AllFreeNovel
Share Us
After the waitress left, Cam poked half-heartedly at her french fries.
“I don’t want to move.”
I stifled a sigh. Life was better for us here. We could spend more time together. We had more space. And Cam had already developed friendships that made her happier.
“I don’t want to move either, believe me,” I said. “What about a road trip? We’ve always talked about visiting the beach.”
“Can I be in charge of shopping for snacks?”
I swiped a french fry from her plate and pointed it at her.
“Absolutely not. I don’t have the metabolism of a teenager anymore. I can’t survive on gummy worms, chocolate bars, and Doritos.”
“Well, I guess we’ll have to find a balance somehow. A road trip requires junk food. Not celery sticks and protein bars.”
Grateful for the distraction, I plunged into planning a road trip with Cam, brainstorming all the places where we wanted to stop along the coast of California. I was so relieved that she readily agreed to it which would give us both a reprieve from the topic of Joel.
I felt guilty for being so hard on him. Pushing him into making an impossible choice. He didn’t choose this fight with the Desert Howlers.
But he wasn’t backing down either. And that painted a target on his back.
***
After breakfast, Cam and I went home to pack for our road trip. With everything that had happened over the past few months—adjusting to the move from the big city of Reno to the small town of Merry Field, crossing paths with Joel again, the looming presence of the Desert Howlers hanging over our heads—it was a relief to focus on the road trip. To get away for a while and spend some uninterrupted time together.
When Cam found me in the bathroom putting away the medical supplies I’d used last night, she stopped mid-step in the hallway, a bathing suit held in each hand.
“The blue bikini is cute,” I said. “But it’ll be cold when you’re swimming on the coast. You’d better go with the purple one-piece.”
Cam was quiet as her gaze shifted away from the first aid kit and up to my face.
“Did you bring Doctor Williams home?”
“No,” I replied quickly.
I brought Joel home instead,I thought, but I made sure I didn’t share that part.
“I don’t like him, Mom,” Cam said. “He’s so…bland.”
“Cam, honey, you say that about all the men I date.”
“Because it’s true,” she replied with exasperation. “It’s almost as if that’s the reason you date them in the first place. You know you don’t have feelings for them so it won’t lead to anything serious.”
“Dating is just…difficult sometimes. It’s been just you and me for years. If I welcome anyone into that dynamic, he has to be the right one. I really do want a father figure in your life, Cam.”
“I already have a father,” she replied.
I gritted my teeth, swallowing the knee-jerk reply that Joel couldn’t be her father while he was wrapped up with his club. If I mentioned him now, it would lead to a fight and that would set the wrong tone for our road trip, souring the whole thing before we were even on the road. We’d have to talk about this later.
“Look,” I said. “I promise, I’m not interested in a second date with Doctor Williams. So, let’s put my train wreck of a love life on hold and focus on our road trip, okay? I’d like to hit the grocery store for snacks sometime around lunch so we can eat in the car.”
Reluctantly, Cam agreed. After she’d gone, I braced my hands on the counter. The longer I kept putting off this discussion about Joel, the worse it was going to be.
A few hours later, Cam and I were packed and ready to go. I had roughly sketched out an itinerary for a week, but I hoped I could stretch it into two weeks. Maybe Merry Field would have settled down by then and I would feel more certain about dealing with Joel.
Armed with a list of food—carrot sticks, celery, and protein bars for me, gummy worms, cherry-flavored licorice, and peanut butter crackers for Cam—we split up and canvassed the grocery store.
I was halfway through my list when a familiar series of yips and howls echoed through the building. My blood ran cold. The heavy tread of boots drumming the worn, scuffed-up linoleum floor sounded like a stampede as it came closer.
