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Irene waved Julia over. “I’ve prepared some snacks for you. I, for one, know that Dylan can get really cranky when his blood sugar is low—”
“Hey.”
“—so I’ve got all sorts of goodies here.” Irene handed Julia a big basket. “Brownies and muffins and strudels. Oh, and I’ve also got granola bars in there, too.”
“It’s only an eight-hour drive,” I pointed out. “You packed for a trip to Mars.”
“It never hurts to be prepared,” my sister countered sagely. “Plus, food on the road is expensive. I’m offering to feed you for free.”
Julia smiled at her. “We appreciate it. Thank you so much.”
“You’ll be in charge of rationing, Julia. Dylan’s going to beg you for triple helpings within the first hour of the drive, but you just have to remain strong.”
I snorted. “You make me sound like a damn gremlin. I’ve never begged for anything in my entire life.”
“She’s just looking out for you,” Brody said with a chuckle. “You know how she worries. You’ve never been away from home for more than a few days, maybe a week tops.”
An odd tightness brewed in the pit of my stomach because it was true. I rarely left home because I knew my family would worry. The only way to make sure they didn’t worry was to stay close. It was a neat little cause and effect circle I’d been struggling to escape from for ages. I adored my family. We’d been through thick and thin together. They were the main —and probably the only— reason I chose to stay in Sunville.
But when Red asked me the other day in the hospital if I was willing to be their temporary coach, I jumped at the chance. It felt right. Where it would lead, how it would end… I didn’t have the answer, but I knew without a doubt that I needed to take the opportunity.
After years of feeling listless, I finally had the chance to be truly useful to someone. To be a part of something bigger than myself.
“I’ll be fine,” I assured my siblings.
Irene wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed my cheek. “Be good.”
Boone rolled his eyes. “Would you quit babying him? He’s twenty-five .”
“And he’s never flown the coop, alright? I’m allowed to fuss.”
“We’ll be back before you know it,” Julia said.
“Go kick some ass out there!” Brody called as I started toward the door.
“And don’t forget to bet on black!” Levi reminded me.
I waved goodbye to everyone and we were on our way.
* * *
There was something freeing about being on the open road.
Nothing but miles upon miles of highway ahead of us, tall trees lining our concrete path as we whizzed by. Red sat up front with me in the passenger seat as I drove, while Julia and Cash sat next to one another at the small dinner table near the center of the RV. I was grateful to Boone for having hooked us up with one of Callaghan Campers’ finer rentals —and for free, too.
A family discount, he’d explained.
“Patrick’s meeting us there,” Red said. “He’s taken what he would have paid Bob this quarter and put it toward our hotel reservation. The suite’s nothing fancy, but it’ll be comfortable enough.”
“You nervous?” I asked him. “About your fight.”
Red was silent for a few moments. He wasn’t the sort to blurt out what he was thinking. He always chose his words carefully, almost diplomatically. In another life, he probably would have made a great politician.
“I’m not nervous,” he said finally. “Not about the actual fight, anyway. If it weren’t for you, we would have been left high and dry the moment Bob walked away. I really owe you one.”
“Thank me after you win,” I countered. “There’s no point dwelling on it. Quite frankly, having Bob cut himself loose might have been a blessing in disguise. You don’t need that asshole weighing you down.”
Red nodded. “You’re right.”
