A Cross-Country Christmas(46)
She stiffened at his touch, and he quickly pulled his hand away.
What was I thinking?
This wasn’t just some girl—this was Lauren. Lauren, the girl you marry.
She shifted. “It looks a little like home.” The words sounded flat, even to him.
He should apologize or say something witty. But try as he might, he couldn’t find words.
“Wanna know something crazy?” She slid off the hood to the side of the car. “When I’m in California, I miss the cornfields.”
He watched her as she tucked her hands in her jeans’ pockets, her face lit by the gentle glow of the sun slipping out of sight. “Oh, that’s not so crazy.”
“You don’t think?” She faced him. “I mean, most people probably don’t find Illinois to be very beautiful. We don’t have mountains or oceans, but we have so much green. It’s not green in California. I miss it sometimes.”
“I get that,” he said. “I miss it too.”
Common ground.
She smiled, and he felt himself relax, hoping this meant she wasn’t reading too much into his stupid move.
“If you miss it, maybe you should go back more often,” he said.
She shrugged. “Besides Spencer, it’s about the only thing I miss.”
He hated that for her, but he didn’t say so.
Once the sun was tucked in for the night, they got back in the car and drove toward the next town to find a place to stay.
“Don’t you get lonely out in California over the holidays?”
She shrugged. “Not really. We keep it pretty low key. Maddie and I usually exchange white elephant gifts, eat pizza and watch Die Hard. At least that’s what we used to do. She has a pretty serious boyfriend now—Dylan—and she’s meeting his family for the first time this year, so she’s spending the holidays in Portland.”
He chuckled. “Did you say ‘Die Hard?’”
“Best Christmas movie ever made.” When Lauren glanced at him, her smile nearly knocked him over. It was different from her other smiles—brighter, less guarded. “We usually end up watching all of them, but the first one is by far my favorite. I love Alan Rickman. Do you know that was his first movie? He was a stage actor, I mean, of course he was with that voice, but Die Hard was his first time on the big screen. Crazy, right? He was forty-one.”
“Wow. Pride and Prejudice. . .Die Hard.” He held up a hand for each and weighed them invisibly.
“I’m an enigma.”
He came to a stop in front of the first hotel he found, put the car in park and looked at her. “Yeah, you really are.”
Her smile faded and the tension in the air thickened. He wanted to kiss her so badly. Lauren. Spencer’s little sister—who was anything but a kid anymore.
“Lauren, I—”
“Let’s hope this place has two rooms and no spiders.” She opened her car door and rushed out before his big, fool mouth could ruin everything.
Chapter 21
Text from Lauren to Maddie—12:36 AM
Maddie, this is a disaster.
No, a disaster is knowing that your boyfriend’s mother hates you. . .
I’m sure she doesn’t hate you. . .
Oh, no. She does.
Last night, they thought I’d gone to bed, but I was still in the kitchen looking for their liquor and I actually heard her say, “I don’t like her, Dylan. She seems all wrong for you.”
<gasping face emoji>
What did Dylan say?
He said she wasn’t being fair—
That she didn’t give me a chance.
In her defense, she did always picture him with someone who was more of an adult.
What do you mean? You’re an adult.
Lo, I only own two plates.
I wear Mickey Mouse underwear.
Wait. Is his face in the front or the back?
<crying laughing face emoji>
I force Dylan to play hide-and-seek with me in the grocery store— Not to mention I survive exclusively on Cheetos and frozen pizza. . .
I’m a literal child.
You’re the best grown-up child I know!
<thumbs-up emoji>
Now, what disaster?
It’s not important.
<wide eyed staring face emoji>
. . .
Don’t make me call you.
Don’t, I’m fine.
Lauren’s phone vibrated. She clicked it off.
Cyber bullying is a crime.
Lauren’s phone vibrated again. She clicked it off—again.
FINE!
Good girl <heart emoji>
<cringe face> I think I like him.