Mindy
Mindy
W hat a self-righteous, misogynistic, pain-in-the-ass pig.
A snarl came out as I shoved open the glass-doored main entrance of the bar and stormed outside, immediately heading straight toward my black four-door car. “Who does he think he is, calling me an uptight prude? Because calling a person names is going to make someone want to follow them back to their mom’s basement for a likely unsatisfying quickie.” Letting out a tense huff, I unlocked the vehicle and dropped into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut. “And there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to drink whiskey, neat.”
This is the last time I let my best friend’s boyfriend try to hook me up with any of his friends. What in the hell was she thinking? Was she even thinking? Ugh.
I started my car and gave the dashboard a loving stroke when the engine started without issue. “Thank you, Pearl.”
Pearl had been in my life for ten years now. I had bought the car used, but the initial owner had been an older lady who drove it twice a week, so it was a rare and delightful find. Pearl and I had been through a lot in these ten years: college, moving home, working, moving back out, and then helping my parents find and settle into their retirement home. I had hoped I would have had my own house by now, or even a solid relationship.
So much for that.
My mood tanked even further as I pulled out of the parking lot of the bar, and the realization of another dead end date washed over me. What made it feel even more pathetic-feeling was that we hadn’t made it past the appetizers.
Can this night get any worse?
As if on cue, a booming clap of thunder cracked and rumbled overhead, practically shaking my car with the vibrations. It had barely stopped rumbling when the skies opened up and it started pouring down rain.
I let out a tense breath as I looked up at the dark and turbulent sky. “Really?” I’d hated the dark and thunderstorms since I was a kid. We’d had enough close calls with tornadoes and losing power from insane weather, that I always had a flashlight with me. Even as a grown-ass adult, I even had a nightlight in my room.
Shaking my head and reminding myself I was safe in my car, I turned onto County Line Road, heading toward my best friend’s house. Happy my car was new enough that I could sync my phone and make a call hands-free, I immediately called my best friend.
“Mindy? You’re supposed to be on your date with Patrick right now. What happened? Did he ghost you?”
I rolled my eyes. “Honestly, I wish he had.”
Sarah groaned. “Damn. What happened?”
“Your boyfriend’s so-called friend is a misogynistic ass. He’s currently marinating in his beer. Maybe it will make him more palatable for someone else.”
“You threw beer at him?”
That’s what she took away? I scoffed. “Yes. I wasn't going to waste my perfectly good whiskey on him.”
“I’ll circle back to that in a second.” She let out a sigh. “Min, the storms coming in are really bad. Are you going to make it to my house before all hell breaks loose?”
I glanced at the rain pelting my windshield. “That’s the plan. It’s probably going to take a little longer since the wind and rain are already picking up.”
“Be careful. I have the driveway light on for you. I’ll see you soon.”
“See you soon, bestie.”
The call ended, and I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I made my way down the dark country road.
Why did I come all the way out here for this stupid date? And on a night I knew the weather was going to be sketchy?
As I drove on, I smiled at the familiar surroundings of my childhood. Corn and soybean fields as far as the eye could see. I’d left the area for college, going to school near Lombard, Illinois, but came home to visit Sarah and my parents as often as I could.
As I turned onto another country road, I pressed the accelerator and crunching, grinding gears, engine revving, but nothing else happened, and I slowed to a stop.
The grinding sound intensified, and I threw the car into park, immediately silencing the engine. When I put the car into drive again, the horrible grating noise started again. Once again, I put it in park and slumped forward onto the steering wheel, letting out a frustrated shout.
No. No. No. This isn’t happening. I can’t be stuck out here on a night like this.
Screaming didn’t solve anything, but after the night I was having, it felt good. Not sure what else to do, I turned the car off, and when I turned it back on, a round, gear-like icon with an exclamation point in the center illuminated on the dashboard.
Now what?
Like any self-respecting car owner, after turning on the hazard lights, I reached over and dug through the glove compartment box until I found the owner’s manual. Grateful that the lights in the car were still working, I sat in my well-lit driver’s seat and flipped through the booklet until I found the page with the dashboard icons. My heart dropped when I found the matching icon and its description.
My transmission was the problem.
Shit. Now what?
I took several deep breaths. There had to be a way out of this. I pulled out my phone and shot off a text.
Mindy: My car just died.
Sarah: What? What happened? Where are you?
Mindy: If my dashboard icon is any indication, my transmission just went out.
I tried to load the map on my phone, but it showed nothing but the base grid. Stupid dead data zones out here. What road did I turn onto?
Mindy: The map won’t load. I’m on one of the roads near my parents' old house. I just turned off County Line Road, but I don't remember which turn I took.
Sarah: Well, shit. Now what?
I looked around. There had been a house not terribly far before that last turn, and I was pretty sure I'd seen lights on. Is a stranger’s house better than sitting out here in the dark?
Mindy: I’m a sitting duck here. There’s a house close. Should I go take a walk?
Sarah: In this weather? You know that’s how horror movies start, right?
Mindy: Yeah… I know… but is sitting out here any better?
As I took a few more measured breaths in an attempt to keep myself calm, headlights appeared in my rear-view mirror. My heart raced again at the unknown arrival, and I sent out a text.
Mindy: and now I have an incoming truck.
Sarah: Stay safe and don’t take candy from strangers.
Mindy: It’s not a white van. I think I’ll be okay.
Sarah: I’m going to call you incessantly in three minutes if I don’t hear anything.
Mindy: Thank you.
