Kelsey

“You know what? You’re aren’t the only trucking company in town.” With that I spun on heel, about to walk away. Instead I felt my arm being tugged back.

“Wait. You can’t just go and work for any company. There are some less than reputable ones out there.”

I was aware of that, just as I was aware that his hand was still on my arm, and I was inches away from him. “Actually, I can. My dad still owns his truck, right?”

He ran a hand through his hair, drawing my attention to his sexy forearms. Somehow, I don’t remember college boys having muscular forearms. You know the ones with veins visible and real man hair covering them.

“Yes. He still owns his truck.”

“And it’s in working condition, right?”

“It’s older, but still gets the job done.”

“Great. That means it could get the job done for anyone.”

“Fine. I’ll let you drive some routes on one condition.”

I raised a brow almost afraid to ask what they’d be. “What?”

“I drive with you for the first couple of runs, to make sure that you can safely drive. It’s been awhile since you’ve driven, and winter is challenging. After that, I’ll make sure someone else is on your route at all times too, and no overnights.”

“That sounds like an excessive number of conditions. This isn’t my first time driving.”

“Think of them as A, B, and C. And it’s a take it or leave it kind of deal.”

Not leaving me a lot of choice, as the scenario of trying to find another company hiring right before the holiday wasn’t appealing, I took his hand in agreement. Ignoring the zing that came from the skin on skin touch and the warmth radiating through my body with it, we shook on it. “Fine. Deal.”

“Let’s go see your dad. Okay?”

I sighed. “You won’t tell him that I know, right?”

He shook his head and motioned like a zipped lip with a key, making me laugh for the first time since he’d picked me up. “No, but my dad will want to. I’ll convince him to wait though, until he’s out of the hospital at least. He won’t want to upset him right now.”

I was relieved. “Good.”

“Oh, hey, Scott. What are you doing here?” A female voice belonging to a very pretty blonde wearing scrubs came up behind us.

“Hey, Missy. I didn’t know you worked here.”

“Only over the winter break. Still in medical school at Stanford. Hoping after that to go out to the east coast to do a residency.”

Missy Masterson. Scott’s high school girlfriend. The homecoming queen to his king. The last thing I’d heard about Missy was that she was in medical school. She’d been a horrible mean girl in school to absolutely any girl she saw as a threat to her. Judging from the expression on her face as she turned towards me, not much had changed.

She thought I was the competition. That was hilarious.

“And you are?”

I didn’t have time for this shit, and I wasn’t about to get in a pissing match with Barbie in scrubs. I mean seriously, who looked that good in green scrubs? It was almost unfair. I swallowed. It had been less than a minute, but I didn’t have time to spend taking a trip down memory lane. “I’m Kelsey. Uh, nice to meet you. I’m about to go see my dad though, so I have to go. See you later, Scott.”

I didn’t give either of them a chance to reply. Frankly I had more important priorities.

 

***

 

Back in my dad’s room in the ICU, it took another hour for him to wake up. But to see his eyes focus on me was the greatest moment of relief that I had ever experienced.  Thankfully they’d removed the breathing tube and he was now breathing on his own.

“Kelsey. You’re here.”

“I’m here, Dad.” I lay down with my face on the bed next to him, feeling his hand stroke my hair. I tried unsuccessfully to hide the sobs.

“Don’t cry sweetheart. My old ticker will live to see another day.”

“It better. How’s your throat? They said it may hurt from the tube you had in.”

He swallowed hard. “It’s fine.”

Leave it to him not to be honest about how it was feeling. Always trying to protect me. Why didn’t I see it sooner? “Liar,” I chided softly. “I’ll get you some ice chips and get the nurse in here to check on you.”

I returned a short time later, but it was clear after a few words that my dad was tired.

“How about you go home, honey, and come back in the morning. You must be exhausted with the trip.”

The nurse piped in. “It would be better for him to get some rest too.”

I hesitated, wanting to spend more time with him. Worried about being twenty miles away in case there were any complications. “Okay. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

The nurse seemed to read my mind, smiling kindly at me. “We’ll call you if anything changes.”

