Page 77 of The Fast Lane

“Thanks,” Abe muttered. He marched forth to drag the car seat to the side of the road. Using our limited supplies, we went to work on both the car and the seat.

An hour later, exhausted and damp, Abe, Hallie, and Mack climbed into the car while Theo and I quickly repacked the back of the SUV.

“How did all this fit in here?” I asked, shoving another of Mom’s boxes in.

“I don’t know.” Theo took off his cap and swiped at his forehead. “But I know it does.”

I crammed the last thing, a duffel bag, in, then spent the next five minutes pushing and shoving, grunting and cursing to get it situated. “There. All done.”

Relieved, I took a step back and put my hands on my hips.

“Perfect,” Theo said.

That was when the trunk spewed out the duffel bag and two of Mom’s boxes at my feet.

I groaned. “Someone owes me something after this.”

Theo grabbed the bag and I bent to pick up a box. The lid on the one with CANDLES written across the top had come open. I peered inside and gasped. Slowly, I picked up one of the candles and stared at it in a combination of wonder and horror.

“What is that?” Theo asked.

Startled, I jumped and dropped the candle. It lay in the grass on the side of the road. I couldn’t stop staring at it. Theo moved beside me. He glanced down and then did a double take.

“It’s the…the,” I paused and swallowed back the laughter fighting its way to the surface, “the c-candles my mom made for the wedding. For the centerpieces.”

He crouched and picked it up. Except there wasn’t a good way for him to hold it. His hands on that candle looked downright indecent. “Are they supposed to look like this?”

“Mom says they’re called r-rolling hills.”

Wide-eyed, Theo tossed the candle into the box like it was on fire. At his horrified expression, I exploded in laughter, the kind that made it impossible to speak. Or possibly remain upright. Theo watched me, amusement dancing in his eyes before he too began to laugh.

My heart lurched at the sound and those squinty eyes and that dimple. Somehow my forehead landed on his chest and his arms came around me. For a moment, I allowed myself to enjoy it, being surrounded by him, the way his laughter rumbled in his chest, and how he smelled of citrus and laundry soap.

I tipped my head to study him, my breath catching. He had always been handsome, but like this, he took my breath away. His eyes found mine and held them. His laughter morphed into a slow, devastating smile. Carefully, he brushed a piece of my hair from my face, his fingers tickling my cheek and leaving tingles in their wake.

“You’re flirting again,” I whispered. “You should really stop doing that.”

He leaned down enough to bring his mouth close to my ear. “Maybe I don’t want to stop.”

I sucked in a breath, my brain screeching to a halt. What did that mean?

“You two okay?” Abe called from inside the car.

With a gasp, I jumped back and turned away, my heart thudding like I’d just played the meanest, dirtiest, best game of soccer ever.

“Yep, we’re done,” Theo called out. He turned to me. “Go ahead. I’ll finish this.”

I watched him for a beat before climbing back into the car, confused, my skin tingling, and wishing we hadn’t been interrupted.

THIRTY-TWO

Note to self:

Nothing good ever comes from

An UNKNOWN number.

Between our late start and the reality of traveling with a child, we ended up stopping somewhere in small-town Utah for the night. Mack and Theo shared a room again; Abe and Hallie were with me.