The Darkest Part (Living Heartwood 1)

Holden clears his throat. Tension still radiates off him. “What is it?”

“Springfield,” I say, trying to evoke a pleasant tone. “Because the Simpsons rule.”

A bright smile that matches our surroundings takes over his face. He shakes his head and looks back at the road.

“I know,” I say. “It’s not really the Springfield from the cartoon, but I guess it was close enough for Tyler.”

Silence settles between us, and I peek at Holden. He’s deep in thought, as if he’s remembering watching the TV show with his brother when they were kids. I decide to let him have his moment, and focus on the overwhelming feeling that being far from home brings.

As he pulls into a parking lot, I check out the towering hotel with more windows than any other building we’ve passed on this street so far. “University Plaza Hotel?”

“What about it?” He shifts into first gear and then turns off the truck. The rumbling of the engine that’s been a comforting barrier between us fades away.

I shrug. “Isn’t this kind of swanky for, like, a road trip, overnight stay?”

He shrugs, too. It’s become our go-to move. Safer than looking each other in the eyes. “I thought we could relax in a decent hotel. And I could really use a good bed.” I swallow hard, and he quickly continues. “For my back.” He looks at me and smiles. It’s forced. “I’m picky about beds. It’s a thing.”

As I open the door and hop down from the truck, the warm air hits my skin, thawing me from the AC inside the cab. I breathe in the thickness. It even smells cleaner here. As we enter the lobby, Holden glances at me. His jaw tightens before he looks ahead again.

“I should pay for this one,” I say. “Really.”

He shakes his head. “I picked a different hotel than what was on the map, so I’ll cover it.”

I don’t argue. I don’t have the fight in me to do so, and when Holden steps up to request the rooms, I look away. After our fiasco last night, and the immense issues it caused today, I’m surprised when he asks for one room instead of two. I look at him and raise my eyebrows.

He faces me and leans against the counter. “We’re not going to let it become a thing. We have a long way to go, and many more hotels.” His pale blue eyes search my face, looking for approval. “It’s just stupid to pay for two.”

I could argue with that logic, especially after I nearly threw myself from a truck to get away from him. But I suck it up. I’m not the one paying, and if I were, I’d only want to pay for one room, too. “It’s all right,” I say, shoving the unease down. “But I’m not claiming we’re grownups this time.”

He winks. “Feel free to freeze my boxers and dip my toothbrush in the toilet.”

A laugh escapes me before I can stop it. “Fair enough.”

As we move through the lobby, Holden whistles. I agree with his sentiment—it’s gorgeous. Water cascades down a tiered fountain into a large stone pool. The walls are golden, like a bit of Italian wealth. Classy. Accent lights set off artwork that both Holden and I can’t help but pause to study every few steps.

It’s such a change of scenery from our last destination that I feel even more removed from our problems. I wonder if that was Holden’s intention. And as he inserts the key card and opens the door to the wide open floor plan, I couldn’t care less.

I run to the bed and fall back. The plush comforter whaps as I land, and then I sink into the cozy softness with a sigh.

Hearing him drop his bag near the foot of the bed, I lift up onto my elbows. “This is freakin’ awesome.”

A devilishly beautiful smile slides across his face, and I have to look away. “There’s a pull-out,” he says. “You can have the bed.”

My eyes snap back to him and my brows draw together. “But I thought you had back issues. Didn’t you come here for the bed?”

He rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah. I guess I didn’t think that through.”

My lips twitch. “You can have the bed. I’ll take the couch. I’m not an old fart with back problems.” I plunk back down into the comforter, enjoying the coolness of the white cotton material before I have to give it up.

He exhales heavily as he drops onto the couch. I hear his groan, and wonder just how exhausted he is. He’s driven the whole way here. The guilt that I’m offering nothing on this trip hits me again. “Hey,” I say, pushing myself off the bed. “I’m going to head down to the pool for a while. Think it might reenergize me. Want me to bring something up from the hotel restaurant on my way back? Probably cheaper than room service.”

His head turns my way. “You don’t want to keep to the agenda?” According to the map, Tyler and I were meant to see Outdoor World. Which, honestly, I have no idea why. He wasn’t the outdoorsy type.

I cross my arms over my chest. “I love Tyler, but there is nothing in me that wants to go hang out in a giant Bass Pro Shop.” I shake my head. “It might be time to admit that Tyler obviously had a whole other side of him I wasn’t aware of, or that he wanted to venture into new things . . .” I trail off, hoping the hurt over Tyler’s betrayal isn’t so obvious on my face. “Either way, I don’t feel obligated to do everything on the agenda.”

Holden has gone stone still. His hand paused on top of his head where he’d just been running it through his hair, his teeth locking his lip ring in place. Then like he’s coming out of a trance, he says, “I really don’t want to go to Outdoor World.”

I nod once, my lips tightening as I hold back a smile. “All right. Agreed.” I look around, stalling. “Then I say we relax for tonight. We’ve been on the road, going and doing, since we left.” I chuck my pack onto the bed and then dig out my bikini. “I’ll swim.