The Summer Seekers

by Sarah Morgan

  “I can tell. Your increase in speed appears to directly correlate with your elevated mood. Let me know when you hit a moment of ecstasy so that I can take the appropriate safety precautions.”

  And now they were heading across Missouri on their way to Kansas with the sun on their faces and the breeze blowing their hair.

  “Have you been looking at the guidebook? Is there anything in particular you’d like to see?”

  Kathleen adjusted her scarf. “Yes. I’d like to see you with a man.”

  “I meant sightseeing.”

  “Well, that’s a sight I’d like to see.”

  “Kathleen, are you going to embarrass me when we stop?”

  “I aim to try. That was a pretty drive, by the way.”

  Unable to shift the conversation, Martha pulled up at Devil’s Elbow and parked. “We’re going for a stroll to see the bridge and the Big Piney River and then we’ll get something to eat. We’re right in the middle of the Ozarks. Loggers used to float the logs down the river here and they had to negotiate this horrid bend, which is why it’s called Devil’s Elbow. I read that they didn’t have a barrier on the road originally. I think we both know where I would have ended up. Floating down the Big Piney River along with the logs.”

  Kathleen was staring along the dusty road. “We appear to have struck lucky. And so soon! Over there—” She pointed. “That man is handsome, although no doubt you would use a different word. What would you call him? Cute?”

  “I’d call him a stranger.” Was Kathleen really going to do this? Martha had assumed she was joking. “Could you at least not point?”

  “How else will you know who I’ve identified? It would be terrible if you picked the wrong man.”

  “Yeah, well I’m good at that.” Martha locked the car and glanced over at the man. He was leaning against a wall, deep in conversation with another man. His jeans rode snugly around strong legs and his shoulders were broad and solid. He held himself with a certain relaxed confidence that was undeniably attractive. Hot, she thought. She’d call him hot, but there was no way she was admitting that. Kathleen was already out of control. And also watching Martha closely.

  “What do you think? His hair could do with a cut, and he needs a shave but he’s probably been traveling like us, so we’ll forgive him that.”

  Martha slipped the car keys into her bag. “He’s too far away for me to see his face.”

  “We’ll move closer.”

  “No way. I’m buying us food and we’re going to walk to the river and eat there. Any preferences? Are you coming in with me?”

  “I’ll stay with the car.”

  When Martha came back loaded with food and drink Kathleen was deep in conversation with the man she’d identified as “cute.”

  “Martha!” Kathleen waved. “Over here.”

  “I’m going to kill her.” Martha tried to find a reason not to join her, but failed to find one that didn’t sound rude so she gave in to pressure and joined Kathleen and her new friend.

  “Josh here was telling me that we absolutely have to stay an extra day in Arizona and see the Grand Canyon. He’s doing Route 66 too, can you believe that?”

  Martha didn’t point out that since they were, in fact, on the old section of Route 66 that point was pretty obvious. Nor that they already had a visit to the Grand Canyon planned. “What a coincidence.”

  His eyes crinkled at the corners and he extended a hand. “Josh Ryder. Kathleen here has been telling me all about your trip so far. Traveling with her must be an eye-opener.”

  “In more ways than you can possibly imagine.”

  Kathleen winked at her.

  Subtlety, Martha thought, wasn’t one of her skills. “I bought us both a pulled pork sandwich. I thought we could eat it near the river. Goodbye, Josh. Safe travels.”

  “Josh is hitchhiking,” Kathleen said. “Isn’t that intrepid?”

  “Very.” Martha waved the bag and Josh smiled.

  “Smells good.”

  Okay so he was very sexy, Kathleen wasn’t wrong about that.

  “I need to visit the restroom. You two young things get to know each other in my absence.” Kathleen headed away from them and Martha stared after her with exasperation, which mounted when she turned and found Josh laughing.

  “It’s been a while since I was described as a ‘young thing’. She’s quite a character.”

  No kidding.

  “She really is.” Martha spoke through her teeth. “One of a kind.”

  “She’s eighty? That’s quite something. She was telling me about your adventure.”

  As long as that was all she’d told him. If she’d mentioned that Martha needed a rebound relationship Kathleen’s next adventure on Route 66 would be a dip in the Big Piney River. Forget Devil’s Elbow, it would be courtesy of Martha’s Elbow. In her ribs.

  “Yes, it’s been a dream of hers to do Route 66. I applied for the job of driving her, so here we are. How about you?” She needed to fill the time until Kathleen came back, and she’d rather they talked about him than her.

  “I—needed a change of scenery.” He drained a can of soda and tossed it into the bin, his aim perfect. “This seemed as good a way of getting it as any.”

  Why had he needed a change of scenery? None of your business, Martha. She wasn’t interested, she really wasn’t. “You’ve come from Chicago?”

  “Vermont. I was staying with friends.”

  “You hitchhiked all that way? Isn’t that dangerous?”

  He shrugged. “Not so far. Everyone has been friendly and helpful.”

  “I suppose having muscles helps,” she said and then saw amusement in his eyes and her face grew hot. “I just meant that you probably don’t have to worry too much about—Oh never mind.”

