CHAPTER FIVE
Flynn figured he’d best get off the topic of his dream. Damned if that fairy elf hadn’t been a clone of Sami. In every way, the creature could have passed as a body double. Same golden blonde hair. Same beautiful swell of lush, kissable breasts. But it wasn’t the beauty of the fairy elf that had caused the dream to stick in his mind. It was the sensation of having found a perfect, previously unknown world that stayed with him. In a most unsettling way. Life as he lived it fit him 100%. It had to be the concussion, creating havoc in both his dream state and his head, which still ached.
He uncrumpled the Snickers wrapper and folded it in a neat origami pattern. “So, when’s lunch?”
“As soon as we make the north side of Birmingham,” Sami said. “We’re almost to the 495 bypass road. That takes us to the 65 North.”
“Do you always drive the identical route?” Flynn pulled out his phone. He realized he’d left the ringer off. Well, a day away from the rat race wouldn’t kill him. His staff knew he was traveling. He left it turned off.
“Yes,” Sami said, passing a string of cars. “By driving the exact route each trip, I can pace myself. For instance, we’re eight minutes behind schedule, thanks to our delayed departure at the Mississippi rest stop.”
Flynn glanced at his origami swan. “Guess I should have skipped the candy machine.”
“Oh, it’s okay,” Sami said. “I can easily make up eight minutes.” She pulled out and zoomed past another string of cars.
The Corgi barked. “Sorry, Ruby,” Sami said over her shoulder. “She doesn’t like to go too fast.”
Flynn let go of the grip he’d taken on the seat cushion. “Guess there must be some Corgi in me. At least when I’m not the one behind the wheel.”
“If you didn’t have a concussion, I would let you drive part of the way,” Sami said. “I’m not a wheel hog or a control freak.”
“Excuse me?” Flynn looked at her. “Where did that come from?”
She blushed slightly. “I’m a bit sensitive to perceived criticism.”
“Perceived and imagined,” Flynn said, keeping his tone gentle. He noted they had curved onto the 459 bypass. He accessed Search on his phone. Birmingham had to offer better options than another Mickey D’s.
“I apologize if I offended you,” Sami said, both hands on the wheel, eyes straight ahead.
“No worries,” Flynn said, his attention on his phone. Whole Foods. Excellent. They could pick up decent picnic supplies there, including organic whole-grain dog biscuits, should Sami so desire. Much better than a sausage biscuit for her four-legged family. Family. Flynn gazed at Sami. Her pretty face had a sadness to it he hadn’t seen before, due to her thinking he’d criticized her. Wow. Where had she learned that prickly sensitivity?
“Your dogs are your family, aren’t they?”
“That statement fairly represents my reality.” She kept her eyes on the truck they were following.
“What about your people?”
“My people?”
“Brothers. Sisters. Parents. Cousins. You know, people.”
Sami looked at him then, her brows slightly raised.
Had she told him and he hadn’t paid attention?
“I remain an only child. Parents living. Married.” Her face relaxed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I mentally criticized you for not recalling I shared this information with you yesterday. But given your concussed state, it’s not surprising you are suffering a lapse of memory.”
Flynn lifted a hand to his temple. “Right. Naturally.” He glanced at the map on his phone. “Speaking of concussions, do you mind taking the next exit?”
“Are you feeling worse?” She sounded anxious.
“I do need to stop soon,” Flynn said. He added a bit of a moan for good measure. If it took trickery, it took trickery. A woman who noted an eight-minute delay wasn’t likely to agree to a stop at Whole Foods followed by a picnic at dog-friendly Red Mountain Park. But his search showed both locations were reasonably close to Sami’s planned route. Surely, she could handle a degree of deviation.
He grinned.
“I surmise by your sudden improvement in facial expression that you are experiencing a sense of relief at the prospect of stepping out of the car,” Sami said.
“Right,” Flynn said. “I mean correct. Now turn right here.”
“I will trust that you have located a convenient and dog-friendly place to pause.”
Flynn shot her a glance. “You’re back to talking like a professor with a mouthful of marbles.”
“Default mode,” she muttered.
Flynn stretched a hand and touched her lightly on the shoulder. “On you it’s charming,” he said.
She looked surprised.
He gave her shoulder a hint of a squeeze. “No criticism. Only a compliment.”
The Corgi barked. And barked again. Of course.
Only when Flynn tugged his arm back to his side of the car did the dog shut up. “Next left and about a mile up, turn right.”
She didn’t quibble over following his directions. She had to be more ready to stop than she’d admit to. When they pulled into the Whole Foods parking lot, she turned toward him, lowered her sunglasses, and he detected a gleam of suspicion in her eyes.
Flynn stretched his arms over head. “This stop will do us both good.”
“I’m not sure on what evidence you base your conclusion, but for once, I don’t mind,” Sami said, switching off the ignition.
Her pretty eyes were pink-rimmed. She lifted her hands and kneaded the back of her neck. The movement offered her breasts to a view Flynn appreciated, but for once he was thinking more about how tired she must be than how sexy she was. “I wish you’d let me drive part of the way,” he said. “It’s my fault you didn’t get your sleep last night.”
