Chapter Two
Mike
Not even two hours into my shift and it’s already been a fucking day. First, I get the kid to school late because she forgot her damn lunch at the house again, which resulted in us stopping at Tim Hortons to buy her food.
After dropping her off, I caught a bunch of high school seniors in a vacant parking lot doing donuts on the freshly fallen snow in a Ford F-150 while towing one of their idiot friends behind them on a sled.
Then, I had to pull this asshole over for texting while driving, which had him swerving all over the goddamn place.
Now, I have Franklin the fuckin’ Turtle over here that, despite driving slower than molasses, still somehow managed to slide into the back of my parked SUV.
All of this, and it’s not even ten in the morning.
Shaking my head, I finish issuing Tommy the Texter his distracted driving ticket, then leave him with a firm warning before turning around to see the young woman shuffling out of her car.
“I am so sorry,” she sputters out the apology, almost tripping over her unlaced boots as she hurries over to me.
Un-fucking-believable.
This, paired with the frosty ice bordering the windows of her car, made her an accident waiting to happen.
“I couldn’t see you through all the snow.” She comes to stand before me, her hat-covered head tilting all the way back as she squints up at me through the falling flurries, anchoring me where I stand.
She might be a walking hazard, but fuck is she beautiful.
Long chestnut hair tumbles past her shoulders in loose waves, gently framing a pair of light green eyes accentuated by thick dark lashes. Add in pouty pink lips that appear full and inviting, and it’s enough to render any man powerless, including myself. This, in turn, only serves to piss me off further.
“You didn’t manage to see my flashing red and blue lights right in front of you?” I question doubtfully.
She bristles, clearly taken aback by my tone. “Is that so hard to believe considering the weather right now?”
“Maybe it’s less about the weather and more about the frost covering your windows.”
She glances over at her car and winces.
At least she has the decency to look embarrassed about it.
“I admit I was running a bit late this morning and didn’t have time to let my car warm up long enough, but—”
“That’s what snow brushes are for.”
Her lips thin at the interruption. “I know. I haven’t had a chance to get one yet.”
She can’t be fucking serious.
Her slow blink tells me she damn well is.
“Let me get this straight,” I start, crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re driving around in this weather right now without a snow brush which is why your windows are caked in ice, but it’s not your fault that you didn’t see my flashing lights?”
Her eyes narrow gracefully. “Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little? It was an accident. A minor one at that. Look, I bet there isn’t even damage.” She moves between our vehicles, inspecting the scene before coming back to stand in front of me. “Yep. Just as I suspected. No damage.”
Kinda hard to cause damage when there are power wheel jeeps that drive faster than she does.
“Besides,” she continues sharply. “I don’t have a snow brush yet because I’m not from here and—”
“Clearly,” I mutter. Unfortunately, not quiet enough.
She straightens defensively. “What does that mean?”
“It means people who live here don’t drive around without snow brushes in their car, and they sure as hell don’t drive around with their shoelaces untied adding to an already hazardous driving situation, and then blame the weather when they get into an accident.”
It’s a lie, some people do. Hell, some do even worse, like the dumbass teenagers I busted stunting this morning. But I refuse to tell her the real reason I know she isn’t from here, and that’s because I know every single person in this town, or at the very least have seen their face. And I would never forget a face like hers. One that is so goddamn beautiful it’s enough to stop a man’s heart from beating.
Her hand flies to her chest in a dramatic gesture. “Well, excuse me, for not being local and knowing how to drive in a freaking blizzard,” she snaps.
Jesus, I need more coffee for this shit.
“For your information, pal.”
Pal?
“I was given exactly twenty-four hours to get my ass on a plane which gave me very little time to prepare for every scenario I might encounter when it comes to a Canadian winter. And while I admit I probably should have bought a snow brush by now, the weather hasn’t exactly called for it until this morning, so it really wasn’t high on my list of priorities. You will be tickled to know it is now. Actually, I tell you what, as soon as I leave here, I’m going to buy the holy grail of snow brushes and proudly display it in my back window just for you!”
I grunt, unamused by her smart mouth.
“I will also have you know that while a snow brush would have been handy this morning, it would have done nothing to stop the entire Arctic from being blown over my little Subaru, which is why I didn’t see your ‘big flashy lights.’” She makes a large gesture with her hands, emphasizing those lights. “Not because of the ice bordering my windshield, and not because my shoelaces are untied. But since you are so hell-bent on making this about me being careless, go ahead and write me a ticket so we can both be on our merry little way and live happily ever after with our stupid snow brushes!”
By the time she finishes the tirade, she is out of breath, the anger in her cheeks matching the rosy tip of her perfectly shaped nose. She’s so worked up that the giant flakes falling from the sky melt as they land on her face.
I’d find this rather amusing if I didn’t feel like shit for being the one to get her so upset. I decide to take pity on her and wrap this up but not without finding out some important information first. “License and registration, please.”
She gapes at me, her snow-kissed lashes fluttering in shock. “You’re serious? You’re really going to give me a ticket for this?”
I don’t bother to confirm or deny her assumption.
Shaking her head, she stomps back to her car, almost tripping over her shoelaces again.
This woman is a hot fucking mess. Hot being the operative word.
She climbs back into her car with a huff and slams the door on me.
She’s also a fiery one.
I wait patiently for her to lower the window. Once she does, she hands me her license and the rental’s registration without a word.
Ignoring the registration, I look only at her license, wanting—no, needing—to know one thing…
Hollis Elizabeth Billings.
I find the name fitting, despite not knowing her. Taking in her address next, I see she’s from Southern California.
I figured she wasn’t Canadian by her remark about a Canadian winter, and, yet for some reason, I’m still struck with a pang of disappointment.
A scowl forms on my face as I hand her back the documentation. “Wait here.”
I hear her grumble something behind me as I walk back to my car.
Yeah, well, I’m annoyed too, sweetheart.
Though, if I’m being honest, more with myself than with her. Which is why I grab the snow brush from my backseat and walk back over to scrape the semi-melting ice off all her windows, starting with the windshield.
I ignore the feeling of her eyes on me as I move around the vehicle. After double-checking that there is, in fact, no damage to her car, I walk back over to the driver’s side window and lean just inside the vehicle, bringing myself dangerously close to all that beauty. “You can have this,” I state, handing her the snow brush.
Surprise and confusion mask her expression as she accepts it.
“It’s not the Holy Grail of snow brushes, but it does the job,” I add, throwing the words back at her.
A pink blush blooms across her cheeks.
“Just don’t display it in your back window for me. I wouldn’t want it to obstruct your view and cause another accident.” After a smirk in her direction, I push away from the car and get the hell out of there before I do something really stupid, like ask her out.
Once inside the safety of my SUV, I sit and wait, watching her drive away.
As her beauty slowly fades into the distance, the haze begins to lift, allowing my emotions to fall back into place, and it leaves me wondering what the fuck just happened.