Page 17

She’s a puzzle I’m dying to solve.
“We have too much to do for me to fly. You drive, and I’ll read some of these files aloud to you and we’ll make a plan on how to best fix these issues.”
She sighs. “Okay. I just don’t want to inconvenience you.”
“You’re not an inconvenience.” I clear my throat. “I mean, it’s no inconvenience.” I hadn’t meant to let that slip and it sounded a lot more intimate than I intended. But I meant it. Every word.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to let that information slip out. Despite whatever attraction I feel toward this woman, I can’t let myself make little slip ups like that again.
Or I’d be in a heap of trouble.
9
ARIANA
“Ooh, let’s stop for snacks,” I say as I spot my favorite gas station. This gas station is loaded up with everything you could possibly want. It even has a frozen yogurt bar where you can get all the toppings like gummy bears and sprinkles. I’m a sucker for some good frozen yogurt. Too bad I need to drive today or I’d totally splurge with some fro-yo. “We need gas anyway.” I glance down to my dash and see that I’m a tick away from being on empty. Perfect timing.
“I don’t need snacks,” Kaison says. “My assistant packed some trail mix for me.”
“Come on. The best parts of a road trip are gas station drinks and food.”
He looks over at me skeptically. “Gas station food?”
“Okay, so maybe it’s not what you’re used to, Mr. Fancy Pants, but it’s still pretty daggum amazing.”
I get out of the car and circle over to his door. He’s still sitting there. I open his door. “You coming?”
“I guess so.”
He follows me inside and his eyes go wide as he looks around. “They have everything here.”
“Yeah, that’s what I was trying to tell you. This place is awesome. Haven’t you been in here before? They have them all over Georgia.”
He shakes his head. “I’ve actually never been in a gas station before. I’ve never had a reason to. I don’t really take long road trips by car. If I’m going somewhere, it’s with a driver, and the food is already packed. Or I’m flying, which is how I do it most of the time.”
“Well, you’ve been missing out, my friend. Let me show you my ways.” I grab his hand and tug him toward the frozen drinks. But that’s when I realize I’ve made a mistake. His hand is warm and strong in mine. I like the way it feels in mine way too much. I let go of him, but try to play it off like it’s no big deal.
“Ever had frozen Coke before?” I ask, trying to play it cool. “It’s the best here.”
“I can’t say that I have.”
“Really?” I grab a large cup and put it in his hand. “You haven’t lived until you’ve had one of these. But I’ll warn you, they make me pretty hyper.”
He chuckles. “Sounds like an adventure.”
I worry for a minute that he’s going to put the cup back, but then he fills it up with frozen Coke, and I grab a cup of my own.
“I haven’t had any of this in a while,” I say. “They don’t have any of these gas stations near where I live. But I used to live near one growing up and it was my jam in high school to go after school over there with my friends and get all caffeinated up.” Those were the days. It was the most fun I had in high school. The rest of my time was spent studying or practicing for the ACT. I never went to parties or got stupidly drunk. Farah was the one doing all of that. She jumped from boy to boy.
“What were you like in high school?” he asks.
“Boring. I spent all my time studying.”
He laughs. “You sound like me.”
I give him a look of disbelief.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’m telling the truth.”