Page 107 of The Fast Lane
Remember my family can be just as sneaky as me.
Thursday, three days before the wedding
Reno to Portland
A weird mix of nervousness and excitement filled the car when we left the next morning. Abe had gone silent and pensive, likely thinking about seeing our parents again. I was nervous, too. I didn’t know how this would go and I worried it might all blow up in our faces.
But the other reason was that I knew I would have to confess my part in that accident. If it would help reunite my brother and parents, then it would be worth it. It was the right thing to do. I wanted to do it. Still, it felt huge and impossible, like scraping off a layer of skin so deep, the white meat was exposed.
Hallie must have sensed the mood because she happily put on her headphones and settled in for a princess movie marathon. Even Mack was quieter than usual. Karen, on the other hand, had been restless. Instead of staying on Mack’s lap, she’d crawled under our seats and was hiding somewhere. Probably planning my “accidental” death.
And Theo, too, had been off since earlier this morning when he’d gotten a phone call while we were eating breakfast. When he’d come back to the table, he’d seemed distracted.
“Everything okay?” I’d asked.
“Oh, yeah. Had a change in plans for that, uh, meeting. I’m going to have to take off after the wedding quicker than I thought. Especially since I need to get Abe home.”
“Where is this meeting?”
“Chicago.” His eyes widened ever so slightly as though he hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “It’s a work thing.”
I stared at him an extra beat but let it drop. If I’ve learned anything over the last few days, there was a lot I didn’t know about Theo. I wondered where he got his ideas for his books. And if he owned a pirate outfit. If I should invest in a wench costume. Was there cosplay involved? Yep, there were a lot of questions I had for Theo. I wanted the chance to ask them all, too.
He was familiar to me, and also not. My comfort person 2.0.
One more mystery would be fun to solve.
Famous last words, and all that.
Alec: I hear you all are getting into Oregon today.
I rolled my eyes and ignored the message.
Alec: It would be nice to sit down before the wedding.
Alec: Dinner tonight?
Alec: Or we could go for drinks tonight.
Me: No, thank you.
Alec: Come on, Ali. Be an adult.
With a growl, I tossed my phone down and glared out the window at the landscape of heavily treed mountains and rolling green hills.
Abe turned toward me. “You okay?”
“I…” I almost played it off as not a big deal. But for some reason, I didn’t want to do that anymore. “Alec’s been texting me. He wants to get together and talk.”
Abe sneered. “That guy’s an ass.”
“You’ve never even met him,” I pointed out.
“Don’t need to. I’ve already heard enough about him.”
“From who?”
“Take your pick. Theo. Mack. Cal. Even Frankie wasn’t a fan.”