Star Struck Read Free Page B

ridiculously oversized houses, a school and a hospital … Where’s the fashion?’
    I stuck my head out from under the blanket which covered me as I lay sprawled across the whole back seat, half-drugged. Felix insisted on running the air-con full blast despite the fact that this was pushing the fuel costs into the ‘ridiculous’ bracket, and yet he wouldn’t pay extra for the GPS. I suppose that’s men for you. ‘Maybe they don’t need fashion out here.’
    â€˜Skye, this is America! Land of the free, or at least, the reasonably priced. Everyone needs fashion. Particularly that chap over there … that is the ugliest shirt I’ve ever seen. Anyway. Soon be there, the Broken Hill Motel, Nevada. Sounds exotic, doesn’t it?’
    â€˜No, it sounds tacky. Who holds conventions in Nevada? Apart from CSI fans.’ I clutched the blanket closer to me for the fake sense of security. ‘I want to go home.’ The panic was building, knocking against my temples like an old friend wanting to come in.
    â€˜No, you don’t. I didn’t go through all that business getting you onto the plane and force-feeding you tranquilisers just for you to dip out on me.’ Felix swung the car’s weight into a minor curve. I rocked against the door and had to half-sit to balance myself. As I did, I caught his eye in the rear-view mirror, and the next thing I knew we were stationary, with the car slewed across the edge of the road, and Fe was half-in, half-out of the back seat, hanging through from the driver’s side to flap his hands in my face, encouraging a sluggish current of air to puff against my cheek.
    â€˜What …’ I drew a breath. My throat ached and my eyes felt like they’d been thumbed.
    â€˜Oh good, you’re back with me. I was a bit worried there, your eyes rolled right back in your head, which is not a good look, let me tell you. Nearly as hideous as Mr Shirt and his incredible diamante buttons back there.’ A half-sighed breath wobbled his words and made him sound more concerned than I’d ever heard him. ‘Skye, look, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you’d be this bad, I just thought it would be good for you, a break from … everything, you know? I thought, away from York, from the memories of it all, you might …’ He flopped back into his seat, a passing motorcyclist distracting his attention.
    I forced my fists to uncurl, and laid my head carefully back on the seat. ‘It’s okay. Really. No, you were right, Fe, I had to start living again sometime and if it took something like this to make it happen, then that’s a good thing, isn’t it?’ Isn’t it ? ‘Besides, I am getting better, look, I got that Internet problem fixed, didn’t I? Talked to a strange man for ages to sort it out, and I was getting a bit sick of the same old places – home, library, supermarket … It will be good to see some new sights. Like …’ I waved at hand at the window, ‘that.’
    â€˜It’s a chemist’s.’
    I sighed, the tension in my shoulders barely allowing any air in. ‘But it’s not Boots. That’s what I mean, it’s different. A change of scenery, like you said.’ The slight wobble in my voice gave the lie to the words.
    â€˜Just say the word and I’ll drive straight back to Vegas, we’ll get on a plane and you’ll never have to leave town again.’
    I looked through the gap between the seats. His knuckles were a bluish-grey where his hands were clenched around the steering wheel, and his back was pressed right into the seat, as though he was somehow nervous about my reply. That’s right, Skye, run away when it gets difficult … ‘We’ll go on.’ My voice was so quiet he didn’t hear and I had to repeat myself. ‘To the motel.’ A half-hysterical laugh bubbled out with