Page 11 of One Reckless Moment

“So?”

“So…” He took a deep breath and pinched his nose. “Don’t let him ruin a great opportunity for you. Keep your head down and do what you love. You don’t even have to interact with him if you don’t want to.”

“We’ll be in the car for hours. How am I supposed to avoid him?”

“Put earbuds in and ignore him. You need to get off this ranch and get out into the world a little. I think this will be really good for you.”

I tipped my chin up at the ceiling, willing the tears building behind my eyes to not fall. Cash didn’t deserve my tears. I’d already wasted too many of them crying into my pillow at night, just hoping he’d finally see me.

In my head, I knew Reid was right. This was an opportunity I’d be excited about if it was with anyone else, but I wasn’t sure my heart was going to survive this. Seeing Cash in the wild was fine when I could go back to my own quiet space and then ignore him for years. What was going to happen when he brought a girl home in front of me? It was unavoidable.

I took a deep breath and started picking my clothes up off the floor, sorting through them and placing them neatly on the bed.

Reid disappeared out of my bedroom only to return a minute later with my portable speaker in hand. He connected it to his phone and hit me with his dopey, charming smile.

“I know exactly what will cheer you up.”

“Taylor Swift dance party?” I laughed.

“Taylor Swift fucking dance party,” he said as he pressed play.

“Bad Blood” started blasting through the speakers, and Reid started belting the lyrics at the top of his lungs. He stepped into my closet and started grabbing dresses off hangers and folding them before placing them in my suitcase.

By the time we had listened to the entire Reputation album and packed my suitcase, I was much calmer. I was going to make the most out of this summer, and there was no way that Cash Leonard was going to ruin it.

I was summoned to my dad’s office the next morning and plopped into the old leather chair that was opposite of his desk.

“How are you feeling this morning?” my dad asked, dropping his newspaper onto the smooth oak.

“I’ve decided I am finished being dramatic.” I smiled at him.

“Glad to hear it, sweet pea.”

“If I just ignore the morons I’m traveling with, then I can almost see how this would be a fun opportunity.”

My father looked exasperated. I was positive that dealing with my antics aged him far past his years, but it was his fault—he raised me. My sass and attitude were a direct result of him teaching me to always speak my mind. I wasn’t sorry it was backfiring on him.

“Give the guys a chance, Paige. You might not hate Cash if you got to know him.”

I scoffed. There was a time when I knew Cash very well, and I had no intentions of getting to know him any better this summer just for it to blow up in my face again. My plan was to ignore him, take my cute little pictures, drink at some rustic country bars, and maybe even have myself a fleeting summer romance. The possibilities were truly endless.

“Not likely,” I mumbled, causing my dad to chuckle and shake his head.

“Before you go, I have a little something for you.” He stood with a bag in his hands and rounded his desk. “I know you have your real camera equipment packed, but I thought this might be something you’d like to help you document the summer. Just for fun.”

He handed me the bag and I gasped when I saw its contents. I reached inside and pulled out a new top-of-the-line digital camera. It was the one I always kept open on my website browser, but had never committed to buying. I’d convinced myself that vlogging or video journals were a waste of time.

“Thank you, Dad. This is amazing.” I stood, and he wrapped his arms around me. I sighed into his warm embrace, not ready to accept that I would miss him while I was gone.

“Come on, sweet pea. Let’s get you loaded up.”

5

THAT’S NOT MY NAME

CASH

Walker dumped two huge light blue suitcases at my feet as I was hauling bags into the covered truck bed.