Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Copyright © 2017 by Kimberly Loth
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, distributed, stored in or introduced in any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical without express permission of the author, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages for review purposes.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead is completely coincidental.
Cover design by Rebecca Frank
Chapter 1
Liz wiped the sweat out of her eyes—thanks to the San Diego sun—and then heaved up the hood of her ancient Ford Taurus. Using the set of tools she always had on hand, she checked the strength of the battery and went over the litany of other issues that could be wrong.
“Shit,” she mumbled. The engine was dead.
Pressure built up behind her eyes. All that planning. All that money saved. Something she should easily be able to handle was going to screw everything up.
Liz pulled out her cell and called her dad.
He answered on the first ring. “How’s the start of vacay?”
“Over.” She took in a shaky breath. “My engine’s dead.” She glanced up through the tears in her eyes at the motel she’d stayed at the night before—nothing special, but it had done the job. She was only supposed to be there one night, but it looked like she’d have to extend her stay. “Can you bring the tow truck?”
She lived in Vegas with her father, where he ran his own auto mechanic shop.
“Oh, honey.” The sadness in his voice almost made her eyes spill tears. “Are you sure the engine is dead?”
Liz let out a laugh. “Come on, Dad. You’re going to ask me that question?”
“Of course you’re sure,” he said. “Knowing you, you checked everything four times.” She’d been tinkering in her father’s mechanic shop for as long as she could remember and based on pictures she’d seen, even earlier than that.
“Exactly. So can you bring it?”
“Sure. I’ve got a full plate today at the shop, but I’ll call in some reinforcements for tomorrow. I can be there mid-morning.”
“Thanks, Dad.” She tried to hold her voice steady, but she wasn’t succeeding.
“I’m so sorry, honey. I know how much this trip meant to you.”
Liz swallowed the tears, knowing she’d have to get off the phone before she completely lost it. “Me too,” she whispered. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
They hung up, and Liz gave her car another once over. Nothing had changed. Not bothering to put the hood down, she dragged herself out onto the beach. She collapsed on a sand dune overlooking the ocean. She tried to hold back the tears, but they came anyway. What a crappy way to start, and quickly end, her one and only vacation.
This had been her tribute to her late mother. She was going to retrace her parent’s honeymoon. Her mother had told her of the beautiful sites she’d seen on this roadtrip. It was Mother’s only trip outside of Las Vegas, and she spent the rest of her short life planning the repeat with Liz. Instead, she’d died when Liz was twelve, leaving only dreams.
Liz had saved and planned for this trip for years, and now it was gone with one dead engine. If her boyfriend, Tanner hadn’t run off to Honduras, they could’ve taken his car. She didn’t want to resent him too bad, but at this point, she wanted to blame someone. He was supposed to be here with her. In some ways she expected this. His causes always came first. After five years, she should know better than to expect anything different.
The waves crashed on the shore, and several black and tan dogs splashed in the water surrounded by a group of people who all looked like they just stepped off the set of Baywatch.
This summer was supposed to be the last hurrah before she got married and started real life. Instead of going to college, she’d apprenticed under her dad for four years and spent the next six saving for her own shop, which she would start working on as soon as she got home. Her dream was to open an all-female auto mechanic shop. If and when she succeeded, she wouldn’t have time for fun. She’d been looking forward to this summer since she graduated high school, and it took her ten years to save her money. Now it was ruined.
One of the black dogs broke away from the group and made a beeline for her. She turned around to see if there was a bird or a person behind her, but she was the only one out here. She turned back around just in time for the dog to knock her onto her back. Liz shoved at the pup, but instead of the dog moving, it collapsed on top of her and licked her face. A large hand gripped the collar and yanked the dog off.
“Nona, stop. Bad dog.”
Liz sat up to see Nona sitting in front of her owner, hanging her head down. She whimpered and pawed at the sand.
“Stay,” he commanded.
Nona collapsed in the sand and covered her snout with her paws. Liz had never seen such a thing. Her best friend, Jenny had a big dog, but he never listened to Jenny.
Liz glanced up and groaned. Here she was, bawling her eyes out, and of course she’d come face-to-face with the last person she expected to see. Seriously, what were the chances? They were both over five hours away from where they’d grown up.
Adam Winslow was handsome in high school, but he was even more so now. His jawline had sharpened, and he had a sexy five o’clock shadow. His raven-black hair was long on top but styled back, and his limbs were dark and defined. She shook her head, suddenly remembering his less than attractive personality from high school. In spite of having looks that made every girl in the school grovel at his very feet, he’d been a prick.
Adam offered his hand and helped her up. “Are you okay?” He seemed to study her, his piercing eyes distracting. “Are you crying? Did Nona hurt you?”
Liz wiped at the tears on her face, feeling silly. “Nona didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.”
“But you’re crying. Where’d she hurt you? I’m so sorry.”
