Grace let out a mirthless laugh. “Dude, I was planning on doing all the driving a few minutes ago. If there were more than one car here, I would be doing all the driving. So the fact that now I don’t have to? Um…yeah. I’d say I’d be willing to split it.”
Okay, so she was snarky, but he was going to blame it on the fact that she’d had a bad day.
For now.
“We each pay our own way, right? We’ll split the cost of gas, but other than that, you’re on your own for the things you need.”
She rolled her eyes before shaking her head. “Do you even hear yourself? We just met, for crying out loud! Why would I expect you to pay for anything for me?” Then she took a menacing step toward him. “Are you always this uptight and ridiculous?”
“Ridiculous?” he cried, mildly annoyed. “How am I being ridiculous?”
“Um…excuse me,” Tammy called out, interrupting them. “But we’re getting ready to close so…are you going to take the vehicle? We can put both names on the rental agreement if you’d like, or we can leave it in Miss Mackie’s name.”
For a moment, neither spoke. Then Grace seemed to relax a bit. She studied him for a long moment before speaking. “So what do you say, Finn Kavanagh? Are we taking this road trip together?” She held out her hand to him, and for a moment, Finn questioned his own sanity for even considering this. Unfortunately, she was his only hope right now.
And before he could question himself any further, Finn met her hand and shook it. “Looks like it, Grace Mackie.”
2
The car was actually an older Ford pickup truck.
Grace took one look at it and then at her gown and knew somehow, somewhere, the universe was mocking her. Beside her, Finn nodded and said, “It looks like I’m driving the first leg.”
She wanted to punch him.
“As long as the first leg takes us to the nearest Target or Walmart,” she murmured, “because there is no way we’re getting far with this gown in the truck with us.”
Clearly, he was a smart man because he opted not to comment. Silently, they climbed in, and Grace searched on her phone for the nearest mall.
“Why couldn’t they have some sort of oversized SUV available, huh?” she murmured. “Or one of those old Cadillacs that were like boats? Or a convertible?”
“A convertible would be completely pointless in this rain, don’t you think?” Finn asked, and Grace reminded herself that this guy was going to be of zero interest on this trip. It was obvious he was uptight and overly practical, and there wasn’t a doubt in her mind he was going to make her crazy sooner rather than later.
Ignoring his observation, she continued to search for the closest mall. “Okay, there is a Walmart about five miles from here,” she said, looking over at Finn. He was a fairly tall guy–easily six feet–and he looked right at home behind the wheel of this crappy truck. Being that he was a mechanic, she figured he was figuring out all the things wrong with it. “Will that work for you?”
He shrugged. “Sure. I’m just getting the necessities, not starting a new life.”
That was one way to look at it, she supposed. Studying him a little more, she could tell he was tense. Granted, this situation in and of itself was stressful, add that to his brother taking his car and his belongings, and she figured he had every right to be that way. It was a shame too because other than the negative things she was just thinking, he did seem like he had the potential to be a nice guy–decent and somewhat trustworthy. But then again, what did she know? She thought Jared was a nice guy and look where that got her.
And on top of that, he wasn’t half-bad to look at–dark brown hair, even darker brown eyes, a strong jaw…he didn’t look to be all that muscular, but he was lean and wiry and seemed to be in really good shape.
“Where’s your stuff at?” he asked, breaking into her train of thought.
“Back at the hotel where my wedding was supposed to be,” she replied, forcing her attention straight ahead. “Once I overheard Jared and Steph talking, I just…I left. I didn’t even think of going to the room because I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I just wanted to get out of there before anyone could try to talk me out of leaving.”
He glanced over at her for a second. “Do you…I mean…would you like to go back and get your stuff? We’re already leaving at an awkward time and we’re not going to get far tonight anyway. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a big deal to go back and get your things.”
It was a nice offer–especially since she knew how anxious he was to get on the road–but she’d prefer to do as Finn said and grab the necessities rather than go back and deal with Jared. “Thanks, but…I’d rather not. It’s late, and the more distance we can put between here and the East Coast, the better.”
