by Lexy Timms
“Shocker,” she said, murmuring.
What did she expect me to say? That I wanted to get trapped with her again? That I wanted to toss her against a wall and fuck her senseless? That I missed her every single solitary night but I couldn’t call her or ask for her because of how the media might portray something like that?
What did this woman expect from me?
I capped off the gas tank and shut the little door before I climbed back into the car. The gray skies were completely blocking the sun, and even though it was only two o’clock in the afternoon, it seemed as if it was nine o’clock at night. Abby was already opening a bag of chips and a soda she’d purchased, but I was nowhere near hungry. I was more focused on getting back on the highway than I was my stomach.
“Remember what we were doing the last time we crossed into Iowa together?” I asked.
She turned her head towards me but she didn’t respond.
“You were belting out Christmas carols that were playing on the radio,” I said, grinning.
“And you were telling me to stop.”
“Well, you have to admit. Your voice leaves something to be desired. But I have to admit, even in the beginning, being around someone with your warmth and presence was nice.”
“Really?” she asked.
“Yes. Just like it is now,” I said.
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
“And that’s partially my fault. I never gave you a reason for why I didn’t call you after Christmas,” I said.
“Work,” she said, shrugging.
“What?”
“Work. It’s not some big secret. You have a busy year ahead of you. I didn’t expect to hear from you.”
“You didn’t?” I asked.
“Nope. You own a company that’s taking on a new venture. What could I have expected?” she asked.
I guess she had a point, but it still hurt that the conclusion on her end had been drawn so easily.
“You deserve better than that,” I said.
“I do. Which is why we’re not going to be Grinchy on this road trip,” she said.
“I can’t be a Grinch. It’s not Christmas anymore, therefore it is impossible.”
“Fine. So it’s why you’re not going to be an asshole on this trip.”
I threw my head back and laughed as we traveled down the highway.
“I’ll try not to be an asshole on this trip,” I said. “As long as you aren’t belting out Christmas carols in the car.”
“Don’t worry,” she said, as she turned on the radio. “They don’t play Christmas carols in February.”
The music filled the compartment and I groaned as the song flooded my ears. Everyone knew Queen. Everyone knew all of Queen. Every single song that group ever did. And I heard Abby draw in a deep breath before she unhinged her jaw to let that horrific voice loose.
“Can anybody—find me—somebody to love!?”
Chapter 4
Abby
It was hysterical, watching Colin cringe at my singing. I knew I couldn’t sing. I knew I couldn’t carry a tune in a bucket, not even if the bucket was reinforced with steel, and on wheels being pulled by a truck I was driving—I simply couldn’t do it. But the way he gripped the steering wheel and started breathing deep through his nose tickled me to my core. It was reminiscent of the Grinch he was when I first met him. Only this time, he was trying to be more gentlemanly about it. He was trying to keep the peace between us, even though things were pleasantly awkward.
But, part of me couldn’t resist singing to Queen.
I looked out the window just as Colin reached to turn the radio off and I saw the clouds growing darker. Snow was beginning to fall in the headlights of the car, and I figured we were hitting the storm that had grounded the plane. I reached down into my purse and pulled out my phone so I could check the weather and it didn’t look good. There were already reports of sleet covering power lines, and people in southern Iowa were already without power.
“Colin, are you sure we shouldn’t stop until the storm passes?”
I looked over at him but his eyes were trained on the road. The snow was falling harder and the temperature was quickly dropping. The snow started pounding the car and I watched as Colin turned on the windshield wipers so he could see. The car slowed down as he eased into the right hand lane, riding the taillights of the truck in front of us that was struggling to navigate the falling snow.
I refreshed weather report on my phone and the chance of snow had jumped. It had gone from forty percent to sixty, with a thirty percent chance of freezing rain. I looked out the window and took stock of the snow already gathering on the trees as we passed them by.
It was getting worse with every minute we drove and it was beginning to make me really nervous.
“Colin?”
“Yes, Abby.”
“I really think you should consider stopping for the night. It’s getting bad. People in the southern part of the state are already reporting downed power lines and outages.”
“Abby, not to be rude, but I intentionally got a car with four-wheel drive so we wouldn’t have to do just that. As long as we take it slow, we’ll be fine.”
“Gee. I didn’t realize how terrible it was to spend a night with me,” I said.
“I didn’t say anything like that,” he said.
“So you didn’t enjoy that night with me?” I asked.
“No, Abby. I mean, yes, I enjoyed it. Seriously? We’re playing this game now?”
“What game?”
“The one where you become a woman who puts words in my mouth so you can feign hurt and get me to change my mind about pulling over because I’m overcome with guilt that I said something I never once intended on saying?”
I studied his face as a vein began to bulge from his neck. The weather was getting really bad. What was so wrong with pulling over? If our safety was at risk, then I had no issues with pulling over.
“Well, at least if we do it now we have quality control over the hotel we choose. And we might even be able to get two rooms. And I could pay for my room, if that makes it any better,” I said.
