Page 69 of Love on Deck

“We leave at five,” she said, finishing her thought, “and we’re home by ten.”

“Deal.” I kissed her on the nose. “Thanks, Lauren. You won’t regret it.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

LAUREN

Jack was wrong. I already regretted it. He picked me up ten minutes after five, and we drove out of Dallas, away from the light pollution and high-rise neon buildings and car washes on every corner. The interstate spaghetti bowl and toll roads were behind us, with nothing outside my window now but wide fields spotted with cows. I pulled my sweatshirt sleeves down over my hands and leaned back against the headrest.

Wasn’t it just yesterday I was cursing his name, and now I was going to meet his parents?

“Everything okay?” Jack asked, glancing at me before putting his attention back on the road.

“Isn’t this a little fast?”

The car immediately slowed.

“Not the car’s speed.” I gestured between the two of us. “Our speed. Meeting the family.”

“It’s kind of a complicated situation. I’m not really bringing you as my girlfriend, right?”

“Complicated is a good word for us.” I shut my eyes. I’d left my hair down, trying my best to give it beachy waves. Regardless of how much I wanted order and keeping flyaway hairs out of my mouth, I also loved how much Jack loved my hair. But it turned out more frizzy than wavy, and I just felt silly. Like a seven-year-old checking the mailbox for birthday cards from family, like the kids at school all got, but not finding anything and just hoping no one noticed my efforts.

Jack snaked his hand over mine and pulled it onto the center console. “No pressure, remember? We don’t have to be anything. You are my friend, aren’t you?”

“I think we kind of skipped that step. We jumped straight from enemies to meet the parents.”

“Not just the parents, basically the entire extended family.”

I slumped in my chair. “You’re making it worse.”

“They’re going to love you.”

“You can’t know that. Just change the subject. Distract me—”

Something jumped from the side of the road and hit the front of our car, the impact jolting us. Jack ripped his hand from mine to grip the wheel as a curse tore from his throat. We swiveled, the back of the car fishtailing before moving into a spin. My hair flew in front of my face while pressure pushed me against the door. The car thudded to a stop, nose down in a shallow ditch, jerking my neck slightly from the impact.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked immediately, panicked.

My seatbelt was tight, holding me back against the seat. I took stock of my body, and aside from my racing heart and what would probably be a bruise on my elbow later, I felt fine. “Yes. You?”

“I’m good.”

We sat in silence for a few more seconds before I unbuckled my seat belt.

“Wait,” Jack said. “You need to let the adrenaline come down first so you know if you’re injured.”

“There’s no broken glass and the airbags didn’t deploy, Jack. I’m fine.”

“But it’s safer to—”

“I need to find that deer and make sure it’s okay.” I opened the door, climbing out into the damp ditch on the side of the road. It only took a minute to get up to the road and see the deer lying on its side, its head on the ground.

Jack came up behind me. “I’m sorr—”

The deer—a male, given its antlers—jumped up, turning his neck to face forward and shaking out like a dog. He jumped, a little disoriented, before turning around and getting on his way.

My shoulders sagged in relief.

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