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“Sorry I was stopped by customs because of all the things I brought back with me,” she explains.
I cock a brow.
I go in for the hug, figuring it’s safe.
“Oh, okay,” she says, but she hugs me back.
Awkward.
I take a step back. “How was your flight?”
“Awful, I couldn’t fall asleep. The man sitting beside me kept elbowing me in the ribs,” she complains.
She looks tired with her hair in a messy ponytail on her head but as my eyes rake down her body, I take in the tanned color of her skin, her short jean shorts, the little white tank top she’s wearing with an oversized zip-up hoodie over it. She’s breathtakingly beautiful in all her tired glory. It’s a mistake for me to gaze at her long, tanned legs too because my body reacts and it isn’t right, she’s my friend. I’ve shared things with her I have never shared with anyone.
“That sucks. Here, let me help you with all that,” I offer, tilting my chin to her tower of luggage. “It’s like you’re pushing the Leaning Tower of Pisa.”
“That’s a good analogy,” she cackles. “I’m so tired. Thanks for coming to get me.”
“I don’t think there’s an Uber big enough to fit all this. Did you buy this stuff in Europe?”
She nods. “Yeah, every place I went I bought little trinkets and some clothes. Just cool stuff I felt I couldn’t find back home. Wait until you see the coffee table I picked up in Florence.”
I look at her and laugh. “You’re joking.”
Her brows furrow. “I’m dead serious. It’s so pretty. It’s made of carved wood; I couldn’t leave it behind.”
“So, you just spent all your time touring and buying stuff?” I ask. Even though we spoke almost every day, she was kind of vague about her daily activities. I know in Scotland she went on a hike but other than that she would just say how tired she was, and we would talk about life not her trip, which makes me curious. Did she meet someone and purposefully leave out that info? Does she think it would bother me? I think it may bother me, even though as her friend I know that’s weird.
“Not exactly,” she says, scrunching her face. We get on an elevator connected with the parking garage. I wait expectantly, watching her.
We arrive at the floor where my pickup is parked. She follows me out to the spot. I use my key remote to open the vehicle.
“This is yours?” she asks of my truck.
“Yeah, why? Were you expecting me to drive something else?” I grin curiously.
She tilts her head from side to side. I drive a black Silverado. It’s large and electric so I don’t pollute the environment.
“I like this. It suits you.” she observes.
“Thanks,” I say. “The good part is I can fit all your luggage in the bed of my truck.”
After I say those words, my mind goes to a dirty place, and I have to give my head a shake. No luggage of hers is getting into the bed of my truck, which I have switched out in my head to my bed. I feel crazy so I just cut my line of thought.
“This is great. I forgot to ask you what you drive when I accepted the ride,” she admits.
We get into the cab, and I head out of the parking garage. “You’re being really vague about how you spent your time over there,” I begin.
She shifts in her seat and yawns. “Am I?”
My eyes drift to her legs again. Once we head out into traffic, I keep my eyes on the road.
“Nothing to really tell.”
“So, you shopped every day and bought every single item in every single store. Because you got a lot of luggage, woman,” I joke.
She rolls her eyes and smiles. “I was working in children’s hospitals in remote areas. A lot of places have a shortage of physical therapists, so I worked in each hospital for a certain amount of time. I spent most of my time working at a hospital in Florence. It was great. I love working with kids.”
