4. Tessa #3
“But maybe the better idea would be to get a picture at sunset instead,” she said, pressing another square to the dashboard, smoothing over the sticky edge with her finger.
“That way we could get some solid sleep, focus on the whole task of why we’re here, and then if we’re successful, we could grab a picture on the way back. ”
“Whatever you want to do,” Greer said, reaching for a handful of almonds from her snacklebox.
“Ugh,” she said, the ideas swirling around her mind and the squares doing nothing but make her carsick. “I just can’t figure out what the best option is.”
“It’s not that big of a decision,” he offered. “Just… snap a picture.”
“But sunrise is beautiful with pinks and yellows,” she said, studying the squares. “And sunset can be a gorgeous red and orange.”
“So… which is your favorite color?” he asked, cautiously.
Who could blame him? Hyperfocusing on colors was enough to put anyone on edge.
“I like both,” she reasoned, pulling the foil lid off a small pot of ranch dip and reaching for a snap pea. Dipping it in, she noticed Greer’s hand reaching over, and she sat back to make room. She’d packed two of these in case he was hungry, and given his size, he probably was.
Only, he didn’t pick at the box. He snagged a blank square off the dash.
“What are you doing?”
“What would I need to do to convince you to be spontaneous on this vacation?”
“Greer,” she said, reaching for her blank note. He pulled it back just as her fingers went to snatch it. “We’re not on vacation.”
“Aren’t we?” he said, toying with her.
“No, we’re not,” she said, leaning forward to catch the piece of yellow paper he held, only for him to pull it back again. His eyes were firmly on the road, so she figured he must have some sort of trained peripheral vision to watch for his opponents when he wasn’t clearly looking at them.
That skill was an unfair advantage.
“Give me that,” she insisted.
“Why? It’s blank,” he said.
“It’s a placeholder,” she argued, though she knew it was weak. It wasn’t a placeholder; it was just… she had an even number of them on the dash, and now it was odd, and the shape wasn’t right. “Just give it!”
Greer held it between two fingers as he pressed the window button. The slow whirl of the glass sliding down was replaced with the wind flying into the cab, and all of the sticky notes fluttering in response.
“What are you doing?” she asked, gritting her teeth as he held the paper threateningly in the open space.
“Promise me,” he said, raising his voice to be heard. “No more planning from here on out.”
“Why?” she asked, knowing full well that if she hadn’t planned this whole trip, they’d be in an unserviced car sitting at a sketchy service plaza, trying to find a place to stay in a small town outside of Plattsburgh. “There’s nothing wrong with planning!”
“There is such a thing as too much planning,” he said. “And sweetheart, you’re there.”
“I am not!” she argued, though she knew he was right. Tessa felt the world still as the sudden realization came over her. Back before her ex, she was adventurous. But somehow, being with Troy, even for just a short few months, something had shifted inside of her.
She was terrified of making the wrong decision.
If she wanted to do something he didn’t, she’d be made fun of. Or berated for it. But being as adaptable as she was, she created a method for herself that would minimize the damage. Organization. Checklists. If she explored every option, she could defend her choices.
Even if it was just a matter of something she just might like more.
“Oop!” Greer said, causing Tessa’s head to snap up just as the little yellow paper caught the breeze and flew straight out the window.
“Greer!” she hollered, breaking out of her perfectly refined shell. Was it a big deal he threw away her sticky note?
No.
Was it hers?
Yes!
“Did you just toss that?”
“I swear I didn’t!” he said vehemently, though his face looked stricken. “I’m sorry, it was an accident. The wind caught it.”
“You shouldn’t have been playing with it in the first place.” There was just something about that man that got under her skin, and right now she was practically trembling with rage.
“Oh, crap,” he said, letting his foot off the gas. Greer studied the rearview mirror as he began to slow down.
“What?” she asked, her emotions hopping into another lane and traveling from rageful to panic-stricken. “What’s going on?”
A whoop-whoop behind them told Tessa all she needed to know.
As Greer guided the car into the breakdown lane, he put it into park and turned the ignition off. Tessa turned to look out the back window, not knowing at all what to do. Being a studious driver, she hardly ever sped, always paid for her parking, and had never, ever been pulled over by the police.
Though as she watched the two officers simultaneously get out of the car behind them, she instantly knew why they’d been pulled over.
As one stopped and lifted the sticky note off their windshield, she felt a deep pull in her stomach that said this was only the beginning of what life had in store on a road trip with Greer Murphy.