But it did bring a thought to mind–her stuff. Knowing she should do something about it, she called the one person she tried to avoid like the plague. Scrolling through her contacts, she pulled it up and hit send.
“Hey, Tilly, this is Grace Mackie.”
“Oh, my goodness, Gracie! Where are you? Everyone is worried sick! Are you okay? Are you hurt? Sick? Did someone abduct you? Are you safe? Is there something I can get for you?”
Oh, good Lord…
“Um, yeah, Tilly, I’m fine. I’m not at the resort, and um…no one abducted me.” Beside her, she heard Finn chuckle. “I ah…I left.”
“You left?”
“Yeah.”
“But…why? Did you not like your dressing room? Was it too warm in there? Too cold?”
Seriously? Those were the only reasons the woman could come up with for why Grace would walk out on her wedding? Unable to help herself, she laughed softly. “No, Tilly. The room was fine. It was everything else that wasn’t.”
Silence.
“I was hoping you could still help me with something.”
“Of course, Gracie, anything.”
It would be wrong to correct her on the name thing, so Grace decided to simply let it go. “I left all of my clothes, my luggage, my…everything, up in my room. Could you please make sure it all gets shipped to me?”
“But wouldn’t Mr.…?”
“I don’t think he’s going to be too concerned with my belongings right now,” she quickly interrupted. “It would mean a great deal to me if you could handle it. You can ship it all back to North Carolina for me and bill me for the shipping, okay?”
“Absolutely, Gracie. No worries. You can count on me!”
Good to know she could count on someone.
Grace rattled off her address and thanked Tilly at least a dozen times, and when she finally hung up, she was relieved to see they were pulling into a parking spot at Walmart.
“Okay, great!” she said, twisting carefully in her seat. “This is what I’m going to need you to get for me.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Finn interrupted and turned to face her. “Why do I have to shop for you? I’ve got my own shopping to do. And we agreed–just minutes ago, mind you–that we were responsible for ourselves. I’m not shopping for you, Grace.”
Her shoulders sagged. “Oh, come on! Seriously? Look at me, Finn! Haven’t I been humiliated enough today? Now you expect me to go inside and shop looking like this?”
“Trust me, Grace, no one is going to judge you in there. If anything, I’m pretty sure you won’t even be in the top ten most weirdly dressed people in there.” He paused and grinned. “I believe there’s an entire website dedicated to the crazy way people dress to shop at Walmart. You’ll be fine.”
She wanted to argue because the thought of facing any more people while wearing her wedding dress was beyond unappealing, but she knew the quickest way to get out of the damn dress was to go inside for herself and shop.
“Fine,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Let’s get this over with.”
“Thirty minutes,” he stated firmly as they climbed from the truck. “Let’s give ourselves thirty minutes to get in and done so we can get on the road.”
/> Grace nodded because it all sounded good to her. The sooner they got what they needed and moved on, the happier she’d be.
Once they stepped inside the store and grabbed their own shopping carts, Grace was amazed at how the majority of the people simply glanced at her and kept on walking.
Thank God.
Finn reminded her of the time and walked away. Part of her had hoped they’d shop together because it would make her look a little less pathetic, but…with no other choice, she embraced the spectacle that she was and began shopping.
The basic toiletries were first–shampoo, conditioner, soap, deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, and a razor. Her makeup was in her satchel, so she was good there. Thinking quickly, she grabbed a brush and a couple of bands for her hair. Next, she walked over to the women’s department and grabbed a couple of pairs of yoga pants, a couple of pairs of jeans, and a handful of t-shirts. Next came tennis shoes, socks, and underwear. The cart was filling up, but she still had a few more things to grab. Two nightshirts and a robe were thrown in before she walked over to the travel section and found a suitcase and travel pillow.
