Page 41 of The Fast Lane
“Oh, hey,” I said, scrambling to open my backpack and pull my clothes out. “I’ll just be a few more minutes.”
Theo’s voice came through the door. “I promise it won’t be weird, okay?”
Relief roared through me, relaxing body parts I hadn’t realized I’d been clenching. “Okay.”
“And Alicia?”
“Yeah?”
“Just so we’re clear, you are not my sister.”
My smile was small. “I knew you were going to say that.”
SEVENTEEN
Note to self:
Everything is fine.
Probably.
True to his word, things went right back to normal between us. Kind of. If I ignored the slightly stilted conversation while we sat on opposite beds after we’d put the room to rights and ate granola bars for breakfast. Or when I’d brushed against him as we packed our stuff to leave, and he’d made a strange noise and practically leapt on top of the table to get away from me.
Message received.
Zip met us at the office at eight. He’d kindly put shorts on with his Hawaiian shirt, out of deference to us “textiles.” That’s what they call us clothing-dependent people: textiles.
George finished replacing the water pump by eleven and we were back on the road by eleven thirty, now one open invitation to “come on back to the Longhorn Resort and Spa anytime” richer.
Yeah, no. Although I briefly toyed with the idea of getting Cal and Melanie a gift certificate as a wedding gift. Just for funsies.
As soon as we picked up a cell signal, my notifications went off in a series of frantic dings. Twenty-seven missed calls. Eight voicemails. And too many texts to count.
“Oh, thank God,” Mom said when she answered. “I’ve been worried sick.”
“You talked to me last night. We’re fine. No one even tried to murder us.”
“Yes, but then I worried you’d been abducted, and someone was making you say that so I wouldn’t be suspicious.”
Next to me, Theo snickered.
“Or what if you’d been attacked by a wild animal?”
“I think we’re pretty safe from that.”
“I watched a news report about a python that came up through someone’s toilet. What if that had happened?”
“I don’t even know how to reply to that.”
She tsked. “You have to think about these things so you can be prepared.”
“How do you prepare for a snake coming up through the toilet? Never mind. You’re making my brain hurt.”
“A headache?” I could hear her worried expression through the phone. “Did you get enough sleep last night?”
“I called to let you know we’re back on the road. The car is fixed, and we’ll be at Mack’s in an hour.”
She huffed. “How are you feeling? You know stress can trigger seizures.”