Chapter Seven
Men Without Hats hitsong filled the van like an anthem of nostalgia and questionable decisions.
Tristan tapped the steering wheel, half-smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Canada’s finest poetry right here.”
“You say that like it’s not objectively unhinged to try to impress someone with a weird dance.”
His laughter, the low, warm version, made something traitorous flutter behind my ribs.
The night swallowed the highway, but the map dot of Blind Bay finally appeared.
“Out of curiosity, where are we planning on stopping for the night?”
“Ideally, Merritt.It’s two hours from here.”
I glanced at the clock on the dash.“We’d get there after ten.”
“And they’d still be open.”He cocked an eyebrow.“It is a Friday night.”
I nodded and picked up my phone.Perhaps I should’ve looked earlier, but maybe I needed to book a room somewhere.“Do you have a place booked?”
“You ask like you don’t know me at all.”
“Of course you do.”I rolled my eyes as I teased but secretly wondered how much it would cost.
As if he could read my mind, he shook his head.“Don’t worry.When you were in the bathroom, I called and secured another room.It’s all covered.It’s a work perk and a thank you.”
“A thank you?”My head tipped to the side.“If anything, I should be thanking you.”
“Nah.I’m grateful to have a companion on this trip.It’s nice.Even if I did have to listen to Avril Lavigne.”Without a chance to defend my stance, he interrupted my thoughts.“We’re here.”
We rolled past a shuttered marina, a darkened coffee shack, and a sign that readWe Have Gas & Wormsin handwritten Sharpie.
Eventually, Tristan slowed and turned into a gravel lot beside a white building that bore more resemblance to a house than its namesake: MARK’S LIQUOR & MARINA.
There was no slogan or creativity, and it appeared like the least amount of effort was given.
Holding Mr.Moose to the window, I snapped as boring a picture as I could.It wasn’t hard.
Tristan killed the engine with gusto, blew out a breath, and slipped on a baseball cap.“Time for me to go to work.”A killer wink flew my way.
“May I help?”
“I’ll never say no.Besides, you’re much sweeter than Mark.”
“Who’s Mark?”My gaze ran over the sign.“Oh, right.Him.”
Tristan slid out and opened the back doors, climbing inside to move cases to the edge.