“Thanks.”

I walked out, feeling exhaustion set in. It would be good to get a shower and grab a couple hours sleep. I hadn’t eaten since early this morning and even then, it was only a Poptart. My stomach growled, clearly needing food. I figured my neighbors would be long gone by now, since it had been hours, but was surprised to see Scott in the waiting room.

“I drove my dad home, but figured I’d wait for you.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“It’s fine. It gave me a chance to catch up with Missy.”

I bet. My eyes rolled before I could stop them, causing him to lift a brow.

“What’s with the face? She said she was sorry to hear about your father.”

I relented a little. People changed. Maybe she had. “Bad impression from high school. But maybe she’s a nice person now. You guys planning to take a trip down memory lane?”

“We’re having dinner tomorrow night. What do you mean about bad impression? She was a senior when you were a freshman. Everyone loved her.”

I burst out laughing as we walked to the truck. “Uh no. Maybe you did. Most guys did, and maybe her clique of friends. But she was mean to every underclassman girl there was. One time she body checked my friend while she was just walking down the hall, because she thought she was checking you out. She made her drop her books and told her to keep her slutty eyes off of you.”

He stopped in his tracks, looking astounded. “You’re kidding.”

“Nope. I’m not much on sugar coating things. Your ex-girlfriend was a real bitch in high school. Luckily, I only had one year of having to deal with her. And she had other slutty eyes to worry about, evidently.”

“I’m at a complete loss. We dated for three years.”

“Well I’m sure she was nice to you in all the very best ways.” I laughed using my faux southern accent, as we continued to walk towards his truck.

On the twenty-minute drive home to Snoqualmie Falls, he spoke again. “You can skip a run tomorrow if you want to spend time with your father.”

“How about I visit him in the morning, then go out on a run in the afternoon?”

“Okay. That’s fine. We’ll do a short one over to the east side.”

“Sounds good. So, are you taking over your dad’s business?”

“Maybe.”

“Now there’s a word that’s loaded.”

He glanced over while driving. “What do you mean?”

“I mean you worked in New York for the last few years. Now you’re back home, and you may be taking over your dad’s trucking business. Wait. Oh shit. Is he feeling okay?”

He was quick to reassure me. “Yes. Yes. His health is fine. Although not unlike your father, he probably wouldn’t tell me if it wasn’t. But uh, I needed a short break from New York.”

Something told me he didn’t reveal this tidbit to everyone. “I think I’d probably feel lost in the city. I love just knowing that I can drive to the mountains, ocean, or downtown, and it’s all just right here. I like Texas and the big campus, but I’ve missed living close to home.”

“Not owning a car there was weird, I missed driving.”

“How long are you planning to be here then?”

“One month. Two tops. I’ve been back three weeks. But honestly, I’m not sure if running his company is what I want.”

“Do you miss Wall Street?”

He shook his head. “Not really.”

“I bet you looked good in a suit.” Oops, hadn’t meant to say that last part out loud.

He grinned. His trademark dimples still evident in his less boy, and definitely more manly face. “I doubt they’d go over well on the road.”

“I don’t know, Nell in dispatch might enjoy a change from the typical flannels and jeans.” That woman had been around for forty years and was a fixture at the company.

He grinned. “As much as I love her, it wouldn’t be worth the ration of shit from the guys.”

“Probably not. So, you gonna start dating Missy again?”

He frowned. “Dinner, not a date, and what about you? College boyfriend?”

“Nope. Single. More fun that way.” Considering I’d had one boyfriend in high school, I hadn’t wanted the same sort of relationship to tie me down in college. Instead, I could be free to date who I wanted, and concentrate on school and football games. Go Longhorns.

“True. It was. Do me a favor and don’t drop out of college yet. Let’s see how this week goes. At any rate, you have to go back to get your stuff anyhow.”

I sighed deeply. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Think of it this way. You can help your dad a lot more with a degree, and you’re a semester away. Get a college loan for it if you have to, but just don’t drop out. It’s tough to go back.”

He was right on all accounts. “I’ll have to think about it. Maybe I can get a loan.”