I allow Jack to kiss me for about fifteen seconds, then I gently push him away. “We have to get back to the car.”
“Yeah.” He lifts an eyebrow suggestively. “I can’t wait to get you alone.”
“Me too.” A fantasy fills my head. What if Jack and I grabbed an Uber and just took off together right now and didn’t look back? Well, I’d obviously come back to get my kids, but we could at least disappear for the week. I would give anything to get out of this toxic car ride. But obviously, that’s not possible. “We better go.”
I go out first, so it doesn’t look suspicious. Noah is standing outside the minivan, and he looks up sharply when he sees me. He has an unreadable expression on his face, and for a moment my stomach turns to ice. Does he suspect?
I don’t want Noah to know. It’s entirely possible he’s cheating on me too, and that idea doesn’t even bother me. But the fact that this is happening with Jack… That’s the part I think would kill him. His best friend. One of his only friends. Men have been driven crazy over lesser betrayals.
“You done using the bathroom?” he asks.
“You done getting gas?” I retort.
“Yep.”
Jack emerges from the back of the convenience store, whistling a little tune to himself. It’s time to get back on the road. I brace myself and climb inside.
The car is stifling. I slide the window open and I want to stick out my face. It’s only the end of June, but it’s really hot today. If it doesn’t cool down, we’re not going to be able to do much outdoors during this trip.
“Close the window,” Noah says.
“It’s stuffy in here.”
“I turned on the air conditioner.”
“Well, I don’t feel it yet. When it starts up, I’ll close the window.”
“The car is never going to get cool if you’ve got the window wide open. I’m not sure why I need to explain that to you.”
I feel a lump in my throat. I don’t think I realized quite how bad things were between me and Noah until this trip. I want to reach out with my bare hands and strangle him right now.
“Hey, listen.” Warner’s baritone interrupts my murderous thoughts. “I just wanted to let you know I printed out some paper maps to help us find the place.”
Lindsay beams at him. “You’re always so prepared!”
Noah glances behind his shoulder, then taps the navigation screen on the dashboard of the minivan. “No need. I plugged it into the GPS.”
“Yeah, but we might lose the signal when we get closer. It’s sort of in the middle of nowhere.”
For the first time during this trip, Noah looks uncomfortable. I remember from back in our college days, before we had GPS navigation, how frustrated he would get if we ever got lost. “You think we’re going to lose our signal?” he asks.
“I need to be able to access the Internet!” Michelle speaks up. She sounds slightly hysterical. “I’ve got a lot of work to do! I can’t be cut off from the world.”
“The inn has Wi-Fi,” Warner assures her, never losing composure in his perfect features. “But around that area, the signal is spotty. I just thought it was safer to print out some maps.”
“It’ll be fine, Noah,” Jack says. “I’m great at map navigation. I’ve even got a compass in my bag. It’s one of the things I learned when I was—”
“A Boy Scout,” Noah finishes. “Right. I remember.”
Warner’s prediction about losing our Internet signal makes me anxious though. I don’t want to lose access to my phone. What if Penny calls about the kids? Emma is already not coping well, and I hate the idea of her not being able to reach us. I quickly shoot off a text to Penny:
Just a heads up we may lose phone access when we get close to the hotel. Will call you tonight.
I take a deep breath and try to relax. There’s nothing we can do. It won’t be long before we’re at the inn. I just have to hang in there.
Chapter 8
CLAIRE
At around the two-hour mark, we see a sign for a rest stop that contains a McDonald’s and a small diner. I’m in the mood for some greasy French fries, but I get overruled and we end up at the diner. I’m still going to get some greasy fries. It’s the only way I can make it through the rest of this drive.
The diner is surprisingly busy for a rest stop location. The walls are lined with booths, with the larger tables in the middle, and ironic street signs litter the walls. The entire place smells like grease and burgers. I inhale deeply, already decided I’m going to get a big juicy burger.