoken words in the background of her focus. Will seemed perfectly content listening to nothing but the sounds of the road. Lauren’s annoyance about this whole situation, however, had morphed into a hot ball that turned her insides to lava and set her teeth to grind.
She paused the narration and pulled out her sketchpad, mindlessly doodling as Will put more and more miles between her and her home. Drawing always calmed her, and she could use a little calm right about now.
She definitely didn’t notice the way the smell of Will’s aftershave filled the car. She certainly was not inhaling more deeply than usual. And she was absolutely not thinking about the first time she ever saw Will.
Not even a little.
She was almost twelve. He was fourteen. A high schooler. He might as well have been a celebrity on a poster in her room.
That was the year so much changed in her house. She didn’t know what to make of her parents arguing. Her body was starting to revolt and act weird. Her friends were picking sides. And most of all, her feelings, every single one of her feelings, were cranked up to eleven.
But none of her almost-twelve-year-old angst seemed to matter when Spencer showed up after baseball practice with “the new kid” who’d just moved to their small Midwestern town, Pleasant Valley. At least, not in the moment when she saw him.
Lauren was sitting on the front porch, reading a Saddle Club book when Spencer rode up on his bike, followed by a boy Lauren had never seen before. Usually, she ignored Spencer and his friends—they were so immature, and Lauren had never really understood why things like burping and farting were funny. But the second she glanced up, it was like she couldn’t look away.