She lowered her hands. “Thank you, but I’ll be okay. Why don’t you run inside and I’ll walk the dogs. There’s quite a bit of green space around this lot.”
“You’re okay handling all three?”
She gave him one of the looks she probably used on an undergrad who didn’t turn in a paper on time. “Seriously? I’m sure they have clean restrooms inside.”
Flynn nodded and climbed out of the car. After she had all three dogs unharnessed and had a secure grip on the leashes, he headed into the store. He would surprise her with a picnic.
The store was fairly full, with mostly suburban women shoppers. In line at the sushi counter, Flynn noticed a sumptuous brunette giving him a come-on look. He nodded toward her, but his mind was on Sami and picking out treats she would enjoy. He added edamame salad, sushi, a French goat cheese, hot crusty bread, strawberries, a couple of cold roast beef sandwiches, and fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. He grabbed cold drinks and added utensils and napkins at the checkout.
“Looks like you’re having a feast,” the clerk said, ringing him up.
“Picnic,” Flynn said. “You been to Red Mountain Park?”
“It’s awesome,” the clerk said, a wide smile on her face. “My dogs love it there. You taking your dogs, too?”
Flynn nodded.
“I don’t see any treats for them,” she said.
Flynn smacked a hand against his forehead. “Tell me the aisle and I’ll grab’em.”
The clerk pointed the way; Flynn dashed away, plucked an armful and arrived back at the register as the brunette strolled up with her shopping basket over her arm. Out of long practice, Flynn surveyed her hands. Perfect manicure. No wedding ring. He flashed a smile, but his heart wasn’t in the game.
“Got ‘em,” he said, dumping the dog biscuit collection onto the belt.
“How many dogs do you have?” the brunette said.
“Er, three.”
“Manly,” the brunette said, adding a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
“Not sure how you reach that conclusion,” Flynn said, handing his platinum AmEx to the clerk. At least his money was good at Whole Foods.
The brunette fluttered her lashes. He figured she wasn’t too big on logic when she could rely on her looks.
Exactly the way most of the women he pursued operated.
Exactly the opposite of Sami.
Flynn thrust his card into his wallet, took the receipt, thanked the clerk, and practically raced from the store. The last thing he wanted was the brunette exiting the store at his side.
Why that mattered he didn’t stop to analyze.
He heard the dogs before he spotted Sami and her canine crew. The Corgi naturally was barking and racing in circles around the other two dogs, twisting its leash and challenging Sami to keep from tripping. Flynn hurried in their direction, pushing his cart loaded with picnic supplies.
Sami was flushed. “What took you so long?”
The brunette picked that moment to catch up with him and give him another knowing smile.
“Oh, I see,” Sami said and turned toward the car, giving the dogs no choice but to stay close to her heels.
“Thought I’d text you my number,” the brunette said, holding her phone out.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” Flynn glared at the babe. “Not the time. Not the place.”
She arched her brows, shrugged and moved toward a convertible Beemer.
Flynn pushed the cart after Sami, who was fastening the dogs into their harnesses. He loaded the picnic supplies into the crowded back compartment.
Sami climbed behind the wheel. “Ready?”
Flynn settled into his seat. The dogs were panting. Sami had beads of perspiration dotting her cleavage and forehead. He’d been in the air-conditioned store while they had been in the sun. “Sorry it took longer than I thought,” he said. “Take a left out of the lot.”
“The interstate is the other way,” Sami said, but she sounded uncertain.
“One more stop first,” Flynn said.
Her lips formed a stubborn line. “I take it you weren’t feeling so poorly that you couldn’t flirt with that woman.”
“What woman?”
Sami glanced over at him, and then peeled out of the lot, tires protesting. She did take a left turn. “Never mind,” she said. “What you do is none of my business. Unless you lose our challenge.”
“Hah,” Flynn said. “I never lose a bet.”
He directed her toward the park. Again, she followed his instructions. He found her acceptance a bit out of character, but gave it little thought beyond being relieved he didn’t have to argue against another drive-through fast food stop.
At the entrance to the park, Sami said, “We don’t have time to waste. We’re on a schedule.” She bit her lip. “Nathalie and Emile don’t handle delays well.”
“There’s always time for a picnic,” Flynn said. He glanced around. The park, as the clerk had said, was awesome. Trees, shade, pathways, hilly enough to be interesting. “Nice,” Flynn said. “Sometimes I think I don’t get out of the city enough.”
Sami pulled into a parking spot, but left the engine running. “I’ll be right back. Just running to the rest room,” she said and jumped from the car.
“Stubborn woman,” Flynn said. As soon as she was out of sight, he shut off the car and set about getting the dogs out and onto their leashes. It was pretty tough, but he managed to hang on to all three and pull the picnic goods from the back of the car. Flynn never wasted time in a negotiation when he could simply present a fait accompli.