“It has nothing to do with the hotel or the fact that I paid last time. I just want to get to this conference. We aren’t talking about this anymore. I’m just ready to get there.”
“Colin. Four-wheel drive isn’t going to help if we hit ice. Trust me, I’ve been down that road. I totaled a car having fun down that road.”
“Why is that not shocking?” he asked.
“Are you kidding?” I asked.
“We’re not stopping,” he said.
“Fine.”
“Good.”
I crossed my arms over my chest and sat back into the seat. The nerve of this asshole. He had gone from a rigid Grinch to an outspoken control freak. What the hell was his problem anyway? We could hardly see out of the windshield because the snow was coming down so hard, we were following the taillights of a truck as our navigation, and if we kept up this pace we didn’t have near enough food or drink to get us all the way to Wichita.
The tension in the air was palpable, at best.
“So, we’re just going to follow this truck all the way to Kansas?” I asked.
“At least until we get through this heavy snow,” Colin said.
“So if he plunges off a cliff, we’re just going to go right along with him?” I asked.
“There are no cliffs in the middle of the flatlands, Abby. And yes, if this man goes over a cliff, we’re going along with him.”
“How do you know it’s a man?”
“For fuck’s sake, Abby. Are you kidding me?” he asked.
I grinned as I looked out the window, but my nerves began to set in again. I couldn’t even see out the window at this point, and the rocking of the car because of the high winds started to bob the car side to side.
“Maybe you’re just cute when you’re upset,” I said.
“Well sorry, but you’re not.”
“Don’t worry. Since you didn’t enjoy our night spent together on the road, I figured as much,” I said.
“Abby.”
His voice was unexpectedly soft. Not at all characteristic of the stern, sharp voice I’d heard for the past twenty minutes. I panned my gaze over to him and saw that his face had softened. The car came to a complete stop on the highway and he looked over at me, taking my breath away with his icy blue eyes. They weren’t stormy, like the weather outside. But rather, they were soft. Like a plush bedspread or a child’s first toy.
Against his chiseled features and his strong, stern brow, it quickly reminded me of why I had been so taken with him over Christmas.
Why had he never called?
“Me wanting to get to Wichita has nothing to do with you,” he said. “I have a great deal to prepare and no one to pawn it off on this time.”
“But the conference isn’t until Saturday. Even if we spent a night on the road and finished the trip tomorrow, we’d still get in with three days to spare,” I said.
“And if we get snowed in because we sat in this weather and we have to stay longer, we might miss the conference altogether. Abby, I know you don’t understand, but my company is sitting at a very important junction in our history.”
“I know damn good and well about where your company is sitting, because I work there. But I’m not about to risk my life to P.R. a conference. I think you should pull over.”
“If I felt our lives were in danger, I would. But they aren’t. This is why I didn’t want you driving. I knew we would hit the storm and I knew it would freak you out.”
“Oh, you just knew this, right? After spending, what—eight or nine days with me?”
“And Christmas,” he said.
“Oh. Right. Because you got to know my personality on Christmas,” I said.
Silence fell in the car as the traffic picked back up, and this time we were starting to cruise at a decent speed.
“Whatever part of you I did have over Christmas, I enjoyed getting to know it,” Colin said.
I flicked my gaze back over to him and saw how hard his eyes were locked onto the road in front of us.
“Me, too,” I said, murmuring.
“But we’re not stopping. We’ll be okay. And if we hit a point where we are not okay, you have my word that I’ll pull over.”
“Whatever. But if you complain about the hotel because you put yourself in a scenario where you can’t choose, I’m punching you in the dick.”
“I’m your boss. I could fire you for that,” he said.
“Whatever.”
The car ride was silent and my worry was increasing tenfold. The farther into the storm we got, the worse it became. Sleet started beating against the window, obstructing our view even further. The mirrors on the side of the car got so cold in the sinking temperatures that ice started to accumulate on them. I kept refreshing my phone, trying to figure out where this storm ended.
But it was laid out over the entire state of Iowa and over much of Kansas.
“Please, Colin. This storm is massive. It’s covering the whole state of—”
“I don’t want to hear any more about it,” he said sternly. “I’m trying to concentrate on driving. If you want to fill your ears with noise, I’ve got headphones in my bag in the back. You can climb back there and dig them out.”
My jaw clenched at his words as I drew a deep breath through my nose. I was trying my best to keep my fear at bay, but it was hard. The sky was completely darkened and the mirrors were becoming caked in ice. The snow was whipping around the car that was teetering on the highway because of the swirls of wind knocking around the fresh powder. We were riding the bumper of this massive truck just to keep its red tail lights in our view, and my body was shaking with fear as I pressed my forehead against the window of the car.
I bit back a yelp as I pulled my head back.
The window was freezing cold. So cold, in fact, that the part of my forehead that touched the window was throbbing with pain.
Raising my hand, I let my fingertips dance over the spot. I wasn’t bleeding or anything, but it was very sore. I chanced a glance at Colin one last time and saw his focused gaze connected with the world he could see out of our windshield.
