Chapter Five

It hadn’t taken Zoey long to decide where she was going to go. Her best friend Izzy had a beautiful cabin in Banff that she’d offered Zoey to use at any time. She knew she’d be okay with her using it but called once she got past Vegas to make sure.

“What the hell is going on Zo?”

Zoey laid on her horn as some Mercedes sports coup cut her off on the highway.

“What is going on is Zoey is hitting the road,” she said.

“As in going somewhere for the weekend?”

“As in checking out of LA for a while and getting far away from my monstrous mother. I thought maybe it would be perfect to head up to your cabin for a little while to lick my wounds.”

Izzy sighed. “Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry you’re in this position. I know you wished things had worked out with Rodrigo, but I’m glad you aren’t going ahead with it.”

Zoey shook her head. “Don’t tell me you didn’t trust him either.” She put her blinker on and got in the left lane to pass a tractor trailer.

“Oh gosh, no. I’m glad because I didn’t lose my girlfriend to holy matrimony.” She laughed. “I know that sounds selfish, but so I’m selfish. I was dreading losing my partner in crime.”

“Yeah, well, you might be losing her anyhow. I’m heading inland for a while.”

“That sounds like a crazy notion. And leave the beach behind?”

Zoey shrugged. “I know. I love the ocean. I really do. And I love you too. But it feels like the right time for a new start, you know?”

“So you packed it all up?”

“Yeah, pretty much. I called the movers to box everything else up, but I have the essentials. Plus Snowball.”

“Awww, Snowy-wowwy has to go with?” she said in baby talk.

“Sorry, I know you love my little white furball, but she’s my spirit animal. I have to bring her along.”

“I’ve never heard of Persian cats as spirit animals. Isn’t it supposed to be some sort of wild thang?”

“You ever get scratched by her claws? You might reconsider thinking she’s a tame kitty cat.”

“I know Snowball wouldn’t hurt a flea.”

“So you’re good with Snow and me heading to your place?”

“Absolutely. Though I might head up there in two weeks with that hot guy from HR I went on a date with last week.”

“Um, three’s a crowd, though, no?”

“Oh, it’ll be okay.”

“You’re so lying to me. No doubt it’s an itty bitty cabin. I would hear you two having hot monkey sex all night long.” Zoey flicked her phone to hands-free. “Worse yet, Snowball would start making those caterwauling sounds. She’d think some tomcat was after her. It’d freak her out.”

“Let’s cross that bridge when we get there,” her friend said. “In the meantime, don’t drink the milk in the fridge. It’s like eight months old.”

“Yuk.”

“Don’t eat anything in the fridge for that matter. You’d have to get your stomach pumped.”

“In other words, you didn’t clean when you left last time.”

“Don’t act so surprised.”

“Of course not. You don’t clean the apartment you live in—why would you clean that?” Zoey smiled. “No worries. I’ve got your back, and I’ll have it so clean you’ll eat off the floor in no time.”

“I want you to take it easy and get past this heartache.”

“To be honest, Izzy, I’m more burned up about my folks than I am about Rodrigo. I’m sick of them.”

“Yeah, well, your mother has always been pretty unkind toward you.”

“Right?” Zoey took a deep breath. “But you know I’m not one to waste time dwelling on the past.”

“Like when that girl Suzy Leoni pulled your skirt down at school that one day and everyone saw your underwear?”

“Ugh, don’t remind me. But yeah. I mean what was the point of moaning about it? I moved on, got a little even with her—”

“When you traded her brownies for ones with a laxative in them.”

Zoey laughed. “That was the best revenge, wasn’t it?”

“Award-winning.”

“But seriously. As far as I’m concerned, the past is long since over and I’m all about the future. In fact, I want nothing to do with anyone whatsoever from my past.”

“Uh, except me?”

Zoey nodded. “Of course. Except you. From here on out, I’m starting from scratch. Destination: Banff, Alberta, Canada.”

~*~

Zoey was well into day two of her drive when she exited off the highway near some dinky-looking boomtown called Bristol, Montana, to fill up the tank. She’d felt horrible keeping Snowball trapped in her kitty carrier, as she’d been keeping up a mournful meow for what seemed like hours. So, at last, about an hour ago she’d let her out of the cage to wander in the back seat of the car.

Zoey filled up her car, then decided to follow the signs to a nearby coffee shop, hoping to get a cappuccino for the road. The light was changing as she approached Main Street, so she came to a full stop rather than trying to get through before it turned red. Unfortunately the idiot driver behind her didn’t have the same plan, and instead rammed smack into the back of her SUV, not hard enough to deploy the air bags, but certainly with enough impact to send Snowball flying into the front seat, letting out a piercing wail.

Zoey threw her car in park and carefully grabbed her frightened cat, pulling her toward her chest, stroking her head and trying to elicit a purr, which would indicate some level of contentment. The driver of the vehicle that hit her got out of her car and rushed to the driver’s side window.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to do that. I picked my kids up at school and we were going for ice cream and the baby started crying and I turned to see what was wrong and then this.” She spread her arms out in despair.

Zoey held up her hands. She could tell the poor woman was frazzled. “It’s okay. Accidents happen. Literally.” She looked back to see how badly her trunk had been crunched. She didn’t want to leave her kitty in the car while she went to look. “But I do want to find a vet to check Snowball out. She went flying through the car. So maybe can we exchange information, then do you know where the nearest veterinarian’s office might be?”

The woman nodded as she yelled back to her kids she’d be right there. “I’m so sorry. Truly I am. Here’s my info,” she handed Zoey a card. “You can take a picture of it and get all my insurance details from that. And then maybe I’ll go around you, and you can follow me to Dr. Eliasson’s office? It’s just a couple of blocks away.” She extended her hand. “I’m Amy, by the way. Amy Wardman. And I’m truly sorry.”

“Look, we’ll figure this out. Let me get Snowball looked at. Hopefully the trunk is fine and we’ll be on our way.”

The woman scrunched her nose, which Zoey pretended not to notice. The last thing she wanted was to get stuck in this little one-horse town in the middle of Godforsaken, Montana. She’d do her best to be out of there in an hour, tops.