Drive Me Crazy: Road Tripping Series

by Samantha Chase

“Hey, Dave,” he said through clenched teeth. “Classy move taking the car. Where the hell are you? In case you’ve forgotten, I’m eight hundred miles from home, and I got here in the car you currently hijacked, you son of a bitch! You need to get back here and…”

  Beep!

  If he didn’t need the phone so damn much right now, he would have tossed it in frustration. Not that he expected his brother to answer the phone, but he also didn’t expect the bastard to leave him stranded in Carson City over a petty fight.

  Okay, so maybe pointing out how irresponsible his brother was wasn’t the smartest thing to do, but who knew he’d be so willing to prove Finn right immediately?

  They had decided to take this road trip together as a way of bonding. Honestly, they had never gotten along, and after trying again and again, to find Dave jobs and keep him from mooching off their parents, Finn thought the time away together would help. The idea of them being in neutral territory and away from prying eyes seemed perfect.

  Clearly, he was wrong.

  Now he was stranded. Dave had his car and Finn needed to get home to Atlanta so he could get back to work. Granted, he was his own boss, but the garage could only run for so long without him. Actually, it probably would be fine without him for a while, but he was responsible and the garage was his baby. He hated being away from it any longer than he had to be.

  And that just filled him with rage again because thanks to his brother, he had no choice but to delay his return. Chasing Dave across the country wasn’t going to be a quick and easy task, no matter how much he wished it could be.

  Looking at his phone, he did a quick search for car rental places in the area. There weren’t many, and the smarter thing to do would be to just go to the Tahoe airport, but that was wasting time he didn’t have. The sooner he got on the road, the better chance he had of catching up with his wayward brother. Once he made a mental note of the closest place, Finn pulled up the app for Uber and ordered a car to take him there. There was no way he was flying home, even if it was the fastest way to get there. Finn had a fear of flying and just the thought of getting near an airplane was enough to make him feel a little sick. Hell, even walking back to Atlanta was more appealing to him than flying.

  It started to rain and he groaned. It was the icing on the cake of the crappiest day ever. He’d already lost all the money he’d brought to gamble with and now he was going to have to pay to rent a car to get home. His luggage was in his car because he and Dave had planned on leaving tonight after dinner. As soon as they had finished eating, his brother excused himself to use the men’s room and never returned.

  Just thinking about it pissed Finn off more than he thought possible.

  His ride pulled up just as the rain really started to come down, and he’d never been more thankful for anything in his life. Climbing into the car, he thanked the driver and immediately tried calling his brother again.

  “Come on, man,” he all but growled into the phone as the call went to voicemail again. “This is bullshit, Dave. It’s my damn car and I can have the cops on your ass for this!” His driver eyed him suspiciously, but Finn didn’t care. “Just…call me back.” Again, the urge to throw his phone was great, but it would hinder more than help him.

  Throwing his head back against the seat cushion, he started thinking his plan through. Maybe he should have just stayed at the casino and waited Dave out. His brother was many things, but he wasn’t despicable enough that he’d strand Finn and steal his car.

  Or was he?

  The phone rang, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. “Dammit, Dave, where are you?”

  A low chuckle was the first response. “Just drove through Fallon, but I’m considering heading south and going back to Vegas,” Dave said. “Remember how cool the strip was?”

  Finn mentally counted to ten before speaking. “Fallon’s what…an hour from Carson City? How the hell fast are you driving?”

  Laughter was the only response.

  “Can you please just stay put and I’ll meet you there so we can head home like we planned, okay?”

  “No can do, bro. You see, you wanted to lecture me on how irresponsible I am, so you shouldn’t be surprised by all of this. I mean, we all know Perfect Finn is never wrong.”

  If his brother were standing in front of him, Finn would strangle him. There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that he’d do it. Dave could test the patience of a saint.

  “Shouldn’t you be trying to prove me wrong?” he asked through clenched teeth. “I mean, that is what you normally do! Why do you feel the need to prove me right now of all times?”

