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Chapter Fourteen
Alice
I climb into the passenger seat of his Mercedes and smooth my dress down before strapping the seat belt over me. I grabbed a knit cardigan since he likes his car cold, and I fidget with folding it and laying it in my lap. He settles into the driver’s seat beside me and cranks the car. He fastens his belt before checking his rearview mirror, and then we are pulling out of the driveway without ceremony.
He hasn’t said anything, so I remain quiet. There’s no music playing, and it’s weird to sit here with no sounds between us. I know he invited me, but he still seems stilted and uncomfortable.
“I don’t have to come along,” I say, breaking the quiet.
He glances over at me briefly before looking back at the road. “I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t want you to come,” he says.
I purse my lips while glancing at him. My finger plays with a string that has unraveled from my cardigan.
I hate awkward silence; it goes against my very nature. So, I decide right then to be a model traveling partner while trying to get him to open up, even just a little. If this is going to work, we need to be amicable. At least for the next few weeks.
“Are you worried about Ivy coming home early?” I twirl the string around my finger. One leg starts to bounce, and I press on it with the side of my hand to still it. “You know, since you didn’t want to push her into all of this stuff with the show?”
“No, it will be all right. We can just sit her down and explain that we are playing pretend for the sake of the show, but for us, you will be her nanny.”
Her nanny. Right. I did agree to that.
“Of course.”
“I won’t have her on the show. I made it clear in my contract that they could not film her.”
“I think that’s the best choice,” I agree with him. “I’m excited to have her back. She was always one of my favorite students. But if you tell anyone I said that, I’ll deny it. Teachers aren’t supposed to play favorites.” I grin at him, and I see the corner of his mouth tilt upward for a moment.
“I wouldn’t dream of saying anything,” he replies, his face stoic again, and I laugh. He’s really good at keeping a serious face.
“You know, if we had a staring contest, you would definitely win.”
“A staring contest?” He cocks one eyebrow and looks over at me. This time, I see a small grin forming.
“Yes. Did you never do it when you were younger? You stare at another person without blinking, and the first one who does loses.”
“I know what a staring contest is.”
“Well, they can also be played where you try to get each other to smile by doing silly things.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Make faces and funny noises. Things like that.”
“Did you have a go-to face?” he asks, cutting his eyes toward me.
I shift in my seat, turning more toward him as much as my seat belt will allow.
“Ha,” I scoff and shake my head as if he asked the craziest question. “Do I have a silly face?” I bring my hands up and pull my ears out while crossing my eyes, blowing my cheeks out, and wrinkling my nose.
“Wait. What was that?” he asks, his attention ping-ponging between me and the road.
I do the face for him once more, and he starts to laugh.
“See, I win.” I sit back in my chair with a satisfied expression.
“Didn’t you say I would win?”
“I don’t say this often, Dr. Morrow, but I was wrong.” I grin at him and let out a very ladylike giggle, and he taps one thumb on the steering wheel as he shakes his head.
