“Clarkie,” Gran Tilly says as I walk into the kitchen.
“Hi, Gran,” I reply before being pulled into a hug. Nana Betty hugs me next, followed by PopPop. Once I’m thoroughly manhandled by all the grandparents, I find my mom and hug her.
“Happy anniversary,” I say as I give Mom a giant hug.
“Thanks, sweetie.”
I’m about to ask about her week when Lanie starts ushering all of us to the dining room. Dad comes in last and I know when he sees the front yard decorations because he freezes, squints, and slowly walks out the side entrance to the dining room into the foyer. Opening the door, he continues walking.
Kent stifles his laughter.
“Where’s Dad going?” Mom asks as she peers out the front windows. “What’s out there?” She too gets up and heads to the front.
Slowly, she is followed by the entire family.
“Kent Jason Moore!” Dad growls.
Mom takes one look at the cutouts and starts laughing. “Damn, I looked good back then.”
Dad’s grumpy face turns to laughter. “Shit, we aged.”
PopPop pats him on the back. “We’ve all aged.”
Shaking her head, Mom goes back inside. “Come on, let’s eat. And Kent, dear, you can dismantle the yard décor after dinner.”
“Yes, Mom,” he replies as he settles himself at the table. “We have one more surprise for you though.”
“Please don’t let it be more balloons,” Mom says.
“Nope. But…you can look back out the window now,” he says.
Pulling up to the driveway is a giant, posh-looking RV. Everyone gets up once more and heads outside.
“What’s this?” Dad asks as we all look at it. Kent’s friend Amery gets out of the RV and tosses Dad the keys.
“Enjoy, Mr. Moore,” he says. “I gotta get back home.”
He hops in a car that has pulled up and is off before anyone can say anything else to him. Dad looks at Kent and then the rest of us.
“Remember how you and Mom are always talking about taking a road trip?” I ask.
“And a trip with your parents?” Kent adds.
All of us kids yell, “Surprise!”
“We rented you this RV and made you some hotel reservations near a few national parks that Mom wants to visit,” Kent explains.
“Seriously?” Mom asks.
“Yes, dear, we are all set. Apparently, there are two bedrooms and a pullout sofa in there,” Gran Tilly says.
“Well, shit, that’s uh, wow,” Dad says as he takes in the vehicle.
“Go on in, check it out,” Lanie insists.
We all pile inside the monstrous vehicle. When I say this thing is legit huge, I’m not even kidding. I turn to Kent.
“Do you think Dad will be able to drive this beast?” I whisper.
Kent shrugs. “I mean sure.” Kent stops talking and looks around. “I think so.”
I glance toward the front and see Dad is already sitting in the driver’s seat, which apparently can swivel around.
“I think he’s got it under control,” I state, shaking my head.
“You kids take the bedroom,” Gran Tilly says.
“No, Mom, you should,” Mom insists.
“I want this bottom bunk,” Gran Tilly replies as she sits down in the bunk room. “I always wanted bunk beds.”
Di giggles. “I wish we could all go because this is going to be epic.”
I look over and Nana Betty has her phone up in the air.
“Nana, what are you doing?” I ask.
“I’m recording it so we can blog about the trip,” she explains.
“Blog?” Lanie asks.
“Yeah, you know, so all my followers can see everything we do.”
“Nana, are you on social media?” I ask, my eyes widening.
Nana doesn’t answer but instead turns her phone around. I realize she’s live.
“Wave to my followers, Clarkie. This is Clark, he’s my youngest grandson. Isn’t he just precious?”
I feel my face pinkening with each word out of her mouth.
“Nana,” I hiss.
She pinches my cheek. “Sweetcheeks here is just shy.”
She laughs. “Edith says you are very handsome, and she wants to set you up with her granddaughter. PM me later, Edith. OK, everyone. I’ll go on live again once we get to our first destination.”
Nana sets her phone down. “I didn’t think you were so shy, sweetie.”
I clear my throat and see Di stifling laughter. I glare at her and she starts snorting with giggles.
“What app was that, Nana?” I ask.
She shrugs. “Insta-something or maybe it’s Snap-talk or whatever. I don’t know.”
I huff and head to the back of the RV. The bathroom is really nice, nicer than the one in my apartment.
“Damn, maybe Grif, Evan, and I should have rented an RV this semester instead of the apartment,” I muse as I play with all the buttons. There’s one that changes the LED light colors. There is one that controls a backlight in the mirror. There’s a sound system. It’s legit crazy.
“Beats the dorms, huh?” Kent says, clapping me on the back.
“I was just thinking that,” I admit.
I walk back to the front. Ash is jumping on the sofa and climbing up to the loft above the front seats. Lanie and Di are sitting on the sofa with Gran Tilly, who is holding Vera. Tabby, Garrett, and Levi are sitting at the table. Nana and PopPop are busy checking out the kitchen and Mom and Dad are sitting in the front, just taking it all in.
Kent leans forward. “I’m not going to lie. I sort of want to buy a fleet of these for us, so we can take family road trips every year.”
I grin. “I sort of think that’s a good idea.”
“Sort of? It’s a fucking brilliant idea,” he says, punching my arm.
My watch rattles with a text message. I look down.
Evan: Party?
Grif: Now?
Evan: No, jackass. Tonight.
Grif: Uh, yeah. Duh.
Me: Fine. Heading home. See you in thirty.
Part of me wonders if Megan will be at the frat party tonight. I’ve seen her every weekend this year. And I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t hope to see her many more times. Hell, I haven’t stopped thinking about her since I kissed her on the dance floor the other night. I could have done something else to get her away from Anthony but seeing her on the dance floor in that outfit. I had to do it. I couldn’t stop myself. And now, it’s all I think about. The feel of her lips on mine. Her skin against my skin. How did I become a Megan addict from just one kiss?
Chapter Thirteen
Megan
I shovel another spoonful of chocolate chip mint ice cream into my mouth. I should be out having fun, but instead, I spent the night studying for a test. I survey my empty sorority house. A sorority I only joined to show how diverse I am in my activities. I don’t know why I waited until this semester to actually socialize with them. I wasted so much time studying. On the flip side, I did make friends with Brynn, who I spent all day with at the library. We haven’t hung out as much lately and I feel bad about that too. I admit that it’s a little awkward now that we are essentially competing against each other for a future job, but we agreed to not talk about that and just stick with school stuff.