Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Vivian
I can’t function at this ungodly hour, and the fact that Jonah, unlike myself, is a morning person, makes it a thousand times worse.
Bam. Bam. “Get up, Vivian.” Jonah pounds on my door for the third time, sounding like he’s ready to break it down and physically remove me from my bed if necessary.
I jolt upright, heart thumping low and deep like a bass drum reverberating through every part of my body. He wouldn’t dare muscle his way in. Would he?
“I have no problem leaving without you,” he says with one last bang on my door.
I scream into my pillow, at least in theory. Obviously, I have my sleep mask on, so—shit. I whip off my covers and jump out of bed. Jonah cannot see me in my charcoal mask. He’d never let me live it down.
At least things are back to normal. Yesterday was…unsettling. I prefer this Jonah. Grumpy and a bit of a dick. Predictable.
I rush through my routine, unable to abandon it completely. We’ll be driving for hours, but I still want to look fabulous.
George loads my stuff into the back. “Go on and get settled. I’m going to do one last check of the house.”
I’m the last one in the van, so of course, all the good seats are taken. And by good seats I mean the back, where I can avoid everyone until the coffee has kicked in and my brain decides to work.
George will be driving, and Mom is in the front passenger seat. Maisy has the middle seat, and Jonah is already in the back, legs wide, taking up the entire row.
My brain screeches to a halt. Why is he dressed in nothing but mesh shorts and a sleeveless tee? “We’re going on a trip, Jonah. Not the gym.”
A grin stretches across his stupid face. As if my grumpiness is fun for him. “I want to be comfortable.”
He stretches his arms above his head until his fingers brush the roof of the van, exposing his perfect abs and the light dusting of hair that leads down, down—
“Problem, Vivian?” he asks, his voice low. Smokey.
My eyes dart away, and I swallow, fighting against the heat rushing to my face and other places. “No problem,” I reply coolly. “Other than you taking the best spot.”
A door slams, and I jump. George is behind the wheel, and he turns in his seat to look at me and then Jonah. “No fighting over seats. We’ll be switching it up. But for now, can we just get on the road?”
Jonah snickers, and I shoot him a glare. Big mistake. My eyes get stuck on his bare legs. Jesus Christ. I already regret agreeing to this trip, and we haven’t even left the driveway.
Remember your goal, Vivian. Get to Cali. Nail your routine. Impress Frankie’s boss.
“Sit by me, Vivie.” Maisy gives me a bright smile, and how can I refuse? Besides, I’m not sitting next to Jonah.
“Thanks, cupcake.” I ignore Jonah as I sit beside Maisy and set my bag next to me on the seat.
Maisy’s carseat takes up a lot of room, but for the most part, I have enough space to stretch out my legs.
But I can’t go back to sleep or listen to music because Maisy immediately starts chattering about how excited Bell, her dragon princess, is about the trip.
She walks the toy along my arm as she talks, and oh my God, how is she this awake this early?
George drives out of the driveway, and we’re off on our adventure. My heart gives a thump of excitement. This is going to be a long trip, but getting to see my bestie and possibly getting my dream job will be worth it.
By the time we reach the highway, Maisy is singing the Dragon Princess theme song at the top of her lungs.
Jonah laughs, and I glare at him. He pulls his earbuds out of his backpack and winks.
Jerkwad. But instead of snapping at him, I give him a sweet-as-pie smile.
He falters, accidentally dropping one of the earbuds.
Still smiling, I turn to our sister and interrupt her song. “Maisy, do you and Bell want to play a game?”
Her face lights up. “You, me, and Bell?”
I tap my chin. “We should invite Jonah to play. He’s all by himself.”
We both turn to Jonah. He has one earbud in and the other one partway to his ear. “What?”
As if he doesn’t know. “Do you want to play a game with us?” I ask, trying to sound innocent.
His eyes narrow. And for a second, I think he’s going to refuse.
Until Maisy gives him a pleading look. “Please, Jojo?”
He shoots me an irritated look, but then smiles at Maisy. “Sure. What are we playing?”
“Eye Spy,” I say before Maisy can come up with something else. I learned that lesson after playing the sing-along game for hours.
Maisy claps in excitement, and Jonah groans. Getting under Jonah’s skin brightens my day. “I’ll go first. Just remember, it has to be something inside the van.”
She nods eagerly. And then has Bell nod too.
I don’t hide my smile as I look around. At George and Mom, talking softly and laughing in the front.
At the immaculate blue floors—how old is this van anyway?
I’m sure Jonah could tell me—to Maisy squirming in her seat.
And finally, I let my gaze settle on Jonah.
