The Road to Magnolia by Michelle Major

Author:Michelle Major [Major, Michelle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781488078248
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2020-07-16T19:36:09+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

“HAWAII.”

Lily looked up from the book she’d been reading. They were almost through the ten-hour drive of day two on the road that would keep them on schedule to arrive in Magnolia late Friday night.

She felt sore and sticky despite the cool air blowing from the vents on the dash. The Oklahoma sky was in the midst of turning from pink to gray, but thanks to the late summer days, it still wouldn’t be full dark when they reached their destination.

She threw a questioning glance at Garrett, who managed to look unrumpled and strangely attractive with the shadow of stubble across his jaw and his hair curling around his ears.

He pointed to the sedan in front of them. “A Hawaii license plate.”

“Seriously?” She straightened in her seat. “That’s amazing. I would have totally missed it.” She checked her list. “Now we only need Maine, Alaska, Vermont and South Dakota.”

“You need them,” he clarified. “I’m not playing.”

She laughed softly. “Whatever you say as long as you keep looking.”

He rolled his eyes and adjusted the radio to a country station with decent reception.

Lily hummed along with the old Luke Bryan song while she glanced behind her. Chloe’s big body was stretched across the back seat, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she slept. The dog didn’t seem to mind the hours of driving, sleeping through most of them and perching her chin on Garrett’s shoulder to look out the front window when she was awake.

To be honest, Lily didn’t mind the long hours either. Something inside her had loosened as they got farther away from Los Angeles, and she realized how unhappy she’d been.

Why had she gone through the motions for so many years with no regard for what she’d truly wanted?

Because it would have made her mom happy? Tears had clogged her throat when she’d explained to Garrett that her mother’s dying wish—as the pancreatic cancer had decimated her body—was for Lily to pursue the dream of stardom. To succeed where her mother had failed.

That had been Lily’s senior year of high school and, despite her father’s protests, she’d done it. She’d moved to Hollywood and tried to find work as an actress, hoping that her mom would be watching over her and guiding her on a path to success.

A path that Lily now wished she would have gotten off of sooner.

“I think a hotel for tonight is a better idea,” Garrett said as Luke’s crooning voice faded and a song Lily didn’t recognize came on. She hadn’t listened to country music since she’d left Magnolia and had forgotten how much she liked it. Another tiny piece of herself she’d stripped away trying to become a person she was never meant to be.

“No way.” Lily shook her head. “I heard your mom when you talked to her earlier. She’s so excited to see you, even if it’s just for one night.”

“I can stop on my way back.”

“Garrett.” She waited until he glanced her way and then squeezed his arm. It was odd that she kept finding excuses to touch him in the confined space of the SUV.

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