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“So, where’s your mom? I’m assuming she has your luggage.”
“Yeah. We’ve visited the campus a few times, so she stayed at the university bookstore. Wanted to buy Clem something, I guess.”
Sadness creeps in at the mention of Clementine, Willa’s daughter and my favorite munchkin to babysit. I’m going to miss that little peanut while in California. “I didn’t realize you’d been here before. We don’t have to tour the campus.”
He shrugs. “You don’t live two hours from Notre Dame your entire life and not visit. I did a few football camps here growing up.” Football, I forgot he played. Willa mostly talked about Devin’s baseball career since he’s attending Cal State Monterey Bay on a baseball scholarship. “And I don’t mind walking the campus.”
My brow furrows as I toy with the bracelet on my left wrist. “We need to be in Chicago for the show tonight, so we don’t have much time.”
“It’s barely noon, and the drive is two hours. We have time. What’s on your list to see?”
I calculate the time it will take to meet up with Devin’s mom, walk the campus, find something for lunch, and make the drive to Chicago early enough to check in to our hotel and get ready for tonight, then adjust my campus tour plan to the necessities.
“The church, Grotto, main building, and Touchdown Jesus.” I tick the sites off on my fingers.
Devin shuffles backward, another grin playing on his lips. “I pegged you as a list girl. Good to know I was right.”
I follow his retreat with a final glance at the prophets on the ceiling. “A list girl? You say that like it’s a bad thing. We’re driving over two thousand miles. Having a plan is logical.”
“A plan, yes. You have a list,” he points out, spinning around and nodding to another visitor.
I offer the older man a smile, then hurry to Devin’s side, lowering my voice. “And there’s a distinction?”
Devin pushes his way outside into the blinding sun with a chuckle.
The walnut door comes inches from hitting my face as I fall behind in dumbfounded shock at Devin’s cocky little chuckle.Wait one minute.“You said you didn’t care what route our trip took.” I give chase, arguing with his backside.Oh my gosh, why is he walking so fast? And why does his butt have to fill out those shorts so nicely? I’d expected him to be in the typical lazy boy outfit of athletic shorts and sports team shirt. He’s in dressy shorts and a polo, but not in a preppy sense. Like me, he’s dressed for the best first impression. I brush my palms over the crease in my linen shorts and shove thoughts of clothing aside. “I asked you, Devin. Multiple times. You said it didn’t matter.”
“That’s because it doesn’t, and I didn’t know you were gonna make a list. I knew we were going from here to your parent’s place in Montana, then on to California. The stops in-between weren’t important.”
I push my legs to keep up with his long strides. The boy is half a foot taller than me. “Then why do you care that I made a list?”
Plucking a leaf from a bush, Devin keeps his pace. “It’s not that I care. I just thought this was spontaneous. That we were going to stop at cool places. I didn’t think you’d have some checklist of popular road trip destinations. I’m gonna have to look at this list.”
My feelings may well and truly be hurt. “You don’t think I have cool places for us to see?”
He makes an abrupt stop and runs his stare up and down the length of me. I suppress the need to shift. “I have my doubts.”
My jaw drops. He didn’t say that to me. I know he did not just say that. This guy doesn’t even know me, but he thinks he has me all figured out. News flash, buddy. I’m full of surprises.
Before I have the chance to rip him a new one, we’re standing in front of the Grotto. Biting my tongue out of respect for the quiet moment others take in the stone alcove, I pull up the camera on my phone. I snag a few shots, while tossing pointed glares at Devin. He has some audacity.
But when he steps up to the wall of candles and lights one, my anger wanes. I didn’t expect him to be a praying type. So far, he’s more devil than angel.Who is he praying for?Or maybe he’s praying he’ll make it out of this trip alive. Would be smart of him.
Finding an unlit candle on the opposite side, I light one too and say a quick prayer for the family we’ve lost.
As we meet at the mouth of the Grotto, I start to speak, but Devin stops me. “Two down, two to go. We’ve only got a few hours. Let’s get a move on.”
Deep breaths.We haven’t reached the highway, and I’m ready to kill Devin Hawthorne. This is going to be a fun trip.
* * *
DEVIN
“The church, Grotto, main building, and Touchdown Jesus. One of those things is not like the others.”
We’re leaving the front lawn of Hesburgh Library, aka the site of Touchdown Jesus, heading to the bookstore, and Nova hasn’t said a word. She’s taken plenty of photos, though, and a few selfies.
“Except for your eloquent ‘Ta-da’ when we arrived at the library, you haven’t spoken since the Grotto, and that’s the first thing you have to say?” She pshaws like the best of them.
