“I need to go.”
Jillian placed both hands on her hips. “Avery. It’s supposed to get really bad. They’ve been saying over and over all day that unless you have to be somewhere, it’s best to stay home.”
“I have to be somewhere.”
“Fine. Give me Miss Prissypants, and I’ll carry your tuba out to your car for you.”
“Thanks!” Avery handed her cat over, then hurried out. She’d skip a shower. If the roads were bad and she got there early, she could grab a hotel room, although she’d really planned to save that money and come home tonight.
Less than five minutes later, she said good-bye to everyone and hurried out the door.
Just as she started her car, her phone pinged with a text. From Gator.
You’re not going to D.C.
Her eyes widened. An explosive kiss. Two days of silence and now a command? Not working. Not for her.
I am.
There. That should put him in his place.
I’m driving. I’ll pick you up.
No.
Turn your car off. I’m here.
She looked in the rearview in time to see his pickup fill it. Irritation sizzled in her chest, but he was probably right. He had four-wheel drive and she didn’t. Plus, she wasn’t the greatest driver to begin with. If she didn’t have to be at this audition, there’s no way she’d go out in the snow.
She reached for her door handle, but Gator was already opening it.
His old jeans were torn and dusted with sawdust and darker dirt. His shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Light dust coated the fine hairs on his forearms and his hands were dirty. A streak of black went across one cheek and the other had dried blood on it from a cut just below his eye. It was scabbed over. He still wore his work boots and a red ball cap pulled low over his forehead. They were just as covered in dust and dirt as the rest of him.
“I’m sorry. Trying to get something done, but I didn’t want you driving to D.C. alone in this weather.”
She was staring. Goodness, she couldn’t even open her mouth to tell him how good he looked, even if she thought that was something she should say. Which it wasn’t. Most definitely not.
“You look good.” The words came out anyway. Her mouth had disconnected itself from her brain.
“You’re a liar. I’m filthy. And I stink.”
“You’re tired. And you don’t want to drive to D.C.”
“I’d drive to New York City. Heck, I’d try to figure out how to drive to Antarctica, if it meant spending time with you. Just wish I’d been able to stop about ten minutes sooner.” He opened the door wider. “Come on. I don’t want you to be late, and I’m not sure what the roads and traffic are going to be like.”
After popping the trunk, she got out.
“I’ll get your instrument. You go ahead and get in.” He stopped. His hand reached up, but he dropped it immediately.
She stifled her disappointment.
“You smell good, by the way. Look even better.”
Her face heated. She laughed and looked away.
“Hey,” he said.
Her eyes met his.
“I know I probably sounded high-handed on my text. I was driving and didn’t want to miss you and…”
“Shhh.” A finger landed like a whisper on his lips.
He took it in his mouth, biting down gently.
She pulled it back, and cradled it in her hand. Not because it hurt, but because it tingled and burned. It took a few moments to remember what she was going to say.
“I was annoyed at first, but I really appreciate your offer because I’m not comfortable driving all that way in the snow. And now I can see,” she deliberately looked at his dirty clothes, “you came in a hurry.”
He studied her with a hard look. “Thanks.” He turned. “Your tuba can go in the back seat of my truck?”
“Yes.”
“Call my mom and check on her so we’re not too far away if she needs something.”
“Sure.” She pulled up her contacts, clicked on his mom, then grabbed her bag and stuck it on the floor of his truck while waiting for the phone to ring.
Mrs. Franks sounded chipper when she answered the phone and assured Avery that she would be fine. Avery texted Jillian after she got off with Mrs. Franks and asked her to pop in or at least call before bed.
Jillian promised to check Mrs. Franks around suppertime and make sure she had something to eat.
“Your mom is taken care of.” Avery connected her phone to his truck screen and typed in the address to the building her audition was in.
She leaned back in the passenger seat. “By the way, I’m glad I’m not driving.” The windshield wipers rhythmically swept across the windshield, brushing snow into long, thick lines before pushing it from the glass. Black tracks between white areas marked the road.
“I’m glad you’re not alone.” Gator’s jaw twitched but his gaze never wavered from the road.
Avery fiddled with the understated studs in her ears, wishing now that she would have had time to shower. Nerves cracked in her stomach. With nothing else to focus on, her mind went to the audition, trying to imagine any scenarios that might crop up and how she could best handle them. Ultimately, it would be the practicing she had done and the way she played that would get her the chair, but she was competing against the highest caliber of musicians anywhere, so getting the job could boil down to something simple.
Gator glance over at her. “Nervous?”
“A little, I guess.”
“About the snow or the audition?”
“The audition. I trust your driving.”
“I’d tell you you’re going to do fine, but you know how much I know about music. It wouldn’t be very convincing.”
“It’s okay.”
“I just always figure that if it’s meant to be, it will work out.” He glanced at the dash clock. “What time is the audition?”
“Seven.”
Gator blew his breath out slowly. “I’m not sure, at this rate, if we’ll make it.”