“No, she didn’t hurt me. Really.” Liz wiped the rest of the moisture off her cheeks. “I was crying before she ran me over.” She hated having to admit it, but it was better than letting him think his dog had done something to her. They’d shared a few classes in high school but it wasn’t like they ever even uttered two words to one another.
He met her eyes, and a light bulb of recognition flicked on. “Snow?”
She laughed through a sob. She hadn’t heard that nickname in years. Sure everyone called her that in high school, but no one did now. “Yeah, I go by Liz now.” She sniffed and sighed loudly. “But long time no see.” She felt so foolish. Jenny would get a kick out of her run-in with Adam. It would be the only story Liz would have for her.
“I’ll say. Sorry, only the teachers called you Liz in scho
ol. I’d actually forgotten it was your real name.”
In seventh grade, she tried out Missy Gobel’s bright red lipstick, and everyone said she looked like Snow White. The nickname stuck. She still wore red lipstick, but mostly because she didn’t know how to wear any other kind of makeup.
He chuckled, and then his face turned sad again. “What’s wrong?”
Liz shook her head. “It’s nothing. I’m just disappointed because my vacation got hijacked.”
Nona crawled over and nudged Liz’s foot. She leaned down and scratched Nona behind the ears.
“I thought I told you to stay,” Adam scolded.
Liz grinned. “Come on, Adam, she’s trying to love on me. Why’d she zero in on me in the first place?”
She sat down, and the Doberman climbed in her lap.
Adam gave the dog a patronizing look. “Probably because you were crying. She thinks it’s her mission to make every woman and child happy. The women usually respond better to it than the kids. She scares the crap out of them.”
Liz laughed, her tears gone. “Wow a dog who saves the world from tears. I’m impressed. I’m also surprised you remember me.”
“You sat in front of me in AP Bio. How could I forget the girl who showed no fear at any of the dissections? You graduate from med school yet?”
“No. I didn’t go to college.”
He opened and closed his mouth. “Why not?”
She shrugged. “I didn’t want to. I’ve always wanted to work on cars with my dad. So that’s what I’m doing.” She brushed her hands on her worn and holey jeans as she stood again. Nona stayed as close as she could get. “I’m opening my own shop when I get back to Vegas.”
“Good for you. But that doesn’t answer the million-dollar question. What happened that your vacation’s been hijacked?” She was so surprised by his niceness. He seemed to genuinely care about her predicament. Maybe she’d misjudged him in high school.
He nudged her, and she sighed. “My car engine died and I can’t go on my roadtrip now. It would take too much money to fix the engine, and I don’t have enough to rent a car either.”
She sniffed. Funny how she couldn’t utter two words to the gorgeous Adam Winslow in high school, but now she was spilling her whole sob story to him. Course, back then he wouldn’t have uttered two words to her either.
“Where were you going?” he asked, the sincerity on his face unmistakable. Who knew the Vegas playboy, Adam Winslow, could be so human. She didn’t usually follow the lives of her classmates, but Adam was a local celebrity. Jenny probably knew his life story.
“I drove here to San Diego, and then my plan was to make my way up the coast, ending in Vancouver. I was going to camp out on the beach every night. Now I have no car, and by the time I figure out how to get the money to get it fixed, it will be too late. Engines are very expensive, even if I can do the labor myself.”
Nothing was expensive for the Winslows, who had more money than God. His dad owned half the casinos in Vegas.
“Camping, huh?” A slow grin appeared on his face.
“Yeah. You know, with a tent and an air mattress.”
He nodded, the devastating smile still there. “Never done that before.”
“You’ve been deprived.” Before Mom died, they took camping trips around Vegas all the time. They did occasionally afterwards as well, but they weren’t quite as fun. Still, camping was in her blood.
He chuckled. “I know. Just after my tenth birthday I told my mom I wanted to camp on the beach because of a movie I’d seen. So she bought a million-dollar RV and took me to one of those fancy parks here in San Diego. They wouldn’t even let us have a campfire.”
“Poor you.” Her lip tugged as she envisioned Adam’s version of camping. Him being followed around by a nanny making sure he didn’t get speck of dirt on him and eating in their fancy RV with precious china.
“Yeah.” He shook his head, and the smile drifted away. “I feel bad your trip got messed up. Can I do anything to help?”
“No, my dad is driving the tow truck out tomorrow morning.” The tears started again, and Nona stuck her snout up, wanting to get at Liz’s face again. “I’m so sorry. I’m not usually a crybaby, but I’m so disappointed. I won’t get the opportunity to do this again.”
Adam didn’t respond. She should let him take his dog back to his friends, and his friends’ dogs, who were having a great time on the beach.
He took out his wallet. “Let me fix your problem for you.”
“That’s nice, but I don’t want your pity money.” Yep. Still a prick. Wave a magical money wand, and suddenly all your problems are fixed.
