Page 4 of Carson

“He said they haven’t seen each other since they were kids. Maybe seeing him brings up memories about her dad she doesn’t want to face.”

The thought makes me want to punch something. “Well, we won’t know until we ask.”

He smiles at me. “Not going to lie. I’m excited to see her again.”

I wave him off, but his thoughts mirror my own.

As we drive around the campground, we realize there’s only one van in the park; the rest are your traditional campers. That narrows it down considerably.

We both chuckle when we get off our bikes. “I don’t know about you, but I was not expecting something quite as vintage,” I say, heading over to run my hand over one of her tires. “Jesus, not a bit of tread on this fucker.”

My brother does the same over the back tire. “She’s been rolling on racing slicks.”

“Not cool.” I walk back to my bike to grab the small notebook I keep in my bag. “Those fifteen-inch rims?”

“Yeah.” He squats down to get a better look. “Better get all four, the two on the other side are shit as well.”

“Rage would be pissed if he knew she’d been driving around like this.”

Cole knocks on the door of the van. It’s quiet. When she doesn’t answer, he pulls on the handle, and the fucking thing opens.

He and I exchange a look. “Not okay,” he whispers under his breath as he steps inside.

My gaze roams over Luna’s space and I smile.

“This is cool as fuck. Mom would love it,” Cole says, tapping a little plant that’s hanging beside her sink.

“Yeah, she would. What do you think this is? A seventy-four?”

He heads over to the glovebox and rummages through it for the pink slip. “Spot on, brother. Should we wait for her?”

“Naw, let’s just get started.”

He pops the hood before we head outside.

“Fuck, I wish we had the keys, so we could hear it run,” Cole says as we take a look at the engine.

“Let’s just get the water pump and tires. Maybe grab some filters, oil, and new spark plugs,” I say as I pull one out, holding it between us so he can look at it too. “That will be a good start and maybe she’ll be here by the time we get back.”

“Sounds good. I’ll text Carver and ask if we can borrow his truck.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I scan the park. Something catches my attention that I hadn’t noticed before.

“Carver said the keys are in it.” He chuckles, looking at his phone. “He’s going to meet us over there.”

I laugh. “Didn’t figure he’d last long at the wedding with Jesse being there.”

“I bet she’s been busting his balls all day.”

“Hey, I think one of us should stick around.” I nod toward the bicycle dropped haphazardly at the front of the van. I scan the area again. “Something tells me she’s here somewhere.”

“Give me the list and I’ll run into town. It will give me a chance to talk to him about patching over.”

I hop off my bike and hand him my notes. “If anyone can convince him, it’s you.”

“There’s no challenge for him here. He’s miserable.” He hands me the ten-dollar bill he snatched from Serenity’s hand. “If you coax her out of the bushes, here’s her tip.”

It makes me laugh, but it also reminds me we didn’t get our pizza. My stomach growls. My brother reads my mind.