Avery studied her nails. She’d painted them a more professional-looking mauve for the audition. She supposed Gator’s words were true of most things. If it was really meant to be, it would work out. The audition. Her relationship with Gator. The party. She couldn’t even think about the hole in the roof right now. Maybe they could have the party anyway. After all, it wouldn’t be leaking unless it rained or if the snow melted.
She shook her head to clear it and tried to focus on mentally preparing for her audition.
Gator checked the time on the dash for the hundredth time and shifted in the truck seat. He’d gone and gassed up the truck after dropping Avery off. Since then he’d just been waiting. How long did an audition take, anyway?
Snow fell heavily onto the windshield, obscuring the view before the wipers swiped it off, revealing Avery walking through the dark, snowy parking lot. Gator straightened, and turned the heater on high.
They had made it to her audition with less than five minutes to spare. Gator’d offered to go in with her, but she’d very politely declined without mentioning the condition of his clothes at all.
While he’d been waiting he figured he’d book them each a hotel room. Ha. That had been wishful thinking. The alerts on his phone had notified him that the turnpike was closed. There were other ways to go west out of D.C., but a state of emergency had been declared.
It all added up to some bad news he had to deliver to Avery.
The parking lot was mostly empty, so she had no trouble spotting him. He waited until she was far enough from the building so if anyone happened to look out at them, they wouldn’t be able to see how dirty he was before he jumped out of the pickup. Not that he thought she was ashamed of him or anything. But he didn’t want to be the reason anyone thought less of her.
He reached her and took her tuba. “I think that smile says you nailed it.”
“No. This smile says I’m relieved it’s over.
I don’t know anyone who enjoys auditions.”
“They do seem nerve wracking.”
“To say the least.” They reached the truck, and he opened her door. “I’m starved,” she said before grabbing ahold of the handle and pulling herself inside.
He put the tuba in the back and walked through the six inches of snow to the driver’s side. “About that,” he said after he climbed in and shut the door.
“About food?” she asked.
“Yeah.” He started the pickup and looked over at her. “Everything’s closed.”
“Everything?”
“We can pick up something at a gas station. But every restaurant I passed was closed. All the stores. The turnpike.”
“I kind of thought we’d have to stay here tonight.”
“Yeah. Well,” he rubbed a hand through his hair, hooking it around his neck before he looked at her. “There are a lot of other people who are stranded here tonight, too, it appears.”
She blinked. “It does?”
“Yeah. I stopped at six hotels and called eight more. No rooms.”
“No rooms,” Avery said slowly.
“The ninth hotel I called had one room. I hope you don’t mind, but I booked it.”
“I don’t mind,” she said faintly.
“I don’t even know where it is or if we can get to it. There are a lot of roads closed.”
“I see.”
Gator had his phone up, scanning his emails. “The man was supposed to send me an email confirmation. Honestly, I don’t even know the name of the hotel. By the time I’d gotten to that one, I’d given up hope of getting a room. It was starting to look like we were sleeping here.”
Avery gave a weak laugh. “That would have been…interesting.”
Gator shook his head. “I wanted a shower. I need a shower.”
“I need one too.”
“There was just one room.”
“I heard you.”
“You can call around and see if you can find anything. I don’t want you to think…”
“I don’t think that.”
“You must’ve if you knew what I was going to say.”
She looked at him with that cute, direct gaze that made his heart flip every time. “You were going to say you didn’t want me to think that you were taking advantage of me by only booking one room.”
He hadn’t been sure how she would take the news, so it pleased him that she was so matter of fact about it, and he couldn’t help teasing her. “No. I was going to say I’m sorry if the hotel doesn’t have a free breakfast. This beggar couldn’t be choosy.” He put the truck in gear.
She laughed.
“I was joking, of course, but I really don’t know what it is. It might be a dump.”
“I’m not worried.”
“You can call and look for a hotel, if you want.”
“Gator.” She used a firm tone.
He stopped in the middle of the parking lot and looked at her. “What?”
“Whatever you did is fine. I promise.”
He studied his hands on the steering wheel. “We can try to get home.”
“No.” Avery held out her hand. “Give me your phone and we’ll figure this hotel thing out.”
He took her outstretched hand in his.
“That’s your hand.”
He handed over his phone.
“Thanks.” She reached with her outside hand, keeping her other hand locked with his.
After she typed the address in, they followed the directions, chugging through the snowy and mostly deserted streets, stopping only to grab a quick bite at the first gas station they passed. Even the fast food dives were closed.
It took thirty minutes, but the automated voice finally said they’d arrived at their destination.
“It’s not the worst hotel I’ve ever seen,” Gator said as they pulled into the parking lot.
“Me either. I’m ready for a shower.”
“I’ll check us in.” He hopped out, leaving the truck running. A few minutes later, he opened his door, keycard in hand.
“We’re clear down at the end. The receptionist said there was a door.” There wasn’t much parking, so Gator gave her the key and let her out before he drove down the parking lot and found a spot. He was soaked with the falling snow until he made it back.
