Page 31 of Reckless

Somehow, I don’t think it would be lackluster with Jude, if only because the attraction is so strong.

“Goodnight,” I rush out, not looking at him as I slip into the bedroom, hearing him say it back.

Sitting on the bed in the dark, I listen to the sounds of Jude making up the bed. He uses the bathroom and then the lights go off.

Is he thinking about me? I clutch my head at the absurdity of that.

I need to snap out of this. Jude is trying to figure himself out, trying to get himself better. And be away from women who continuously throw themselves at him. He doesn’t need it from me too. I don’t want him to know I’ve been sitting here in silence, in the dark, so I slip off my pants and shirt and slide under the covers as quietly as possible.

Tomorrow, I’ll pretend nothing happened. He probably didn’t even notice anyway. Fingers crossed.

After a quiet breakfast, we get back onto the highway to South Dakota. For a while, Jude sits in the back, playing on his guitar, or using his phone. I try not to listen as he speaks to his friends.

My main stop here is Sioux Falls. I have a couple of friends there and we have planned a catch up. But that is on the other side of the state, so there are a few stops midway.

I think about pushing on and driving straight there, but that would be nuts.

Jude joins me and spreads a map out on his lap. He’d remarked how old school it is having a paper map instead of using GPS. I explained it was mapping out the route visually, so I know where I’m headed. I use the GPS while I’m driving.

“I wanted to ask a favor,” he says.

“Yeah?”

He unscrews the cap off a bottle of water and sets it into the drink holder on my arm rest. He didn’t ask if I wanted it, he just got it for me. That shouldn’t make my heart flutter at the thoughtfulness. He’s only doing it because he knows I can’t get up and grab one myself.

“Mount Rushmore isn’t far from here.”

“You want to see Mount Rushmore?”

“Yeah, if we can afford the time to stop?”

I was planning on stopping at Rapid City for a break, so it’s no hardship. It’s only half an hour out of the way. My family visited when I was around twelve, so it’s been a while since I saw the monument.

It’s also a huge tourist attraction. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him he’ll probably be noticed and mobbed, but he looks so earnest. His family did little traveling when he was a kid. The places he’s seen since he started traveling the world have been through the window of a tour bus or a hotel room. He’s not able to do the tourist thing.

“I still have my trusty hat,” he points out. “No one is going to expect to find me at Mount Rushmore,” he adds. “If I’m good with it, will you take me? Please?”

My eyes roll at the way he clasps his hands together and shakes them in a begging gesture.

“You can bring your mace,” he suggests. “If things get uncomfortable, we can leave. I don’t know when I’ll ever get to do this again. I want to experience it all. If you’ve not got the time…”

How am I supposed to refuse him? “I’ve got the time.”

He winks at me. “And at some point in this state, you can teach me how to drive this baby.”

“Don’t get too excited.”

Jude looks so happy I can’t help but smile. He consults the map, making a point of using the paper one to direct me.

Jude is like a kid at Christmas. It’s cooler up here at this time of the day and into the Black Hills area, so we wrap up and Jude pulls his cap down low. I grab a beanie and pull it over my hair.

Jude tugs on it and grins. “Cute.”

He walks ahead of me out of the RV. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I quickly pack my backpack, knowing we’ll need water and snacks and follow him out. It’s quite a walk from the RV parking lot to the entrance, but there aren’t too many people making their way over yet.

Jude wants to go into the information center and grabs maps, guides, and a book about the monument. He even gets some souvenirs for his friends.

“Here, let me put these in there.”

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