7
Kennedy
The rumble of the truck engine filled the silence, and I gritted my teeth as we bounced over yet another stretch of rough road, marred by the numerous cracks and potholes. An ache had formed in my left butt cheek while my right had gone to sleep miles ago. I shifted, trying to find a modicum of comfort.
It didn't work.
"Are we stopping for dinner?" I asked, breaking the two-hour silence.
"Are you hungry?"
"Yes."
He kept his eyes trained on the road, and said nothing as if I'd never spoken. I gripped the edge of the seat to keep from banging my fist on the dash. He'd barely spoken to me since our conversation at the brewery this morning. And worse, he'd completely shut down. The connection we'd shared the night before had vanished. I couldn't sense even a hint of his obvious unease or inner turmoil. If was as if he'd erected an impenetrable wall to keep me out.
I let out a sigh and dug around in a grocery bag until I found the chocolate covered caramels I'd snagged at the last gas station.
"I thought you wanted dinner," Gunn said, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.
"Who said I didn't?" I took a small bite out of the caramel and raised one eyebrow.
He eyed the bag of candy sitting in my lap. "Never mind. There's a mom and pop burger joint about five miles ahead that serves the best damned fries in the country. I'm stopping there."
How did he know that? We were over five hundred miles from home, somewhere in Nowhereville, Missouri. Exactly when had he sampled these special fries? I didn't bother to ask, though. I wasn't even sure I wanted to know. Not that he was likely to answer anyway. He'd dodged every attempt at conversation since we'd left Bayou Springs.
A few minutes later, he exited the freeway and turned right on a narrow two-lane highway.
I scanned the deserted road. "There's a restaurant around here, somewhere?"
He grunted, turned right, then left, and after a tight curve, swung into a small dirt parking lot that was packed with vehicles.
"How the hell do you know about this place?" I blurted, ignoring the voice in my head that was telling me to keep my trap shut.
He eyed me for a moment, making me squirm under his scrutiny. "Echo and I found it during a business trip."
"A business trip? To where?'
He frowned, his gaze full of irritation. "My family does own a brewery, Kennedy. We have suppliers. Sometimes that requires meeting with them. Do you want a rundown of every time I left town while you were in Gravity Bay? Or will the CliffsNotes work?"
"Of course not. I was just curious." I averted my gaze, smarting from his chastising. There was so much I'd missed. So much I didn't know about him and his life. What an idiot I was to just assume he'd forever stayed in Bayou Springs. For all I knew, his passport had been on a world tour.
"Let's just get dinner." He jumped out of the truck and disappeared into the restaurant before I managed to divest myself of the seatbelt.
"Damn," I muttered, following him.
I found Gunn at the bar, already placing his order. While Gunn was all business, ordering enough food for five people, the cute young waitress stared at him googly-eyed while she scribbled on her notepad.
"Can I get you anything else? A shake? Pie? My number?" Her eyes sparkled as she tapped the end of her pen against her ruby-red lips.
Gunn chuckled and shook his head. Flashing her the smile he'd denied me all day, he said, "No thanks. I'm good. But my friend might want to order something."
My friend? I cast him a dirty look before turning to the waitress. Her flirty demeanor had vanished and all that was left was a pout. I stifled an exasperated sigh. "Just a regular burger, medium fries, and a sweet tea."
She nodded and hurried into the back.
"That was rude," I said, turning around to scan the joint. The outside had been weather-worn and in need of a decent paint job, but inside the tile floors were spotless and the wooden tables gleamed.
"What was?" Gunn asked, studying the beer menu.
"She didn't offer me her number."
His smile was back and finally directed at me. "You want me to get it for you?"
"No. As far as I know, I'm off the market. But it would've been a nice ego boost."
"Right." He averted his gaze and went back to the beer menu.
God, he was irritating. But at least he hadn't denied our relationship status. That was something. "Gunn?"