  Her mind was going in directions she didn’t want it to.

  She was definitely going to kill Kathleen.

  “How about you?” He leaned against the wall, as comfortable as she was uncomfortable. “How are you finding the driving?”

  “It’s been great,” she lied. “A bit hair-raising in Chicago, but getting easier.”

  “You have a nice set of wheels there, that’s for sure.” Josh nodded to the car and she was relieved that Kathleen had insisted on hiring a small, sporty car rather than a big SUV. There was no room for an additional passenger.

  Finally Kathleen emerged and Martha decided this was her cue to end this exchange before something embarrassing happened.

  “Safe travels, Josh.”

  He held her gaze for a moment. “Perhaps we’ll meet again farther down the road.”

  Her heart was beating a little too fast. The heat in her cheeks had nothing to do with the sun. “Yeah, maybe. Take care.” She gave an awkward smile and slid her arm into Kathleen’s, propelling her along so that she didn’t linger. “We’re walking to the river. It’s so pretty here and I want to feast my eyes on Ozark scenery.”

  Kathleen didn’t protest but she did glance over her shoulder at Josh. “One wonders what a man like that is doing alone? It seems like an opportunity.”

  “It seems like a warning. Maybe he’s a serial killer and he doesn’t like accomplices.” Martha handed over a bag. “Sandwich. Eat. Food will help your brain function and hopefully stop you plotting.”

  “I’m enjoying plotting. And it’s beautiful here. A perfect place to stop, you clever girl.” Kathleen stared down at the sun shimmering across the surface of the river. Trees stretched into the distance and overhung the water, creating shadows and shade. “The Ozarks, you say.”

  “Mmm.” Martha had a mouth full of delicious pulled pork but that didn’t stop her from enjoying the view.

  They stood in companionable silence, both of them eating.

  Finally Kathleen spoke. “Josh seems delightful. It’s hard to believe we struc
k lucky so quickly, don’t you think?”

  Martha managed to swallow before she choked. “We did not strike lucky. We greeted a fellow traveler. That’s it.”

  “It doesn’t look as if anyone has stopped for the poor man. We should offer him a ride.”

  “Kathleen, he is not a poor man, and we are not picking up a hitchhiker.”

  “Have you ever picked up a hitchhiker before?”

  “Never.”

  “Didn’t you say that you were ready to embrace new experiences?”

  “Not that kind of new experience.” Martha wiped her fingers and scrunched up the bag. “Are you done?”

  “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced this is a wonderful idea.”

  “The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced it’s the worst idea in the world.”

  “But it would cheer me up. Would you really deny a frail old lady some happiness in what might be her final days?”

  Martha rolled her eyes. “I do not respond to emotional blackmail. And if you carry on trying to pair me up with every man we pass, these will be your final days.”

  “This convinces me that we need to be spontaneous. I hate to see you so suspicious.” Kathleen patted her on the arm. “We never really know anyone, dear. You and I both have experience that supports that.”

  “Mmm.” Martha took some photographs with her phone.

  “All we can do is take a chance.”

  “Kathleen, this is ridiculous.” She lowered her phone. “All we know about him is that he ‘needed a change of scenery’. Maybe he murdered someone. He could be on the run.”

  “But have you seen him close up? Those eyes.” Kathleen finished eating and scrunched up the bag. “What a way to go. And anyway, you’re lucky enough to be traveling with a woman who beaned an intruder with a skillet, so you should feel very safe.”

  “I think that experience might have given you a slightly overinflated opinion of your own self-defense skills.”

  “This is my trip—it’s up to me who I invite.”

  “I’m the driver. I could go on strike.” And then Martha realized she was using all the wrong arguments. “Anyway, there is no room in the car. He tops six foot. Long legs. Not that I’ve been looking—”

  “I’ve seen you looking.”

  Martha sighed. “There is no way he is fitting in the back.”

  “He doesn’t have to. I will fit in the back perfectly and he can sit in the front with you.”

  “I’d be trapped with him.”

  “Exactly! You never know—the two of you could be a perfect match.”

  “That would be a miracle.”

  “A good relationship doesn’t require a miracle. It requires the right person at the right time.” Kathleen slid her sunglasses onto her nose. “Onward.”

  12

  KATHLEEN

  ST. LOUIS~DEVIL’S ELBOW~SPRINGFIELD

  Kathleen closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

  She hadn’t been exactly honest with Martha when she’d said she was fine. She didn’t feel fine at all. Her insides were all churned up, and it had nothing to do with the pulled pork sandwich. Thoughts and feelings that she’d managed to outrun for so many years had all finally caught up with her. They seeped past all the barriers and buried themselves in her brain where she couldn’t shake them off.

  It was that conversation with Martha that had started it all. Why hadn’t she shut it down?

  It was Martha, of course. Her warmth and kindness had a way of melting all Kathleen’s usual reserve. Shrimp on ice. No matter how serious the topic, Martha still managed to make Kathleen laugh.

  And now she couldn’t stop thinking about Ruth.