The pickup truck slowed to a stop next to me, and the window in the passenger side door rolled down. Letting out a tense breath, I rolled my window down a couple of inches, just enough that I didn't get completely soaked by the rain.
“I saw your hazards. Everything okay?”
What do you think? “No, there’s something wrong with my engine.”
There was a pause before the man spoke again. “Wait. Mindy? Mindy Sullivan?”
My attention snapped to the truck to see the face belonging to a very familiar voice, and I lowered the window a bit more. The dome light was now on, and sitting behind the wheel of his green pickup truck was none other than the man I had a huge crush on not all that long ago. There was only one man I knew with red hair and grey eyes. “Aiden?”
He nodded as a grin spread across his face, showing off his dimple. “What are you doing out here? Did you move back to the area?”
I let out a defeated and frustrated sigh. “No. I’m out here visiting my best friend. I actually just left a bad date, and then my car died. It’s just been a shit night.”
Aiden glanced around as another bright bolt of lightning flashed overhead. “You can’t stay out here, Mindy. There are some really bad storms coming in.”
I was about to make the most smart-ass comment when a deafening boom of thunder echoed around us, making me shake my head. “Got nature on your side to back you up?”
“Nah. Just lucky timing. Come on, get in my truck. My place is a hell of a lot safer than you being a sitting duck out here.”
I just told Sarah the same thing. “What about my car?”
“I promise I'll help you with your car after this storm passes. I'd do it now, but I won’t be able to see anything.” He reached across the front seat and popped open the door. “Please get in.”
I wasn’t crazy about getting in the truck of a stranger and heading to their house, but then, Aiden wasn’t really a stranger. He’d moved into the area a few years ago and had helped my parents out last spring when they were getting ready to downsize and sell their place. I studied him for a long moment, and I couldn’t help but chastise myself at how I had to remind myself how to breathe. The man was just as fucking good-looking as the last time I saw him. “Okay. Sure. Give me a sec."
I closed the window, took the keys out of the ignition, and shook my head. Never in a million years did I think I'd ever be rescued by Aiden Coghlan. We had playfully flirted back and forth so many times last spring, and while it had been almost a year since we’d actually spoken, seeing him brought all my old feelings rushing right back up to the surface. My heart raced in excitement at the thought of spending time with him, temporarily curbing my fear of being stranded, but the panic wasn’t far off.
It won’t be dark at his place. You’ll be fine.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed my purse, looped it over my neck, zipped up my raincoat, and opened the door to my car. When I hopped out, I splashed into a much deeper puddle than I had expected, and the water instantly soaked through my shoes and socks. “Well, shit.”
The wind and rain pummeled me and shoved me around. Another bolt of lightning splintered across the sky, almost immediately followed by more thunder, and I rushed to the open door of the pickup truck.
“Come on. I've got you.” Aiden grabbed my hand, my skin tingling where we touched, and pulled me into the truck cab in one motion, somehow shutting the door behind me as well. Once I buckled up, he put the vehicle into drive, carefully turned around, and slowly made his way down the road. “Where were you headed, anyway?”
“My best friend’s place. I was in a rage when I stormed out of the bar, and I…” I let out a tense breath, rubbing my arm to soothe myself, and leaned my head against the window. “At this point I'd just like to be warm, dry, and with food. I left before we could eat our appetizers.”
Aiden clenched his teeth and then nodded. “We can talk about the last part of that sentence later. Now, I know it’s been a while since we’ve hung out, but you’re welcome to stay with me until you figure out what you want to do. Honestly, I’d feel better knowing you were safe until this storm passes.”
“I don’t want to impose. You can drop me off…” again, I trailed off. I didn’t want to ask him to take me to Sarah’s house. It was nearly a half hour away in good weather.
Sarah!
I pulled my phone out and shot off a quick text.
Sarah: You still alive over there? I start calling in one minute.
Mindy: Yes! Sorry. You’ll never guess who came to my rescue.
Sarah: Who? Some hottie?
I glanced over at the incredibly handsome man driving. Definitely a hottie.
Mindy: Aiden.
Sarah: HOLY SHIT… like *AIDEN* Aiden? Like the best flirter in all of creation? THAT IS AMAZING! Get it girl!
Sarah: If he offers you candy, you’d better take it! ;)
I rolled my eyes.
Mindy: Yes, THAT Aiden, and OMG SARAH it’s not like that.
Sarah: Whatever. Don’t forget to stretch and hydrate. I’ll come save you in the morning.
Oh. My. God.
I love my best friend, but in this moment, I was about ready to kick her.
“Everything okay?”
I nodded and slipped my phone back into my pocket. “Yeah, just letting my friend know I wasn't going to be making it to her house for a bit.”
“Good plan. You want my address, so you can tell her? ”
“I… yeah, actually. Thanks.”
Just as he opened his mouth, I heard a siren wind up.
No. There's no way.
In a frantic move, I pulled my phone back out and opened the weather radar app. Unlike the map earlier, this one actually loaded. Figures. Sure enough, we were under a tornado warning… and the storm that it spawned from was projected to hit us directly. “Shit. We're actually in the path.” My muscles tightened and my breathing immediately sped up as panic creeped in.
No. This isn’t happening. This cannot be happening.
“Min?”
The use of my family nickname snapped me out of my mental haze. “Yeah?”
He reached over and covered my hand with his. The warmth of his skin was comforting and most welcome. “You’re going to be okay. I’ve got you. I’ll keep you safe. I promise.”
Like I have much of a choice right now. I nodded and squeezed his hand, grateful for something to help keep me grounded. “Okay.”