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“They can. I’ve just . . . My wife was old-fashioned.”
“Are you old-fashioned?”
“I don’t know what I am. I just went along with what she wanted.”
“That’s no way to fake date.” She took a sip of her coffee. “The best way is for both people to do a little of what they want. That way, they both have fun.”
“Seems simple,” he said. “What about your brother?”
“My brother’s name is John and he’s . . . I don’t really know how to describe him, actually.”
“Really?”
“He’s . . . different, but in a good way. He usually uses these trips to meet new people and go do his own thing. He’s also really relaxed.”
All of it sounded too perfect, as if no one was going to fight on the trip. In his world, something always went wrong on vacation. And usually, it ended with massive arguments.
“All you need to do is sit there and look hot and we should be good,” Amelia said. “We’re breaking up after a few weeks of this, so it doesn’t have to be perfect.”
Daniel was a perfectionist at heart, so he knew this was going to be a challenge, no matter how simple it seemed. “Sit there and look hot. Got it.”
“I mean, also, maybe talk to them. Like, don’t just actually sit there and do nothing.”
“I figured I would talk too.”
Amelia chuckled, but it turned into a sigh. Her nervousness was obvious, and who could blame her? This thing they were attempting to do was incredibly outside the box.
They made small talk up until they were halfway into South Carolina, but she got quiet and seemed to focus more on the road. Daniel wasn’t offended. He’d rather her focus than get in a wreck, but he figured maybe she was tiring out. After all, she had been driving for hours. Maybe he needed to offer to take over for a bit.
He then saw brake lights ahead of them, and though Amelia’s eyes were on the road, the cars were stopping way too fast. So much so that he knew they were going to hit someone.
“Shit!” Amelia slammed on the brakes. She was as fast as she possibly could have been, but there was no way a human could have stopped in time. The CR-V nosedived, and at the last second, she managed to pull to the shoulder to avoid hitting them.
The car that had been behind theirs slammed into the one that had stopped so suddenly, and the bumper of the car that had been behind them flew off.
Silence enveloped the interior of the car and Daniel looked at Amelia. Her lips were pressed together in a fine line, and she gripped the wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.
She climbed out without a word. Daniel grabbed the keys and climbed out too. He could hear the people involved in the crash yelling about who caused the accident, but he couldn’t care less about that. He followed Amelia, who had gone far into the grass of the nearby field.
“Are you okay?” he asked, the words sounding inadequate after what had happened.
“I’m fine,” she said, but her voice shook.
“That was a smart move, pulling over to the shoulder like that.”
“I should have seen it sooner. We haven’t even made it to the beach, and I’ve already caused a problem.”
“What problem did you cause?” he asked.
She gestured around them.
“Amelia, that really wasn’t your fault.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m just so . . .” She ran her hands through her hair, shutting her eyes tightly. “I’m fine. I’m totally fine.”
Daniel wasn’t so sure. “What if I drove for a bit?”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
