Page 42 of Run Away With Me

The sun was starting to set, and it was beautiful out here, so I didn’t mind staying behind, really. While Brooke was gone, I finished the bag of chips and read a few chapters of my novel.

Even though Brooke was teasing me about being obsessed with these vintage romances, I unironically loved them.Sure, they danced a line between desperate longing and stalking sometimes, and there was a vague whiff of misogyny hanging over some characters, which totally tracked with when they were written. But they were also swoon-worthy, heart-stoppingly romantic, with characters who knew they couldn’t possibly live without each other.

I related to that feeling.

She beeped the horn at me, and I jumped before my brain caught up and reminded me who it was.

‘That was quick,’ I said, letting myself into the passenger seat.

‘I was gone thirty minutes.’

‘Really?’ I asked incredulously.

‘Really,’ she said with a laugh. She pulled out of the parking lot and headed back toward the motel. ‘I thought you were going to be freaking out.’

Two bags stuffed full of non-perishables were in the footwell, to top up the supplies we kept in the trunk, plus two different types of dye and a pair of decent hairdressing scissors.

‘Where did you get all that?’

‘Don’t worry about it, Mouse.’

‘Seriously, Brooke, that stuff is expensive.’

‘Mouse,’ she said, grinning wickedly. ‘I didn’t pay for it.’

My jaw dropped. ‘Youstoleit? Brooke!’

‘Stealis a strong word. I … acquired a few things, at the expense of one of the wealthiest families in America. It’s not like they can’t afford to share.’

‘You’re not Robin freaking Hood!’

‘Nah, I’m much better-looking.’ She winked. She actually winked at me, and my blood suddenly turned fizzy, and I had no idea how to deal with that. ‘There’s more in the bottom of the bag.’

‘More?’ I groaned. ‘Oh no, Brooke.’

‘I paid for most of it, you know,’ she said, still grinning like a Cheshire cat. ‘Just not the expensive stuff.’

She’d picked up three more romance novels for me. All had been marked down, so I couldn’t be mad at her for spending too much, and it was a sweet gesture. I wasn’t used to people doing nice things for me. She must have noticed I had almost finished the last book from the thrift store.

‘I was going to get phones, too,’ she said casually. ‘Since we didn’t end up buying them in Salt Lake. But they were all security-tagged.’

‘You definitely would’ve gotten caught if you’d tried to steal two phones,’ I said, my stomach lurching at the thought.

‘Maybe,’ she said, turning to me and grinning. She was clearly riding an adrenaline high, and I didn’t want to drag her down. Brooke was fun when she was hyped like this.

She left the music playing loud for the quick ride back to the motel, and then we picked up our bags and dragged them to our room.

‘Come on, sit down.’

Brooke pulled the desk chair out into the space between the two beds and wrapped a clean towel around my shoulders. She combed through my hair with her fingersfirst, then a comb. I closed my eyes, not wanting her to see how that made me feel. I was sure my thoughts about her were written right across my face.

‘Any requests?’ she asked.

‘You know what?’ I said, twisting around to look at her. I didn’t know where the feeling had come from, but suddenly I wassoready for something different. Tobesomething different. ‘Cut it off. Cut it all off. I’m done with it.’

Brooke laughed. ‘We don’t have to cut italloff.’

‘I don’t care. I don’t want to feel blah anymore.’