“No!” Spending hours in a car with him would take too much work on her part. She didn’t want him to be decent. She wanted him to keep on being the self-absorbed, arrogant, entitled jock she’d invented in her head when she’d first started to follow him.

But Faiza was glad to see him and eagerly transferred cars, leaving Piper with no option other than to follow. He overrode Faiza’s protests about sitting in the Audi’s front passenger seat and relegated Piper to the rear. She snatched up the seat belt. “Not only am I perfectly capable of driving to Minnesota by myself, but I guarantee I’m a better driver than you.”

“How do you figure?” he said as he pulled away.

“I’ve been following you, remember? You’re hard on the brakes, you tailgate when you get frustrated, and in general, you’re too aggressive. I, on the other hand, am trained in evasive driving, ambush avoidance, and offensive contact driving.”

“Impressive, but I don’t get speeding tickets. I happen to know you can’t say the same.”

“Only because there’s not a cop in the state of Illinois who’s going to give a ticket to the great Cooper Graham. But let’s see how the Wisconsin Highway Patrol feels about you when we cross into Packers territory.”

“Even there,” he said smugly. “When you’re a big-name athlete like yours truly, you can get away with just about anything.”

“Life is so unfair,” she muttered. “And where’s your Tesla?”

“In the garage. It has to be recharged about every three hundred miles, so road trips require some planning.”

“Whose car is this?”

“Mine.”

She forced her teeth to unclench. “How many do you have?”

“Only two. Unless you count my truck.”

“Why do you need a truck?”

“Haul stuff. Every man needs a truck.”

She sighed and started picking the fuzz off her sweater.

As they drove toward the Wisconsin border, Faiza told them about her conversation with her aunt the previous night. Coop used all the charm he never bothered to expend on Piper to chat with her. Faiza maintained her modesty, not looking directly at him, but she clearly adored him. Only as he ventured into politics did Faiza grow fiery.

“The word Islam means ‘peace, purity, submission, and obedience,’” she said. “What has terrorism to do with any of those things?”

They talked more about the Middle East, about food and music. Near Madison, they ordered lunch at a Burger King drive-through. Faiza was enchanted with the idea of getting a meal through a window. Coop refused Piper’s money, as well as her offer to take over the driving. “If you get any ketchup on my seat covers, I’m leaving you by the side of the road,” he said.

Faiza took his threat seriously and promised she’d be very careful. “Not you, Faiza,” he said. “Only her.”