Iris could almost taste the adrenaline pulsing off Finn. It was obvious she loved driving. Like, loved it as in it might be an obsession. She could never get serious again with someone who so carelessly put themselves at risk for thrills. This little trip to the track had been a needed reminder for Iris of who Finn really was. Beneath all the easygoing charm was a thrill junkie, just like Kent. She knew the adrenaline rush was addictive. Kent had said as much. As if it wasn’t his fault, as if he couldn’t help his need for it.
“Hope I didn’t keep you waiting for too long.” Finn handed the car keys to Ward.
“Not at all.” Iris shook her head, but Finn didn’t really believe her.
“Well, how’d she drive?” Ward was anxious to hear Finn’s feedback.
Iris stood a few feet away as Finn and Ward talked. It was as if she were eavesdropping on two people speaking a foreign tongue. Talk of torque, tension, steering, balance, and other things she knew related to the car, but made no sense to her.
Finn swept her fingers through her hair. There was a smudge of dust on her cheek. Once again, she couldn’t help but notice how good Finn looked in Levi’s. In the white crew neck T-shirt, cuffed jeans, and Converse, Finn looked like some extra from a fifties-era movie. Cute, sexy even, because of the way her biceps filled out her shirtsleeves, her well-defined muscles pulling the sleeve snug around her upper arm.
Finn glanced over, making direct eye contact. She’d caught Iris looking. Iris let the connection linger for a moment before she forced herself to look away. Earlier, she’d constructed a list of why she should not have any interest in Finn. Five minutes later, she was editing that list and replacing everything on it with all the ways in which she found Finn attractive.
Get serious.
The only reason she was even entertaining an attraction at all was because all of this was a short-term layover. A distraction from LA and the stress of figuring out how she was going to get home.
Chapter Seventeen
Finn sensed that Iris’s mood had shifted. It was almost as if a dark cloud hovered over her head, despite the bright blue of the summer sky. In an attempt to cheer Iris up she suggested they go to Turner’s Corner for ice cream.
Iris waited at one of the outdoor picnic tables near the creek while Finn fetched the ice cream. There were limited flavors in the case near the deli, but the ice cream was locally made and organic. Chocolate for Finn and strawberry for Iris, who preferred a cup to a cone. That made sense. Cups were tidy and manageable. Cones could be messy and hard to control. Finn sensed that Iris liked to keep things under control.
“Here ya go.” Finn handed Iris a heaping cup of strawberry.
“Oh, wow. Is that really a single scoop?”
“Yeah, they don’t skimp on serving size.” Finn swung her leg over the bench seat and settled in across from Iris.
They sat quietly for a few minutes, listening to the soothing sound of the babbling creek nearby. A bluebird landed at the far end of the table and cocked his head to one side. The bird probably hoped for a nibble of Finn’s cone, but she wasn’t ready to give any of it up just yet.
“So, what are you going to do about getting the whole ID thing straightened out?” Finn took a bite, mixing ice cream and cone together. The oversized waffle cone was homemade too and delicious. She’d almost be willing to just eat the cone all by itself.
“I was going to try to have my roommate FedEx my passport, if I can remember where I left it.” Iris sighed. “Letting my driver’s license expire was so stupid.”
“And out of character.”
“Why do you say that?” Iris looked so serious.
“I just meant that you seem pretty organized…you know, and professional. I’ll bet that sort of thing doesn’t happen to you very often.”
“Yes, I suppose it is a bit out of character.” Iris relaxed and returned her attention to the last of her ice cream.
Finn watched Iris and listened to the stream bubbling behind her. The bluebird took flight. A white jet trail cut across the sky. A Jeep drove by with the top down. The radio blared Lynyrd Skynyrd. The southern anthem, “Free Bird,” trailed off as the Jeep turned right and sped away. And in that instant, clarity struck. Everything seemed to slow down and almost come to a stop. Finn held her cone in both hands as if it were an offering.
“What’s wrong?” Iris must have sensed her sudden jolt of inspiration.
“I have an idea.”
Iris set her cup down and focused on Finn.
“What’s the idea?”
“What if I drove you back to California?” Finn held her breath for a few seconds.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, why not?” The more Finn rolled the idea around in her head the more she liked it. “I’m done here.”
“You’ve only eaten half your ice cream.”
“No, not that. I mean, I’m done here. Done with postponing what I really want to do. All the best stunt driving schools are in LA, and you need to get back to California. Why don’t we go together? It’ll be an epic road trip. What do you say?”
Iris studied Finn. Was Finn serious? She seemed serious. Finn had an almost giddy, excited expression. Her eyes sparkled and she was grinning broadly.
“You’re really serious.” Envisioning a cross-country road trip with Finn made her skin tingle. Was that nerves or excitement or a risk response? She wasn’t sure.
“Yes, I’m serious.” Finn took a bite of her cone.
“Have you even registered for a course yet?”
“No, but I could do that tonight or when we get there. That’s what I’ve been saving up for. It would take us at least a week to get there, so chances are a spot would open up by then.” Finn took a deep breath. “And if I had a friend near LA who would let me sleep on their sofa for a couple of nights, then I’m sure I could figure things out even if I had to wait a week or two for the course to start.”
