Chapter 5
Mira
I HADN’T REALIZED HOW much I hoped Troy would be my blind date. Now that I knew better, the disappointment sat like lead weight in my stomach.
Yeah, the picture he had uploaded of him on a yacht was hot, but the reality was even better. It wasn’t even just his looks but the way he talked. There was something about his voice that soothed my aching soul.
Kitty agreed. She was getting antsy from all the excitement, and if she were real, she would’ve jumped Troy’s bones already.
“Good thinking about taking a picture of my license plate, by the way,” Troy said, his fingers drumming a beat on the steering wheel. “Can never be too careful.”
“I figured a serial killer would offer me a fake ID to take a picture of.”
Troy snorted at that. “You saw my name on the Love Bites app, so you know it’s real. I strongly doubt it would allow anyone to use a fake name.”
It allowed me to use a fake name. “You’re probably right.” Definitely wrong.
“Are you going to be okay on that blind date? I mean, what if the guy gets too aggressive?” Again, his fingers picked up that drum beat. A nervous habit? But why would he be nervous?
“That’s why it’s in a public place, and I was instructed on how to get away if I needed an escape.”
Troy nodded, and his fingers wrapped around the steering wheel again, but he squeezed it tighter than necessary. What was happening in that handsome head of his? Should I be concerned?
“You think you’ll be able to find a ride by lunch?”
I checked the time on my phone. It was already noon. If they didn’t fix my phone by one, I’d have to call Myrtle and tell her I can’t make it because she had her technomages hack my phone. If she wanted me to start dating so badly, then it should get her moving. Hopefully.
“Honestly, if I can’t make it, I won’t be too upset. It’s not like I want a serious relationship. I mean, I literally live in my truck.” Losing a roof over my head was a real bummer. My poor truck.
Troy glanced at me before turning back to the road. “Sounds dangerous. What if someone tried to attack you?”
No one ever tried to attack me in my truck, only before I started driving for a living. “It’s not like having solid walls can guarantee safety. People get attacked in their homes all the time.”
“Good point well made,” Troy agreed then after a moment added, “and even if solid walls were impenetrable, people can be lured out.”
The way I had been lured to go on that vacation. Turned out, Daddy dearest only wanted to get me to his mobster buddies, so he could sell me to them.
“You said your truck broke down, so you’ll be renting a room, right?” Troy asked.
“If they have any left.” Nothing was a guarantee in my line of work. That was why I always got up to drive at four in the morning. That way, when I was done with my eight hours on the road, I still had plenty of time to find a place to park.
Troy nodded as he pulled into the truck stop and parked near the entrance. “I’ll wait for you here. If they don’t have a room, you can drive back into town with me. There’s a B&B you can probably get a room in.”
I hesitated for only a moment. It’s not that I actually thought he might be a serial killer, but I hated being an inconvenience. He was driving back to Whynot anyway, though. “Thanks. That would be great.”
I hopped out of his car, and as I took the first step toward the door, I started getting a bad feeling about it.
First, it was too small. If they offered rooms, then there would be very few of them, and they likely rented by the hour. Second, I could only spot two cameras. So, they weren't big on security.
As I entered, my feeling got even worse. The common area where drivers could sit around watching TV proudly displayed ketchup-stained sandwich wrappers. I didn't even want to know what their bathroom and showers looked like. This was definitely not the kind of truck stop I would've chosen.
One look at their food selection made me want to cry. The only produce they offered were overripe bananas for a buck each. No oranges that I would've usually preferred.
Oh, crap on a stick, my bag of clementines. I had left it in the truck. Damn it.
I took a deep breath, forcing the stress out. I was alive and well. That's what mattered. I could buy myself more clementines.
When I checked if they had rooms, my suspicion was confirmed. They had no rooms. Not that I wanted to stay at this truck stop. I was used to better accommodations than this.
As I walked back out, I thanked my lucky star that I had run into Troy. He waited patiently for me and didn't complain when I climbed back into his Tesla.
“No luck?” he asked.
“None whatsoever, and after seeing what it was like on the inside, I’m glad for it.” I gave an exaggerated shiver. “It's the Bates Motel of truck stops.”
“Yeah, this place isn't known for being particularly safe.” He flashed me a grin. “You’ll like that bed and breakfast place better. The owner is a real sweetheart, and her cured salmon is to die for. If you ask her nicely, she'll make you her sashimi.”
Sounded like mer heaven. Since there were no rooms at the truck stop, Sweeps would definitely cover my stay there, and it would add to the argument for why I need a new truck, if the missing roof wasn't enough.
“You speak my language. Good food is one thing I would never miss out on.” Now, if I could find some fresh seaweed salad, that would be really something. “I never truly appreciated good food until I became a truck driver.”
“That bad, huh?” Troy’s dimpled smile made an appearance, and it was quickly becoming my new favorite sight.
“Well, truck stops can be very hit or miss, but even when they’re well-stocked, fresh produce is way too expensive. Every time I get to stop in a city, I treat myself, but those days are an exception from the rule.” I sighed, remembering my unfinished bag of clementines. I had gotten it on my last stop in the city, and it was an even greater treasure than my coat.
“Can’t say I ever had that problem. Even when I was in the navy, our unit was mostly made of mers and selkies, so we were given a chance to get our own food if we didn’t like the rations.
It must’ve been nice living on the water. I never knew such luxury. Since I was a kid, all I had ever known were stolen moments in lakes and rivers. The small town I grew up in didn’t have any reasonably large bodies of water around, but there was a stream in the national park a half-hour’s drive from home. I couldn’t swim in it, but I could at least get my fluke wet.
“I tried catching my own food once. It was a total disaster,” I admitted. Maybe I just sucked at being a mermaid.
Kitty gave me a mental flipper slap. She thought I was a great mermaid, but she was biased.
“No one gets the fish the first time, not until they learn the trick,” Troy said, but he was probably just trying to make me feel better about my failures. He seemed like that kind of guy.
I recalled how uncomfortable he was with the idea of me staying at the truck stop. He knew it was one of the shadier places, but he let me see it for myself and make my own choices. I could appreciate that.
What few dates I’ve been on taught me that most men either only cared about getting laid or tried to protect me from the evils of this world. Not that there weren’t plenty of evils in this world, but I’d managed to protect myself from them just fine. It was nice to meet someone who could see that I could take care of myself.
As we drove into town, I allowed myself to look closer at the people here. No one hid their true nature, so I saw a variety of horns, tails, and skin tones. What would it be like to live like this, without fear of someone finding out who I really was and trying to exploit it?
“The bed and breakfast is close enough to Main street that you won’t need a ride to reach most stores and restaurants.” Troy pointed to our left. “Main is that way.” Then he turned right, drove two more blocks, and parked in front of a giant Victorian with an honest to waves tower.
“Please, tell me I can rent a room in the tower.”
“If it’s available.” Troy grinned. “The grounds keeper is a dragon shifter, so you can be a real princess.”
“That’s my dream come true.” I grinned like a fool. “Thank you so much for driving me around. Can I offer you some gas money?”
Troy waved it away. “I’m good. I just couldn’t let you form a bad opinion about Whynot just because one of the crones decided to meddle in your life.”
“Well, thanks for helping me form a good opinion, then.” I needed to say goodbye and go get a room, but I really didn’t want to. Kitty flapped on her belly like this was the worst goodbye in our lives. “I guess I’ll see you around.”
Kitty bobbed her head. She liked the idea of seeing Troy again very much.
“See you around,” he echoed.