“No, that’s not it. I just broke up with my fiancée, and I could use a few weeks away from my family.” He dropped his gaze and ran a hand through his hair. He took a deep breath and met Liz’s eyes again. “What if I came with you? I could supply the car. You said you’ve already got everything else. I can buy another tent.”
She let out a laugh, and his face fell.
“Sorry. You’ve never been camping before, right? We’re talking a month of sleeping on the ground. Using campground showers. Plus all the sites I’ve booked only allow one tent.” The whole idea was absurd.
He hesitated a moment. “I can handle that. Please. I’ve never camped before, and I think it would be fun. Can your tent accommodate two air mattresses?” She chewed on her bottom lip.
“I have a boyfriend.” And he would not approve of the proposed situation. Liz couldn’t believe she was more concerned about Tanner’s potential concerns than her own. She was actually considering it.
“Where?” Adam asked with a smirk.
“Tanner is in Honduras working on a Habitat for Humanity project. He was supposed to come with me, but he had to extend his stay for another six months.”
She didn’t tell Adam how much it bothered her. Tanner was going to propose on this trip. They’d talked about it and she’d picked out the ring. They would get engaged in Newport, Oregon, and elope when they arrived home in Vegas.
Tanner promised he’d make it up to her. He said the work he was doing was super important, which Liz supposed it was, but she was still disappointed. He encouraged her to go anyway, not that she would’ve let that stop her. But now, not only did she not have her boyfriend to join her on her trip…she didn’t have a trip. She’d planned for possible issues, but she never thought she’d have a car problem she couldn’t fix.
Adam shifted, so he was in Liz’s line of sight. “I’m not looking for a relationship or anything. Seriously. I want to spend a few weeks figuring out what’s next for me. My dad is upset I broke off my engagement, and I don’t want to go home to him. I’ll pay half of everything. Please.” His face held almost desperation.
This was a viable, though slightly bizarre, option. As the seconds passed, the hope in his eyes grew. He really wanted to do this.
But she still wasn’t sure. To buy herself a bit more time, she joked. “I haven’t seen you in over ten years. How do I know you’re not some creep?”
“You don’t.” He smiled and laughed, and it was such a warm and comforting sound, Liz couldn’t help but laugh as well.
She worried it would make the entire trip awkward and weird. She didn’t even know him. But without him, the trip wouldn’t exist.
Despite all the ways the universe was scheming against her, something about this felt right.
Chapter 2
Adam was worried Snow would say no. He’d probably come off as some jerk who assumed she’d say yes. Most of the time women did whatever he wanted them to, and once he became aware of it in college, he took extra pains to not take advantage of them. Snow would see right through him. She was the smartest woman he’d ever met. She’s probably tell him hell no.
Regardless he needed to get away. He could easily book a trip to Fiji or Switzerland, but camping up the coast sounded more like the rugged adventure he was hoping for, and it was something he’d never done before. This exper
ience didn’t have a price tag. He could try to do it on his own, but he had no clue how to camp or even how to do the research to do a roadtrip right.
“Okay, you can come. But if you try to make even one move on me, we’re done.” Snow’s eyes sparkled with excitement, but her words held a promise. If Adam even stepped a toe over the line, she’d chuck him out of his own car.
He nodded. He didn’t plan on making any moves. He wasn’t even sure what he wanted in a girlfriend, but he knew it wasn’t his ex-fiancée, Kelly, or any of the other girls his father encouraged him to date over the last few years. They were business relationships, meant to secure deals and merge money. But Adam looked at his future and realized he didn’t want any of that. He wanted love and happiness, but he risked his entire inheritance. His dad told him if he didn’t take over the business he’d give it to someone else.
“When do we leave?” Adam asked.
Snow looked over her shoulder at the grungy motel across the street. “We’ll start first thing tomorrow morning.”
“And how long will the trip take, again?”
“One month and we’ll be camping the whole time except when we’re in Newport. I booked a hotel there.”
Adam wasn’t sure why Newport was special and deserved a hotel stay, but it sounded good to him. “Okay, then. Where shall I meet you?”
“Back here is fine. In the parking lot. My dad will come pick up the car tomorrow sometime, and then we’ll leave.”
“Where are you staying tonight?” He didn’t want her to have to sleep in her car.
She pointed to the motel over her shoulder. “There.”
Adam’s nose scrunched up involuntarily. He was grossed out at the thought that there might be bed bugs or something. He thought about offering to let her stay in his condo with him tonight, but he didn’t want to push her.
Snow laughed quietly. “It doesn’t look the best, but it’s fine. I got in late last night and didn’t feel like pulling my camping gear out.” She pointed to the campground across the street.
“Speaking of. What kind of gear do I need?”
Roadtrips and Romance (Omega Mu Alpha Brothers Book 5) Page 1