“A friend, huh?” Iris wondered what Maggie would think of Finn sleeping on their couch.
“What do you say?”
“Well…” Iris wasn’t sure what to say. Should she think it over? Maybe she should sleep on it. But why? She needed to get home and Finn was offering to drive. She’d considered driving by herself, although she hadn’t shared that idea. “You know, I had such a terrible flight into Atlanta that I actually considered driving all the way back to Santa Monica myself.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. But I wasn’t sure doing that trip alone would be a good idea. Of course, without a driver’s license that option was off the table anyway.”
“So, this bad flight was in addition to your very bad day?” Finn was sympathetic.
“Yes. The plane dropped, as if it hit a wind shear or something. It was seriously scary.”
“Wow.” Finn shifted forward, leaning on the edge of the table, and then her expression grew serious. “That settles it. We should definitely drive to California. What do you say?”
Iris had never done a cross-country road trip. It wasn’t as if she needed to get back in a hurry. What did she have to lose?
Finn waited expectantly for her answer.
“Okay.”
“Okay, you’re up for a road trip?” Finn sounded hopeful.
“Yes, okay. Why not?” Iris couldn’t help smiling.
This might be the craziest idea she’d agreed to in a long time, maybe ever. Driving two thousand miles with someone she hardly knew but couldn’t stop thinking about. Things could get complicated in all sorts of ways.
* * *
Iris kicked off her shoes and waited for Maggie to answer. Finn had dropped her off and taken the car to Ward’s for a quick once-over before they took it on the extended drive to California. Iris tucked her feet under her and angled in the overstuffed chair so that she could look out the window.
“Hey, are you back?” Background noise on Maggie’s end suggested she was not at home.
“No, I’m still in Georgia.”
“I thought you were flying back today…hey, listen, sorry I didn’t return your call. Work was crazy and then, you know…” Laughter and music in the background made it hard to hear.
“Where are you?”
“Sorry, it’s loud. I’ll step outside.” Maggie said something to someone, Iris couldn’t make out what she’d said, and then a few seconds later she came back. “I’m out for coffee with some work friends. So, why are you still in Georgia? Did you get the part?”
“I don’t know yet, but my driver’s license expired so they wouldn’t let me board the plane.”
“Oh, no, are you serious?”
“I was going to ask you to send me my passport, but now I’m just going to drive back.”
“You’re going to drive…all the way to California…by yourself?” Maggie’s voice pitched up at the end. “Isn’t that like four thousand miles?”
Iris laughed. “More like two thousand.”
“Either way, still a long effing drive to manage alone.”
“I’m driving with a friend.”
“Hmm, he must be cute,” Maggie said.
“Yes, she is.”
“Oh…she, huh? She, as in, we like to wear the same kind of heels? Or she, as in, I think she’s hot?”
Iris laughed again. “Yeah, the second option.”
“Sounds like a blast, Iris. You’ve been needing a vacation. I think this is a great idea.”
“You do?”
“Yes, absolutely. Cute girl, road trip, summertime. Have fun. Just text me every now and then to let me know your progress. And text me a photo. I need to see a picture of…what’s her name?”
“Finn.” Iris took a deep breath. “Taylor Finn.”
“Sexy name. She must be hot.”
“She’s cute.”
That’s as much as Iris would reveal, but there was no denying that Finn was hot, and sexy. What was she getting herself into?
* * *
Finn spent two hours with Ward going over the MG with a fine-tooth comb. The car was in excellent shape to make the trip. That is, excellent shape for a decades-old roadster. Was she crazy to put this much mileage on an antique car? No. The roadster was never meant to be a show car. It was always her intention to drive it and enjoy it, rather than save it for some auto show reveal. She topped off the tank and headed back to her cabin to pack.
Why was she suddenly a giant knot of nerves?
It wasn’t like she’d committed to moving to California forever. She was simply going for a couple of weeks to gain some credentials. But what if she didn’t have what it took to be a stunt driver? It was easy to mouth off about some pie in the sky career while she was cooling her heels at a safe distance. It was going to be another thing to put it all on the line for real. No more stalling.
And she’d offered to take Iris with her.
What the hell was she thinking?
Or a better question, what was she thinking with?
Yeah, this trip was going to be tough any way she looked at it. She’d have to do all the driving in a two-seater with a woman she was completely crushed out on. There were so many ways this whole excursion could go sideways. Too many to count.
She parked in front of her cabin instead of in the garage. Finn stood beside the car deciding what to do first. She needed to pack, obviously, but she also needed to go online and actually register for the driving school. If she had to wing it for more than a week after arriving in LA she’d run out of funds. She also needed to break the news to her parents that she was going to take off and try to make her dream a reality. Probably a week to drive out, five days for the class, and another week back if the whole plan turned out to be a disaster. That was barring any other unforeseen speed bumps. It was hard to anticipate what those might be ahead of time.
She decided to pack and check out openings for the class. Her mother would be tired this late in the evening and inevitably wouldn’t take the news as well. She’d talk to her tomorrow over breakfast.