  “Ha-ha!” Dave said, laughing heartily. “I don’t really care what I’m proving. All I want to do is piss you off just like you pissed me off. Doesn’t feel so good, does it?”

  “Dave…”

  “Dammit, Finn, where do you get off passing judgment on me?”

  “Right now, I think I have every right! You stole my car!”

  “Technically, I’m borrowing it.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re stealing it. Borrowing it implies I gave you permission, which I did not. And how the hell did you get my keys?”

  “When you went to the men’s room while we were waiting for our food, I swiped them,” Dave said flippantly. “So really, you have no one to blame but yourself for leaving them lying around like that.”

  Pinching the bridge of his nose, Finn had to wonder how he was going to get through this–or better yet, how he was going to keep himself from beating the crap out of his brother when they were both back in Atlanta.

  “Dave,” he began, trying to be reasonable, “you know I need to get home. Let’s just agree that things got out of hand and move on, okay? Now, where are you? I’m in an Uber and can meet up with you.”

  The low laugh Dave gave as a response did not fill Finn with hope.

  Letting out a long breath, he willed himself–again–to stay in control. “It’s getting late and we’re wasting time here.”

  “You got that right.”

  “It’s already an almost forty-hour drive back to Atlanta, Dave. Four grueling days of driving,” he added. “We weren’t going to get too far tonight, but we can make up time if you just tell me where you are so I can meet you.”

  “Vegas.”

  “You’re not in Vegas!” Finn yelled. “It is physically impossible for you to be in Vegas already! Now enough is enough! Do not make me call the cops! I’m serious!”

  “Sorry…bad…breaking…up…later…”

  “Don’t hang up! Don’t hang up!”

  Dave hung up.

  The things that flew out of Finn’s mouth would make most people blush, but he didn’t care. When he kicked the seat in front of him, the driver yelled, “Hey!” and that instantly snapped him out of his tantrum. He was screwed; there were no two ways about it. His brother had his car and he wasn’t getting it back any time soon. The sooner he resigned himself to that fact, the better off he’d be.

  So, he had to rent a car, so what? And so what if he was going to have to stop and buy himself clothes and supplies to get him through the trip? Worse things could happen. But the worst of it all was how it was going to take him longer than the planned four days. Finn believed in being smart and not overdoing things and knew driving for ten hours a day alone wouldn’t be smart or safe.

  Something Dave had mocked him about on their original trip.

  There was a flash of lightning, and the rain was really coming down. 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, th
at 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 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?

  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 a repeated exchange 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. The only sound in the place was the typing coming from Carl and Tammy’s computers. Finn looked around and saw the office 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!” 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,” 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.

  Unfortunately, he needed this car too. Maybe if he reasoned with her…

  Holding out his hand, he said, “I’m Finn. Finn Kavanagh. And you are…?”

  Swiping her dripping blonde hair away from her face, she eyed him cautiously. “Grace. Grace Mackie.”

  She didn’t shake his hand.

  “Look, Grace, it seems like we’re both in a bad way right now. But you have to believe me when I say I have to have this car. You see, my brother stole my car, and I’ve got to get back to Atlanta and…”

  “Today was supposed to be my wedding day and I found out my fiancé has been cheating on me with his assistant…”

  “Okay, that does sound bad, but you see, I’ve got a business and…”

  “And she’s pregnant with his baby,” she continued. “Oh, and he was planning on divorcing me in six months, so he and his baby mama could be together. He was just using me to get a promotion.”

  Finn’s shoulders sagged even as he bowed his head.

  Yeah. She had him beat.

  Without a word, he motioned toward the desk and simply gave up. There had to be other rental places in town, right? And if not, he’d call for another Uber and do…something. There was a row of chairs against the wall and he walked over and sat down. He found this place by searching on his phone, so he’d just have to do it again and hope he’d find another one.

  Scrolling…scrolling…scrolling…

  The rustling of wet satin had him looking up. Grace was two feet away and still staring at him hostilely. “Problem?” he asked, letting his own annoyance come through.

