Page 36 of Hairpin Curves

“Is this the ‘Tumbleweed’ CD?” Megan asked.

“Yeah. What is it? I thought it would be country.”

“It’s songs about traveling. I think there’s some country on it, though.” She looked over at Scarlett. “You wanted country?”

“We’re going to Nashville. It seemed appropriate.”

The next song was John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” which they both sang along to. After that was a country song Scarlett didn’t know about highway sunrises. The miles rolled on, and Scarlett had just about managed to put memories from the previous evening out of her mind when Megan interrupted her thoughts.

“So I guess I’ve tried my next new thing.”

Scarlett could not believe she’d just come out and say it like that. “What, you mean last night?”

Megan gaped, then laughed. “I meant the snowball fight.”

Scarlett had to laugh as well. “Oh my god. I’m sorry.”

“Nah. It’s all right. That was new, too, I guess.” Megan tipped her head to the side, far more relaxed about this than Scarlett had expected. “New with you, I mean.”

Scarlett considered her. “I’m starting to think I don’t know you as well as I thought I did.”

Megan gave her a tiny, satisfied smile. “Good.”

“You like being a mystery?”

“I don’t need to be a mystery, but I don’t like feeling like someone knows everything about me. Especially when they formed all those conclusions based on me as a teenager.”

Scarlett turned to stare out the window. “I sometimes think it would be nice to be totally understood.”

“Then be honest with people.”

Scarlett glanced back, hurt flaring up in immediate response, but Megan’s expression was placid. She probably wasn’t intending to be hurtful at all. Scarlett let it go.

The drive west to Nashville was more pleasant than Scarlett had imagined, especially after the uncertainty of the morning, but even with her love of road trips, the reality of so many hours in this car was starting to wear on her. Even Megan’s extensive CD collection wasn’t helping, although they did sing along to a few songs as the miles rolled past, moving from “Tumbleweed Feels” to “Summer Thunderstorms” in the CD case.

“Stop squirming.”

Megan’s command shook Scarlett out of her reverie. “What?”

“You’re squirming all over the place. Stop it.” Megan glanced over. “You want to drive?”

“I’m just tired of being in the car.”

“There’s a lot more road trip ahead.” Ever the voice of logic, Megan wasn’t saying anything Scarlett didn’t already know, but hearing it was still grating. “You want to drive?’

“I don’t know.” Scarlett wasn’t sure driving would help. “You want to play a game?”

“What, like the road sign game or something?”

God, the road sign game. “No. Not that. Something else.”

“Truth or dare?”

Megan seemed like she was kidding, but the idea sounded great to Scarlett. “All right.”

Megan made a face. “Really?”

“Sure. Why not?”