Kim’s suitcase stood inside the door of David and Emily’s house. Emily had insisted on picking her up, so Kim’s car could be in the garage of her duplex out of the weather while she was gone. Emily would check on Handsome, Kim’s cat, every day and even said she didn’t mind cleaning out the litter pan. Emily was a true friend in every possible way.
Kim sat on the couch, reading a picture book to Isabel. Kim was trying to do voices for the characters, and when she hit on a good one, Isabel giggled.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to help in the kitchen, Emily?”
“You are helping, my dear. And doing a lovely job with the rabbits’ voices. David should be here any minute. He’d better be, or Travis, Suzanne...” She turned away, toward the stove. “They may get here before he’s back. I hope not.”
“Hmm. I’m getting a diaper-change vibe, Emily. Want me to take care of it?”
Emily stopped what she was doing. “That’s okay. I will.” She came around the end of the bar and picked up her daughter. “So, maybe you could make sure nothing burns?” She and Isabel made their way to the bedroom and the changing table.
Chuckling, Kim stood and stretched and went into the galley kitchen. She checked the pots, peeked into the oven. Everything looked and smelled delicious. Having a big brunch felt like she was truly on vacation.
Emily’s phone, sitting on the bar between kitchen and living area, sounded an alert. Without thinking, Kim automatically looked at it. It was a text from David. He always had some task to do on the family Christmas tree farm when he was home on weekends from his working travels.
tsj- ten mins. ill be there
Well, that was a bit cryptic. Since the food was fine, Kim decided to set the table. Emily had laid out the plates, glasses, and cloth napkins on the countertop. Kim picked them up, went to the table, and started to lay the places. Her hands stopped when she realized there were six of each, plus plastic ones for Isabel.
Her stomach sank. She thought back to David’s hurried text. T was Travis, and S was Suzanne. Who is J? She was afraid she knew. And if she was right, she would be back home with her suitcase very soon. No way would she let herself get stuck in a car with Jon Whitfield.
No wonder Emily had offered to take care of Kim’s neurotic cat, and said she didn’t mind cleaning out the litter box. Kim was being set up.
****
The sedan crested the last emerald-green hill and laid below them was the little town of Serendipity. The castle-like limestone courthouse, majestically located in the center of the town square, could be seen even from here, a couple of miles away.
Travis slowed to the posted speed limit of forty, then thirty miles an hour, and when they approached the square, traffic was at a crawl.
Jon saw it all happen in slow motion, which it almost was. Travis stopped to let someone pull out of a diagonal parking space in front of one of the shops on the square. There was nothing he could do about it, but in his side mirror Jon watched the pickup truck run right into the rear of Travis’s car. They were jolted, and the crunch of steel on steel set his teeth on edge
People from the sidewalk were at the car immediately. David’s sister, Carla, who had a shop right there, talked to Suzanne, called Emily, then 911. An ambulance came. Soon Suzanne and Travis were on their way to Serendipity Hospital, and Carla drove Jon to join them. The whole thing was surreal. An eternity later, everyone was pronounced fine, though the ER doctor cautioned Suzanne to find a quiet place to get extra rest. Not the hospital, thank goodness. None of them wanted that.
****
Seven people sat at David and Emily’s table with what would have been a beautiful meal if not for the wreck. The overcooked food and Kim Rose’s sullen expression didn’t help Jon’s appetite. Little Isabel chattered almost constantly, as if trying to make up for the adults’ mood.
Jon speared a sausage link. “The truck driver was looking down, and so was the girl with him. I saw it; they were probably texting. The police said they would check on that. It’s the same in Tennessee. I’ve seen drivers with their phones in hand, speeding down the interstate.”
Travis looked miserable. He seemed to blame himself. “The question is, now what? The meal is great, Emily, and we meant to hang out for a while and visit you guys, but we’re behind schedule what with the accident and the trip to the hospital. I’m thankful the ER doc put my mind at ease about Suzanne.” His wife was sitting next to him, and he slid an arm around her shoulders. “But we need to get going if we’re still going to make the whole conference. From here we have at least an eleven-hour drive. Probably should have built an extra day in, but we didn’t.”
Emily stood and refilled everyone’s coffee mugs. “Suzanne could stay here. Isabel and I would be glad to have her.”
Suzanne held up a hand. “You’re so sweet, Emily. But I feel fine, and I’ve been looking forward to this trip ever since Travis mentioned it. Plus, Kim is a nurse, so if I have any problems, she’ll be right there. She and I have plans for when the guys are busy. Right, Kim?”
Kim’s smile was halfhearted. She sagged into her chair, shot a brief glare at Jon.
Suzanne continued, hand on her tummy, “Travis and I are looking so forward to welcoming little Elliott into the world. But we’re realistic; life will be forever changed once he’s born. So I’m racking up lots of memories of life before kids.”
Emily cleared her throat. “Kim, you’ve met Jon before, right? I’m sorry. In all the craziness that happened today, it just occurred to me that I didn’t make introductions.”
Kim nodded, looking directly into Jon’s eyes for the first time. “Yes, we’ve met. You and your fiancée were here for the wedding.”
“Ex-fiancée.” He didn’t expound on that. The state of his love-life was none of her business, and he’d told his friends what had happened with Andrea.
Jon could tell that Kim had been as unaware of his being on this trip as he had about her planning to come along to hang out with Suzanne. No wonder Travis and his wife had let some sentences trail off while finalizing plans and on the drive up. They’d probably been about to mention the fourth member of their traveling circus.
They knew if they had mentioned Kim, Jon would have reneged. Not because they had any idea of how she had behaved toward him, but because they knew that, post-Andrea, Jon was now relationship-resistant.
