Probably only special to her, but…she’d worry about that later.
“You fall asleep over there?” he teased. “Come on. Fess up. What are you reading?”
Groaning, she leaned back in her seat. “It’s a rom-com by one of my go-to authors.”
“Oh yeah? What’s it about?”
“Drew…”
“No, come on! Just tell me. I’m tired of listening to music. Read to me.”
Her eyes nearly fell right out of her head. “Are you high? I’m not reading to you!”
“Do you have one of your books on there–one that you’ve narrated–that we can listen to then?”
Sighing loudly, she argued, “No, I don’t, and even if I did, I wouldn’t play it for you.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re mostly history books! Listening to one of those puts us at risk of you falling asleep at the wheel and killing us. I know you don’t want me getting to the wedding, but that’s a bit of a dramatic way to stop me, don’t you think?”
He laughed even as he shook his head. “You want to know why I really want you to read to me?”
“I don’t know. Do I?”
Turning his head slightly, he grinned at her before putting his attention fully back on the road. “I like the sound of your voice.”
That was…surprising. “Really?”
“Yeah. Really. Why? You know you have a great voice. That’s why you’re a narrator.”
Chelsea had to admit it was one thing for people to say that of her in her professional career, but it was the first time anyone said it to her on a personal level.
“Wow.”
“Humor me. Just read me a little something. We’re going to be at a good place to stop for lunch soon. There’s a Cracker Barrel coming up in Rocky Mount. I figured we’d stop there for lunch if it works for you.”
She was a little hungry, so…
“Yeah, that sounds great.”
“So it’s only a few more miles up the road. Read me a little of what you’re reading to pass the time.”
“You’re not going to let this go, are you?” It wasn’t really a question.
“Nope.”
Groaning, Chelsea scanned the page. “I really only just started it.”
“Doesn’t matter.”
Chuckling, she shook her head. “You’re not going to believe this, but it’s about a couple of strangers on a road trip.”
He laughed with her. “Stop! You’re making that up.”
“Why would I lie?”
“I don’t know! Don’t you think it’s weird that we’re on a road trip and don’t know each other all that well and you’re reading a book on the same topic?” He paused. “Wait, is this one of those thrillers where one of them kills the other and takes off with the car?”
“What? No! That’s insane!”
“Whew! Just checking.”
“I told you it’s a rom-com.”
“Ah…like a chick-flick, except in a book. Got it.”
“Do I really need to read this? Aren’t we there yet?” She looked up and saw the Cracker Barrel was five miles away and mentally cursed.
“I’m waiting…”
“Fine,” she grumbled and then reached for her bottle of water and took a long sip.
Then she cleared her throat and made a big production out of putting the water bottle back in the cupholder.
“Chelsea?”
“Hmm?”
“Quit stalling.”
“Ugh…you are the worst.”
All he did was laugh.
Looking down at the screen, she let out a long breath and began.
There was a flash of lightning, and the rain was really coming down, and at this point, Finn knew he would be smart to grab a car and then find a hotel and start driving first thing in the morning. With a sigh, he sat back and stared out the window until they pulled into the rental car parking lot.
“Holy crap! Did you see that?”
Finn looked out the front window toward the building and saw…wait…what was he seeing? “What the hell is that?”
The driver laughed awkwardly. “Looks like a bride–or at least, someone in a wedding gown.”
And sure enough, that was what they were seeing. Whoever they were, they fell getting out of the car and were now in a heap of white satin on the pavement. Finn quickly climbed from the car–thanked his driver–and immediately ran over to help her.
At her side, he held out a hand to her and noticed the guy who was with her coming around to do the same. “Hey, are you okay?” Finn asked, noting the dirty gown and the curses flying out of the woman’s mouth. He pulled her to her feet and held on until she was steady. The rain was pouring down on them both and he did his best to guide them up onto the sidewalk and through the doors of the rental office.
She was a little breathless and pointed toward the car she’d just vacated. “My bag,” she said, shaking her hand. “My bag is still in the back seat!”
“No problem,” he said, hoping to calm her. “I’m sure your husband will bring it in.”
Pushing him aside, she walked back out the door and slapped a hand on the trunk of the car as it was about to pull away. Finn watched with mild curiosity as she opened the back door and grabbed her bag before slamming the door shut again.
Okay, not her husband, he thought.
Because he had manners, he moved to open the door for her. “Thanks,” she muttered, shaking the rain off herself–and onto him. He wanted to be mad, he seriously did, but what would be the point?
“So…wait…they both show up at the car rental place at the same time?” he asked.
“Uh-huh.”
“Why is she in a wedding dress?”
“Runaway bride. Found out her fiancé–well, ex-fiancé–not only cheated on her, but also knocked up his assistant.”
“Wow! Okay, go on.”
So she did.
With a shrug, he walked over to the agent at the counter and did his best to smile. “Hey…Carl,” he began, reading the agent’s name tag. “I would like to rent a car.”
