Read Online Ready To Go by Stephanie Mann - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephanie Mann
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she said with a grin. “And don’t say it’s your treat either. This is why I have money.”
“I actually wasn’t going to say that this time,” he replied.
Not long later, they arrived at the mall. It looked just like any other mall, crowded parking lot, a Sears, a Macy’s, a Target. Daniel parked the car outside the sign for the food court.
“Do you want to stick together or split up to save time?” he asked.
“I guess split up,” Nicole replied. “I don’t have much to get, I can probably get it all from one place. Target or something.”
“Want to meet in back in the food court?” he suggested.
“Will you buy me lunch?” she asked. “I mean, if you’re going to be driving me around and paying for hotel rooms, I might as well be taking advantage of it.”
He laughed. “Sure.”
Nicole nodded, and the two parted ways. Daniel headed into the closest department store. He didn’t really need much, a few sets of clothes and a stick of deodorant would be good, and maybe some toothpaste and other things that caught his eye. On his way to the checkout, he spotted sleeping bags for sale. There would probably be a point when they’d have to share a room, he reasoned, and a lot of hotels had an extra cost for getting a cot. So he grabbed one of the cheap bags as well. It couldn’t hurt to have one in his car, after all.
He headed to the food court, bought some lunch, and sat down at a table to eat.
Nicole approached him a few minutes later, and raised an eyebrow at the bulging bags beside him. “You do remember it’s just about a week, right?” she asked him as she sat down at the seat across from him.
“Yeah,” he replied, his mouth full. He swallowed his bite of burger and continued, “I got some shampoo, toothpaste, things like that too. This isn’t that much.”
Nicole laughed. “It kind of is. So what did you buy me for lunch?”
“Nothing yet,” he replied, setting down his burger. He reached into his pocket, grabbed his wallet, and pulled out a handful of one-dollar bills. “I have no idea what you like. You go get something, I’ll save the table.”
She took the money from him and headed off to the restaurants lining the seating area. She returned momentarily, carrying a salad. She dropped the leftover money in front of Daniel, and then gestured towards the bags. “Seriously, what’s in there?”
“I got a sleeping bag,” he said. “What if there’s only one bed left at a hotel?”
She frowned. Did she not like the idea of sharing a room? “Okay.”
Daniel just nodded. He was absently tearing up his napkin.
“You look like you’re thinking about something,” she said. “Having second thoughts about this whole thing?”
He looked at the napkin, just realizing what he was doing. “Oh. No, not yet. I wasn’t thinking, just ripping this up. Sometimes my hands just get a little fidgety, so I need to do something with them.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “And you want to be a doctor? Don’t you need steady hands for that?”
“Only if I decide to be a surgeon,” he replied. “I don’t really know what I want to specialize in yet.”
“Are you sure you even want to be a doctor?” she asked. “I mean, you don’t know what you want to specialize in, you’re perfectly fine with leaving school for a crazy reason.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said confidently. He stopped tearing up the napkin. She was pretty sure he wasn’t fine.
After Nicole had finished eating, the two headed back out to the car. They still had a ways to go.
“Let’s stay somewhere with a pool tonight,” Daniel suggested as the sun began to set.
“No,” his passenger replied. “Hotels with pools cost more-“
“I’m paying,” he interrupted to point out.
“-and we’ll only be there overnight. The pool won’t even be open,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.
“It’s just hot out,” he said.
“Get a hotel with air conditioning and sleep naked,” she
“I actually wasn’t going to say that this time,” he replied.
Not long later, they arrived at the mall. It looked just like any other mall, crowded parking lot, a Sears, a Macy’s, a Target. Daniel parked the car outside the sign for the food court.
“Do you want to stick together or split up to save time?” he asked.
“I guess split up,” Nicole replied. “I don’t have much to get, I can probably get it all from one place. Target or something.”
“Want to meet in back in the food court?” he suggested.
“Will you buy me lunch?” she asked. “I mean, if you’re going to be driving me around and paying for hotel rooms, I might as well be taking advantage of it.”
He laughed. “Sure.”
Nicole nodded, and the two parted ways. Daniel headed into the closest department store. He didn’t really need much, a few sets of clothes and a stick of deodorant would be good, and maybe some toothpaste and other things that caught his eye. On his way to the checkout, he spotted sleeping bags for sale. There would probably be a point when they’d have to share a room, he reasoned, and a lot of hotels had an extra cost for getting a cot. So he grabbed one of the cheap bags as well. It couldn’t hurt to have one in his car, after all.
He headed to the food court, bought some lunch, and sat down at a table to eat.
Nicole approached him a few minutes later, and raised an eyebrow at the bulging bags beside him. “You do remember it’s just about a week, right?” she asked him as she sat down at the seat across from him.
“Yeah,” he replied, his mouth full. He swallowed his bite of burger and continued, “I got some shampoo, toothpaste, things like that too. This isn’t that much.”
Nicole laughed. “It kind of is. So what did you buy me for lunch?”
“Nothing yet,” he replied, setting down his burger. He reached into his pocket, grabbed his wallet, and pulled out a handful of one-dollar bills. “I have no idea what you like. You go get something, I’ll save the table.”
She took the money from him and headed off to the restaurants lining the seating area. She returned momentarily, carrying a salad. She dropped the leftover money in front of Daniel, and then gestured towards the bags. “Seriously, what’s in there?”
“I got a sleeping bag,” he said. “What if there’s only one bed left at a hotel?”
She frowned. Did she not like the idea of sharing a room? “Okay.”
Daniel just nodded. He was absently tearing up his napkin.
“You look like you’re thinking about something,” she said. “Having second thoughts about this whole thing?”
He looked at the napkin, just realizing what he was doing. “Oh. No, not yet. I wasn’t thinking, just ripping this up. Sometimes my hands just get a little fidgety, so I need to do something with them.”
She raised an eyebrow at him. “And you want to be a doctor? Don’t you need steady hands for that?”
“Only if I decide to be a surgeon,” he replied. “I don’t really know what I want to specialize in yet.”
“Are you sure you even want to be a doctor?” she asked. “I mean, you don’t know what you want to specialize in, you’re perfectly fine with leaving school for a crazy reason.”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” he said confidently. He stopped tearing up the napkin. She was pretty sure he wasn’t fine.
After Nicole had finished eating, the two headed back out to the car. They still had a ways to go.
“Let’s stay somewhere with a pool tonight,” Daniel suggested as the sun began to set.
“No,” his passenger replied. “Hotels with pools cost more-“
“I’m paying,” he interrupted to point out.
“-and we’ll only be there overnight. The pool won’t even be open,” she continued as if he hadn’t spoken.
“It’s just hot out,” he said.
“Get a hotel with air conditioning and sleep naked,” she
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