“I’m not,” I say, finding a lighter in the key tray we keep in the kitchen. “I’m going with Jenna. Her grandma isn’t doing so well so she’s driving out to Louisiana to visit and I’m thinking about hitching a ride.”
Slipping out the back door, I step onto the small apartment balcony and light up. Ethan stands in the doorway, watching me inhale.
“Seriously?”
I nod.
“Have you asked Jenna?”
I shake my head.
“Why not?”
I swear, it’s like living with a girl, all the questions.
“Because.” I let out a long cloud of smoke. “If I ask her, she’ll say no. If I just show up… well, she’ll still say no, but it’ll be a hell of a lot easier to talk her into saying yes when she’s caught off guard and looking at me.”
He shakes his head. “You need to stop fucking with her, Jack. That’s not cool.”
I stare at him. “Me? If anything, she’s fucking with me.” I inhale through my nose and look away.
“I like Jenna, dude,” Ethan says. “And if her grandma’s not doing well then you shouldn’t be adding to her stress. She’s not as tough as she looks—”
“Don’t you—” I snap, then relax my shoulders and calm my tone. “Don’t talk to me like I don’t know shit about Jenna. I need a ride and she’s thinking about driving across the whole fucking country by herself.” I take another drag and try to push out all my fear over Jenna traveling alone with a long exhale. “It’s a win-win situation.”
Ethan slowly nods, remains silent for a moment, then retreats back into the apartment, leaving the balcony door open. “Good luck, dude,” he calls out as he leaves through the front door, then adds, “You’re going to need it.”
I stay on the balcony and stare down at the noisy Tempe traffic around ASU’s campus.
In a way, I guess he’s right. Jenna’s going to be pissed. And when she’s upset she’s hell on heels and fierceness on fire. But frankly, I don’t give a damn. She can claw at my face if it means I’ll get to accompany her on this reckless little cross-country jaunt of hers.
Damn Jenna. She’s too brave for her own good. Don’t get me wrong, I like her backbone. I like the fight in her veins and the sharpness of her talons. But that doesn’t mean she’s invincible. None of us are.
Taking a seat on the lone plastic chair on the balcony, I lean back and puff again on my cigarette. Tomorrow’s going to be a challenge, talking her into letting me tag along on her trip, but as long as I show up with my nice-guy face on—and keep my hands to myself—I know she’ll cave. And if she doesn’t, well… then I’ll have no choice but to use my hands. And Jenna’s never been able to say no to my hands.
5
Jenna
One positive aspect of living with three girly girls is that no one gives you crap when you load half of your possessions into your car for a quick road trip.
Three suitcases might seem like overkill for a visit back home but I really had no choice. The first suitcase is for my clothes. The second for my hair and makeup supplies, because beauty takes time—and lots of tools. And the third, of course, is for my shoes. Shoes get their own piece of luggage since they are practically works of art. Or at least mine are.
Cramming everything into my trunk, I slam it closed before heading back upstairs to the apartment to grab the last thing I need: my purse. Stepping inside, I am once again bombarded by the hens.
“Call every three hours,” Becca says, biting her thumbnail.
“And don’t pull over unless it’s a total emergency,” Callie adds, pointing a long manicured finger at me.
“And whatever you do, don’t talk to strangers.” Alyssa’s eyes are even more wide this morning than they were last night.
I let out a long exhale as I pick up my purse then turn to my well-meaning but completely obnoxious cousins.
I look at Becca. “I’m not calling every three hours. That’s ridiculous. I might call once a day. Maybe.” Pointing back at Callie, I say, “I will pull over whenever I damn well please. But I promise I’ll try not to pull over on desolate strips of freeway littered with signs that say Watch Out! Killer Nearby! Sound good?” She glares at me as I turn to Alyssa. “I won’t talk to strangers—unless they’re hot and offer me candy, in which case…” I smile. Her eyes bulge even more. “Girl, you need to stop doing that with your eyes or they’re going to pop right out of that pretty little head of yours and accidentally get stomped on by my boots.” I gesture to the high-heeled boots I’m wearing.