Jon and Travis could have flown, met at the conference, and avoided all this. If they had, Suzanne would be safe at home and Kim would be nowhere near him. But he had to deal with the current situation. He would not bail on his friends. If Suzanne was determined to make the trip, having a nurse along was a plus, no matter how awkward it was for him. He cleared his throat. “We’ll need a rental car.”
David shook his head, rose from the table, went to the door that led to the garage, and took a set of keys off a hook. He returned and handed them to Jon. “Take the Suburban.”
Emily groaned softly.
David kissed the top of her head before reclaiming his seat. “Okay. Warning. It’s a mess inside. But the oil was changed last week, and it’s a good ride. Plenty of room for your stuff in the back, and space for everyone to be comfortable.”
“That’s so kind, David,” Suzanne said. “But we could rent a car or a small SUV.”
David, Emily, and Kim all shook their heads.
“Afraid not,” David said. “We haven’t had a car rental lot in town for a few years now. Please take the Suburban. Of course, you’ll be out some money feeding my beloved gas hog.” He took out his wallet and produced a gas card.
Jon pushed the card away but set the keys on the table. “Driving a Suburban will involve a learning curve, I’m sure. Travis’s sedan has been interesting compared to my Corvette. But any option is better than none. We’ll deal with feeding the gas hog. Thanks, D.”
Kim held her hand out toward Jon. “If you’re worried about the curve, let me drive the first shift. I have experience with larger vehicles.”
Travis wasn’t ready to get behind a wheel. He still seemed a bit shaken from today’s crunch on the square, and Jon knew he would look like a jerk if he refused Kim’s offer, so he handed her the keys. He ignored the slight shock of static when their hands touched, a weird thing for this time of year.
He had to admit, for Suzanne’s sake, it was a good idea to have Kim along. For Travis, too, since the guy had become a Class A worrier. Jon would just get through the trip as well as possible, keeping interaction with Kim to a minimum. He knew from previous experience that he could expect to have his head bitten off if he talked to the woman. When they arrived at the conference, Jon would have no reason to be around her. Then, when the conference was over, he’d manage to endure the ride home. It wasn’t an ideal plan, but seemed the only one available.
Not wanting to get further behind schedule, they went into action right after the meal. With Suzanne repeatedly assuring everyone how fine she felt, they piled their bags into the Suburban. The cargo area was big enough that Jon didn’t have to dump out the box or two of David’s stuff that looked like they’d been there for a decade. No reason to point a finger at David’s lifelong reputation of being a slob, when the guy was letting them put loads of extra miles on his vehicle.
Kim dug in her massive handbag and handed David a set of keys. “Drive my Smart car. Enjoy the mobility. Do not fill it with clutter.” She hugged him, Emily, and gave Isabel a noisy kiss.
So she wouldn’t be by the air bag, Suzanne had opted to sit in the back seat, “even though I’d love to sit up front and chat with you, Kim.” Everyone said brief goodbyes, and they were on their way. David’s friend had an auto repair shop and promised to have the wrecked car repaired by the time they returned.
Jon gritted his teeth to be stuck riding shotgun. He was discontented with David’s preprogrammed radio stations and adjusted the temperature until everybody told him to stop fidgeting. What was he supposed to do sitting here next to this woman who hated his guts? He wished for an atlas or a book of any sort. Maybe he could pretend to fall asleep and nap all the way to the conference.
****
A couple of hours later, at Suzanne’s request, Kim pulled into a rest stop. She preferred her tiny car but was comfortable with the big vehicle. She’d spent many day trips behind the wheel of a van back when she worked at the rehab facility in New Albany.
Travis and Jon walked ahead, toward the restroom building. Suzanne said in a low voice, “I’m almost glad that truck rear-ended us. Otherwise, I can imagine Jon deciding to fly the remainder of the way to the conference venue instead of going with us. I just don’t know what’s wrong with him.”
“Suzanne, if not for that pickup truck, I would have stayed home, you know. I really wish you and Travis and David and Emily hadn’t set me up this way.”
“It’s for your own good, honey. You say you’re a romantic. I’ve heard you. Well, you and Jon are romantically perfect for each other.”
“Nothing of the kind. He looks at me like I’m the devil, and I—I have a bad feeling about him.”
Suzanne was astonished. “But you barely know him.”
Kim shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll deal with the situation, but please forget any ideas about Jon and me falling in love with each other because you tricked us into a road trip. That’s a bit high school, isn’t it?”
Suzanne giggled. “Emily and I had a good time planning it. You wanted a vacation, Travis had the conference. And, oh yeah, I wanted to make memories and not be left at home. If I was back there right now, I’d be cleaning house and ironing for my work week, but instead I’m on vacation, having an adventure.”
The woman’s enthusiasm was hard to resist. Kim told herself she’d be upbeat and not let Jon’s presence spoil the vacation she’d been looking forward to.
Suzanne interrupted her musings. “Anyone can see you’re special, Kim. So caring and gentle. Super competent. Emily’s told me stories of how you go out of your way to help patients and their families. The first time we met you, at their wedding in Serendipity, Travis and I both felt as if we’d known you for years. We’re so happy together and want to see others in a loving relationship too. Thus…matchmaking.” Suzanne winked and went ahead into the restroom, leaving Kim in the outer area by the maps and flyers.
Living in Serendipity was bad enough with everyone knowing everyone else’s business or making it up. Matchmaking hadn’t been a problem until now, and it was a big one. She had a love/hate relationship with Jon Whitfield, whom she hardly knew. She would be in his presence for so many hours while they were on the road that she knew something was going to blow. She just didn’t know if that something was Jon—or her.