He chuckles and shakes his head. “I can afford a hotel, Harper.”
“Okay,” I say with a shrug. “Just thought I’d offer. I mean, I don’t have money for a room, but I can totally sleep in the car if you want to get a room for yourself.”
“You really think I’d let you sleep in my truck, in a parking lot, by yourself, while I’m in a hotel room?”
“Probably not,” I admit. “But I wouldn’t blame you. I basically bullied you into giving up your Thanksgiving break to drive me to California in your car, using your gas money, to put your cousin in danger, for my boyfriend.”
“Yeah, you can sleep in the truck,” he says, sliding off his mask and setting it on the console.
I laugh and turn the radio back on. “You can’t have a road trip without music. It’s illegal.”
“It’s fine,” he says. “Just not that song.”
“Not a Dolly fan?”
He scowls. “No.”
“Oh yeah, Dixie said she went to Willow Heights,” I say, putting the pieces together as I go. “She’s only a few years older than us. You must have been in school at the same time. Did you know her?”
He glances sideways, his lips tightening. “Yeah, I knew her.”
“I take it you didn’t like her?”
“She dated my cousin.”
“Devlin?” I ask, since I figure Colt would have said something if he’d dated someone who’s low-key famous, and Sullivan would have been too young.
Preston just nods, staring straight ahead.
“Kinda cool that someone from Faulkner is on the radio, though,” I say, messing with the controls.
He hands me his phone. “Just find a playlist on here. My pin is 3655.”
“Can I make a road trip playlist?” I ask, accepting his phone and punching in the code.
“Just don’t put that song on it.”
“Wow, youreallydidn’t like that girl,” I say.
He doesn’t say anything.
“Want to talk about it?” I ask.
“No,” he says, glancing at me and then back to the road.
“I mean, she told you where your cousin is. That has to count for something, even if she… Broke his heart? Cheated on him?”
He doesn’t answer.
“Ooh, with who?” I ask. “Colt? You? Did she choose him over you?”
“You’re annoying when you’re happy.”
“Was it a Dolce?” I ask. “Did she cheat on him with Royal? Is that why you hate him most?”
“She didn’t cheat on Devlin,” he says. “And I hate Royal most because he’s the one who did the most damage, and all because he’s pissed that a planhecooked up with their dad to ruin us went wrong.”
“Your family tortured, beat, and raped him,” I say incredulously. “Are you really blaming that on him?”