Ashby stood, his thick greying hair sticking up as though he’d raked his hand through it one too many times. “Of course.”
He moved to the front of the vehicle, and I followed, glancing back over my shoulder in time to see Raven rest her head against the window with her eyes closed.
“Here you go, son.” Ashby handed me a sheet with the list of our tour dates, venues, and times.
It was then that he met my eyes. Water worn and tired, a flicker of Ember passed through them that had me more confused than ever. I wanted answers, but wanted them from Ember.
“Thanks. We’ll see you in San Francisco. Drive safely.” I turned on my heels, not knowing what else to say or do.
“Bo?” Ashby called after me.
I turned back around to find the broken smile of a kind man. “Take care of her okay?”
I nodded. “Always.”
Regan was waiting, leaning against the RV as I planted my feet on the ground.
“Is everything … you’re not leaving the tour are you?”
“God, no. Thankfully. At least, that’s not the plan right now. We’re driving.” I nodded to the far end of the parking lot where I watched Ember climb into the driver’s seat of the rental car that must have shown up while I was inside.
“I … so … Ember’s my friend, and so are you, but I’m thinking you two should drive alone for a while? Right?” His eyebrows twisted as he struggled to find the words.
I chuckled. “That’d be great, man. Trust me, I want you with us as much as I’m sure Ember does, but I still don’t know what the hell happened there. We’ll see you in San Fran tonight.”
Regan nodded, then gave my shoulder a firm slap. “Godspeed, bro.”
“Thanks.” I gave him a slap in return and walked to the car, placing our belongings in the trunk.
I walked to the driver’s side door and knocked on the window. Ember rolled it down but didn’t look at me.
“Do you want me to drive, so you can … relax?” I’d never been so tongue tied in my life as I was during this situation.
Ember kept looking forward and shook her head. “I need to focus on something else for a while. Let me drive for a few hours.”
I walked to the passenger side without a fight, got in, and allowed five full minutes of deafening silence as we navigated toward the highway before I spoke.
“Ember.”
“Not right now, Bo. Not … right now.” I watched her cheeks turn crimson as she widened her eyes—her only defense against impending tears.
I ground my back teeth together, impatience and anxiety brewing. Her constant assertion that she could handle things herself was starting to wear on me. All I wanted to do was take care of her. Why was she so resistant?
“We need to talk about what just happened, Ember.” My voice was firm but caring as I tried to pry open the gates around her heart.
“You were in the RV with my parents.” She shrugged as though that was the answer.
I turned and faced her. “I didn’t talk to them about this.”
“Why not? They didn’t try to cover their asses?” She bit her lip as her tone turned angry.
I reached across the car and set my hand on her leg. She moved it as though she didn’t want me to touch her, but I was unfazed. “I’m not in love with them. I wanted to have this conversation with you.”
“If I talk about it, I’m going to cry. I hate crying.” Her eyes pinched at the edges as early tears seeped out. She was the only person I knew who spent as much time apologizing while she was crying as she did getting to the heart of why she was crying.
“Take the next exit.” I nodded to the sign that promised good coffee in less than a mile.
“No.”
I erased all gentleness from my voice as I battled her stubbornness. “Ember, take the next exit.”
She looked at me, most likely checking to see if my face matched my words. When she realized they did, she moved to the right lane and took the exit.
“There’s a Starbucks right up there. I know you want one as badly as I do, since the band refuses to let us stop there.” I was granted a half smile as Ember negotiated the left hand turn to the church of the mermaid goddess.
Honestly, I wouldn’t have cared if it was Starbucks or a gas station, but The Six drank tea and sunshine, leaving little time to stop for the caffeine the rest of us needed. Badly.
“I’ll do the drive through, then we can park over there.” Ember pointed to the largely vacant lot on the other side of the tiny coffee hut.
I let out a sigh of relief. She was willing to stop the car and drink some coffee. She needed to tell me what happened in that damn RV, and I wasn’t letting us back on the highway until I got some answers.
“Yeah,” Ember called into the speaker. “I’ll have a venti, half-caff, soy, Pike misto with one pump vanilla.”
I had to stifle a chuckle. She chanted her order as if it were a daily prayer.
“You want your usual?” She asked me over her shoulder.
“Please.”