The Way of Love

SEVEN

"Somebody had your back on this rental," she said appreciatively, looking over the low, gleaming, sporty vehicle that looked roughly like Hell on wheels.

"Might as well drive something fun, right?" Rob opened the door for her, jogged around, jumped in the driver's seat and the v8 roared to life. "First things first." He pulled his phone out, opened Maps and clicked Go.

"Starting route to Jack in the Box," said Siri.

Cher's head rolled back with ecstasy. "YES."

"Thought that might be popular."

"Oh, yeah, let's go."

At the drive-through, Rob put the window down. "Hey, yeah, let me get two large chocolate shakes, two large onion rings and four tacos." He shot Cher a sideways glance. "Is that right?"

"You know it."

They pulled up to the window and Cher turned her face away when Rob paid and was handed their order. He drove to a remote corner of the shopping center's parking lot and killed the engine.

"This smells like heaven. Fried, greasy, delicious heaven. It's been ages and ages..." she fished in the bag and pulled out an onion ring, cramming the whole thing into her mouth. "OhhmuhhGod."

"Beats your blueberry smoothie all to shit."

"You're not kidding. Fuck, my ass is gonna be too big to fit in the plane tomorrow."

"Your ass is perfect. You've earned your junk food."

"Remind me to keep you around."

"Okay."

"I won't be as cute when I weigh three hundred pounds, though," she said, around half a taco she'd crammed into her cheeks.

The ate their way into contented silence, which Cher broke by tipping the onion ring box up, pouring the last few crumbs into her mouth. "I'm really sorry that's over."

"Was it everything you dreamed of?"

"It sure was."

"Here, give me your trash." They packed up the wrappers and Rob walked them across the lot to a trash can. When he came back, Cher was standing in front of the driver door. "You wanna drive?"

"Yeah." She grinned diabolically, then laid her hands on his chest. "This is fun."

He lifted one of her hands and kissed her knuckles. "I'm glad. I want you to have fun. I was thinking of what to do for dinner and this seemed—"

"Perfect. There's nothing I'd have rather had." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Good thing we both had onions, huh?"

"You say that like that would keep me from kissing you," he murmured, whisking his mouth across hers. "I got news. It wouldn't."

"Hm, speak for yourself," she teased, softening it by pushing her lips back into his. "Okay, are we gonna stand here and make out, or are you gonna let me drive this thing?"

"Do I get a choice?"

"No!" She jumped into the car and slammed the door. When he climbed in beside her, she handed him his phone with one hand and fastened her seat belt with the other. "Tell me where to go."

He hadn't figured out how to get them out of the hotel, but he sure as hell had mapped out the shortest route to take them to a big open highway in the middle of nowhere. "Take a left," he said, "And get out on the main road and then go about – yeah – three exits up."