"It's not about thevehicle," he said, looking beyond insulted. "It's about you."
Heat flooded my face. "Oh, um…"
"That's what you think?"
"No. I mean…" I sighed. "If you want the truth, I'm finding it hard to think at all."
But I couldimagineplenty. Unlike Drake, Iknewmy mom. Odds were fairly good that she had made her situation sound a lot worse than it actually was. But every once in while, she found herself in a real pickle, which was why I couldn't simply ignore it and wait for it to pass.
When Drake's only reply was a dumbfounded look, I tried to explain. "The thing is…she's hiding in some hotel bathroom, and I think she's afraid – I mean of the guy who rented the room. So of course, I'm gonna go get her."
His eyebrows furrowed. "The hell you will."
This had to be a joke."What?"
"I'll do it."
"But you don't even know where she is."
"Alright. So tell me." And then, with obvious reluctance, he added, "Or come with me. You can wait in the car."
I stared in stunned disbelief. "I'm not gonna wait in the car."
"Well you sure as hell aren't going in there."
I was still staring. Whowasthis guy, anyway? Until this moment, he'd been one of the most easy-going individuals I'd ever met. But now, as he stood there in only his briefs, he looked ready for one heck of a battle.
My fingers clenched with new frustration. Judging from Drake's demeanor, thefirstperson he planned to battle was me.
I made a sound of annoyance. "Is this a joke?"
"Not to me." He bent down and retrieved his pants from the floor. As he began pulling them on, I suddenly realized that I was still half-naked, having made no move to put on my bra.
With quick jerky motions, I positioned the cups over my breasts and reached behind me to fasten the clasp. But my hands were trembling so hard, it took me several tries to get it right.
By the time I retrieved my dress, Drake had already buttoned his pants and was scooping up his socks.
Both of us were utterly silent, but inmyview, the argument was far from over. Of course, I was no fool. Debating itnowwould only delay us getting on the road, and we really did need to hurry.
My mom's hotel was at least a ten-minute drive away, which meant I still hadsometime to settle this. During the drive, I'd somehow make Drake understand. In the meantime, I focused on getting dressed so we could leave.
After yanking my body into the dress, I went for the red high heels. I'd just finished shoving them onto my feet when my phone vibrated on the bed. I rushed toward it, not caring that I trampled my purse in the process.
A quick glance at the screen confirmed that the caller was my mom. When I answered, I skipped the hello and blurted out, "I'm leaving now, okay?"
She gave a shaky laugh. "Um, actually…"
I stiffened. "Actually, what?"
She gave another laugh, this one shakier than the first. "It was, um, a false alarm, actually – just a little misunderstanding, that's all."
My jaw clenched. "Seriously?"
"Uh, yeah. Ithoughthe was a liar, but we had a little talk, and he's actually a pretty great guy." She perked up. "He's taking me out for pancakes."
Oh, God.I shoved a hand through my tangles and closed my eyes long and hard. My eyes were still shut when my mom said in a breezy sort of way, "So, anyway, I just didn't want you to worry, that's all."
I gave a loud scoff. "Too late for that."