Sami washed her hands and splashed cool water on her cheeks. Her eyelids wanted nothing more than for her to curl up and go to sleep so they wouldn’t have to keep open. Open and focused, though, was what the rest of the driving day demanded. Her tummy growled. A picnic would be nice. Well, she was used to eating while driving. Flynn could hand her whatever he had in those bags. She dried her face and hands. It was thoughtful of him to pick up lunch.
While he’d picked up a babe.
She tossed the paper towels into the trash. He was a babe magnet. No denying that. And it wasn’t that uncommon for either a man or a woman to engineer a pickup in a grocery store. She remembered one article she’d read about the best places for a single woman to meet a guy. A grocery was one of the top locations.
Heading outside, Sami remembered how she’d put that advice into play. Three separate occasions, three pickup offers. One for coffee. One for a drink. One suggesting she cook dinner for both of them. None of the guys had much to say. All stared at her chest. She’d turned them all down and changed grocery stores.
Flynn was waving and calling her name. And holding all three dogs’ leashes. Sami dashed toward him.
“The dogs don’t need to go again,” she said, taking the leashes from him.
“Picnic time,” Flynn said, sporting that grin that was so easy to like. “I’ve got the car keys and they’re mine until we stretch our legs and fill our bellies.”
“No fair,” Sami said, but without much heat.
“This way,” Flynn said, pointing toward a tree-shaded path.
Sami hesitated, but for not more than thirty seconds. Emile and Nathalie were expecting her to arrive precisely at the agreed-upon time. But she was hungry. And sleepy. The fresh air would perk her up. Surely they would want her to be safe, even at the expense of timeliness.
After a brisk walk, Flynn paused at a picnic area overlooking a small valley. “Perfect,” he said.
Sami settled the dogs. They watched alertly as Flynn laid out package after package. She thought of the guy she’d met in one of her grocery store trips who’d suggested she purchase and prepare dinner. “I’m sorry I complained about how long you were in the market,” Sami said.
“No worries,” Flynn said, flashing her that gorgeous grin. “Please be seated and prepare to feast.”
Sami settled on the picnic bench. “If I had known you were planning this picnic, I would have been happy to help. It’s not right for you to do all the work.”
He shook his head and scooped two sushi rolls onto a paper plate. “But somehow it’s okay for you to do all the driving.”
“Because you have—“
He leaned over the table, placed two fingertips on her lips. “Eat. In peace.”
She did feel a trifle bad about complaining over the division of labor. But Sami was used to fending for herself. She opened her lips to object, but as soon as she did, Flynn popped a California roll into her mouth.
“Mmm, mmm, yum,” she said around the delicious flavor.
“That’s better,” Flynn said.
Sami swallowed the last of the bite. “Bossy man,” she said under her breath.
Flynn handed her a slice of a rare roast beef sandwich. She accepted it. Smiled at him. He smiled back.
The sun had grown warm, but Sami was self-aware enough to know it wasn’t the heat from the earth’s closest star that was causing the slow burn inside her body. Flynn’s smile did that all on its own.
Annoying, troublesome man.
They’d soon be parted. That reminder should provide some consolation.
He offered her a crusty chunk of warm French bread slathered in goat cheese. She bit into it, wondering that parting ways didn’t make her feel nearly as good as watching him enjoy this picnic.
He dug into another bag and pulled out dog treats.
Annoying, troublesome, yes, but considerate, too.
The dogs gathered around him. Appreciative. And fairly well-behaved, too. With her tummy full, Sami realized her drowsiness was about to creep into full-blown exhausted sleep. She covered a yawn with her hand.
“I may need to shut my eyes a few minutes before we can depart.”
“Why don’t we hop in the car and you sleep while I drive,” Flynn said, finishing what was left of the cold roast beef and began to pack up the rest.
“No driving after a concussion,” Sami said, but without her usual strong sense of argument.
Flynn hopped onto the bench, onto the ground and back up, landing on one leg. “I am fine. I only pretended to feel ill so I could whip into the market to shop.”
“Fibber,” Sami said, adding a smile. She was so very sleepy.
Before she could list all the reasons she shouldn’t go along with his plan, he had the dogs, the picnic supplies and Sami hustled into the car.
He slid behind the wheel, adjusted the seat and the mirrors, whistling cheerily.
“I don’t believe I have ever occupied this seat,” Sami said.
“It’s comfortable,” Flynn said. “Close your eyes and leave the driving to me.”
“Do you know the way?”
Flynn pointed to the GPS display. “Impossible to get lost.”
Ruby barked.
“See, even the Corgi agrees with me,” Flynn said. “You may relax now.”
“Mmm,” Sami said, sinking against the headrest. “Feels good. Wake me in an hour and I’ll take over.”
“Right,” Flynn said.
Ruby barked again.
Before she closed her eyes, Sami could swear she saw Flynn wink. At least he was getting along with her dogs. After what she’d learned of his brother’s death, Sami had thought Flynn might hold a grudge against dogs in general. Annoying, troublesome man, but smarter and more forgiving than many Homo sapiens.
A smile on her lips, Sami drifted to sleep.