He caught Rachel by the elbow and led her out the door.
“Oh, my god,” she whispered as they hustled across the parking lot. “Thank you!”
“No problem. Now please take my ass to a store where I can buy a jacket.” He shivered as he waited for her to figure out the fob and unlock the car. “I’m freezing my nuts off.”
It felt like the temperature had dropped while they were inside eating and the windbreaker offered him little in the way of warmth over his short-sleeved shirt.
“What do we do after that?” she asked. “I don’t want to go back to the hotel and get caught by them.”
“Let’s go see if we can check in real fast first,” he said. “Before they get done. They’ll be a good hour, probably. Then we can go shopping and figure out what to do after that.”
“Good idea.”
Fortunately, the hotel had a room available for them, and they quickly unloaded their bags there. They were on the second floor, near a stairwell leading to a side exterior door opening onto where they parked.
A quick escape without having to use the main lobby entrance, which was visible through the glass windows surrounding the swimming pool.
He set both their suitcases onto the floor along the wall next to the dresser. “Shopping?” he asked.
“Yes. Let me use the bathroom first.”
While she did, he looked around. The room wasn’t bad at all. Better than he’d expected, actually. It was clean and looked like maybe it’d been refurbished recently. They had a microwave and a fridge, and while the coffeepot was small, at least it was bigger than the one that morning in the other room.
Yay.
He walked over to the window, which allowed them a perfect view of the side parking lot and their rental car. He’d have to figure out what vehicle the cousins were driving so they could avoid them. In the distance, a block to their east, he spotted a Walmart sign peeking over the top of another building. The sky still looked dark and dreary, and even without the room’s AC unit being on, he could feel how chilly it was outside through the window glass.
She emerged and washed her hands. “Okay, thanks.”
“How about the Walmart over there? All I need is a hoodie or something. Another layer. I only brought this.”
“We can, but that’s between the restaurant and here. They might stop there.”
“Good point. Let’s go somewhere else.”
They ended up at a Target a couple of miles away in the other direction, where she talked him out of a South Dakota State University Jackrabbits hoodie and into a University of South Dakota Coyotes one for the same price.
She smiled. “We have to represent. You show up in yellow and blue, they’re liable to lynch you.”
“But I like the colors on that other one better.” Now he was just yanking her chain and could tell from her adorable smile that she darn well knew it.
“It doesn’t matter.”
He studied the mascot. “Go Coyotes?”
“Go Yotes.”
“Ah. How’d they end up picking a jackrabbit as their mascot, anyway?”
She smiled. “Who picks a cow?” She pointed at his green and gold windbreaker with the USF mascot embroidered on the upper left chest.
“It’s a bull, thank you very much. The USF Bulls. That’s strong. Macho.”
“It’s bullshit.” Her adorable smile widened. “Now Gators, I get that. The state’s crawling with them. The Seminoles. Hurricanes. Okay, those are logical. I understand where they come from. But bulls?”
“Hey, I’ll have you know Florida used to be the largest beef state, decades ago. Don’t dis your adopted digs, my dear lady.”
“Not dissing. Just sayin’.”
“Sounds like you’re dissing.”
“Did I hit a nerve?” She grinned.
He stepped in close and stared down at her, dropping his voice. “Just remember that during your next spanking, young lady.”
“Promises, promises.”
They headed for the checkout. “Since it looks like I’m not getting my nap,” he said, “where are we going next?”
“Might as well show you the falls.”
“Can we stop for coffee?”
“You didn’t get enough at the restaurant?”
“There’s never enough for the time of morning I had to get up.” In the car he pulled the tags off his new hoodie and put it on under his windbreaker. He’d swear the temperature had dropped another five degrees in the few minutes they’d spent inside the store. The wind had picked up, too.
She swung through a drive-thru to get him a large coffee and then they were off again. He loved looking at the different styles of architecture, both houses and older buildings in downtown, than he was used to seeing in Florida.
“What about your family?” she asked. “We kind of got caught up talking about mine.”
“Mine is boring and ordinary. My parents are still married and live up in Tampa. I was an only child.”
“How’d you end up moving to Sarasota?”
“My job. And I like the beaches better down there.”
“Lucky you.”
“Yeah, I don’t have any complaints about my family. Other than their reactions to Kandy proved to be annoyingly accurate after the fact.”
“How so?”
“My mom really didn’t warm up to her. Mom was nice to Kandy, but I could tell she didn’t like her. Kandy didn’t like Mom, either, which should have been a huge red flag, because everyone loves my mom.”
“What about your dad?”
“He asked me what the hell I was doing with a crazy woman.”
She laughed. “He went for blunt honesty, huh?”
“Yeah. I let it roll off me, because normally they weren’t like that and by then Kandy’s crazy was starting to show a little more. But I thought she would get better. I kept her away from them, mostly.”
“Do they even know about the final blow up?”
“Nope. I just told them I broke up with her. At least they never said, ‘See we told you so.’”
* * * *
Rachel wound her way through downtown, trying not to get distracted by all the changes. It looked like the whole district was undergoing massive revitalization, and it definitely looked a lot less grungy than she remembered.
