4. Chapter Four
Of course, my surviving the car ride assumed that it would end at some point, preferably before nightfall. I quickly learned Grey’s one exception to the “no food talk” rule. I’d been so absorbed in our conversation around hobbies and online dating that I hadn’t asked Grey about the shortcut I assumed we were taking up the canyon. Turns out, it wasn’t a shortcut. Grey had taken a detour up Logan Canyon to visit what he informed me was his favorite place in Cache Valley: an outlet store connected to a local dairy company.
“I’ll wait here,” I said, unwilling to get out of the car. If he knew I was waiting, it might even speed up his shopping.
“We were so close, I couldn’t not stop. My life is sorely lacking in various cheeses and shelf-stable chocolate milk. Have you ever had their cheese curds? They’re life-changing. Now, come on.” Grey climbed out of the car and waved me towards the store.
I did my best impression of a stubborn child, shaking my head with my arms crossed over my chest.
“Are you lactose intolerant?” Grey leaned into the car, watching me from the open driver’s side door.
“No…” I trailed off, not sure where he was going.
“Do you hate cheese and other sources of joy?” He quirked an eyebrow, his lips tipping up into a smile that promised mischief.
“No.”
“Are you afraid of outlet stores that promise deep discounts and other forms of delight?”
I gave a frustrated laugh. “No! But I also would like to reach the cabin before dark.”
Bad things happened on mountain roads after dark. Animals darted out onto roads and accidents happened, resulting in injuries, scars, and leaves of absence from work so I could take care of my mom while she recovered. I pushed the thoughts away, refusing to dwell on those dark days. The accident had happened over a year ago, and Mom was fine now, even if I still carried some of the emotional scars.
“I hate to break it to you, but the fastest way to get back on the road is to come with me.” Grey took a slow, measured step away from the car, starting to inch the door closed. “Otherwise, I have a tendency to get distracted by all the cheese and milk flavors. I could be in there for hours, debating purchases.”
“Hours?” My voice held a shrill note that I couldn’t quite erase. “You take hours shopping for cheese?”
“And flavored milks.” Grey threw me a wide grin and closed the door, sauntering to the white storefront attached to the factory. It looked like something out of the Swiss Alps, with its green shutters and bright red and white flowers.
I fumbled with my seatbelt, slipping on my shoes and scrambling from the car. I hoped Grey was joking about needing hours to make his purchases, but I also had a sinking suspicion he would take his time shopping just to push my buttons. My flip-flops slapped against the asphalt as I chased after him, catching up to him as we reached the automatic doors. They whooshed open, welcoming us into the store with a gust of AC-cooled air that made me shiver.
Grey grinned at me, extolling the virtues of various cheeses as he grabbed a basket. I slipped my phone out of my leggings pocket to text Tory, moving in the opposite direction from Grey. I hoped my presence in the store would be enough to remind him we had a schedule to keep.
ME: Is it murder if I make it look like an accident?
TORY: I’m not a lawyer, but best guess, yes.
ME: What if he had it coming?
TORY: What is this, a remake of Chicago? Was he popping his gum too loud? Or did he lie to you about having another wife?
ME: I’m serious. He just took an unannounced detour for cheese.
TORY: Is it good cheese? There is always time for good cheese.
ME: I don’t know. We haven’t tried any yet. But that’s beside the point!
TORY: Enjoy the journey! We’re just sitting on the couch in the cabin, staring at each other. You’re not missing much. I think Trent is going to break out the old video game console soon.
I sighed and put my phone away, tapping my fingers on my thighs as I pondered an even later arrival time at the cabin.
“Do you ever stop sighing?” Grey asked as he stopped next to me, perusing the contents of the shelves behind me. They contained jams, nuts, and a few other locally sourced non-dairy treats. “Or is your allergy to spontaneity acting up?”
“I can be spontaneous,” I stuttered, my cheeks heating with embarrassment. “I’m on this trip with you, aren’t I?”
“A trip that was planned weeks ago is hardly spontaneous. Honestly, the most spontaneous thing I’ve seen you do so far is pee outside of your allotted time for a bathroom break.” He grabbed a bag of taffy from the shelf behind me, adding it to his basket before turning to examine the fridges that lined the back wall of the store.
