Seclusion by C.S. Rinner Read Free Book Online Page A

glanced at him through a
sleepy haze.
    “An iced coffee!”
    I clapped in excitement.
    “Where’d you get this?”
    “I’m tricky like that. Here
you go,” he said as he handed me the drink and my iPod. “I made you a new
playlist: ‘Raegan and Chase’s road trip mix.”
    “Sweet! Thank you!” I said,
plugging my iPod in and starting the playlist.
    “Too bad we’re about to hit
our first rest stop. You’ll have to finish listening to it after we eat and
pee.”
    “Oh, really? I thought we
wouldn’t reach a rest stop for three and a half hours.”
    He gave me a knowing look.
“It’s 9:15, Raegan. You were out!”
    “I’m sorry; I didn’t sleep
well last night.”
    He laughed. “It’s really
not a big deal.”
    Chase pulled into the rest
stop. We sat at a picnic table and ate the muffins and cereal my aunt had
packed. “I think we have enough food for three days!” he said.
    I laughed. “I know, my aunt
said that I would miss her cooking, and she didn’t want me going stick skinny
there. So…how are you feeling about leaving and all?” I asked.
    “Surprisingly, I’m doing
fine. I’m a little bummed, but I’m psyched to figure more out about myself and
what I can do,” he said as he opened his second soda. “What about you?”
    “Mmm, I range from scared,
to super excited, to worried that it’s too good to be true.”
    “I understand. I still feel
like something is a little off about it.” He grabbed his phone as it vibrated
on the table. “Ugh, I don’t understand why she won’t leave me alone. She knows
I’m going to Texas. Oh no… Figures. Her dog died. I’m going to have to call her
back. I promise I’ll try to be quick,” he said with a wink.
    I was considerably
irritated. I knew I shouldn’t be, but really? Her dog died? She’s just using
that as an excuse. I wasn’t jealous, I was just irritated that she was so
manipulative. After my first touch with Chase, I knew she was a b-witch.
    I tried not to think about
it. I pulled my phone out and called Aunt Jan. She and Jeremy were busy. They
had plans for the day, but she was very excited to hear from me and was sure to
remind me to continue with the text updates. I think this was her way of
chastising me because I hadn’t texted yet.
    Chase seemed distracted
after the phone call. Maybe it was just me being paranoid. We chatted about the
playlist in the car and he quickly went to sleep. His blonde hair was starting
to get bed-headish, and he looked so peaceful. Of course, a boy could pull off
looking cute as he slept. I was positive then that I had probably been snoring
and drooling. I pulled into the next rest stop at about 1:30.
    Rest stop bathrooms… How
is it possible to be in the middle of nowhere and still have a bathroom line? Disgusting , I thought as I pulled out a bottle of liquid soap that Aunt
Jan had insisted I throw into my purse. I have to say, I’m loving her right
now! I definitely felt 100 percent better with real soap. I felt bad for
the other ladies, so I squeezed soap into two of their hands on my way out as I
tried to escape the bacteria-ridden, archaic bathroom. I’m surprised there
were doors on the stalls , I thought as I scanned the lot for the car. Where’d
he go? I saw a wave from under some trees.
    There he was, on a blanket,
with our food set out.
    “A picnic! How fun and
cute!” I exclaimed.
    “Yep, complete with fried
chicken and coleslaw. I couldn’t have planned it better.”
    “My aunt goes a little
crazy sometimes when it comes to food.”
    “Yeah, I love her! Too bad
she’s married!” he laughed.
    “I don’t know how she does
it. I follow the same recipes and they turn out okay, but her food is
delectable. I don’t think she’s ever been denied anything if she has food with
her. I phoned in earlier and she said to tell you hi and thank you for taking
care of me.” She acted as if I wasn’t sixteen but just graduating from the
crib. “Do you think I should give Elsie, that