“Millicent,” Hollis says, laying his hand on my thigh. I think it’s supposed to soothe me, but his touch sends an inconvenient flare of electricity through my leg. “I am sure your backpack is safe and waiting for you at Connie and Bud’s. And if it isn’t, it’s somewhere else in Gadsley. We’ll find it. Okay?”
I force myself to take a deep breath to subdue both the panic and the arousal now competing for my attention. “Okay.”
“And I have my wallet in my pocket. So if we die, they’ll be able to ID me. Enough people know we’re traveling together at this point that they’ll know who you are.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
The dashboard clock reads 1:21. We’ve been on the road for almost an hour; driving back to Gadsley, finding my backpack, and getting back to wherever we currently are is going to add over two hours to our travel today. “Dammit,” I whisper. “Dammit, dammit, dammit.”
Hollis takes the next exit and immediately gets back on the highway heading in the opposite direction. “Hey, at least you noticed now and not when we were halfway through Florida.”
My head snaps up and around to stare at this alien in the driver’s seat. His eyes shift over to glance at me for a split second before they return to the road. “Who the hell are you?” I ask. “And what did you do with my super-hot but absurdly pessimistic travel buddy?”
“Just because I usually choose not to focus on silver linings does not mean I don’t have the ability to find them when I want to.”
“Well, stop it. The role reversal’s making me uncomfortable.” I try not to focus on how finding the silver lining to make me feel better is apparently something Holliswantsto do. “You should beextremely annoyed with me right now. I’ve just delayed your sex appointment with Yeva by at least another two hours.”
Hollis’s frown deepens. “Enough of this. Get my phone.”
“Why?”
“I need you to look at my texts with her. Scroll up to last night’s.”
I’ve already grabbed his phone, but now I lay it facedown on my leg; I have zero desire to see any more of Yeva than I already have. “Sorry, but I really do not want to read your sexts with another woman. I’m trying to be chill about this stuff, but I cannot bethatchill.”
“Oh my god, Millicent, they aren’t—just read the damn texts.”
I sigh, brace myself for any explicit pictures that might be waiting for me, and navigate to the conversation with Yeva Markarian.
YEVA:Updated ETA?
That text arrived yesterday evening. Probably what made his phone buzz on the nightstand right as Pee-wee arrived at the Alamo. Hollis glanced at it and set it back down without responding. But apparently he did send something back eventually, because there’s a reply with a time stamp of 10:12pm.
HOLLIS:Hey. Really sorry to do this to you, but I’m not going to make it after all.
YEVA:Everything ok?
HOLLIS: Yeah mostly. A friend has to visit someone in hospice and I’d like to be there for her.
YEVA: Oh wow all right. Sorry to hear that...
HOLLIS: Yeah. Sorry again. Hope I didn’t screw up your week.
YEVA: No worries, we’ll catch up some other time. It’s important to be there for your friend xo
HOLLIS:Thanks xo
The first thing my brain latches onto is the exchange of “xo”s and how I wish they weren’t there. But it quickly shifts to the bigger picture, that Hollis canceled his sex appointment to come with me to see Elsie. And he made that decision post–Pee-wee, pre-intercourse.
“Hollis... this is really sweet of you,” I say.
“I’m not trying to be sweet. I’m trying to get you to stop worrying about me and Yeva because there is no me and Yeva. There’s only me and you right now.”
I know he doesn’t mean anything romantic by that, but my too-soft heart does a tiny pirouette anyway. “You may not be trying to be sweet, but you’re still succeeding,” I say. “And Yeva didn’t seem all that surprised by you doing a nice thing for someone. Total secret cinnamon roll. I knew it.”
Hollis lets out a heavy sigh, and his right hand moves from the steering wheel to his earlobe. “Why did I agree to spend more time with you?”
“Because I’m delightful.”
