Page 50 of Hairpin Curves

Scarlett snorted. “Well. Clearly not, or I’d have done it. But it’s more about not wanting to go back to New York than not wanting to travel spontaneously.”

“But you had a good time on this visit.” It wasn’t a question. Megan needed to confirm, to hear that Scarlett wasn’t having a miserable time just for her.

The smile Scarlett gave her back was crooked, affectionate. “Yeah, I had a good time. Turns out it’s different coming to visit when you aren’t running away from a bad breakup and drunk off your ass.”

Megan twisted her fingers together in her lap. “Have you had a lot of bad breakups?”

Scarlett made a motion with her shoulders that wasn’t quite a shrug. “Hasn’t everybody?”

“I haven’t.” Megan’s breakups had all been pretty amicable.

Scarlett looked over, giving Megan an appraising look, before turning back to the road. “Well, you’re lucky, then.”

“I don’t get attached.”

Scarlett snorted. “Then you’re doubly lucky.”

Megan wasn’t sure why she felt like she should apologize for never having had bad breakups, like it was a sign of something bad. “Anything recent?”

“A recent breakup, but not a bad one. Pretty mutual. I was seeing this girl Gwen for a while, but we broke up after New Year’s. We were just bad for each other, and I think we always knew that.” Scarlett sighed. “Sometimes you hold on to something bad, just because being alone seems too scary.”

Megan played with the CD case, flicking the zipper back and forth. “I think I’m more likely to stay alone because the alternative seems too scary.”

“What, being in a relationship?” Scarlett glanced her way. “What’s scary about that?”

“Getting hurt. Getting left behind. Letting somebody in, and then they leave you.” Megan hadn’t known Scarlett was dating someone so recently, someone who hadn’t been good for her but who she probably missed. “Were you in love with her?”

“Who, Gwen?” Scarlett tipped her head to the side. “I don’t know. Probably. I seem to fall in love with everybody.”

Megan’s stomach twisted. “You’re kidding.”

“Nah. I fall easy and fast. It’s not like I’m the one-true-love kind of person. Or nobody’s been that for me. But to say I haven’t been in love with all of them?” Scarlett frowned. “That feels like it’s unfair to me. And them.”

Megan tried to wrap her mind around that. Falling in love so easily, without any kind of commitment in return. And then ending things. “How do you keep your heart from breaking?”

Scarlett rested her head back, giving a sad smile to the windshield in front of her. “It breaks all the time. I mend it up and keep going.”

Megan turned to look at Scarlett, her beautiful light brown curls pulled up into a messy bun, the loose clothes she’d put on in the hotel bathroom for the drive, the tanned skin still gleaming even without makeup. “That’s the worst plan I’ve ever heard.”

Scarlett burst out laughing. “What?”

“Break your heart over and over again and keep going? That’s horrible! You should stop doing that.” Megan knew this was ridiculous advice, but she couldn’t help it.

“You’re sweet.” Scarlett reached over to squeeze her hand. “But trust me. Not everything is as easy as a friendly wank in a New York hotel. Feelings get involved, and then hearts get broken. It’s normal.” She put her head back and started to sing, loudly, and not entirely on key. “‘It’s the CIIIIIIIIIRCLE of LIIIIIIIIIIFE...’”

Megan waved her hand frantically. “That’s enough of that.” Scarlett may find all of this funny, but the disquiet settling into Megan’s stomach was real. “If you fall in love with everyone you date—”

“Well, not everyone,” Scarlett interrupted. “I was exaggerating. And sometimes I fall in love with people I’m not dating. But go on.”

“If you fall in love with almost everyone you date, and people you aren’t even dating, how do you expect to have any relationship last?”

Scarlett pursed her lips. “It’s about choice. Eventually, if I find someone who wants to be with me, and I want to be with them, I’ll choose to be with them.”

“What if you fall in love with someone else?”

“That doesn’t matter. Because I won’t choose to be with them.”

It sounded way too complicated for Megan, and she said so, making Scarlett laugh. Then Scarlett turned the music up, and passed some other Connecticut driver, and Megan watched the dance of headlights outside as they headed north to their next stop: Salem.