West of Nowhere Read Online Free Page A

Actually he had, but she had no intention of marching back up the hill to pick up dog shit. Just because Joy was obsessive-compulsive didn’t mean she had to be. A few germs here and there were supposed to be good for you, helping ward off colds or the flu.
    When they got back on the road, Amber passed the next hour pretending to sleep, still mired in thoughts of how she’d been duped by Corey and the band. In hindsight, there were lots of clues and she’d foolishly missed them all. Corey had moved his belongings into storage while encouraging her to sell everything she didn’t absolutely need. When she’d almost backed out of the tour because she didn’t want to give up Skippy, he’d come back with the great news that Gus said she could bring him along. Then her phone stopped working all of a sudden—because Corey had canceled her service—and he’d even given her a little spending money as a kiss-off.
    What really hurt was realizing all her supposed friends had been in on it. Everyone had followed his cue and gotten up to go to the bus when he first mentioned calling her folks. Even Harmony knew about it and was ready when she called to let her down. It was bad enough to be betrayed by a bastard like Corey, but everybody!
    On the far side of St. Louis they stopped at another rest area, where Joy went into the camper to make lunch. She’d grown quiet too, probably wondering what she’d gotten herself into by picking up a stray on the side of the road, one who sulked like a brat.
    “You need any help in there, Joy?”
    “I can handle it. You like mustard?”
    “Sure.” She didn’t care what she ate—or even if she ate—but she needed to straighten up and be nice. They still had a full day to go to get to Limon, and she wasn’t going to get a better ride than this, not with food and a place to sleep thrown in.
    Joy emerged through the narrow door balancing two plates piled with sandwiches, chips and chunks of watermelon. “You want to get our drinks? I left two cups on the counter. There’s iced tea in the fridge, but make sure you put it back in the slot on the door.”
    Amber wasn’t surprised to find the inside of the camper as tidy as the rest of the truck. It was a teeny space but efficiently arranged. A closet-sized bathroom with a shower was on her left across from a dinette that looked just big enough for four very skinny people. Next was a sink, a cooktop with a microwave mounted above it, and a small refrigerator. Beyond the kitchen area was a step up into a sleeping compartment that extended over the truck’s cab. Naturally, its sheets and blanket were perfectly trimmed. A TV was mounted on a swivel so it could be seen from either the bed or the dinette. Every cubic inch that wasn’t plainly visible appeared to be storage.
    Expecting to feel claustrophobic in such a cramped space, she was surprised to find it cozy and welcoming. If she had the money for a rig like this, she’d never have to worry about where to live. On a day like today, she could have parked this baby under a shade tree and chilled.
    “This is really cool. How much does one of these outfits cost?”
    Joy was seated at a concrete picnic table in the shade, already eating. “I think the camper was about twenty and the truck another thirty-five. You in the market?”
    “Yeah, right. More than likely, I’ll be sleeping on a couch by tomorrow night.”
    “Is that what’s waiting for you in Limon?”
    “Probably. My friend Molly moved there when her cousin took over one of the motels. She tried to get me to come out and work for her but I’d started seeing Asshole so I said no. I just hope she still has an opening.”
    “What if she doesn’t have anything right now? There are a lot more people out there than jobs these days.”
    “We’ll work it out. She’s practically my best friend so at least she’ll put me up until I find something.”
    “It’s a good feeling to have friends like that.”
    “It would be even