“From Troy?”
“No.” I don’t offer up any other explanation and her bright red lips teeter at the edges.
“No, Mom. It was a gift from….” Her voice is teasing, cheeks now in a full-on smile.
“A friend.”
I laugh when her face contorts in disappointment. “In other words… mind your own business, Mom.”
“I didn’t say that,” I retort, and she flips a piece of hair behind my shoulder.
“You didn’t have to.” She turns to the mirror, patting her skin to dab the blush on her cheeks. “It’s a nice gift.”
“Yes it is. So where are you off to?”
Fully aware of my subject change, she looks back at me and shakes her head. “I have to go see a client this morning. You headed to Anna’s?”
I grab a comb from the dresser, threading it through my tangled hair. “Anna’s not feeling well and she needs me to meet with a customer about catering a party.” I glance out the window then back to Mom. “I thought I’d get an early start and stop at an art store along the way. It’s supposed to be a beautiful day.”
“Yes it is.” She squeezes my arm. “Okay, have a safe drive and I’ll see you later.”
“See ya, Mom.”
MILES AND MILES of blue sky and bright sunshine stretch out before me. There is something about driving on an open road with the windows down and the breeze blowing through my hair that makes me feel alive. The sweet smell of Ponderosa Pine trees is all around me and I lift my shoulders as I inhale. Snow Patrol blares through the speakers, my fingers tapping out a beat against the steering wheel.
My eyes are drawn to Zack’s rabbit’s foot hanging from the rearview mirror, swaying to and fro in the wind. He and I used to sit on the bleachers behind the high school and talk about driving cross country when we got older. All those plans we made together. Now, he’s wandering the world in a different way—without me.
I’m so lost in my head that I have to swerve to miss the black Mustang pulled over on the side of the highway. But I definitely don’t miss the middle finger sticking up from the hood as I pass by. I steady the wheel, trying to calm my racing heart while glaring at the idiot in my rearview mirror. Until he turns around with his hands on his hips to glare back—and I discover the idiot is none other than Vance Davenport.
I check for traffic before I make a U-turn and double back to where his car sits on the side of the road. As I get closer, and he recognizes me, the scowl on his face transforms into a smirk. He stares down at the ground for a moment before his eyes climb to mine, carefully watching me as I exit the car. Sweat drips from his temple down to his neck, soaking the top of his t-shirt. Lifting his arm, he wipes it from one side of his face.
“You’ve been dying to give me the finger since we met, haven’t you?” I tease, tossing a water bottle at him. When I see the glimmer in his eye, I realize my words have a double entendre. I dig my teeth into my lip, hard, as though that can somehow erase the red from my cheeks.
“I’m not touching that one with a ten-foot pole.” He twists the cap off the bottle and takes a swig before dumping the rest over his head. His hair and shirt are drenched, droplets of water glistening against his skin. It’s not a bad look for him.
“That’s Fiji water. It’s valuable. And you just wasted it.”
“Well it’s fucking hot out here, Mickey, and I’ve been sweltering in this heat for a while.”
I jerk my chin toward the Mustang. “What’s wrong with your car?”
“If I knew, I wouldn’t still be standing here.” He shakes his head from side to side, spraying water in every direction. “I’m pretty accustomed to messing around with cars but this has me kind of stumped.” I walk past him and over to the car, then stare into the open hood. He comes to stand beside me. “You know anything about cars, Mickey?”
“I know how to change a flat tire.”
“That would be cake if that were the problem.” His cheeks puff up with air and he blows it out, scratching his head.
“So why didn’t you call a tow truck?” I cast a blank look in his direction. “Never mind. I know why. You’re a guy and you’re stubborn.”
“Damn straight.”
“Well….” I step around him to the side of the car and notice a bouquet of white lilies on the back seat. I wonder for a split second if they’re for a girlfriend but decide to mind my own business. “I could give you a lift to wherever you need to go, and then pick you up after I leave Eugene.” He averts his gaze then, staring off into the distance for far too long until something weighs in the air besides the unusual humidity. “Vance?”
“Yeah, uh… if you don’t mind I’ll just tag along and catch a ride home when you’re done. He drops the latch of the hood and it comes down with a hard slam. “Let me call a tow truck. It could be a while.”