Fortunately, despite the good-by-Sioux-Falls weather for that time of the year, and probably because it was a school day, Falls Park wasn’t crowded when they arrived. She found a good parking spot and walked with Andrew over to the edge so he could see it better.
Andrew wore his new hoodie under the windbreaker, his hands jammed deep in his pockets. “Holy hell, it’s even colder here.” After snapping a couple of pics with his phone he put it away and rubbed his hands together.
She’d brought a long leather coat with her and had carried it on the plane, a pair of lined leather gloves tucked into the pockets. For this kind of weather, it was enough for her. “It’s South Dakota. Wouldn’t be unheard of for us to have snow or ice this time of year.”
He stared at her like she’d just said she was an alien from Mars. “Fucking seriously?”
She nodded, struggling not to laugh.
He pulled his hood over his head. “What the hell is wrong with you people?”
“Hey, why do you think I wanted to move to Florida? I haven’t worn this coat since December, and that’s only because it was raining and chilly that night. Some people think we’re the crazy ones for willingly living in hurricane country.”
“Yeah? Well, I don’t see people flocking to move to South Dakota from Florida, so go figure.”
“Did you at least bring more jeans with you?” He was wearing a pair, as well as sneakers.
“Yeah, one pair besides these. And a pair of slacks for Saturday. I didn’t think I’d need them. I brought shorts to wear back home on Monday. I ought to spank you for this on general principles.”
She wrapped her arms around him from behind. “I thought you w
ere paying attention to the weather.”
“I was. Last I checked a couple of days ago, it was supposed to be in the seventies this weekend.” He pulled her arms tightly around him. “You’re enjoying the hell out of my discomfort, aren’t you?”
She giggled. “Immensely.”
“I ought to spank you for that, too.”
They walked along the edge of the river, down the path toward the visitor information center. There, they took the elevator up to the observation deck, where Andrew snapped a few more pics before quickly retreating to the warmth of the gift shop.
“So it’s going to be too cold for a barbecue Saturday, isn’t it? Maybe that works in our favor.”
She pointed out the door where a couple was walking down the path in shorts and sweatshirts. “It’s South Dakota, and it’s not snowing. So that’d be a no, it’s not too cold.”
He muttered something under his breath. “You people are freaking crazy.”
Chapter Eight
Andrew had mostly defrosted by the time they returned to the hotel. After driving around the building, Rachel didn’t spot any Minnesota license plates and hoped that Jack and Jill had brought their own car. She’d been so shocked to see them at the restaurant—and eager to escape them—that she hadn’t thought to look while there.
“So who were Jack and Jill and their herd, doncha know, eh?” he asked once they were safe inside the room with the door locked and the TV on. He sat down on the bed closer to the AC unit.
His imitation of Jill’s accent was dead on. “Justin and I lived with Uncle George and Aunt Karen, the Gaeles. Jill is Uncle George’s niece, his sister Coral’s daughter.”
“If your uncle was your mom’s brother, that makes Jill your cousin by your aunt, right? Or am I just that sleep-deprived?”
She thought about it. “Yeah, sorry. My mom got along better with Aunt Coral than with Uncle George. I kind of think of them as a separate family.”
“Then why didn’t you guys go live with them?”
“Well, they lived outside Green Bay, Wisconsin, for starters. That was too far away, and two states away. Justin and I begged Dad not to send us that far. And they had seven kids of their own. Which I believe most of them are supposed to be coming this weekend, too.”
“Don’t suppose you had relatives located somewhere south of the Arctic Circle you could have lived with, huh?”
She snorted. Some people might have been put off by his dry humor, but not only was she used to it, she liked it. It mirrored her own and put her at ease. She never felt like she had to censor herself around him.
“Just like native Floridians grow up used to humidity and heat,” she said, “we grow up used to ice and snow.”
“More like your brains are frozen by it. Blocks of ice in your heads.” He still wore both the jacket and the hoodie, but he’d kicked off his shoes. “So where are Jack and Jill from? And, seriously? Their names?”
“Yeah, I know. It’s been a source of amusement ever since they started dating. They live over in Minnesota. Mankato.”
“You might as well have said Mars, because I have no clue where anything is around here.”
“It’s not far.”
He flopped backward onto the bed. “I really should check in with work, but I feel like I’m worthless right now. You said we gained an hour?”
“Yep. But we lose it again on Monday when we fly home.”
“Damn.” He let out a sigh. “Would it bother you horribly if we just called in a pizza for dinner later and didn’t go anywhere?”
“That would suit me just fine.”
* * * *
Rachel had texted Justin earlier when they’d landed, but he’d been at work. He called her around three that afternoon. Andrew had dozed off on his bed, on top of the covers, exactly where he’d landed upon their return.
Including still wearing both layers.
“You guys in your hotel?” Justin asked.
She kept her voice down. Despite the TV being on, she didn’t want to wake Andrew. She wanted to risk leaving the hotel room and possibly running into her cousins even less.
