Free Nice Girls Don't Ride by Roni Loren Page B

him. He thinks it’s unladylike. “What did that guy do to you? I don’t even recognize you.”
    I shake my head with a bitter laugh. “You never did, Caleb. That’s the problem. And what that guy did to me is none of your business.” I push up on my toes and get close to his ear. “But it was fucking
fantastic
.”
    And with that, I stroll past him into my bedroom and shove the door closed behind me.
    The reflection in my dresser mirror greets me from across the room.
    I don’t recognize that rumpled, confident, smiling person either.
    Hello, Me. Meet the new girl.

Chapter 11
    Monroe
    “Is that all of it?” my brother asks, tossing a duffel bag in the back of the van.
    I check the clock on my phone. Not for the first time. “Yeah, all I’ve got left is hooking up the trailer for my bike.”
    Will braces his hand on the roof of the van and leans in. “You did a damn good job on this, little bro. Though, you should’ve kept the blue shag carpeted walls. That shit was awesome.”
    “No fucking way. I would’ve felt like I was sleeping inside of Cookie Monster.”
    He snorts and pushes off the van. “You got all the food out of the fridge?”
    “Yeah, there’s a box of stuff from the pantry on the counter. Take what you want and ditch the rest. You sure you don’t mind keeping an eye on the place?”
    “I’ve got it covered. No worries.”
    “Cool.” The house is the one we grew up in, so I know he knows all its quirks and the things that could come up.
    He closes the rear door and turns to me, arms crossed, that I-am-the-all-powerful-all-knowing-big-brother look on his face. “What’s with you? You’ve been talking about this trip nonstop for the last few months and now you look like you’re on the way to a funeral.”
    I shrug. But the move feels stiff, forced. “I’m fine. Just didn’t get a lot of sleep. I’ll be good once I get some caffeine.”
    His eyes narrow, but he doesn’t push me on it. “I’ll take care of hitching up the trailer. You go inside and make sure you didn’t forget anything.”
    I tuck my phone in my pocket and go back into the house, knowing I need to get my head out of my ass. I have three months ahead of me. No obligations. No work. And a different view every day. Being in a shitty mood because a girl isn’t as insane as I am is pointless. I know what I’m doing is out there. And the fact that I asked a near stranger to come with me probably makes me certifiable. So why should I be surprised that she isn’t on board?
    God. I’ve turned into one of those
Hey, Girl
memes everyone’s always posting on Facebook.
Hey, Girl. Get in my van. I’ll show you the country while I feed you delicacies from greasy spoons.
    Lame.
    No wonder Natalie bailed.
    I wander through each room, checking and double-checking everything, then grab my backpack. Enough of this crap mood. I just need to get on the road and put all this drama in my rearview. Hanging around is only making it worse.
    I step outside, closing the door behind me, and am happy to see the trailer all hooked up and my bike already on it. Excellent. Time to roll.
    I look for Will, but he’s no longer in the garage. Voices drift from behind me, and I turn around. My brother is laughing about something. I set my backpack down and step around the front of the van. At the end of the driveway I see my brother. And a girl.
    My
girl.
    Something inside me loosens.
    She came.

Chapter 12
    Natalie
    The expression on his face is all I need to know. I came here with a bag packed but my mind not one hundred percent made up. This whole thing still feels crazy and reckless and has high potential for being a disaster. But ever since Monroe dropped me off that morning after my birthday night, I haven’t been able to think of much else.
    I told my mom that I’d visit her sometime this summer but that I won’t be moving back in. It felt liberating.
    And when I’d gotten that obligation off my summer agenda, I’d tried to make