The agent smiled but it didn’t quite meet his eyes. “Then you’ve come to the right place!” he said in a semi-flat tone. Finn would bet good money this was an exchange that was had all day, every day at a car rental office.
Beside him, the bride stepped up and said the same thing to her agent–an older woman named Tammy. He looked over and gave her a small smile and wasn’t surprised when she didn’t give him one back. Any bride trying to rent a car while still in her wedding gown couldn’t possibly be having a good day.
Finn handed over his license and credit card and waited. Carl was typing, Tammy was typing, and there was no other sound in the place. Finn looked around and saw the place was a little run-down, and there weren’t any cars in the parking lot.
That’s when he started to worry.
The cars could be around the back, couldn’t they?
“Um…”
“Oh, uh…”
Both agents spoke at the same time as they glanced nervously at each other. “Is there a problem?” he and the angry bride asked at the same time.
“Well, it looks like,” Carl began.
“There seems to be,” Tammy started.
“Oh, for the love of it!” the angry bride snapped. “What’s the problem?”
Finn had to hand it to her; she was pretty fierce, even he stiffened up at her tone. Deciding that one of them should be respectful, he looked at the agents and smiled. “Is there a problem?” he asked.
“We only have one vehicle available,” Carl said.
“Oh, well…okay.” This didn’t seem to be a problem for him since he got here first. “I’ll take it.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” the angry bride said, moving closer to him. “Why do you get it? We got here at the same time.”
“Actually…we didn’t,” he corrected. “I got to the counter first, and that was after I held the door for you to come back in
.”
If looks could kill, he’d be a dead man for sure.
“Look, um…I know this is a bad situation,” he reasoned, “but it can’t be helped. It’s been a really bad day and I need this car.”
“Oh, really?” she asked sarcastically, motioning to her ruined gown. “And do I look like someone whose day has gone well?”
“Uh…”
“Because it hasn’t!” she cried. “If we’re going to get into some sort of contest over whose day was worse, believe me, buddy, I’d win!”
He was beginning to see that.
Beside her, Drew laughed. “Man, I can totally picture this in my head as you’re reading it! I can see it being in a movie for sure!”
“I can too,” she agreed, smiling, and more than a little relieved they were getting off the exit for lunch.
“Promise me something.”
“Sure.”
“When we get back on the road, you’ll read some more–and hopefully there will be some sexy parts.”
“I’m not reading the sexy parts out loud.”
“Consider it practice.”
“What?!” she cried. “Practice?”
“Yeah, you know, for when you audition for doing more than narrating textbooks. If you can read the sexy parts in front of me, you should have no problem reading them for a microphone.”
“I already don’t have a problem reading for a microphone,” she said wearily. “Why are you like this?”
“You mean helpful?”
“I mean crazy! We have the radio! There’s even talk radio! Why do I have to read a book to you?”
“I already explained that,” he said patiently. “It’s your voice. I love it.” His mouth snapped shut as he suddenly seemed to realize what he said and possibly feared how she might take it.
Rather than draw attention to his comment, Chelsea did the only thing she could–changed the topic to food. “I’ve never eaten at a Cracker Barrel before. I hope they have fried chicken!”
After lunch, Chelsea took over the driving.
Actually, she had insisted on it.
Part of Drew thought it was simply a way to get out of reading to him. He didn’t understand what the big deal was. It was something she did for a living–something she was comfortable with–so why was it such a big deal to read for him? Rather than argue, he took advantage of the break and napped briefly. He seriously thought he’d sleep longer considering how little they had slept last night, but he kind of hated missing out on this time alone with her. Once they hit South Carolina and got to Bluffton, it was going to be a fiasco.
He just knew it.
And on some level, he knew Chelsea knew it too.
His phone chimed with an incoming text and he considered ignoring it. No doubt it was going to be Jimmy, and he didn’t want to get into the whole situation via text with Chelsea sitting beside him.
Another chime.
Although, if he didn’t respond, Jimmy would call and then what would he do? With a small groan, he pulled out his phone and read the message.
Jimmy: Dude, what’s going on? You’ve been radio silent. Did everything go okay with Chelsea?
Glancing to the left, Drew prayed she wouldn’t ask who he was talking to.
Drew: Yeah, Kendall spilled but everything’s fine.
Jimmy: Seriously? She didn’t freak out?
Drew: I didn’t say that
Jimmy: So what the hell are you saying?
But before he could respond, Jimmy was typing again.
Jimmy: I’m calling now
Drew: Don’t! Can’t talk! I’m in the car with her right now!
Jimmy: WHAT? WHY?
Drew: Long story, but basically she was going to fly down and I offered to go with her. You know, to try to defuse the situation
Jimmy: So you’re flying? You just said you’re in the car
Drew: I managed to make us miss our flight so we’re driving down
Jimmy: WTF, Drew! You were supposed to keep this from happening! You promised!