Avery opened the door for him. “We’re right here on the other side,” she said.
The card opened the door easily, and they walked in to the stale smell of cigarette smoke. And two beds.
Avery paused, and Gator stopped behind her, still holding the door open. “You know. I just realized I have no clean clothes.”
“Sometimes there’s a washer and dryer.” She stepped farther in and he followed and closed the door. “You shower first, and I’ll see what I can find.”
“Sounds great.”
“I’ll go look, and if you leave your clothes outside the bathroom door, I’ll grab them if there’s something.”
“Thanks.”
“No. Thank you. If it weren’t for you driving, I would have missed my audition.”
If she moved to D.C., he wasn’t going to follow her. He might have just driven himself out of the chance of a relationship with the first woman he’d been interested in since his divorce. And, if that kiss was any indication, he had better chemistry with Avery than with any woman he’d ever known.
“I’d do it again.”
She walked back out the door. In the bathroom he hesitated a moment—should he send out his underwear too? He decided he was being silly and added it to the pile. Who wanted to put dirty underwear on after taking a shower? And Avery had offered. Surely, she wouldn’t be scandalized by his underwear. He grinned. Nope. Not Avery.
When he was done with his shower, he faced another dilemma. No clothes. The pile outside the door was gone, which he was thankful for, because he really wanted clean clothes. But…after making sure the towel was secure around his waist, he stepped out.
Avery sat in the middle of one of the beds, her shoes off, her fingers flying over her phone.
“I take it you found a washer and dryer?”
She glanced up. The smile on her face froze. Her eyes travelled over his chest, skimmed down, before shooting up to his face. “I—” She cleared her throat. “I did.” Her smile returned, but she looked down at her phone. “I called your mom and let her know we were okay. Jillian was there with supper and home nursing just left. I told her you’d probably call, but I just wanted to check. I feel bad for taking you from her.”
“You know, you could look at me while you’re talking. All the important parts are covered. I checked before I stepped out.”
Avery’s lips turned up, but her head stayed down. The tips of her ears turned red. “I’m sure they are. You are a gentleman in every way. I just, I’m just not used to, um, you know. Being, like, well, being so, having…” She quit trying to talk and just laughed instead.
Uncrossing her legs, she slid off the bed. “I’ll go shower. You, um, don’t need to switch your clothes. I’ll grab them when I’m done.”
“So, you think I shouldn’t walk around the hotel like this? Couldn’t I pretend I just came from the pool?”
“I don’t think there is a pool.”
“Maybe I did the artic plunge?”
Her laugh sent shivers up his spine.
“Get in bed. I’ll take care of your clothes. I promise.” She walked by him without looking at him. “Oh, I hope you don’t mind, but I did throw everything in together.”
“You’re apologizing for not separating the whites?”
“Yes.”
He bit back a laugh. “Don’t worry about it. Where’s the washer at?”
“Down the hall. Just before the lobby you turn right.” She grabbed her bag, which she’d set by the door and slipped into the bathroom.
She was tired, it was late, and he had more of himself covered than he would if he were swimming, so after she closed the door he grabbed
the keycard and walked out to check the washer. He couldn’t stand sitting in there listening to Avery rustle around in the bathroom.
Chapter Sixteen
When Avery stepped out of the bathroom, the overhead lights in the room were out. Gator lay in the bed she hadn’t been sitting on, looking at his phone. Both of the lights between the beds were on.
Too bad she hadn’t known she’d be sharing a room with Gator. She might have thrown something in her bag other than the ratty and oh-so-comfortable tee shirt and sweatpants.
“Hey.” He looked up. One side of his lips kicked up. “I figured I’d get in here and get covered so I don’t flummox you again.”
“I wasn’t flummoxed. I was just…” A liar. Oh, she was flummoxed all right. His shoulders looked broad under his shirt because they were broad. And muscular. And tanned. Like his arms. Like his back. Like his abs. She hadn’t known that abs like that existed in real life.
“I’m just not used to seeing men undressed and sharing a room with me.”
“I see.” He still looked amused.
She felt very prim, but she wasn’t going to discuss this any further with him. “I’ll go switch your laundry.”
“No need.” He nodded to the open ironing board. “I just brought them back and ran the iron over them.”
She gasped. “You went out like that?”
“No, I had my towel on.”
She didn’t feel any less scandalized. “Oh. I’d never thought of using the iron as a dryer,” she said automatically. His towel lay over the back of the chair by the desk. That heat was back in her stomach. Burning.
“That’s because it takes a man to think of using the iron for something other than ironing.”
“Humph. Did you call your mom?”
“Yeah. Told me the same as she did you. That she was fine, fed, and ready for bed.”
Avery laughed. “You’ve been waiting a whole twenty minutes to say that to me?”
“It was more like forty. I was about to send a search party in for you.”
“It wasn’t that long.”
“It’s okay, Avery. You had a long, hard day. Hot water is a good stress reliever.”
“It did feel good.” She set her bag down and climbed into bed. “Do you need the light?”
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