The kiss.
We’d come back to the tent after Karson had kissed me.
Oh my God. Karson had kissed me. A lot. He’d kissed me a lot, a lot.
My fingertips drifted to my swollen lips. Holy. Shit.
Karson Avery had kissed me. I held back a squeal.
The shock on my face must have woken Karson up completely because he sat up, his eyes on alert. “Clara.”
“You kissed me.”
He nodded. “That’s all that happened.”
That’s all? It was a kiss. A freaking kiss. Something I’d wanted for months and months and months. “I remember.”
“Are you—”
“Good. Great! I’m great. Except I have a headache.” Though I couldn’t tell if the spinning was because I was experiencing my first hangover or because of the kiss.
“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I do too.”
What did we do now? There was no way I’d be kissing him again until I brushed my teeth. My mouth was dry and tasted . . . blech. Beer breath was awful. Though I didn’t have a mirror, my hair was most certainly a mess.
Aria was going to take one look at me and . . . know. Oh my God. My stomach pitched. She was going to know. There was no way I’d be able to hide my puffy lips and this perma-grin from my sister. My secret crush was about to be the talk of the junkyard.
My head throbbed as I forced myself to unsteady feet. “I’d better go.”
“Clara, wait.”
I didn’t stop moving. “Thanks for the, um . . . see ya.”
Leaving him in the tent, I hurried outside and into the bright morning sun. I winced as my temples pounded but dragged in some air and put one foot in front of the other. When I passed the Cadillac, I kept my gaze on the path, refusing to let myself look at the hood.
The hood where Karson had kissed me.
What did this mean? This was a good thing, right? Karson. Avery. Kissed. Me.
Except at the moment, I kind of wanted to hurl. Pressing a hand to my stomach, I hustled to the truck, hopped in and gathered my towel and shower supplies.
“Morning.” Aria was on her bed with the novel she’d had last night.
“Hi. Sorry. I was in the tent. I, uh, fell asleep.”
She shrugged. “I figured. I crashed early. This book wasn’t good enough to stay up late with.”
I ducked my chin, hoping to keep my face hidden until I could assess the damage. Luckily, my hair was hanging everywhere like a curtain. “I’m taking a shower.”
“’Kay.”
Before she could say anything else, I disappeared, rushing for the shop. The smell of grease and gasoline made me gag, but I locked myself in the bathroom and cranked the shower on hot. Then as steam flooded the room, I faced the mirror.
Yep. Swollen lips.
A laugh escaped as I leaned closer, taking them in. Karson had kissed me. I had kissed him. We’d had a full-on make-out session on the Cadillac. Londyn’s Cadillac.
Would she hate me for it? Would she hate me for loving Karson? A wave of guilt swept over my shoulders, but I shook it away.
“She’ll never know,” I whispered, then went for my toothbrush, scrubbing my mouth until all I tasted was mint.
The mirror began to fog so I stripped off yesterday’s clothes and stepped into the shower stall. I lingered, soaking in the warmth and letting it chase away the hangover. At least . . . I assumed it was a hangover. By the time I stepped out, my headache wasn’t as bad and my mind was clear.
I’d need a clear head. Because I’d bolted on Karson and we had to talk about the kissing.
Would he want to do it again? Or would he say it was a mistake? I was fairly certain I’d die if he told me I was a mistake.
We only had two days left until our birthday. They’d be the longest two days of my life if Karson rejected me now.
Aria was dressed and eating a rice cake when I returned to the truck. She was sitting on the end, kicking her legs.
“I tried beer,” I blurted, climbing inside. I put my soap and shampoo away, then hung up my towel. Then I sat beside her and let my head rest on her shoulder. “Beer is really bad.”
She laughed. “Where’d you get beer?”
“Karson. Some guy at his work bought him a six-pack.”
“Ahh.” She nodded. “Was that why you fell asleep in the tent?”
“Yeah.” I sighed, holding back the rest of the story. I wasn’t ready to admit my feelings. I wasn’t ready to admit that I’d betrayed Londyn by falling in love with her boyfriend—ex-boyfriend.
“I thought maybe you and Karson . . .”
“Huh?” My heart dropped as I feigned confusion.
“Do you like him?”
“We’re friends.” I sat up straight. Not a complete lie. Then I stood and walked to the truck’s wall, picking up the dry-erase marker to write today’s number.
Two.
Only two days left and I’d say goodbye to Karson. Kiss or not, we were going our separate ways. Maybe his kiss had been a farewell.
“What time do you want to head in for work?” I asked after swallowing the lump in my throat.
“About an hour. But you don’t have to come with me. I doubt Karson’s mother wants anything to do with us. I think she was just looking for him.”
“Yeah.” We’d explained that much to Karson, but he still insisted on escorting us into town.
“I’m actually going to head out when he’s not looking.” She smirked. “See you later.”
“Be careful.” Before she could jump down, I went and wrapped my arms around her. “Love you.”
“Love you too. Enjoy your day off. Will you—”
“Water your plants? Of course.”
She snatched her empty backpack, then jumped down and scanned the plant buckets that surrounded the truck. The happy smile on her face disappeared as she took in the flowers and green leaves.
Those were her babies and there was no way for them to come to Vegas. They’d probably die before fall—never something I’d say aloud. But Lou wasn’t going to care for them.
The man only had so much to give, though what he’d given us had been enough.
“Bye.” She waved, then headed out, hooking the pack’s straps on her shoulders as she walked.
“Turkey if you bring home a sandwich,” I called to her back.
She lifted a hand with a thumb up.
Two days, then there’d be no more scrap sandwiches. Well, after we got on our feet.
Aria and I weren’t delusional about what waited for us at the end of our countdown. The days were likely to get harder for a while as we started a new life. Without jobs or a home, I imagined we’d be spending a week or two in a sleezy motel with bedbugs and cockroaches.
But that was what we’d been saving for. We had enough money to afford a cheap room while we got an apartment lined up. Neither of us wanted to be living on the streets, especially in Las Vegas.
The sudden urge to count our savings stash came over me, and I hurried to my bed, taking it out and separating the cash into piles.
Two thousand three hundred and fifty dollars. Exactly what had been there the last time Aria and I had counted it out. Nearly three years of peanut butter and honey sandwiches, eating whatever our respective restaurants would give us and spending next to nothing, all so we could have a decent shot at a future.