Standing back, she examined everything she had picked and knew it would have to do. If she forgot anything, she and Finn could stop along the way. Deciding she could go and check out, Grace had gone all of five steps when her stomach started to grumble. In all the wedding preparation hoopla earlier, she hadn’t eaten. The plan had been to enjoy a big dinner after the ceremony, and with everything she had to do to get ready, she had skipped lunch.
“Snacks,” she muttered. “Better grab some snacks.” What followed could best be described as a hungry child left unsupervised in a candy store. The top of her shopping cart was covered in every variety of candy bar topped with several bags of chips, some snack cakes, and a six-pack of soda. Smiling with satisfaction, she said, “That should do it.”
She spotted Finn on one of the checkout lines and walked over and moved in behind him. He took one glance at her cart and then at her.
“Is this your passive-aggressive way of saying you’re hungry?” he asked, one dark brow arched.
“Right now, I should be cutting my wedding cake,” she replied sarcastically. “After enjoying a three-course meal that included chateaubriand, grilled scallops, baby asparagus, and a Caesar salad.”
“Oh.”
“And…I skipped lunch!” She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a look that dared him to question her.
He stepped closer and examined the contents of her cart and Grace looked around him toward his.
It was way more organized.
And contained a lot less stuff.
“Are you sure you got everything?” she asked. “It doesn’t look like you have enough.”
Shrugging, Finn began unloading his purchases onto the belt. Grace watched and counted three pairs of jeans, a package of t-shirts, a package of socks, a package of boxers, some kit that contained all the male-essential toiletries, a brush, and a duffel bag.
Clearly, Finn was an efficient shopper.
He shrugged. “Don’t need much. This isn’t a vacation; it’s just so I don’t smell while we’re driving.”
Um…okay, she thought. Most men she knew would be a little more eloquent in describing this sort of thing but whatever. Jared would have insisted they go to a mall to shop and then…nope. She was not going to go there. For starters, Jared would never do a road trip, and second, she didn’t want to even think about him right now.
The bastard.
Finn bagged up his stuff and paid while Grace loaded her stuff on the belt. The cashier looked at her and then at Finn and smiled broadly. “Honeymoon off to a rough start?” she asked. “What happened? The airline lose your luggage?”
Grace could feel her cheeks heating and didn’t know how to respond because, really, did this cashier need to be on the receiving end of all the sarcasm, anger, and snark that was just dying to be unleashed?
Before she could do or say anything, Finn leaned in and laughed. “They sure did! It’s been a wild day, and we’re anxious just to have some necessities until the whole mess gets cleared up, aren’t we, honey?”
She looked at him like he was crazy, but when she realized what he was doing, she began to laugh along with him. “You know it, sweetie pie!” She turned to the cashier. “We know this is just a little bump in the road, and it will give us something to laugh about and tell our grandkids one day!”
Soon the cashier was laughing with them. “You two are adorable!” Then she started ringing up Grace’s things. “Although, just a bit of marriage advice for you…don’t pay for things separately! You are one now! Embrace it!”
Grace looked nervously at Finn, who looked away, and she knew he was snickering. She just knew it! Keeping her smile in place, she said, “This will be our last separate purchase, right, baby?”
Grinning, Finn nodded. “Of course, snookums. Now, why don’t we let this lovely lady finish ringing you up so you can get changed and we can get going?”
Just the thought of getting out of the gown was enough to spur Grace into action. After she paid, she pulled a pair of yoga pants, a t-shirt, socks, and sneakers from the bags and walked over to the ladies’ room. Finn took the rest of the purchases and told her he’d meet her at the truck, and that was fine with her.
It didn’t take long, however, for her to realize that this wasn’t going to be a quick-change. It had taken the help of Tilly to get into her gown, and no matter how hard she tried, it was impossible to get out of it alone. She was practically sewn into it. She stepped out of the stall and caught her reflection in the mirror and wanted to cry. There was a time when she’d thought this was her dream gown. The salesgirl at the dress shop had said it was a fairytale fantasy kind of gown and had sold her with her whimsical description. The fitted bodice was adorned with exquisite lace appliques and accented with beads and rhinestones. The sheer off-the-shoulder neckline was exactly what she had wanted, and months of working out at the gym meant she could really show off her arms.
