My foot slips, causing the car to suddenly decelerate and then lurch forward when I compensate. “Scarlett, you can’t just shove my driving leg around!”
“I need you to lift up so I can check under you,” she says, poking at my thigh. “It’s not that complicated.”
“I’m operating a moving vehicle. I can’t exactly?—”
“MOVE!” She pushes my leg again, which sends the SUV into another jerky motion that throws her directly into my lap.
For a moment we freeze, suddenly aware of our very awkward position. She’s nearly on top of me and her hand is on my thigh—by accident, of course, but tell that to my overreactive body.
“What are you doing?” I yelp.
“I’m not doing anything!” she protests from her current position, sprawled across me.
My tire hits the shoulder before I swerve, wrestling the car back into my lane.
“You’re the one who can’t drive in a straight line!”
“That’s because you keep assaulting my leg while I’m trying to operate heavy machinery!”
“Oh, so now I’m the problem? At least I’m not the one who serenaded someone at a Christmas party!”
“Will you ever let me live that down?”
“No, I won’t.” She scrambles to her side, smoothing her hair down. “Now just keep your hands on the wheel while I search under your seat.”
“Under my seat?” I bellow. “How are you going to?—”
But she’s already twisting herself into an awkward position, somehow threading her way under the steering wheel while still buckled in. It’s like having an overeager golden retriever climbing on your lap while driving.
“Scarlett.” I keep my eyes on the road, because if I watch her fold herself into a human pretzel, I will drive us into a ditch. “This is dangerous. You can’t contort yourself under the dashboard while I’m driving.”
“Just lift up a little,” she commands from somewhere near my ankles.
“Can we please wait until we’re not moving?” I’m swerving all over the road as she gets handsy with my pant leg before pushing my foot up.
Why is it I could hardly touch her when we were practicing, but now that we’re not, we’re practically in each other’s pockets?
“I need to find it before we get to dinner and my parents notice!”
“Scarlett—”
I’m trying to maintain control of the vehicle while she performs what appears to be car yoga in my seat when I hear the unmistakable sound of a siren behind us.
A cop pulls up behind me, lights flashing in my rearview, and my stomach plummets.
Her head pops up from its hiding place and smacks into the steering wheel.
“Ow!” She winces, clutching her head. “Are we seriously getting pulled over right now?” She turns around and stares at the cop car behind us, then slumps against her seat. “We’re going to be a viral TikTok by morning.”
“Well.” I watch the cop walk up in the rearview. “Look on the bright side—our relationship is officially public record now.”
SIX
Brendan
“Is this some kind of joke?” Rafael Marco’s tanned forehead creases as he holds up theSully’s Beach Newswith my picture plastered across the front page. The headline reads: “New Assistant Coach Starts Season in the Fast Lane.”
I cringe inside when I see it. “It’s not what it looks like.”