The cabin was a bit of a mess. Maybe her folks would hold off renting it for a month in case she needed to skulk home with her tail between her legs.
Luckily, she’d restocked the mini fridge. She grabbed a beer and booted up her laptop. Rick Crenshaw’s Stunt Driving School was the place she’d been stalking. The course was held at the Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond, California, just north of Los Angeles. The price was steep—twelve hundred dollars for one day, multiply that times five for the entire course. She had almost fifteen thousand in the bank. Following this dream might take all of it.
No gamble, no gain.
There were a few openings on the schedule. She reserved a spot for a week and a half out. That would give her a few extra days in case the drive took longer than she thought. For now, she’d just book the first two days. She could always add days once she got there. What if she hated stunt driving?
That seemed unlikely.
Finn sank back in her chair taking a long swig of her beer. She glanced out the window. Iris’s lights were still on. She wondered if Iris was having any second thoughts. Maybe she should text her just to make sure.
Checked over the whole car with Ward. All good. She’s ready to head west.
Finn waited for a reply. It only took a couple of minutes for Iris to respond.
Great. What time should we leave?
Finn did some math about distances. It would take probably three hours over back roads to get to Columbus. From there, how far was it to Meridian? She decided to do some figuring quickly using Google Maps. It was about three hundred and fifty miles from Watts Mountain to Meridian, Mississippi. They could easily do that in a day. Couldn’t they?
Want to leave around 9:00 tomorrow? There was no point leaving during rush hour. If they left at nine they’d be behind Atlanta commuter traffic.
Sounds good. There was a break in the thread and then a second text came through from Iris. Can I borrow that sweatshirt again for the drive? I didn’t really pack a jacket for this trip?
Sure.
Finn checked the time. It wasn’t that late. Maybe she should try to talk to her parents now. Better to get the drama over with. Otherwise she wouldn’t be able to sleep very well. Plus, that’d be one less thing to deal with in the morning.
Chapter Eighteen
The trunk of the MG was so small that Finn ended up strapping Iris’s small suitcase to the luggage rack. If they found themselves in a downpour they’d have to find cover anyway. The cloth convertible top was only marginally weatherproof. She decided not to share that detail with Iris just yet. It was early in the trip. Might as well let her think the best of Scarlett in the beginning.
As it turned out, the conversation with her parents hadn’t been as drama-filled as she’d expected. Finn actually thought her mother was happy that she was finally going to do something with her life. Even if it wasn’t the something she’d hoped for. Finn suspected her mother’s positive attitude had something to do with the fact that Iris was traveling with her and that Iris seemed like a responsible grown up. Apparently, her parents thought Finn still required adult supervision.
They left Hideaway Haven with a thermos of coffee and biscuits for the road.
The first hour of the drive, the conversation was sparse. By nature, Finn wasn’t really chatty in the morning, and Iris seemed distracted by thoughts of her own.
Iris held up the thermos, an offer to pour coffee for Finn.
“Thanks, that’d be great.”
But as soon as Finn had the cup she realized Iris would have to hold it for her so that she could shift gears.
“We can both drink it.” Finn was happy to share with Iris. And the coffee was a nice icebreaker. Finn took a sip and handed the cup to Iris. “So, what do you think so far?”
“Georgia is very green.” Iris held the cup close to her lips. “Living in California you forget how green summers can be. It’s so dry in Southern California that all the grass turns golden by late spring.”
“I look forward to seeing that for myself.”
For Finn, having a vintage car meant avoiding four-lane freeways whenever possible. She’d plotted a course along old Highway 80 as far as Texas, then they’d turn north and pick up old Route 66 in Amarillo.
Highway 80 took in miles of rolling countryside as it cut across Georgia. The two-lane blacktop was peppered with dozens of small towns. The road wound through thick hardwood and pine forests. They passed white-columned farmhouses with wide lawns along the way and an equal number of rundown tin-roofed dwellings that looked as if a strong wind could blow them over. Most of those places had yards full of rusting appliances and old cars on blocks, partway covered with kudzu.
They’d only stopped once for a restroom break before they reached Columbus. It was midday and they were making good time. It had been a long time since Finn had driven through Columbus. Downtown offered a range of eateries from down-home to high-end. Country’s on Broad served classic homestyle cooking. If Finn was remembering correctly, their barbeque was excellent. The restaurant was located in a remodeled 1930s bus depot, complete with an old bus for a dining area.
The place reminded Finn a little of the diner where she and Iris first met. As she got out of the car and stretched, she couldn’t help smiling.
“What’s funny?” Iris had a curious expression.
“I was just remembering how the first time we met we were in that diner and you threw water in my face.” She held the door for Iris as they entered the bustling restaurant.
“Maybe you should keep beverages out of reach this time.”
“I’ll take that under advisement.”
It was hard to believe where they’d started and where they’d ended up. They’d only known each other for a little more than forty-eight hours, and now they were on an epic adventure. One thing was for sure, five days from now they’d know each other a lot better. Finn couldn’t help wondering exactly what that might mean.
Chasing Sunset Page 12