  Should she have opened those letters?

  “Are you all right back there, Kathleen?” Martha glanced at her in the mirror, a dangerous glint visible in her eyes before she covered them with sunglasses. “Not too squashed?”

  “Never better.” Her discomfort was caused by something less easy to fix than a lack of legroom in the rear seat.

  She knew Martha was frustrated that she’d offered Josh a ride, but she was willing to weather her new friend’s disapproval if it meant coaxing Martha out of the little protective bubble she’d formed around herself. Kathleen recognized fear when she saw it. She didn’t think for one moment that Josh was a serial killer, or a threat of any kind. And the last thing Martha needed for the next month was to be closeted with an eighty-year-old, however much they enjoyed each other’s company. The girl needed youth and excitement.

  But so far Martha had shown no inclination to engage their new passenger in conversation, so if this was going to happen then it was all up to Kathleen.

  Fortunately she’d always been a skilled interviewer. There was no reason why she couldn’t use those skills to discover more about Josh.

  “Vermont, you say. I’ve never been to Vermont, although I am partial to maple syrup. Is it home for you, Josh?”

  “Home is California. I was visiting friends in Vermont.”

  “And Route 66 has always been a dream of yours?”

  It took him a long time to answer. “It’s something I’ve thought about doing for a while, but it’s taken me until now to do it.”

  Kathleen sensed there was something he wasn’t saying.

  Interesting.

  Relieved to have something to focus on rather than her own problems, she waited for Martha to follow the obvious lead and ask why it had taken him until now, but Martha was silent, her eyes fixed on the road.

  A silent Martha was concerning.

  Kathleen could almost hear her saying, You invited him to join us, so you can make the conversation.

  She sighed. It seemed she was going to have to do all the work.

  “What made you suddenly decide to make this dream a reality?”

  “A number of things, but it culminated in a friend pointing out that I hadn’t taken a vacation in three years.”

  “Three years? Why?”

  “I was busy working. I put my career first.”

  So he was a man able to show commitment, Kathleen thought. That wasn’t a bad quality to have, providing he was able to apply it to other situations across his life and not only work.

  “Your boss didn’t encourage you to take time off?”

  There was a pause. “He didn’t see the point of vacations. He was—focused.”

  “What job do you do?”

  “I work in tech. I’m a computer engineer.”

  Kathleen had only a vague notion of what that involved. She certainly knew too little to feel confident engaging him in conversation on the specifics. “No doubt he was one of those driven types who set up a business from his bedroom at college.”

  Josh laughed. “That’s exactly what he did.”

  “And no doubt upset his parents by not graduating.”

  “No, he did graduate. He had too much respect for his parents and the sacrifices they’d made to throw that away.”

  “He can’t be all bad then.” Kathleen was smug that she was managing to converse despite her lamentable lack of knowledge. “But I’m sure someone like that would make a difficult boss. Probably expected everyone around him to have the same drive and commitment to growing the company.”

  “He had a degree of tunnel vision, that’s for sure.”

  “Ambitious?”

  “Definitely.”

  Kathleen made a clucking sound. “He sounds rather formidable. No doubt he ran a cold, macho-like culture and treated people like machines. Balance is so important in life.” Not that she’d had much balance when she was young. She’d worked too. She’d put her work above everything, including intimacy. But that was different. She’d had a bad experience. Work had been her safe place. “But here you are taking a vacation, so what happened? Did
his company eventually go bust? Was he part of the tech bubble?”

  “The company was successful. Beyond his wildest dreams.”

  Kathleen studied his profile thoughtfully. Then she tried to see Martha’s face but being in the back put her at a disadvantage. “But he still didn’t feel his staff should embrace work-life balance? Well, I respect your decision to leave. That can’t have been easy. Perhaps that will make him think, although people like that don’t tend to care too much about staff. And now you’re taking some time out to decide what you’re going to do, and this road trip will give you the thinking time.”

  “Something like that.”

  Kathleen reached out and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “I’m sure you won’t have trouble finding another job when you’re ready. My granddaughters tell me that tech is the place to be these days.”

  He smiled. “Tell me about your granddaughters.”

  The road from Devil’s Elbow passed through rolling hills, the landscape thick with trees.

  “My daughter has twin girls. Alice and Caitlin. They’re teenagers and at a difficult age, which doesn’t make things easy.” Poor Liza. What was she doing at the moment? Probably cooking a meal for someone or ferrying them across town to some commitment or other. “They spend their lives glued to their phones, messaging friends. In my day we saw friends in person, but I accept that I’m from a different age. A few more years and they’ll put me in a museum.”

  “You’re traveling Route 66 at the age of eighty. I don’t think you’re ready for a museum yet. Do you see a lot of your granddaughters?”

  “Not as much as I used to. When they were very young they loved visiting. My home is near the sea, so they’d come with their buckets and spades and make castles and eat ice cream. As they grew older they were more reluctant to leave friends behind. These days it tends to be my daughter and her husband who visit.” And her concern about that had simmered in the back of her mind since that journey to the airport.