I glared at him, scrambling for a comeback as I watched him walk away. I took a moment to take in my surroundings, observing the simple layout of the small store. In addition to the shelves I stood next to, it contained a single row of freezers and some pallets against a wall. The biggest thing in the room was the checkout area, and that was because it had an ice cream counter attached.
A blonde woman in a teal romper nearly ran me over with her cart in the cramped space. I took a step out of her way and moved to browse the milk section, both amazed and wary of the variety of flavors in front of me.
“Bet you ten bucks you won’t try the root beer milk.” Grey’s deep voice rumbled in my ear, sending shivers down my spine and making me jump.
“What?” I whirled around to find Grey standing directly behind me. His basket was already overflowing with milks and cheeses.
“Root beer milk. It’s better than you think.” He waggled his eyebrows and held up a light-brown carton of milk.
“At this point, almost anything would be better than what I think of root beer milk. It sounds disgusting.” I took a step back, shaking my head as he continued to offer me the carton.
Was the milk fizzy like root beer? How would someone combine soda and dairy outside of a root beer float? My questions were endless, but I wasn’t curious enough to find the answers. I’d learned a long time ago it was better to play things safe, even in simple decisions like trying new foods.
“Trust me, it’s good.”
“I’d much rather get something safe like chocolate. Or maybe I’ll branch out to cookies ’n cream.” I reached for one of the more familiar flavors.
Grey quirked that infuriating eyebrow once more. I wanted to shave it off. “Chicken.”
“Excuse me?” I said with surprise. I didn’t want to try a new milk flavor. How did that make me a chicken?
“You’re afraid of a little carton of milk. Bock, bock. Chicken.” Grey flapped his arm not holding the basket like a bird wing, emphasizing his point.
Suddenly my mind was filled with all the times I hadn’t tried something. I hadn’t gone to friends’ birthday parties because I knew mom couldn’t drive me and make it to work on time. I hadn’t tried out for the school play because Mom didn’t have the money to pay for costumes. I hadn’t interviewed for a new job because the change in hours and location were inconvenient for Lyle. I almost hadn’t come on this trip because it was so far outside my comfort zone. Was this what I wanted, a life defined by the things I didn’t do or say?
I bit my tongue for a moment before grabbing the carton of root beer milk out of his hand and adding it to his basket. “Fine, but you’re buying it, and if it’s gross, you owe me a chocolate milk too.”
“You might be surprised! Besides, ‘not all who wander are lost.’” Grey grinned and headed to the cash register to check out.
“That still makes no sense!” I called after his retreating back, shaking my head and walking to the exit, careful to erase the smile from my face before Grey could see.
I stood by the door, arms crossed over my chest as I waited for Grey, who was taking his time chatting to the elderly cashier ringing up his purchases. I was irked that I’d let Grey get to me, doubts already filling my mind as I waited. Yes, I was afraid to try a weird milk flavor. What if it was gross and I had that aftertaste stuck in my mouth the rest of the drive? In my mind, root beer and milk were two things that had no business being combined. At least I had the gas station Pepsi to dispel the flavor if needed.
I followed Grey to his car, trying to ignore the aroma of farm that seemed to linger in the air everywhere in Logan. He had several bags filled with food, and it took him a minute to find my root beer milk. He handed me the unassuming light-brown carton with a mug icon on the front before unlocking the SUV and stashing his bags inside, slipping the cheese into a small cooler I hadn’t realized was in his trunk.
“You have to drink the whole thing, and then I’ll give you this.” He held up a second carton, this one darker brown with a chocolate bar on the front.
“Fine, but that means we’re going to be making another bathroom stop sooner than planned.”
“I’m not in a hurry. You?” Grey stood with his hands on his hips, almost challenging me to contradict him.
Technically, I was in a hurry, and it had nothing to do with not wanting to miss Tory’s birthday. It would still be her special day, even if we got there after dark. Personally, I did not want to be in the car dodging animals on the road when night fell, but Grey didn’t need to know that. No one but Mallory and Chloe knew just how much driving at night, especially in the mountains, freaked me out, and I planned to keep it that way.
Instead of answering, I took the first carton of milk and shook it, assuming it needed the flavoring mixed in. Pulling open the tab on top, I raised the carton to my lips and hesitated just a moment more before taking my first tentative swallow. Flavor exploded across my tongue, reminding me of childhood summers. I paused, processing the flavor. It was surprising: creamy and rich and far better than I anticipated.
