The air condition of the rental compact was set to full blast and even though it sent chills down Marti's arms and legs, she didn't bother to turn it down. This beat traveling in a bus with two dozen cheerleaders by far and she was going to enjoy every perk of it.

Vanessa had called her soon after they had left Daytona city limits, demanding an explanation for her sudden disappearance. Much to Julian's amusement, she had struggled to find the proper description for who she was traveling with. He had scoffed at 'friend', blushed at 'boyfriend' and glowered at 'acquaintance'. When Marti had told Vanessa just to ask Lewis for the full story, his eyebrows had gone up but he hadn't ask her about it.

Not until they had stopped for a late breakfast.

They sat outside the fast food joint, backs leaning against the table, watching Nikki dart off to the adjacent playground.

"So... Lewis knows." Julian tried to sound neutral but she spotted the curiosity in his voice.

"Not all the gory details but... yes." Marti shot him a sideways glance, sipping from her raspberry smoothie.

"Okay."

"Is that a problem?" She arched an eyebrow.

"No," he replied around a bite of his slightly burned toast. "I just didn't think you'd..." He made a vague gesture and shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Marti wasn't sure if she should be amused or hurt by his assumption. "Let me tell you something about cheerleaders."

"Yes, please do."

She punched him in the thigh. "It's strange hearing myself say that, too, so shut up. Lewis is my base. He tosses me in the air and I have to trust him to catch me before I plummet to my premature death on the sprung floor. If his mind isn't in it, we both might get hurt. Same goes for me. So we tell each other when something... upsets us. Not because we're keen on sharing but because our health depends on it."

He looked at her, a bemused smile quirking his mouth. "I never thought reasonable argument and waving pom poms would go together."

She glowered at him. "You think you're funny, don't you?"

"Occasionally."

She shifted closer to him, bringing her mouth closer to his ear so the all-American family one table over wouldn't hear her. "If I recall correctly, you came to experience some of the... perks that come with me being a cheerleader."

Julian choked on his toast and for a second she feared she might have to revive him. When he recovered, he knowingly tossed the last piece of his breakfast. "You are impossible."

Marti winked at him. "You like it."

For a long moment, he just looked at her, expression unreadable.

"Daddy, can we go now?" Nikki came bounding into her father's arm, breaking the thickening silence between them. She reached for her now cold hot chocolate, taking a long gulp from it.

"Yeah." His gaze was still fixed on Marti when he picked up his daughter.

"You go ahead. I'll toss this." She gestured at their trays. "And I need a refill."

"Get me one, too?"

Her eyebrows went up. "You? A raspberry smoothie?"

He shrugged. "I'm broadening my horizon." He reached into his pocket for some chance but she patted him on this shoulder.

"You keep your dollars, counselor. This one's on me."

As Marti stood in line to get their drinks, she watched Julian walk his daughter to the car. It was an adorable sight, her in her little pink dress being about half his height and him running his hand over her hair, listening to what she was telling him with great gesture.

At the car, he turned around, eyes searching and when he spotted her in the check out line, he smiled at her, warm, gentle... happy.

Marti's heart skipped a little beat. No matter where this was going... if it was going anywhere... for the time being, she had made the right decision.

#

"So... ehm... were are we staying the night? You're not planing on driving through, are you?" Marti asked when they had been on the road for a couple of hours.

"We haven't decided yet." Julian shrugged. "Thought we'd check into a hotel along the way."

"Oh no." She vehemently shook her head. "We're doing this the proper Kerouac way."

"The what?"

Her jaw dropped. "Have you never been on a roadtrip?"

"One," he admitted. "But that was ages ago."

Marti shifted in the passenger seat, turning to him. "Okay, so here's how it's done. You don't go on a road trip and check into some hotel. You find some cheap motel, preferably with a gated pool. And you get beverages and ice from a machine down the corridor where you run into some guy named Artie who is..."

"Keep it PG-rated, please." He tried to sound like a proper dad but she caught onto the mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Sorry." She grinned at him. "So yeah... motel... pool."

"Yes, dad. A pool," came Nikki's eager vote from the backseat.

Julian first looked at his daughter, than at Marti. "So you two are already ganging up on me?"

"The verdict is in." Marti held up her hand, smiling as innocently as she could.

Sighing in defeat, he reached into his pocket for his phone and handed it to Marti. "Go find your motel... and your pool."

She beamed at him, immediately setting off to search for the right accommodation.

When she had found one that matched her criteria, she proceed to the booking page but hesitated. She held out the phone to him, pointing at 'number of rooms' with a questioning look.

With a tap on the touchscreen, he added another room, smiling apologetically with a miniscule nod at his daughter.

Marti held up her thumb and went to continue to enter their information, when he took a hold of her wrist, grabbing the phone from her. She couldn't help but grin when he returned it to her and she saw the check at 'adjoining rooms'. This time, she held up two thumbs.

"Now... your credit card number, please," she asked when she reached the payment option.

"Right." He drew out the word, rolling his eyes at her. He motioned for her to hand over the phone.

"I was just making sure you keep your eyes on the road."

"Of course, you were." As he had entered the required information himself, he shot her a sideways smirk, adding quietly: "Gold digger."

She squinted at him in mock hurt, mouthing: "Sugar daddy."

"Dad, what's a gold digger?" Nikki asked and Marti snorted a laugh.

Julian glanced into the rear view mirror, a blush crawling up his cheeks. "I'll explain that to you in about... thirty-five years."