He raises a brow, and I try to hide my grin as my gaze roams over him, taking in his light-blue shirt that matches his eyes, his gray shorts, and those legs, finally stopping at the red and black slides on his feet.
“Any day now,” Jonah says, irritation lacing his words and fueling me on.
I meet his gaze, savoring his annoyance and then turn to Maisy. “I spy with my little eye something red and black.”
“My slides,” Jonah says confidently.
“Sorry, bro. We’re going by age, so Maisy gets to go first.”
She beams. “Jojo’s shoes.”
“Yes! Good job, Maisy. Your turn.”
“Really?” Jonah huffs and crosses his arms, which emphasizes his broad chest and biceps.
The air-conditioning is on since it’s already starting to get warm at six in the morning, but it must not be working properly. I’m burning up. My shirt sticks to my skin, and I pull it away.
“I spy with my little eye something blue,” Maisy says and then shakes her head. “No, pink. Something pink.”
Jonah quirks an eyebrow. “You’re younger than me.”
And why does that make me feel immature?
“Just by a few months.” But it’s not being younger that bothers me.
Jonah moved away. He lives on his own in another state and has a full-time job.
Like a real adult. I ignore his satisfied expression and look around.
I don’t need to. There are only two pink things in this van.
The bow on her dragon princess and my bag.
She’s staring at my bag, being even less subtle than I was. “Bell’s bow,” I guess.
She giggles. “No!”
Jonah rolls his eyes. “Vivian’s bag.”
Her smile falters a bit, but she nods. “Yup. Your turn, Jojo.”
I grab my bag and pull my phone out. As I type away, Jonah scoffs. “Really? We’re playing a game—” His phone beeps, and he stares at the message I just sent.
Stop guessing right away. She’s four. Let her enjoy it.
He glares at me and types furiously. When my phone pings, I read his reply.
This wasn’t my idea. And life is hard. Better to learn that now.
“For Christ’s sake, Jonah,” I say through gritted teeth, “grow up.”
“Me?” He points to himself, his voice getting louder. “I’m the one—”
“What’s going on back there?” George glares at us through the mirror. Mom bites her lips as she watches us. She doesn’t like conflict. For a good reason.
“Nothing.” I wave my hand. “Everything’s fine.”
“Are we still playing?” Maisy asks with tears in her eyes. I want to yell at Jonah that this is all his fault, but that would make everything worse.
“Of course. It’s Jonah’s turn.”
But Jonah has that stubborn look on his face. “I don’t—”
“It’s Jonah’s turn,” I say again, trying to keep my voice light while my eyes flash with retribution if he makes Maisy cry.
“Fine.”
I expect him to name something easy just to get it over with, but this is Jonah.
The boy is competitive. Especially if it has anything to do with me.
He’s been that way since the moment I moved in.
Telling me in no uncertain terms that this was his town.
His family. His dad. And that I’d better not fuck everything up for him.
I don’t think about what happened before he made that announcement.
My first day at Hopeview High is not a cherished memory.
Jonah takes his time scanning the van and then me, his eyes roaming over me in a way that makes me want to squirm. Telling him to hurry up would give him what he wants, so I remain as still as I can. Maisy, however, doesn’t hesitate. “Come on, Jojo!”
He smiles, and it’s so fond that for a second, I can’t breathe. What would it be like to get a smile like that?
Dangerous. The word pops into my head, and I feel it to my bones.
“I spy with my little eye something…white.”
“Mama’s shirt?” Maisy guesses.
“Nope.”
“Your earbuds?” I ask, but he shakes his head. Several things in the van are white, but we quickly go through them all. I almost text him again to remind him she’s only four.
“Bell and I give up,” Maisy says, slumping in her seat.
I don’t want to give up. But I also don’t want to drag this out. “Fine, Jonah. You win.”
He grins, and I roll my eyes. “Vivian’s teeth.”
“What the—fudge?”
“I mean, you can’t see them unless you smile. Give us a smile, Vivian.”
I glare at him, but I’m not sure what I’m mad about.
That he had to be so competitive with a children’s game?
Or the fact that now I have to smile for him.
On command. A wave of lust washes over me, and I fight against it.
I don’t want Jonah bossing me around. Okay, I don’t want to want Jonah bossing me around, which isn’t the same thing at all.
“Come on, Vivian,” he coaxes. “Smile for us.”
I smile, showing my teeth as I shoot daggers at him. Fucker.
My fingers fly over my phone.
I hope you don’t plan on sleeping during this trip. I will get you back.
Jonah looks at his phone and snorts.
Bring it.
The man is annoying. Childlike. Irritating. But I can’t help the thrill of excitement that zips through me as I plan my revenge.