Today.
Today was supposed to be her wedding day.
She had been driving for several days, stopping at roadside attractions, taking extended pit stops at national parks, and celebrating her new-found-freedom while cursing Joe’s name… until she got stuck. Now, two flat tires, a wretched sense of luck, and a pair of jelly flats that gave her PTSD from childhood had her sitting in a truck with a guy who had zero game when it came to dating someone.
But maybe Mimi was right…
Maybe she needed to give one of the good guys a chance before firmly shutting the door on romance. She’d oncebeen so attracted to Joe – and for all the wrong reasons. He was tanned, gorgeous, built, and a wild flirt. The man couldn’t hold down a job, loved to go out with his buddies on the weekend –on her dime– and always thought about himself. He was a narcissist, a user, a slimeball, and she’d fallen for a pretty face… like a fool, but this fool learned her lesson, too.
Jack wasn’t any of that. He wasn’t her type –at all.He was a little too skinny; his shoulders weren’t broad like Joe’s. He had a wide smile that was full of truth – not playful or flirty, but rather silently announcing ‘this is me – take it or leave it’. No dramatic moments that were meant to hurt her or start an argument. No sudden excuses meant to leave her behind, so he could go hang out with his friends… nothing.
Jack was weirdly supportive because in his mind, it was the right thing to do. He offered her a ride, touched her nasty shoe without question, took her for another pair of shoes, and offered up a room with his grandmother of all people, where he could have just said ‘hey, guess you’re bedding with me’… but none of that happened.
Joe was a user, and heaven help her - Jack was a good guy at heart.
As Jack hopped into the driver’s seat of the truck and started it up, she caught herself staring at him and lost in thought. What would it be like to take Mimi’s advice? The woman suggested giving Jack a shot at making her happy – and then wildly suggested that she stay with her for six months or longer. Heidi had been hereone dayand already felt more relaxed without all the traffic, the noise of the world, and she certainly wasn’t letting the day pass while doomscrolling on her phone. No, it picked up a signal occasionally, like some satellite in space was attempting to throw a frequency in her direction and then giving up. She got a few emails last night – and one text message from Joe askingher for money. It was probably a good thing her response didn’t go through, because it could have been used for evidence if he ever turned up missing.
“I know this isn’t exactly what you wanted to be doing,” Jack began, not looking at her as he pulled out of the gravel driveway onto the road, “but we can try to make a day of things and have a little fun, you know?”
“It’s fine.”
“Then how come you looked like you’d rather give up a kidney than spend the day with me?” he asked quietly – still not looking at her. His softly spoken candid words hurt, but no more than any of the other stuff Joe used to say to her. Those statements had been accusatory and toxic – this was just an honest impression meant to share how Jack was feeling right now… and he was right.
“I think maybe we got off on the wrong foot,” she began quietly and saw him chance a glance toward her right when they were getting ready to start up the onramp to the highway. “Pay attention…”
He chuckled and turned back to the road. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you.”
“That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be cautious.”
“I’m always that – and then some.”
“’Cautious’ doesn’t mean opening your grandmama’s home to a stranger,” she retorted with a strangled sigh. “You’re too naïve, too innocent. I could have been a serial killer or something.”
“You’re not,” he replied, but his lips were twitching with a hidden smile. “I’ve got a knack for reading people.”
“Oh yeah?” she quipped easily, marveling at the hardheadedness of the man before her. Didn’t he understand that she was telling him to be a little more careful? This might be Mayberry – AKA – Fate… but someone could get hurt with all this naivety. “Mr. Big-Bad-Policeman who has a knack for reading people – huh? Read me then. What do you ‘read’ from me, buster?”
Jack didn’t answer for a few minutes as he drove, almost like he didn’t hear her or was thinking about how he wanted to respond. She waited, and waited, and then saw them exit the highway eventually… and yet nothing from him.
“So you don’t like being called out onto the carpet – or do you just not know what to say, and you’re trying to come up with a smart response. That’s okay, sometimes silence is the smartest thing that…”
“Stop it,” he began, choosing that moment to interrupt her mid-sentence. “I know you like to nitpick and argue with me – and guess what? I don’t mind. Keep going… because that just shows that you feel safe with me,” he murmured, turning the steering wheel so the truck turned on some frontage road.
She had no idea where they were, but he obviously did. No, right now, just hearing his words, her brain had reset, and she was still waiting for it to boot back up like a computer. He really did have her pegged – because it was true. Shedidfeel safe being herself or tossing jabs at him, because something in her knew he wouldn’t harm her.
“I think that you’re so focused on protecting yourself from someone hurting you again that you are missing out on so many things, so many chances… because you’re scared, Heidi.”
And reboot completed– “I’m not scared of things…” she protested weakly, sounding like a lie even to her own ears.
“You were running,” he continued, ignoring her. “You’restillrunning. In fact, I’m betting that someone like me makes you feel like a cornered animal. You’re trying to figure out how to get away from me and hate the fact that you might like me a little despite everything.”
“I’m not. I don’t,” she whispered hoarsely as they pulledinto the parking lot of a shopping center. “This isn’t Home Depot or Lowe’s…” Her voice trailed off as he turned and looked at her. He gave her a tender smile that spoke volumes and made her heart trip over itself as it slammed against her chest.
“Stop running,” he said gently, holding her gaze with an understanding that was staggering. “It’s just a couple of friends, running a couple of errands together. If you want this to be more between us, then make it so… but you’re not cornered or being forced to spend the day with me. Say the word, and I’ll take you back to Mimi’s…” and as she opened her mouth to protest, Jack pointed at her shoes, those infernal jelly sandals – and smiled in triumph. “But I bet you’d be a bit more comfortable in sneakers.”
She closed her mouth at that.
“So what’ll it be, my sweet Heidi?” he murmured, his voice husky, practically gloating that he’d obviously won this round. “New sneakers, maybe a few necessities, and dinner with a friend – and by that, it means talking. I can sit by myself and eat somewhere anytime. I’d rather make dinner with you a chance to get to know each other… if you’re game?”