Groaning, he scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to figure out what to say. At this point, nothing was going to be easily conveyed via text.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“What? Oh, um…yeah.”
“It’s Jimmy, isn’t it?” Again, not a question.
“How did you know?”
“You were typing pretty furiously over there. I’m surprised he hasn’t reached out to you sooner.”
“Yeah, me too,” he replied miserably.
Drew: What did you think I was going to do? Lock her in a closet until Tuesday? I’m doing the best I can!
Jimmy: Well your best sucks and so do you
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” he murmured. Then glanced at Chelsea. “Sorry.”
“Nothing to apologize for. I’m just sorry you’re in the middle of this. If you had just let me be…”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah…that ship has sailed and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to be.”
She snorted and he didn’t take it as a good sigh.
“What? What was the snort about?”
“Drew, you’re here because Jimmy told you to be.” She shook her head. “Don’t try to pretend it’s anything else. He told you to babysit, and you did.”
And for some reason, that logic pissed him off. “It was my choice.”
“Not really. Like I said, he told you to…”
“I don’t do everything Jimmy tells me to!” he argued. “And I kind of resent you implying that.”
“I wasn’t implying. I was stating a fact.”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about! That’s not the way things are. I have never…” He was cut off by the sound of a text coming in.
“Better get that and see what Jimmy has to say,” she said sweetly.
So many comebacks were on the tip of his tongue, but just as it had minutes ago, more incoming texts were practically blowing up his phone.
Jimmy: So where are you?
Jimmy: And just so you know, Bianca’s crying
Jimmy: Thanks for ruining our wedding
Jimmy: Seriously? You’re not even going to respond?
Jimmy: Answer me!
Part of him wanted to prove Chelsea wrong and not answer the text, but…that would be a little petty, and right now, he really wanted to answer the text.
Drew: We’re in North Carolina. Just went through Fayetteville
Jimmy: Shit. So like three hours away
Drew: I guess
Jimmy: Can’t you stall? Break down? Take the wheel and turn the car around?
Drew: Okay, can you just relax? Chelsea and I have been talking and this isn’t going to be as bad as you think.
Jimmy: Says you
Drew: Yeah, says me. When have I ever lied to you?
Jimmy: When you said you were going to keep her away and now are driving her directly to us
Drew: She would have been there sooner if it weren’t for me
Jimmy: Yeah, you’re a hero
Drew: WTF, man?
“You’re angry typing again. Why don’t you just call him?” Chelsea suggested.
“Because I’m not going to get into it with him with you sitting right here,” he snapped and went back to texting.
Drew: If you had manned up – or better yet, if your damn girlfriend had done the decent thing and talked to her friend rather than sneaking off like a damn baby – none of this would have happened!
Jimmy didn’t respond right away, and for some reason, that made Drew nervous.
Ding!
Jimmy: Say that to my face when you get here and I’ll show you how I can man up
Great. Just freaking great.
With a snort of disgust, he turned his phone off and tossed it on the floor.
“Trouble in paradise?”
If they weren’t in a car doing seventy on the interstate, Drew would have punched something–not Chelsea, but definitely something.
�
�Thanks to you, not only are we walking into an openly hostile situation, but I’m going to have a throwdown with my best friend.”
“And you’re afraid you’re going to lose?”
Slowly he twisted in his seat until he was facing her. “Excuse me?”
“I mean, Jimmy’s definitely bigger than you. Bulkier too. I bet he could seriously kick your ass.”
“He is not bigger or stronger than me!” he countered angrily. “I can bench way more than he can. He’s gotten soft from all his girly weekends with Bianca. Trust me, I was feeling bad because I didn’t want to have to mess him up before his wedding.”
She snorted quietly, but he heard it.
“It’s the truth!” he yelled. “I may not think this wedding is a good idea either, but I’m not looking to ruin it!”
“Trust me, you won’t.”
It seemed like a perfectly innocent comment to make, but…
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’m sure if they tell the photographer to be careful about taking pictures of Jimmy’s hands, they should be fine.”
“You seriously believe he’d win in a fight with me? Is that what you’re saying?”
She shrugged and made some little noncommittal sound.
Seething, he needed to get out of the car and just…he needed a few minutes. “Get off at the next exit.”
“Why?”
“Just do it!”
“Okay, okay…sheesh. If you need to use the bathroom, just say it. No need to freak out.”
“I don’t have to use…” He stopped himself. “That’s not why, dammit! Just get off at the next exit and find a place for us to switch places.”
“Oh, no,” she countered, shaking her head. “No way. You are not getting behind the wheel while you’re all freaked out. Did you learn nothing yesterday?”
“Yesterday?”
“Yeah, when I was driving while freaking out? Was that enjoyable for you as the passenger?”
“No, but…”
“Then there’s no way I’m switching places with you. Maybe when you calm down I’ll think about it…”
“Think about it? It’s my damn car!”
Wrong Turn: Road Tripping Series Page 11