“Yeah. Get this. Jack and Jill, and Jack’s brother and his family, are all staying here, too. At the same damn hotel. We ran into them while we were eating lunch.”
Justin burst out laughing.
“It’s not funny.”
“No, it’s freaking hysterical.”
“Watch it, buster.”
“Sorry.” He didn’t sound sorry. He sounded barely able to contain his laughter. “That’s some luck you’ve got.”
“Yeah. Tell me about it.”
Justin seemed to hesitate.
“What’s up?”
“You’re still coming to the barbecue tomorrow, right? It’s at Uncle George and Aunt Karen’s.” That was just outside of Beresford, about a half hour south of Sioux Falls, almost halfway between Vermillion and Sioux Falls.
She swallowed back her old ire. “Yeah. We’ll be there.”
“Thanks. Everyone’s meeting there at noon. I didn’t bother suggesting we just meet after the ceremony, because Uncle George and Aunt Karen took over. They’re doing cold cuts for lunch and then the barbecue. So I guess I’ll be there, too. The graduation’s at four down in Vermillion, then everyone’s coming back to their house for the cookout.”
“You’re going to ride with me and Andrew down to graduation, right?”
“Yeah. That was my plan, as long as your friend doesn’t mind.”
She glanced over at Andrew. He lay there with his mouth open, but he wasn’t snoring. He hadn’t snored the night before, either.
He wasn’t just cute like this—he was fricking adorable.
“He won’t mind,” she said. “He’s here for me.”
“I think it was nice of him to volunteer.”
“Yeah. It was. So what are you doing for dinner tonight?”
“Uncle George already invited a bunch of people over for dinner,” Justin said, sounding disgusted before his voice turned hopeful. “You can come, if you want. Both of you.”
Like the cowardly chicken she was, she side-stepped giving a clear answer. “I’m surprised Jack and Jill didn’t mention that earlier.”
“I’m not sure if they even know. I think this was a bunch of cousins on Aunt Karen’s side, and some of my friends and Uncle George’s friends, Michael, Morland, and Isaac’s friends, all them. This kind of blew way out of proportion. It feels like Uncle George is parading me around like a trained poodle.”
“That would be like him.” She finally threw herself on the sword. “Want me to come down?” She heard a text message arrive on her phone but she ignored it.
At least in this way she’d give her brother her full attention.
“I’d say yes, but a couple of my friends already agreed that I could ride up from Vermillion with them, then one of them will suddenly get a call that they’ve got to help someone. Since I rode with them, it gives us all an out.”
“What if George just has someone else drive you?”
He hesitated. “I hadn’t thought about that. I’m sure we’ll work around it. But the guys from work wanted to take me out tonight anyway, so we’ll meet up with them. Hey, you could drive down and join us there.”
Part of her felt like a shit of a big sister for not jumping at the opportunity. As she stared at Andrew and realized how exhausted he was, and what a pain in the ass this weekend was for him—and how tired she was—she decided to go with feeling like a shit.
“Not that I don’t want to, but I’ve been up since before four o’clock local time. I’m really wiped out. Besides, I’ve got you all day Sunday. With the way my luck seems today, we’d probably run into a cousin or something down there, and they’d get word back to Uncle George. Then you’d be up shit creek with him tomorrow.”
“Oh. True. Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize. This is your weekend. You worked hard for it. You’ve earned the right to celebrate.”
&
nbsp; After chatting for a few more minutes, she finally ended the call with him.
“If you want to go down there tonight,” Andrew said, startling her, “we can. Don’t stay here on my account. We can always go back to the rental car place and add me. I’ll pay for it and drive if you’re too tired.”
“But you’re tired, too.”
He pushed himself up into a sitting position. “That’s not the point.”
“I really need some decompression time,” she admitted. “Being with you is fine. I know you, I’m comfortable with you. I really don’t want the extra stress tonight. Tomorrow will be bad enough.” She glanced at the text message that had come in. It was from work. “Shoot. I need to call work.”
He turned to face her, his legs dangling over the edge of the bed. He patted the mattress next to him, and she got up and moved to sit there.
Draping his arm around her shoulders, he tipped his head against hers. “Are you going to be okay this weekend? Do I need to step up my game and really play boyfriend for you, and not just friend?”
She let out a breath, “Maybe. If you don’t mind.”
Now that she was here, lots of old fears and pain and grief had tried to flood her memories. Living in Florida, it’d been too dang easy to shove all that mental crap out of her thoughts and focus on the present and her new life and friends.
With the chilly South Dakota wind blowing outside under a steel grey sky, it wasn’t so easy to do. The grief-stricken teenaged girl trying to help raise her little brother—and then struggling through college after losing their father—had never really had a chance to focus on herself and heal. Getting through college had allowed her to stuff her feelings, and then moving and starting a job had further allowed her to lock all that crap away and not think about it.
She had never really had someone to lean against the way she was literally and figuratively leaning against Andrew right then.
“Whatever you need me to be for you this weekend, let me,” he said. “I don’t mind. In fact, I want to do it for you.”
Beware Falling Ice [Suncoast Society] (Siren Publishing Sensations) Page 7