Flashing Jake my most confident smile, I put all of my trust in God and ease the steering wheel over my head. Only, it catches on my chin, then my nose, then my ear, threatening to rip out my diamond stud earring.

My gaze lifts to the sky. Unconditional love my ass!

“Avery, the key. Let’s go.” Jake holds out his hand.

“Ugh!” I grip the steering wheel. “Son of a—mother fu—damn this life!”

Jake’s gaze lands on the key dangling from the chain, dangling from my bling. “Do I even want to know?”

I deflate. “Stupid bathroom has no hooks, and I didn’t want to set anything on the ground. And who puts a key on a flipping steering wheel—”

He silences me with a flat palm held up accompanied by a half dozen headshakes. “It wasn’t a rhetorical question. I was seriously asking myself if I wanted to know. The answer is no. I don’t want to know how you ended up with a steering wheel stuck around your neck.”

I’m on a road trip with the Devil. How does this happen to a preacher’s daughter?

“Don’t give me that look like this is all my fault.”

He squints, scratching his newly shaven chin. “Is it not your fault? Dog shit on your foot, a lost sandal, and a steering wheel stuck around your neck all within the span of twenty-four hours. Whose fault might this be?”

“Just …” I frown. “Go do your thing. I’m going to talk to the guy inside.”

Jake chuckles. “Good idea. I’m sure this happens all the time. I bet he’ll abracadabra you right out of there. But would you mind waiting until I get done in here. I’d like to see how he fixes your situation. You know … in case it happens again along the way.”

Resting my hands on my hips, I huff out an exasperated breath. “Would it kill you to treat me with a little more compassion and humanity?”

He opens the bathroom door and looks back over his shoulder. “Ask me that when you don’t have a steering wheel stuck around your neck.” Holding up his phone, he takes a picture and his mouth twists into a stupid smirk just before he shuts the door.

“Did you seriously just take a picture of me!?”

“Yep.” He hollers from the other side of the door. “I needed a good snap. Thinking of letting my friends caption it.”

Bastard!

Chapter Eight

Turns out Avery is the first customer to get her head stuck in the steering wheel.

“Jake!”

The attendant coughs to hide his amusement as I work it over her head.

Her hands claw my arms. “My hair! Oh my god, my hair! My neck. My earrings. Stop!”