Side Trip(22)

“Sure.” He took the phone, determined to put a smile back on her face. She made the effort to get here. Might as well enjoy it.

Before she could figure out what he was doing and stop him, Dylan leaned back against the rail. He held the phone at arm’s length. “Look up. Smile.” He grinned the same time she did and captured their shot.

“You sneak. You know I’m going to have to delete that.”

He wished she wouldn’t. He liked her smile.

Putting a little space between them, Dylan took a picture of her. Damn, she was gorgeous. He then quickly texted the photo of the two of them to his phone, the one powered down at the bottom of his bag, and deleted the text before handing her the device. Next they sat down for lunch at the Yavapai Tavern. Joy sipped a Coke and Dylan rehydrated with a beer. He wasn’t driving, and he needed to chill. They both ordered burgers.

At some point during the meal, Joy unfolded the bucket list. She smoothed the creased paper on the table and crossed out do something daring. A closed-lip smile spread on his face. He felt smug. Thanks to him she’d completed another bucket list item and he wanted to beat his chest like a fucking ape. Then she rolled her lips over her teeth and tapped the pencil tip on the table. Her brows pulled together and that cute little pucker of skin was back. She flipped the pencil and erased the line she’d just made.

“Why’d you do that? I dared you to drive me to New York.” So much for the chest pounding.

“You can’t be two things on my list. That’s cheating. Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you find a cab back to Flagstaff.”

“Good to know.” He glowered, then gestured at the list. “What do you have in mind then?”

“For something daring?” She tapped the eraser against her lips. “No idea. But I’ll let you know when I think of something.” She then crossed out do something you’ve always wanted to do.

Dylan spun the paper so that he could read it. “What was that one?” He flipped it back around.

“See the Grand Canyon.” She lifted her hands, gesturing around her. Duh.

He wasn’t so sure about that. “Truth?”

“Is that another dare, as in you dare me to listen to what you really think?”

He shrugged.

Joy folded her arms on the table. “Okay. I’m all ears.”

Dylan leaned forward. “You seemed bored out of your gourd today. A grumpy grandpa at a rock concert shows more enthusiasm than you did out there.”

Joy’s face fell. She looked away and Dylan silently cursed. Dick. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just . . . I don’t know.” He shrugged and leaned back in the chair. It wasn’t his place to judge.

“No, you’re right,” she said, looking back at him. Her eyes glistened, and Dylan felt rotten. He’d put those tears there.

“This was the something Judy had always wanted to do.” She ducked her chin and picked at her half-finished burger. “I never had any interest.”

Dylan gave her a moment before he asked. “If you wrote a bucket list, what is something you’ve always wanted to do?” He genuinely wanted to know.

Joy rested her chin in her hand. “When I was younger, my friend Taryn and I hung out at the skate park a lot. We did all the tricks the boys did, if not better. Kickflips, heelflips, pop-shove its, you name it.”

Dylan grinned. “I have no idea what you just said.”

Joy smiled. “My favorite was when I’d push my board straight up a wall and catch air. There’s this split second of weightlessness and I’d hover above the ramp before I dropped hard. My heart would be in my throat and my stomach in my chest, and I’d wonder: Can I land this? It’s that spot, right there beyond the boundary of chaos and control that I craved. Same with Taryn. It drove us to the park every free afternoon.”

She stopped talking, her gaze far off, her mind remembering, and Dylan just stared, absorbing this new-to-him side of Joy. A side he suspected she kept under wraps.

“You never answered my question,” he said. “What is something you’ve always wanted to do?”

“Skydive.”

Really?

He grinned. “You’re a risk-taker, Joy. Who knew?”

Her eyes glittered. “Have you done it?”

“No, but I want to. The rush would be incredible.”

“Better than skateboarding. Someday, maybe.”

“What if today is someday?”

“Impossible. We don’t have time. I don’t have the money either.”

Dylan’s gaze tracked down her list, landing on do something dangerous. He remembered the last time he and Chase were in this area touring with their dads and the guy they’d met at a bar. He pulled out the road map he’d been forced to use on this trip. Damn, he missed Google Maps.

“Is that a real map?”

“Rare as they may be, they do still exist.” He grinned and unfolded the map.

“You can borrow my phone.”

“I’m good.” His gaze skimmed the map grid until he found what he was looking for, a two-hour drive from where they currently were. It would then take them another six to get to Albuquerque, assuming they could do what he had in mind before sunset. Still, they wouldn’t roll into town until somewhere between midnight and dawn.