Page 56 of The Fake Date (Brides of Beaufort 4)

I pulled away from the curb and started the turn-by-turn directions on the car’s large screen. “Well, feel free to boss me around as needed. I’m great at taking orders.”

“I’m sure you are.”

“Oh, and if you need anything, check the glove box.”

She quirked a brow and reached forward, opening it to find tiny water bottles, candy, breath mints, tissues, meds for motion sickness, and a few other random comforts.

“Is your car always stocked for a road trip?”

“I take them a lot for business, remember? Plus, I like to have some extra amenities on hand for my clients.”

“Got it.” She shut it with a snap and leaned back. “You really are thorough.”

Unsure how to take that, I lifted a finger to connect my phone’s music app to the car. “You wanna listen to music or are you gonna read?” I looked over at her, dropping my hand when I saw her wrinkled nose. “What?”

“Would you be offended if I wanted to read?”

I snorted. “No. You do you.”

“What are you gonna do?”

Looking around, I held out my hand toward the road. “Drive the car.”

“Besidesdriving the car.”

“Uh, I should probably just stick to that if you want to arrive safely. I can’t read and watch the road at the same time.”

She let out a laugh, shaking her head. “No, I mean, do you want to listen to music?”

“Will it bother you if I do?”

Her lips turned down like it surprised her I’d asked. “No, it’s okay if you do.”

I slid my gaze to hers, nodding. “Right. Earbuds it is.”

“Beau—”

“Hey, relax. It’s a long drive. You’re allowed to want it to be quiet, and I don’t mind putting in an earbud so I can listen to music. We can both be comfortable here.”

Slowly, she tucked her legs under her and reclined the seat, then pulled out her Kindle. When she was settled, she gave me a small, “Thanks.”

And for the next ten hours—save for a few pit stops and a handful of light conversations, that was how we stayed. Me, listening to my road trip playlist through one earbud and her peacefully reading beside me.

It could have been weird. It could have been annoying. It could have been a lot of things.

But instead, it was nice.

“So, we’re about an hour out,” I said, changing lanes as we made our way down I-10 in the fading light.

She looked up from her Kindle and watched the trees outside her window. “That went fast.”

“Yeah, it did. And uh, I feel like there’s something you should know about my pops before we get there.”

“What do you mean?” she asked, and I felt her turn toward me as she sat up straighter.

But I couldn’t look at her. I kept my eyes on the road, blinders up. “Well, he’s…not well.”

“What do you mean?”