Page 48 of Where Roads Lead

“I guess that would be fine,” she mumbled in agreement. “As long as it’s on the way.”

“Yup.” I rolled my eyes, biting my lip to keep the amusement at bay. “Just leave it to me.”

“Oh my God, I love bagels,” Elsie groaned, barely audible through the mouthful of food.

We were back in the truck, her hands filled with a coffee in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other, and all it had taken to turn her mood around was a pumpkin iced coffee and a bagel with cream cheese.

“Why are you doing that?” I asked, watching her shift back and forth in her seat.

“Doing what?”

“Dancing with your bagel?”

She paused, staring over at me with innocent eyes. “I’m happy.”

“Jesus, that was a quick rebound.” I muttered, staring at the clock on the dashboard. “Ten minutes ago you’d been about to bite my head off, now you’re doing a happy dance?”

“Yeah, well, you fed me,” she replied, taking a generous sip of coffee. “Haven’t you ever heard not to bite the hand that feeds you?”

“I have.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure biting the head would be even worse.”

“I’d have to agree,” I said, watching her stare contentedly at her snack.

I hadn’t realized it was so easy to make a girl happy.

“Gosh,” she muttered after another bite. “I love eating a bagel on a crisp fall day with a pumpkin coffee in my hand. It feels like the epitome of autumn, don’t you think?”

I tugged my baseball cap backward onto my head before starting the ignition.

“Why are you describing everything?”

“Why do you ask me why I do everything that I do?”

“Because I’m trying to make sense of you.”

“Maybe I’m unmakesensable.” She shrugged.

“Really?” I snorted. “You’re a writer, and the best you can come up with is ‘unmakesensable.’”

“Well, now I feel like I have to prove myself.” She huffed.

“You don’t—”

“Indecipherable. Enigmatic. Perplexingly puzzling—”

“Really, you don’t have to—”

“Bewildering, mystifying, baffling—

“Okay.” I stopped her. “I take it back. You’re a human thesaurus.”

She beamed proudly.

“Hey, what’s your favorite fall movie that’s set in New York City?”

I shot her an incredulous look. “That’s an incredibly specific category, Elsie. And buckle up.”