Page 91 of Hollywood

“Not bad,” Knight said.

Ghost nodded. “Better than I expected.”

“I miss the steak,” Tex said.

I kicked his ankle. Joyride was having a rough enough time without his complaints.

Joy laughed, looking happy that we’d moved on from talking about his situation with Dakota. Maybe Tex had the right idea after all.

“What would you fuckers do without me?” Joy demanded.

“Get your rich-ass parents to adopt us, obviously,” Tex quipped.

“You can have them,” Joy said. “They can hover over you all day and lecture you about life plans.”

“Sure, but you have to take my dad,” Tex said. “He’ll ask you to run a business with him. Hell, maybe you’d do a better job than me. I was never very good at doing things his way.”

Joyride cringed. “Working with my dad is what I’m trying to avoid.”

“You’re smarter than me,” Tex said.

Tex sounded casual enough, like they were just exchanging war stories, but I locked in. “Is your dad pressuring you to go back into business with him?”

His gaze shot to mine. “No.”

“But something’s going on with him.”

He shook his head. “Same old shit, Hendrix. He likes to remind me of my failures.”

“Are you sure that’s all this is?” I couldn’t help but think there was something more to the story.

“I told you I was staying here.” His eyes met mine, fierce and almost angry. “Don’t you believe that?”

“Of course I do.”

“Okay, then.”

Everyone around us had gone silent. There was a strangetension in the air. I put Ruby down, stood, and walked off to throw my plate away in the trash bin behind Ghost’s camper.

Tex was a couple of steps behind me as I lifted the lid and tossed my trash.

“Darlin’, wait?—”

I turned sharply toward him. “What was that?”

“I don’t know.”

“If you think I’m making you choose me?—”

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Go to your dad if that’s what you want. I’m not holding you against your will.”

“Hendrix,shut up.” He took my face in his hands and kissed me. No one would see us back here, but it still shocked the anger right out of me. “I don’t want to go anywhere. I choose you because I want to, not because you’re making me choose.”

“I’m sorry. I thought…”

I didn’t even know what I thought. The old fear that he didn’t want to be here had risen up. I’d been insecure. Maybe he’d been right to get angry. He’d told me he was staying, and my heart kept doubting.