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He drove into the first gas station we spotted and parked beside the pumps.
Before he could stop me, I was out in a flash and had inserted my credit card into the reader. “Ha-ha. Beat ya.”
“You don’t have to pay for everything, you know.”
“You paid for the rental.” Which couldn’t have been cheap.
“Need I remind you? I invited you to join me, therefore, I will incur all the associated expenses?”
“Money doesn’t grow on trees.” Even if he did have a job that likely paid ten times what I made at the diner, he didn’t need to pay for everything. I didn’t feel the need to be indebted to him and repay the associated costs.
“Well, thank you. But this is the last thing you’ll pay for, understand?”
I nodded, but wholeheartedly disagreed.
He leaned casually against the back of the car and stared off into the distance. It was worthy of a magazine cover image, and I burnt the casual yet somehow sexy image to my brain. Gosh, he had changed so much.
A distraction was needed, at least on my end. “Wow, there’s a lot of smoke in the air. All forest fires?”
The air had a bit of a haze to it, but there was a definite campfire type of smell.
“Would be my guess, and likely the number one reason we were grounded.”
“You didn’t ask?”
“No need. We were going to be parked, and I didn’t feel like I was owed an explanation beyond the wholewe’ll put you on the next available flightdebacle. I just wanted to get moving, and waiting was going to cost me more than necessary.”
His chipper mood was descending, likely due to exhaustion, which was settling hard into the depths of my bones.
I watched the price of the fuel climb higher, and rather than stare and wait to see the final number, I scanned the area.
As the sun crested the mountain peaks, the smokey skies cast an orangish hue over the sprawling town nestled into the valley below. Another car pulled beside us, and the driver covered his mouth to block out the smoke smell. It wasn’t that bad, better than the hot, smoggy days back home.
Holden leaned against the back door of the car, interrupting my thoughts. “What do you want for breakfast, another convenience store dash, or something a little more nutritious? Better yet, what are our options?”
With my eagle eye, I glanced around, searching for possibilities. Fast food joints were in ample supply, and I pointed to one beside a motel. “I know it’s not the best, but it’ll be quick, and likely more filling than gas station pickings, and cheaper too.”
“It’s a road trip. Healthy isn’t on the menu. It’s part of the experience to eat while driving.”
My gaze flittered to the motel, thoughts swirling in my head. Ninety percent involved a shower and a place to stretch out, and the other ten were the reason for the shower. It could’ve been because I was so sleep deprived, but I was seeing Holden in a brand-new ray of sunlight, even if it was somewhat smokey and cast in an orangish glow.
“Do you think they rent out rooms by the hour?”
Holden snapped his head so quick, I worried he’d dislocated his neck. “What?”
“For sleeping, silly.” I nudged him playfully. “I’d be willing to bet a breakfast you’d get a better rest on that bed than curled up in a tiny car on the side of the road.”
“Uh, maybe.” He righted himself and crossed his arms over his chest, a faint tinge of colour on the apples of his cheeks. “But I think it’s ridiculous to stay in a room for a few hours.”
Still, I allowed the thought to dangle like a carrot as I wanted to make him ponder it as well. “How much further to Victoria?”
He tapped his chin as inhaled sharply. “If we were to drive straight from here…” His fingers swiped across the display on his phone. “At least eight hours to Vancouver.”
“Still?” Oh my god, this was going to take way longer than I anticipated. “Eight hours from now puts you there for around four, assuming we don’t stop. But… if you rest for a few hours, you can still be in Vancouver just after supper.”
“Plus, you’re forgetting a ferry ride over to Grandma’s house.”
“And that.” I put the gas pump back into its spot when it clicked off and tore off the receipt, trying my best to keep my eyes from bugging out at the cost.