  “Listen, it seems to me we’ve both had a crappy day and…well…I’m heading across country too. So, if you want to share the car…”

  He was instantly on his feet. “Seriously?” Then he got suspicious. “Why? Why would you even offer? You know nothing about me, and for that matter, I know nothing about you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Both Carl and Tammy mentioned there not being another rental place nearby. The closest one is about twenty miles from here and is closed for the day. Your only other option is the airport and…”

  “I’m not flying!” he snapped and immediately regretted his reaction. “I mean…I don’t really like flying so…”

  “No, I mean there are car rental places there you can try, but it’s still a bit of a drive to get there too.” She paused and fidgeted, and Finn figured her dress had to be a bit of a pain to move around in–even more so now that it was wet. “Nothing today has gone as planned and I’m not looking forward to driving across the country alone.”

  “I get that, but still…how do you know you can trust me?”

  “Honestly? I don’t. But Carl and Tammy have your license and would know I was leaving with you, so if anything happened to me, you’d be the guy everyone would go after.” Then she paused, and her gaze narrowed. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t trust you?”

  “What? I mean, no! There’s no reason,” he stammered.

  “Tell me about yourself,” she said before turning to the curious agents. “You guys listen in on this too. You’re witnesses.”

  “Witnesses? That’s just…”

  “I’m just trying to be practical, Quinn,” she said.

  “It’s Finn,” he corrected and then cleared his throat. “I’m Finn Kavanagh and I’m from Atlanta, Georgia. I was born and raised in East Islip, New York, and moved to Atlanta when I was eighteen. I’m thirty years old and I own my own auto repair shop, Kavanagh’s. You can look it up online. We have a website and a Facebook page,” he added.

  “Tammy, can you check on that please?” Grace called over her shoulder, not breaking eye contact with Finn.

  Finn glanced toward the counter and saw both agents typing and nodding, and when Grace looked over at them, they both gave her a thumbs up.

  It was ridiculous for him to sag with relief, but he almost did.

  “Anything else?” she asked. “What about your family? You married?”

  “No.”

  “Girlfriend?”

&
nbsp; “No.”

  “Boyfriend?”

  “No!” he shouted a little too defensively.

  “Any siblings other than the car-stealing brother?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. Just Dave.”

  “Why’d he steal your car?”

  “It’s a long story…”

  And for the first time since he’d met her, Grace gave a small smile. “Good thing we’ve got a long drive ahead of us and you can tell me all about it.”

  This is crazy, he thought. There was no way he was going to drive cross-country with a complete stranger. He didn’t do things like this! He was fairly practical and cautious, and this had disaster written all over it.

  Grace walked back over to the counter and Finn followed. “My turn,” he said.

  “For what?”

  “Tell me about yourself.”

  She leaned against the counter and looked at him with mild annoyance. “Why? It seems to me I’m the one at greater risk here.”

  He gave her a bland look, crossed his arms over his chest, and waited.

  With a sigh, she said, “Fine. Grace Mackie, career coach, age twenty-eight. Recently ran out on my wedding. I was engaged to the cheating jackass for six months and we dated for a year before that. I have two brothers and one sister, who are all happily married to non-cheating jackasses.”

  “A career coach?”

  She nodded. “I too have a website and Facebook page,” she turned to Tammy. “Executive Career Services by Grace out of Raleigh, North Carolina. You can Google it.” They waited all of two minutes before Carl and Tammy gave another thumbs up.

  “Looks like we’re both who we say we are,” Grace said, her smile growing a little.

  “Looks that way,” he agreed. “The only problem is you’re going to North Carolina and I’m going to Atlanta. How’s that going to work?”

  She considered him for a moment. “I’d be more than willing to go to Atlanta with you and fly home from there. Unlike you, I’m not in a rush. The longer this trip takes, the better.”

  Finn didn’t take that as a particularly good sign, but he wasn’t going to question it right now. Hell, if she wanted to camp out in Atlanta once they got there, who was he to argue?