Chapter 4
Sam
Ialmost felt like I needed to reintroduce myself to the woman sitting in my passenger seat.
In the airport, she had been so stiff that it even improved my posture.
Once we were on the road, she’d settled into her seat like she was meant to be there.
Hell, she even had a sense of humor. Who would have guessed?
Business AJ and real AJ were two different people.
I chanced taking my eyes off the familiar stretch of road to glance at her.
Something about her perfectly manicured appearance made me want to mess it up—run my hands through her hair, rumple her suit, smear the subtle rose shade she wore on her lips.
A jolt of energy snaked through me, and I shot my gaze back to the road.
I noted the cars around me and the condition of the asphalt, and I tried to focus on what I did best. My subconscious mind was driving, but every conscious cell in my body was tuned into the woman next to me. Interesting. She was very interesting.
Stubborn.
Determined.
When was the last time I thought about a woman like this?
I couldn’t remember. The last few years had only been about work and family, sometimes in that order, but ideally in the opposite.
My parents were snowbirds, living half the time in Toronto, and half the time in Arizona.
I saw them when I could, but most of the time it was me, my brother, the kids, and my employees.
My priorities had nothing to do with dating.
Running a business was exhausting. It was long hours and constant worry, and someone always needed something.
Helping people was in my nature, though.
I knew the roads were dangerous. A fact that some people managed to forget.
I was there to remind people when I could and pull their butts out of the ditch when I couldn’t.
I knew better than most people what could happen when safety wasn’t taken seriously.
Accidents happened. People died. But it wasn’t happening on my watch. Not again.
I shook off that somber thought. Today, my desire to help, and maybe a bit of sleep deprivation, had led me to agree to the bizarre taxicab arrangement I was in. As far as passengers go, though, I could do a lot worse. That was good, since this was bound to be a long trip.
A car passed us slowly going in the opposite direction, and I caught sight of a small boy in the back seat frantically pumping his arm at me.
I smiled. One of my favorite things about driving my big rig was when kids tried to get me to blow the truck’s air horn. I obliged, no doubt scaring the hell out of the driver in front of us, and laughed when the kid gave me two thumbs up.
“You just made that kid’s day.” AJ flashed me a genuine smile.
“It’s the best part of the job. Kids are pretty easy to please.”
“I bet most parents would disagree with you.”
I laughed. “You’re right. I take care of my niece and nephew all the time. Twin six-year-olds. They are equal parts exhausting and adorable. And if they are tired? Might as well just hand over the cookies and back slowly out of the room.”
AJ’s face softened as I told her about the kids, and I knew mine lit up. I was a lucky man to be so involved in their lives, even if the circumstances that led to it were dark.
“No kids of your own?” she asked with a little hesitation in her voice.
I shook my head no. That was harder to talk about.
Having a child meant loving and trusting someone enough to have them be the mother of that child.
I had never felt that strongly about anyone before.
God, I loved my niece and nephew, though.
They had an excitement for life that was contagious.
They were naturally honest in a way I wish more adults were.
Listening to them talk about school or their favorite TV show brought a lightness to my day that nothing else could.
I didn’t need to spill all that to AJ in the first hour we met, though.
“I’m not against someone calling me daddy if that’s what you’re asking. ”
She turned an interesting shade of crimson. “Oh my God, that was cringey!” She smacked my shoulder with the back of her hand. I couldn’t help noticing she wore no ring on her finger. I kind of liked AJ’s violent side.
I chuckled. “Yeah, that was pretty bad. Sorry.”
“Well, you jumped from nice-to-meet-you to call-me-daddy a little quickly.” She laughed, her cheeks still red.
She was cute when she was embarrassed. I liked the way the flush from her cheeks extended down her chest, and how carefree she looked when she smiled compared to when we had met in the airport.
I was way out of practice with talking to a woman.
I wanted her to know who I was. I wanted her to tell me about her life and her interests, and I wanted to see if she was intrigued by me the way I was by her.
Initial impressions made me think that we weren’t compatible, but once she was in the truck and her shoulders relaxed, I could see an AJ hiding in there that I wanted to get to know better.
One who understood the need for a busy job but strived for balance.
One who, despite presenting herself as a professional, could appreciate the little things.
“Honestly, though, my job runs weird hours. I’m not sure any woman would want kids with a guy who works the unpredictable schedule I do.”
“That bad, huh?” Her voice was laced with understanding.
I nodded. “It can be.”
My thoughts turned to the highway. The Coquihalla was known as one of the most dangerous highways in North America.
It includes a little less than 200 kilometers of steep mountain passes that lead to hundreds of crashes every winter.
Starting in Kamloops and ending in Hope, British Columbia, the highway is near sea level in Hope, and climbs to 1,250 meters in elevation at the summit.
It’s a major artery of the province, and a major hazard if you weren’t prepared.
My nervous thoughts began to spill out. “No one wants to see the highway closed for any length of time. Too much money depends on goods moving around the province via this stretch of road. If there is an accident, it needs to get cleaned up ASAP, and they happen way too often, even in good weather.” I felt my grip tightening on the steering wheel and forced myself to relax them.
I glanced toward Merritt as we drove by.
I should have pulled into town and grabbed a coffee.
The drive would only get worse from here.
I took a deep breath and changed the subject. “How about you? Any kids?”
I could only see her in my peripheral vision, but I swear she swallowed and lifted her chin. It was a sore spot, I guessed, but I waited for her to answer the question.
“No kids. I’m hopelessly married to my job.” She gave a laugh that was tight and stilted. “Honestly, I barely have time to call my mom once a month let alone raise a whole human.”
“You really work that much?” And I thought my schedule was bad.
She let out a long sigh. “Part of it is physically working, but a big part of it is just mentally not being able to leave the office. Add to that trips to the nail salon, hairdresser, and dry cleaners to keep up professional appearances, and my whole week is booked.”
“Sounds exhausting.”
She looked down at her hands and nodded.
This line of conversation was a real downer, so I shifted gears. “You must be really passionate about what you do.”
“Passionate?” She looked like she was rolling the word around in her mouth to see if she liked the taste.
“Devoted is probably more accurate.” Her eyes moved like she was calculating something.
“I work in marketing. There are three parts to my job: the creative side, the sales side, and the office politics. I love the creative side. The sales part is necessary to keep the lights on, so I get it. The politics, though, they take up the most time and energy.”
Office politics sounded like a nightmare to me, but before I could reply, a set of hazard lights appeared on the road ahead.
“Shit.” I geared down. The truck jostled as it slowed, the whine of the brakes filling the cab.
AJ leaned forward in her seat, worry stamped on her face. “What’s happening?”
I was already laser focused on the scene in front of me.
A big rig was stuck part way up the hill in front of us.
Rather than pull to the side and put chains on the tires, the driver was mashing the gas.
Its rapidly spinning tires were shining the already slippery surface of the road.
Impatient drivers blew past it in the fast lane.
Others erred on the side of caution and pulled over to the side to wait for the truck to figure itself out. I quickly pulled in behind them.
“Mountain Driving 101: chain up. Always chain up,” I muttered. The number of accidents I had seen from unprepared people was maddening, and I had lost all patience for it.
I reached down to grab my gloves.
“What are you doing?” AJ asked. She had unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to face me.
“I’ve got to go deal with this. Stay here.” My tone invited no argument, but I figured there was only a fifty percent shot she would listen. With a sliding rig and a snowstorm, it was not the time for her to prove a point.
“Shouldn’t you wait and call a—”
“A tow truck?” I smirked.
She crossed her arms and sat back in her seat.