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“Surprised?” she asked, slipping off her backpack. He nodded.
“In all honestly, completely. Are you?” he asked back with a laugh. She shrugged.
“Kinda. Look, I’m sorry I’m a super bitch, but try being a girl on the road. You wouldn’t believe the things I’ve heard and seen. I don’t carry a straight razor in my boot for nothing.”
“Razor in the boot, good to know. So, did they throw the book at you back there in the station?” he questioned, pulling a plastic menu out from behind a miniature-jukebox. She grabbed one as well.
“No. Believe it or not, I can pull off cute and innocent pretty well.” She cleared her throat and pressed a hand to her chest. “It's what, officer?Illegal?Oh my god, I hadNOidea! I’m so ashamed!” She finished her act in a falsetto voice.
He busted up laughing. “That's pretty good. Better not get caught again.”
“I don’t plan on it. They just read me the riot act and told me about all the nasty dangers waiting out there for a girl like me. What about you, how much did your ticket cost you?”
“Ah, remember I said 'tickets' - plural. Lots and lots of them. Practically had to sell a spleen to get out of there. I don’t know what it is, but I see those yellow things stuck to my windshield and I am compelled to just crumple them up. They should make them green, or something calming. Blue,” he suggested. She laughed and sat down her menu as the waitress walked up.
After they ordered, they sat in silence for a minute. He'd pulled out his smartphone and was messing around on it. Paige didn’t have a smartphone. She stared out the window and picked at her other thumbnail.
“That’s a nasty habit.”
She looked back towards him, but he was still looking at his phone.
“It’s rude to ignore someone and stare at your phone,” she countered. He glanced up, that same smile in place. It did something funny to her nervous system.
“You’re completely right. My apologies, but it was important.” He finished what he was doing, then slipped his phone back into his pocket before sticking his hand out. “Parker Carrington, from Connecticut. Good to meet you, Paige Davis, from South Carolina.”
“Not from South Carolina,” she corrected, shaking his hand briefly. She might have been going crazy, but it felt like there were electrical sparks passing between their fingers. She pulled away quickly, glancing up at him, but he seemed unaffected. He leaned his arms on the table.
“But in the police station, you said -”
“I said they weren’t as strict in South Carolina, not that I was from there. Hitchhiker. Could have said any state,” she cut in, staring at him. He nodded.
“Alright. Not from Carolina. Got it. Won’t bring up Carolina again. If you won’t say where you’re from, will you say where you’re headed if I ask?” Parker questioned cautiously. She eased up a little and smiled.
“Probably not, but if it makes you feel better, I don’t really know,” she replied as the waitress sauntered up and dropped their food on the table. Paige unwrapped her napkin from the silverwear and dug in.
“I like a woman who isn’t afraid to show her appetite. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.”
Snort.
“Doubt it.”
“Maybe. Any particular reason you’re hitchhiking across the great state of Alabama?” he asked, taking a huge bite of his burger.
“What areyoudoing in the great state of Alabama, Mr. Twenty Questions? How does Connecticut wind up here?”
“Ah, finally, on to my favorite subject:me. Well, Ms. Davis, one could say we are in similar situations. I am driving wherever the wind takes me. I was going to school up north, and I had plans to drive home later this summer, but I walked out of school one day and just ... went. I've been driving ever since,” he explained. She stared at him for a second before wiping her mouth and nodding.
“Yeah, sounds familiar. When I was younger, I used to think I was the only restless one – now it's surprising how many people I run into who are the same way. Kinda refreshing.”
“Where is your next stop?”
“Where isyournext stop?”
Parker laughed. “Are you always this easy-going and charming? I was hoping to head out and make it to Louisiana before I stopped again. Never been to Louisiana.”
“Also sounds familiar. Before my bust this morning, I had hoped to be out of the state by tonight, but that probably won’t happen. I might stay here another night,” Paige sighed. Parker finished off his burger and attacked his fries.
“Really? Why? I drove all over yesterday, this town isn’t exactly a hotbed of entertainment,” he pointed out.