I guess it was a good thing I wasn’t driving, because I couldn’t see a damn thing.
“I’m sorry,” Colin said. “For getting upset like I did.”
“I don’t care about your apologies,” I said. “I only care about keeping us safe.”
“And I’m not doing that?”
“No, you’re not. You’re traveling in a storm you’ve got no business traveling in because you’re holding yourself to some imaginary timeframe. Well you know what? Your timeframe’s gonna get us killed in this storm. Hope you can explain that to my father.”
“How is he, by the way?”
“My father’s fine. And my mother says hello.”
“Well give them my best.”
“I will,” I said.
“Good.”
The man was out of his damn mind. I looked over at him and saw this cheeky little grin on his cheeks. What in the world was so funny? What type of amusement did he get out of trying to kill us? His eyes lit up with his grin, and at any other moment in time I would’ve reveled in his beauty.
But right now he was just a pain in my ass.
“Looks like someone else is the Grinch now,” Colin said.
“I am not.”
“Yes, you are. It’s not as fun to be annoyed by someone when the tables are flipped, is it?” he asked.
“I’m sorry if me not wanting to die makes me a Grinch.”
“It doesn’t make you a Grinch, but not getting your way does make you upset.”
I could hear the chuckle in his voice he was trying to stifle.
“I’m glad you’re getting pleasure out of my misery,” I said.
“Isn’t that what you did to me over Christmas?” he asked.
“No. I was just trying to open you up to the concept of holiday cheer. I was trying to make you more relaxed and keep you from being such a stick-in-the-mud.”
“And I’d say it worked, at least in part. I’m a man who can admit he was bested when it happens.”
“I wasn’t trying to best you. I was just trying to—”
“Improve me?” he asked.
I sighed as I looked out the window and I had to close my eyes so my nerves wouldn’t get out of control again.
“Just trust me,” he said. “Trust that I know you well enough to know this was how you were going to react, and trust that I will get us to Wichita in one piece.”
“Even if that means pulling over?” I asked.
“If it gets to that point, yes. Even if it means pulling over. So long as there’s internet. I do have work that still has to be done.”
“Like always,” I said.
“Comes with the territory.”
I didn’t have any other choice. He was the driver and he was hell bent on making that decision. So instead of trying to gaze out the window and convince him to pull over, I leaned my seat back and closed my eyes. Taking deep breaths in through my nose and letting them out from my mouth, I tried to settle my shaking hands. Driving in rain was fine. Driving in thunderstorms was fine. Even driving in snow was just fine with me.
But this was something different.
This was a beast of a storm that was knocking everything down in its path.
Like a frozen hurricane or something.
I closed my eyes as music hit my ears and I whipped my head over towards Colin. His hand was toggling through radio stations and settled on a station playing very soothing music. He looked over at me and winked, a gesture that sent shivers down my spine.
The music was soothing to my ears as I relaxed into the seat, feeling it warm underneath my butt as I sighed.
“Seat warmers again, huh?” I asked.
“No luxury vehicle rides without them,” he said. “Take a na
p. I’ll wake you up when we stop.”
The issue was, I didn’t know when we were going to be stopping. All I could hope was that the crashing of the car wasn’t what woke me.
Chapter 5
Colin
I was so glad Abby was taking a nap because I needed her to simply trust what I was doing. Her panicking and incessant worrying was becoming annoying. I had better judgment than that. I wasn’t going to get us killed or hurt or stranded on the side of the road. Abby needed to calm down, lean back, and let me do what I do best.
The soothing music knocked her out and the car was finally silent. I kept riding the taillights of the truck, but he soon pulled off the highway. There was no one in front of him so I had to keep my eyes on the yellow line at my side to make sure I didn’t go over it. This blizzard was getting worse, but it wasn’t at a point yet where I thought we wouldn’t be able to make it.
But, the more I traveled, the worse it got. I hit downed power lines and trees that were bowing on the side of the highway. Cars were pulling off faster than I could approach them. My headlights were showing me nothing but falling snow, and I could feel the tires underneath the car beginning to slip. The wind was getting worse and I was having a hard time keeping myself steady in the lane I needed to be in.
And little by little, cars were exiting and leaving me on the highway to fend for myself.
I traveled for ten minutes before I came upon the next exit, and there were multiple signs for lodging. I pulled off as Abby continued to sleep, her body curled up on the warmed seat while she snoozed. I’d brought us as far as I could in this weather, especially considering how dark it was, and I knew she would be pleased by the fact that I had to pull off and find us somewhere to stay for the night.
Except none of the hotels on the exits had vacancies.
It was Valentine’s Day weekend and everything was booked. Hotel prices had skyrocketed to take advantage of the romantic vacation business, and with every stop I made I became more and more frustrated. The hotel desks would point me up the road towards shady motels I was trying to avoid, but then I had no choice. None of the hotels had vacancies and the ice was beginning to stick to the roads.
