Chapter 27
MILO
“Morning!” Sadie says brightly as she attempts to lift a massive suitcase. Her forehead is glistening, her cheeks rosy. She’s wearing jeans and an oversized blue T-shirt that hangs off one shoulder.
“Here,” I say, swooping in to grab the handle, my hand brushing against hers. “Let me get it.”
Her shoulders slump in relief. “Thanks.” Then she suddenly straightens. “Oh, I’ve got something for you.”
Seconds later, she’s back with something I haven’t seen in years—my old ball cap.
Of course it’s the hat.
Senior year, I made another one of those bets I never planned on winning—told her she couldn’t outrun me. She took off, fearless and laughing, and I followed just close enough to make it look like I was trying.
She didn’t beat me. I chose not to.
So she kept the hat.
And maybe that’s all those ridiculous bets ever were—ways of giving her something I didn’t know how to hand over any other way. Time. Attention. Pieces of me, disguised as losing.
It’s still faded blue, the gold thread along the brim worn soft with time. The Dusty Hollow Lark stitched on the front—wings lifted like it’s mid-song.
I never asked for it back.
She steps closer, close enough I can smell her vanilla shampoo, and tugs the cap over the hair I’ve let grow a little unruly.
“There,” she says with a warm smile.
“You kept it,” I mutter quietly.
Her brown eyes stare up at me. “Why would I get rid of it?”
I shrug. “Maybe you had a bonfire where you burned all my things?”
Her chin drops as her eyes widen. “Do I look like the kind who chooses spite?”
“I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did.”
“Well, I didn’t. Ready?” she says with an edge of determination.
“Where are we going?” I ask as I hoist the suitcase into the bed of my truck.
She shrugs. “I don’t know. Somewhere.”
I grin. “I’m not sure I know what to do with Sadie Summers and no plans.”
“I guess we’ll figure it out together, Hot Shot.” She smirks before she opens the passenger door and climbs into my truck.
My skin warms at the nickname spoken out loud, and I don’t hesitate. Sadie Summers has chosen me for this adventure, and I’m not going to let her down. I get in my truck and hand her a penny.
“What’s this?” she asks.
“Magic,” I say.
She tilts her head to the side. She’s sitting cross-legged on the seat, her hair loose around her face, coin resting in her palm.
“Flip it. You always said you wanted to,” I say.
Her eyes brighten. “Like the song?”
I nod. “Like the song.”
She squeals. “Really? We’re doing ‘Heads Carolina, Tails California’?”
“You always said that would be your perfect road trip,” I answer. “So, what is it?”
Her red lips stretch wide across her face as she flips the penny, quickly catching it in her palm. She slowly releases her fingers, studies the coin, then looks up at me. “Heads.”
“Carolina it is,” I say as I put my truck in reverse. “Which one?”
“I’ve never been to either. Maybe both?” The words are gentle but filled with anticipation as they leave her mouth.
I swallow down the pain that fractures through my chest. The Sadie I knew wanted to see the world—to run with wild horses and braid tropical flowers in her hair. She wanted to scream at the top of a mountain and find seashells between her toes.
“I’ll drive you anywhere you want to go, Sadie,” I say, and I mean it. For me, my destination isn’t a place. It’s a person—and she’s sitting right beside me.