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“Good plan.” Noah scooted past Garth’s long legs and boots, bending over the third seat to avoid hitting his head on the roof. Alec revved the engine and pulled out, taking a speed bump fast enough to send the rear passengers and all the gear zero-G and back down with a thump.
“Sorry, guys!” Alec hollered from the front. “Wasn’t sure how this beauty would handle the bumps. I’ll go faster next time so you can catch some real air.”
The girl with bangs groaned again, but Alec laughed.
“Anyone have Dramamine?” Noah asked dryly.
Vanessa threw one elbow over the back of her seat, along with another smile. “You’ll probably be fine, unless that’s something you really struggle with. He’ll calm down now, but Alec never turns down an opportunity to tease.”
“Especially if it’s Brianna,” Emily added.
“Or any other female,” Garth muttered.
“True that,” Vanessa said. “He’s never been one to discriminate.”
Emily threw her head back and laughed, allowing a curl to escape the confines of her messy bun and reminding Noah of another woman—much taller and with darker curls—as she tucked it back behind her ear. He clenched his jaw and pulled up the map on his phone, inputting Tucson as the destination. Eleven and a half hours. He should have brought something to occupy his mind. Anything to keep it from wandering back to Grace.
Chapter 27
Zoned
The first hour passed quickly—andmore quietly than Noah had expected. He attempted to follow the steady stream of conversation between Emily and Vanessa with Chad and Jane sometimes joining in, but he had little to contribute. Up front, the twins started a movie on a laptop while Brianna entertained Alec and Garth dozed.
Noah was starting to nod off himself when the van slowed and the voices of his companions drew his attention.
“What are you doing?” Brianna asked.
“Giving you a reason to stop scrolling Instagram,” Alec said.
“There’s literally nothing to see!”
“And that’s why we’re taking the scenic route.”
Brianna groaned along with several of the others.
“We really can’t afford to add to the drive,” Jane said.
“Trust me,” Alec said.
“Not happening,” Brianna said, pointing straight ahead to the interstate on-ramp. “Just get back on the highway.”
Noah clenched his teeth. The last thing he needed wasmoretime in the van.
“It only adds ten minutes!” Alec shouted from the front with a laugh. “And it’s actually a few miles shorter because we don’t have to backtrack. You’re gonna love it!”
“What’s in Cisco?” Garth asked, tipping his head at the name on a road sign as they passed under the interstate and turned onto a two-lane country road. Drab desert stretched into the distance on both sides.
“Trust me!” Alec insisted again.
“When you said ‘scenic route,’ were you talking about the landscape or the road conditions?” Brianna asked. “Because I’m seeing some pretty big valleys right here in the asphalt.”
Alec swerved around several potholes in the narrow, unstriped, shoulderless road, taking her teasing in stride. “It all adds to the charm.”
When the next sign announced Next Services 54 Miles, Noah pulled out his phone and opened his map app, watching the loading icon spin and spin until a thumping passage over a railroad crossing stirred his stomach and drew his eyes back to the road. A few buildings and a sign for Cisco Landing had popped up, but Alec stayed the course into another stretch of slightly rolling gravel hills and stark desert.
The map refused to load. Putting his phone away and wiping his hands on his jeans, Noah cleared his throat and tried to swallow the knot forming there. The desolation held a kind of barren beauty, but he hated not knowing where they were.Not a big deal, he thought, letting out a deep breath.Alec knows where he’s going. I hope.
Vanessa turned to put one arm over the seat. “It really isn’t much longer this way.”
