Sneak Peek into THE MAP OF NOVA AND DEV

We’re ONE WEEK away from the release of The Map of Nova and Dev! Today I’m sharing part of the first chapter with you…

one | nova

July

Who begins their two-week road trip from Vermont to California by meeting their riding companion in a church on one of America’s most famous college campuses?

In hindsight, the suggestion was extra on my part, but I’ve never been to the University of Notre Dame, and Dad made me watch the movie Rudy more times than I can count growing up. When Devin suggested South Bend, Indiana, as a pick-up point rather than driving two hours out of my way to his house in Grand Rapids, my ‘Ruby Pratt’s daughter’ gene kicked in, and I researched the must-see sites of this glorious campus.

I’ll never be able to explain why I picked Basilica of the Sacred Heart as our meeting spot, especially since the nearest parking lot is a twenty-minute hike to the church. I’m touring the campus alone on my walk to the chapel, which was not my intent. My plan was for Devin and me to use the time walking around campus to get to know each other. A video conversation, a few texts, and following one another on social media doesn’t make us best friends, and we’re about to be on the road, cooped up in my little convertible and sharing hotel rooms for half of August. But, instead of bonding with Devin Hawthorne, my platform sandals tap the church’s slate tile flooring as I search for the road trip buddy who was supposed to meet me out front.

My eyes bug at the ornate cathedral, and I get lost in the stories presented through the frescoes adorning the walls and covering the vaulted ceiling. Then there are the stained glass windows.

“Wow.” I pull my cell from my cross-body purse and snap away, excited to send Mom the shots so she can research the depictions.

“Freaky, don’t you think?” Warm cinnamon-tinged breath teases my ear.

Fumbling my phone, I turn and find Devin Hawthorne staring at the painted ceiling. His deep tone carries in the quiet building, and I glance around, ensuring no one overheard. We’re near the end of the cathedral, far enough from those standing by the center altar that I think we’re safe. I shuffle closer, opening my mouth to speak, but he beats me to the punch.

“Those people staring down and judging us.” His dark brown head remains tipped, his hands in the pockets of his khaki shorts. “They look real. Can you imagine this place at night? I bet it’s eerie.”

My gaze lifts from his tan profile to the ceiling. An artist named Luigi Gregori created the artwork throughout the church. The starry blue ceilings covered in angels are my favorite, but this incredible cloud-covered ceiling of angels holding a cross surrounded by people is lifelike.

“They do look like they could pop off the wall and have a conversation with us. I wonder who they are.”

“Saints and prophets.”

As if aided by his response, my gaze lands on Moses holding the Ten Commandments among the figures.

“Is your family Catholic?”

In the two years since his sister Willa came to teach for Mom’s dance academy, I’ve never known her to attend church, but she could have grown up in one.

A garbled laugh sticks in Devin’s throat. “No.” His refusal comes off as more emphatic than necessary. “The same tour guide who couldn’t take his eyes off your assets while filling you with knowledge stopped by and gave me unsolicited information a few minutes ago.”

The same tour… “If you saw me come in, the least you could’ve done was say something.”

Devin shrugs, continuing his study of the ceiling as if it’s the most enthralling thing he’s seen. “You seemed pretty into it. I figured, why disturb you?”

And he watched me long enough to know that creeper was checking me out. He could’ve warned a girl.

“Maybe because I’d already waited outside for you for fifteen minutes, where we were supposed to meet.”

Finally, he swivels his dark gaze toward me, and it’s not the first time my stomach has done a somersault meeting his gaze. Devin Hawthorne is beyond attractive, which is not something Willa mentioned when she first brought up the idea of us road-tripping across the country together. I mean, she said he was cute, but sisters can be biased, and cute is nowhere near the realm of what Devin is.

We video chatted mid-July to make this in-person meet-up less awkward, but talking through a screen is different.

His tongue swipes his bottom lip. “I hadn’t realized we were in a time crunch considering we’re going to be in the car for like a hundred hours.”

“We’re not.” I brush away a flyaway strand of hair. “You’re right, but a text would’ve been nice, considering standing in the 85-degree heat after driving for two days isn’t my idea of fun.”

Rocking on his heels, Devin’s head bobs with a flare of his eyes and a raise of his brows. “Noted.” 

Okay. Reel it in, Nova. Starting off on the wrong foot before being stuck in a car with a stranger is a bad idea. “Look. You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. But it’s just us for the next couple of weeks, and communication would be nice.”

“You do know I’m a guy, right?” The corners of his mouth tug. “Communication is the last thing we do well.”

“Trust me. I’m aware.” A familiar zing of humiliation pricks my heart, but I shove it aside.

