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He didn’t have to try to remember her face, her voice, the smell of her hair. Every tiny detail about her was locked into a secret treasure chest of his heart forever. Everything from the way she tipped her head to one side when she was teasing him, to the shimmer when the light hit her hair, to the soft pink she painted her fingernails. And most importantly, the way she lived her life. Just by walking into a room she seemed to be bearing a gift to the people there. As if she walked in a charmed world of innocence and enthusiasm.
Sure, Darius figured she’d had some tough licks. Sometimes, he’d see a hint of pain, of wistfulness, maybe even of regret creep into her face. Especially when she was quiet, thinking. He couldn’t help but wonder what her life had been before she’d come to Whistler. He mentally reviewed what he knew of her past. He knew she was from America, that she’d survived a dysfunctional family, but that was all.
She, on the other hand, probably thought she knew his whole story. Well, the image of him she’d constructed based on the facts he’d given her was faulty. Maybe that was because he’d neglected to share one very important fact with her.
Darius opened his eyes and reached for the bottled water sitting in his cupholder. He took a few sips and scanned the murky sidewalks. Not many people were out and about today. The few small clumps of shoppers were usually traveling from store to store under the protection of the awnings or dashing with umbrellas to cars parallel-parked next to the sidewalk. He sighed and leaned back again. Nothing was working out lately.
Especially not in the two weeks since he’d seen Addisyn. He was finally past the stage of obsessively checking his phone, as if she might text. More times than he could count, he’d been on the point of calling her. But what could he say, short of confessing what he really was? And then watching her walk away.
Because that was exactly what she’d do. He knew it for one very good reason. After he’d left Love You A Latte, after her coworker had all but thrown him out the door, he’d peeked back in the window.
Addisyn had been behind the counter, smiling happily and making a nice cup of coffee for an older guy. She’d just been—hiding, he guessed.
The realization had felt like a fist in his stomach, but could he blame her? Given his behavior, she was probably hopelessly confused. She had no way of knowing all the wonderful ways she made him feel. And she certainly wouldn’t understand that the reason he had checked out of her life wasn’t because he didn’t love her.
It was because he loved her too much to bring his baggage into her heart.
Well—Darius straightened up and peered out the window again. If possible, the foot traffic was even thinner now than before.
A sudden unaccustomed anger snarled in his soul. That was it. He was done just moping here on the edge of the sidewalk. He turned the key and brought the Traverse to life. Maybe he couldn’t undo the past and heal his heart, but at least he could be successful as an Uber driver. Time to head for the bus depot. He always found passengers there.
A few minutes brought him to the terminal for the Pacific Coach line. The buses ran between Vancouver International Airport and Whistler, dumping a fresh batch of tourists every time they made the trip. Darius pulled up near the canopied waiting area and idled. He didn’t even bother to turn off the car.
Perfect timing. Here came a big red-and-blue bus now, its mud flap splashed. The shiny giant roared to a halt and exhaled exhaust.
Bleep.Sure enough! A rider request. Darius instantly tapped “accept” and inched closer to the bus.
A tall, well-built guy came striding toward him, face contorted with impatience and disgust. He was dragging a black luggage set and was encased in a gigantic London Fog.
He yanked open the back door of the car, cramming his luggage inside. Then he scrambled into the passenger seat with a huff.
Great.Darius especially disliked grouchy passengers.C’mon, man, how hard would it be for you to smile?Still, he could try to break the ice. “Nasty weather today.”
“Yes, it’s horrible.” The man snapped out the sentence as if the weather were Darius’s fault. Pulling down the sun visor, he inspected himself carefully in the mirror on the back of the flap, lightly brushing his fingertips over his expensive blond haircut.
“Where to?” Darius kept his tone light. He prided himself on his professionalism. Even if this guy already rubbed him the wrong way, he wasn’t going to let it show.
“Uh, can you recommend a good hotel in town?” The man looked at him for the first time. Darius studied his face. Handsome, sure, even with a few days’ growth of stubble that proved he’d been traveling for a while. But his eyes looked—hardened, somehow. Darius shifted uneasily. He was getting bad vibes off this dude.
“Well.” He scratched his head and thought. He had a feeling this guy’s definition of good hotel was different from his own. Probably Mr. Hotshot meant the ritziest place possible. “There’s the Canadian Queen about fifteen minutes from here. It’s considered the most luxurious place in Whistler.”
“Perfect. Take me there.” The man checked the time on his shiny Rolex and pulled his seat belt on.
You’re welcome. Darius couldn’t wait to get this bossy passenger out of his car, but in the meantime, he needed to fill the silence. “So what brings you to Whistler?”
The man darted another glare at him out of those close-set eyes. “Business.” An awkward moment slipped by before he firmly said, “It’s personal.”
Darius nodded. “Right.” Inwardly he was writhing at his wretched luck. He’d braved the rain and waited all day for a passenger. Now he had this Grinch who was only traveling eight and a half miles. So basically he’d sacrificed his entire afternoon to make less than twenty dollars.Swell.
The guy gave himself one last glance-over in the mirror, stroking his chin as if he couldn’t wait for a shave. Then he flipped the visor back up and pulled open the glovebox, inspecting it as suspiciously as if he expected to find a lethal weapon therein. Darius knew if he said anything at all, he would probably say too much. So he clamped his mouth shut and kept driving.
They had made it almost five miles when Darius heard the guy make a strange noise, something between a gasp and a shout. “Hunh!”
What now?Darius glanced over to see the man pointing at the picture of Addisyn. “That your girlfriend?”
“Oh...” Darius felt the heat rising in his face. He bit his bottom lip and reached to pull the photo off the dashboard, but the guy’s hand was there first. The dude ripped the photo off and held it in the light from the window, studying it intently.
Darius felt his soul shrink within him. He didn’t want anyone ogling at Addisyn, let alone this stranger who was scrutinizing the photo as if the fate of the nation hung on it.
