Page 56 of Best Part of Me

The Sharpie leaves jagged black lines for the mountains of Yosemite, a place we’ll visit tomorrow, while my mind wanders over things.Maverick things. Things that add up but shouldn’t. That don’t have any right or fairness to them.

If I decided I wanted to make a go at this relationship, and even if Jones were okay with it, Maverick doesn’t commit to women. His last girlfriend in college was his last. After she cheated on him, he swore off commitment after that. He’s kept to his word.

It didn’t keep me from dreaming, fantasizing that I could be the one to change him. To heal him. To make him see that not everyone leaves. That there are people who see his value and worth. It kills me that his parents abandoned him and left him scarred in this way.

And maybe, if they hadn’t screwed up his way of thinking, he’d be willing to make a real go at this thing. Not only that, but he might also not feel like he has to lie to me just to protect me.

Or protect us.

My attention flits over to him, traveling up his forearms as they flex while he grips the steering wheel. He must feel my gaze on him because his eyes lift up to meet mine. He smiles, and I purse my lips, still considering all these things in my head. He opens his mouth to speak, but my phone vibrates loudly between us again.

Jones

Would you please just tell me where the hell you’re at? It’s been five days.

And if it isn’t too much fucking trouble, will you please tell me when you’re planning on coming the fuck home?

There’s a lot of shit at the store that me and Dad don’t know. Like how to decipher your new inventory spreadsheet.

Maverick gives me a curious look, and I simply shrug.

“Everything okay?”

“It’s just Jones. I’m ignoring him. Let him figure out how to help my dad at the store for once.”

“He shouldn’t be bugging you about that stuff anyway. For one, he should’ve learned how to handle things without you. And two, this is your vacation.”

“I know, right.” I inhale a deep breath before slowly releasing it a moment later.

“And speaking ofyourvacation... what do you want to do today?” Maverick asks, his focus shifting from out the windshield and on me and back again.

We’ve been on the road for five days, and it’s not until this moment that I realize he’s right. Just because I had a tropical honeymoon getaway planned that I didn’t go on doesn’t mean this still isn’t my vacation. My mind sifts through things I enjoy and mixes with things I’ve yet to do.

An idea pops into my head. When Rosie and I were kids, we’d make bucket lists each summer. A lot of them were silly. Like watch every Zac Efron movie or collect each color of the plastic rings from the vending machine at our store.

I’ve thought about those bucket lists as I’ve grown older. Thought about what type of items I’d put on there as an adult. Maybe get a tattoo, go bungee jumping, or see Celine Dion in concert in Las Vegas. One thing I’ve yet to do: skinny-dipping.

My lips curve slyly. “Hmm... does this next campground happen to have a lake or a hot spring?”

“Not that I know of.”

Disappointment fills my chest, and Maverick must notice it because he says, “How about we veer off the map and find a hot spring?”

I swivel in my seat, my eyes wide. “Really?”

“Sure.” He shrugs and rests his hand on my thigh, giving it a squeeze. “Google it and see if you can find one near Joshua Tree, and if you find one, I’ll cancel my reservations at the other campground.”

As I search Google on my phone, I ask, “Hey, Maverick? Have you ever been skinny-dipping?”

His head whips in my direction, and he blinks at me. “Not in a long time. And not in a public place.” His brows furrow, but he’s doing a shit job at hiding his amusement in his expression. “Why?”

My lips curve into a devilish grin and my eyes sparkle. “I’ve never done it. And a hot spring feels like the best place to experience it for the first time.”

“You want your first time skinny-dipping to be in public? And with me?”

“Why? That a problem?” My eyes are challenging.

I feel like I’m always challenging him. And he doesn’t concede. It’s another thing about him that I find absolutely fascinating.

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