Devin’s gaze narrows, scrutinizing, but he doesn’t speak, and I’m not in the sharing mood.

“So, where’s your mom? I’m assuming she has your luggage.”

“Yeah. We’ve visited the campus a few times, so she stayed at the university bookstore. Wanted to buy Clem something, I guess.”

Sadness creeps in at the mention of Clementine, Willa’s daughter and my favorite munchkin to babysit. I’m going to miss that little peanut while in California. “I didn’t realize you’d been here before. We don’t have to tour the campus.”

He shrugs. “You don’t live two hours from Notre Dame your entire life and not visit. I did a few football camps here growing up.” Football, I forgot he played. Willa mostly talked about Devin’s baseball career since he’s attending Cal State Monterey Bay on a baseball scholarship. “And I don’t mind walking the campus.”

My brow furrows as I toy with the bracelet on my left wrist. “We need to be in Chicago for the show tonight, so we don’t have much time.”

“It’s barely noon, and the drive is two hours. We have time. What’s on your list to see?”

I calculate the time it will take to meet up with Devin’s mom, walk the campus, find something for lunch, and make the drive to Chicago early enough to check in to our hotel and get ready for tonight, then adjust my campus tour plan to the necessities.

“The church, Grotto, main building, and Touchdown Jesus.” I tick the sites off on my fingers.

Devin shuffles backward, another grin playing on his lips. “I pegged you as a list girl. Good to know I was right.”

I follow his retreat with a final glance at the prophets on the ceiling. “A list girl? You say that like it’s a bad thing. We’re driving over two thousand miles. Having a plan is logical.”

“A plan, yes. You have a list,” he points out, spinning around and nodding to another visitor.  

I offer the older man a smile, then hurry to Devin’s side, lowering my voice. “And there’s a distinction?”

Devin pushes his way outside into the blinding sun with a chuckle.

The walnut door comes inches from hitting my face as I fall behind in dumbfounded shock at Devin’s cocky little chuckle. Wait one minute. “You said you didn’t care what route our trip took.” I give chase, arguing with his backside. Oh my gosh, why is he walking so fast? And why does his butt have to fill out those shorts so nicely? I’d expected him to be in the typical lazy boy outfit of athletic shorts and sports team shirt. He’s in dressy shorts and a polo, but not in a preppy sense. Like me, he’s dressed for the best first impression. I brush my palms over the crease in my linen shorts and shove thoughts of clothing aside. “I asked you, Devin. Multiple times. You said it didn’t matter.”

“That’s because it doesn’t, and I didn’t know you were gonna make a list. I knew we were going from here to your parent’s place in Montana, then on to California. The stops in-between weren’t important.”

I push my legs to keep up with his long strides. The boy is half a foot taller than me. “Then why do you care that I made a list?”

Plucking a leaf from a bush, Devin keeps his pace. “It’s not that I care. I just thought this was spontaneous. That we were going to stop at cool places. I didn’t think you’d have some checklist of popular road trip destinations. I’m gonna have to look at this list.” 

My feelings may well and truly be hurt. “You don’t think I have cool places for us to see?”

He makes an abrupt stop and runs his stare up and down the length of me. I suppress the need to shift. “I have my doubts.” 

My jaw drops. He didn’t say that to me. I know he did not just say that. This guy doesn’t even know me, but he thinks he has me all figured out. News flash, buddy. I’m full of surprises.

Before I have the chance to rip him a new one, we’re standing in front of the Grotto. Biting my tongue out of respect for the quiet moment others take in the stone alcove, I pull up the camera on my phone. I snag a few shots, while tossing pointed glares at Devin. He has some audacity.

But when he steps up to the wall of candles and lights one, my anger wanes. I didn’t expect him to be a praying type. So far, he’s more devil than angel. Who is he praying for? Or maybe he’s praying he’ll make it out of this trip alive. Would be smart of him.

Finding an unlit candle on the opposite side, I light one too and say a quick prayer for the family we’ve lost.

As we meet at the mouth of the Grotto, I start to speak, but Devin stops me. “Two down, two to go. We’ve only got a few hours. Let’s get a move on.”

Deep breaths. We haven’t reached the highway, and I’m ready to kill Devin Hawthorne. This is going to be a fun trip.

* * *

Want more? Don’t forget to preorder TMONAD for $3.99 - that’s $1 off the price after release!
RELEASE DATE: 11/4/22
GENRE: New Adult Contemporary Romance
TROPES: road trip, slow burn, forced proximity, right love, wrong time, second-generation romance
RATING: PG-13

Did you know Nova and Dev were introduced in

THE ARCHER AND HIS ROSEBUD?

If you haven’t read that single-parent, age-gap romance you can grab it HERE