“It tastes like a melted root beer float,” I said, surprised at how much I enjoyed it.
“Right?” A grin stole across Grey’s face, the smile perhaps the biggest he’d given me since we’d started this drive. It stole my breath for just a moment as I took in the pure, simple joy on his face. “It’s basically magic in a milk carton.”
I quickly finished my carton, eyeing the front of the store. “I might need a few more of those.” I admitted begrudgingly. “Though we also need to get on the road…” I trailed off, torn.
Grey waved to the store. “Be my guest. I’ll wait here.”
I hesitated only a moment before walking back into the store, this time with my own basket. I grabbed a mix of milk flavors: root beer, cookies ’n cream, strawberry, and orange. If being brave had worked out well once, I hoped it would prove worthwhile again. On a whim, I threw in a bag of cheese curds.
When I got back to the car, Grey was in the front seat on his phone, brows pinched, a look of concern on his face as he typed out a response.
“Everything okay?” I asked as I stashed my milk in the back next to his bags and then climbed into the front seat, cheese curds in hand, and kicked off my shoes.
“Yep. Just a question from my brother.” He deposited his phone in the cupholder, making sure the screen was locked first.
“Well, in that case, I have snacks for the next leg of the journey.” I held up the bag of cheese curds, feeling weird offering a bag full of cheese as a road trip snack.
“Yes! These are seriously the best. Have you ever had them?” Grey took the bag and opened it, offering me first dibs on the assortment of oddly shaped orange pieces.
“No. I thought cheese only came shredded, blocked, or sliced.” I grabbed one of the smaller pieces and began to chew. A slight squeaking sound filled my ears, and I froze, the sound stopping too. As soon as I started chewing again, the sound returned, and I couldn’t fight back a smile of surprise. “It makes noise!”
Grey laughed, dispelling the last lingering hints of worry from his face and settling the bag of cheese on the center console before pulling onto the road. “Squeaky cheese, it’s a thing. And it means these are fresh. Try eating them in a day or two and the squeak will be gone.”
“That’s crazy. I feel like this is something from a cartoon, not real life.” I could easily picture this featuring in an episode of Scooby-Doo.
“Sometimes fact is crazier than fiction.” Grey popped a piece of cheese into his mouth, and I could hear it squeak from across the car.
A crumb from the cheese had dropped into his beard, a bright orange dot contrasting with the dark strands. While his beard didn’t qualify for mountain man status, it was long enough to hold the cheese hostage.
“You’ve got a piece of cheese in your beard.” I gestured towards his chin, not sure what the etiquette was for helping someone remove beard food.
“How do you know I’m not saving it for later?” Grey raised an eyebrow before reaching up in an attempt to brush the crumb from his beard. He missed completely.
“It’s a little more to the right.”
He made another attempt, managing to move the crumb closer to his mouth.
“Here. Let me.”
I reached over and brushed at his beard, knocking the crumb free. His beard was softer than I’d imagined, and the warmth of his breath made my skin tingle. I quickly drew my hand back, startled by how much I liked the sensation of touching him.
“Got it.” My voice came out breathy, my cheeks heating.
Grey gave me a knowing smile.
“Thanks for the help—and the cheese curds.” He grabbed another curd, popping it into his mouth.
Grey drove through Logan, using his phone to navigate as we started back on our trip, taking an alternative route instead of backtracking down the canyon towards the freeway. Everything was back on schedule and going according to plan. I’d even convinced Grey to let me control the music, connecting my phone to his car’s speakers through Bluetooth, a luxury I only dreamed of when driving Jovi.
I was attempting to come up with more questions to ask Grey when a light appeared on his dashboard and the car pulled to the right, an unexpected flapping sound starting.
“Uh-oh,” Grey mumbled, pulling into a nearby gas station parking lot.
“What do you mean ‘uh-oh?’ We don’t have time for ‘uh-oh,’ not if we’re going to make it to the cabin before dark.” I could hear the squeak of panic in my own voice and hated it. But I was unable to control it as memories of the phone call following my mom’s accident filled my mind. I’d had no idea a deer could do so much damage.
Grey put the car in park and turned to me, regret in his expression, and my stomach plummeted. This wasn’t good.
“We’re about to test my limited car repair knowledge and see if I remember how to change a flat tire.”