But the floor-length skirt had sealed the deal for her. The oversized skirt was embellished with delicate handmade flowers. The outer layer was made of tulle, the interlayer was made of silk net, and the lining was made of satin. The first time she had tried it on, she felt like a princess. And now look at her. She was muddy, the dress was ruined, her makeup was a smeared mess, and she was standing in a Walmart bathroom. Muttering a curse, Grace grabbed her new clothes and stormed out of the ladies’ room and out to the parking lot where she found Finn eating one of her candy bars.
“Hey!” she snapped. “What the hell, Finn? Those are mine!”
With a shrug, he laughed and looked her up and down. “Problem?”
“Yes, there’s a problem! Why wouldn’t there be a problem?” she asked sarcastically. “I can’t get out of this stupid gown. I can’t reach the damn buttons.” Turning her back to him, she motioned to them. “Can you…can you please just help me?”
He popped the last bite of candy into his mouth before reaching out and Grace could feel his knuckles gently caress her skin. Tingles of awareness ran down her spine, and she cursed herself for having any sort of physical response at a time like this.
“These buttons are ridiculously small,” he murmured as he leaned in close, and now she could feel his warm breath along her spine too.
“I’m in hell,” she muttered.
“Excuse me?”
“What? Oh…uh, nothing. Just commenting on how rotten my luck’s been today.”
She felt his hands down near her waist and quickly stepped aside. “I think that should do it. Thanks.” Glancing toward the massive store, Grace considered her options. The rain had stopped, and she was just so damn tired. “Hey, can you just…you know…turn around?”
Finn looked at her like she was crazy. “You’re not going to get changed right here, are you?”
“C’mon, Finn. I don’t want to hike back inside!” she whined. “My feet are
killing me, this dress is wide open now in the back and…please? Just stand in front of me. I’ll open the truck door to shield me on one side and you can shield me on the other. I’ll be fast, I swear!”
“Grace, you can’t be serious…”
And that was it.
She’d hit her breaking point. Stepping in close, she poked him in the chest. “Do you think that maybe–just maybe–something can go my way tonight? Isn’t it bad enough that I’m standing here in a Walmart parking lot on what was supposed to be my wedding night? I’m tired, I’m hungry, and all I want is to take this damn dress off! You ate one of my candy bars, so you owe me! Now, are you going to help me or not? Because I’ve got to tell you, Finn, I’m not opposed to stripping down right here and just getting it over with!”
By the time she was done, she was breathless and shaking with rage, and Finn must have realized it because he turned around and gave her some room. “Wait,” he said. Stepping around her, he reached into the space behind the seats and pulled out all the shopping bags. Loading his hands with all of them, he stepped in front of her and turned his back to her. “Extra blockage.”
As crazy as it sounded, it was the nicest thing he could have done for her.
“Thank you,” she said softly, and then quickly stripped off her dress and pulled on her new comfy clothes.
They had driven for almost four hours after stopping and grabbing a burger at a fast-food drive-thru for Grace, and now Finn’s eyes were starting to cross. “I think we need to stop for the night,” he said, and beside him, Grace was yawning.
“Okay.”
“Can you look up where the closest hotel is?”
“Nope,” she replied and yawned again. “Phone’s dead, and I didn’t think to buy a charger when we were shopping earlier.”
Dammit, neither had he.
“Looks like we’ll have to shop again in the morning, but for now, let’s just hope we can find a place. This town doesn’t look overly populated.” They had pulled off the highway and Finn knew it showed that there were hotels off this exit, but…he didn't see much of anything. They drove for another couple of miles when he finally spotted the lighted sign of a chain hotel and said a silent prayer of thanks.
Drive Me Crazy Page 3
