“Give me just a second,” her fingers tap against the screen and she groans, “it looks like the backup is for a few miles. I’d say to go around, but we missed our last chance at an exit before the backup begins.”
“Maybe it won’t take too long to get through it.”
“Doubtful, but I’m crossing my fingers.”
We finally come up on the traffic and everyone is at a standstill. Whatever happened, it must be bad. “Are you sure there aren’t any other exits to take?”
I’m not trying to speed up my time with her, but I also don’t want to be stuck in this. It’s not my driving I’m worried about. Everyone else makes me nervous, especially with folks on their phones when they shouldn’t be. Too many people I know have gotten into accidents for that reason alone.
“There’s one I didn’t see before, but it’s just as backed up as the highway.” She runs a hand through her hair, working out the tangles at the end. “And it looks like it would take us a much longer way around.”
“Damn,” I mutter, “well, once we get past this, we can always pick up something to eat. I’m sure everyone at the shop will be gone by the time we get there.”
“Probably. We close in thirty minutes.” She doesn’t address my other suggestion. Emily was right, I really shouldn’t push things. “At least we got all of our deliveries done. That’s the important part.”
“Will you need to ride with me tomorrow, too?” Part of the question is curiosity because I want to spend more time with her away from everyone else. The other is so I know what to expect.
“I don’t think so.” She grabs two bottles of water from her bag and hands one to me. “You seemed to manage it just fine today. I think you’re a great addition to our team.”
“And you were worried I wouldn’t be able to do my job.” I inch the van up since we’ve moved all of two feet. “I told you, I’m a good delivery driver.”
“You know good and well, that wasn’t why I was concerned.”
“I know, but it doesn’t negate the fact I’m good at what I do.” In more ways than one. The words don’t have to be said, they are hanging in the air. She must think the same thing because her cheeks turn pink.
“Oh, it looks like traffic is moving.” She points ahead of us, changing the subject effectively.
“I don’t know that going five miles per hour is moving, but at least there’s motion.”
“That’s kind of the definition of moving.” I can feel her roll her eyes.
“You’re right.” We’ve been sitting in traffic for almost an hour. We aren’t getting up to normal speeds but at least it’s forward progress. “When do you typically have busy days? Today felt kind of slow with deliveries.”
“We’ll have a higher volume tomorrow and over the weekend.” She glances at her phone again. “Most people send flowers on Fridays and then we have weddings we have to get deliveries to on the weekends. We try to take Sunday off, but there’s the occasional bride who has a wedding on that day because venue prices are slightly less expensive.”
“Do we have any of those this weekend?” I accepted that I’d have to work weekends.
“We have a wedding Saturday evening we have to deliver. But if you already have plans you don’t have to be there. It is your first few days after all,” she takes a sip of her water, “I’m also sure Kai didn’t mention anything about this weekend.”
“He didn’t,” I agree, “but I can drive one of the vans. I don’t have anything else going on.”
The most I planned on doing was playing video games or watching a movie. Going to the bar crossed my mind, but I wasn’t sure how exhausted I’d be after this week.
“That’s great. Kai will be happy to hear it.” Her thumbs move over her phone. The soft taps filling the silence. “His girlfriend miraculously got the night off and he was hoping to take her out.”
“Where does his girlfriend work?”
“Out of the Ashes. She’s one of the chefs.”
Does everyone date someone from the bar? “I didn’t realize how interconnected everyone got when I left for college.”
“That’s mostly Stella’s magic.” Her voice is a soft laugh. “I wouldn’t be surprised if she starts doing event planning. She’s the reason Out of the Ashes is the success it is now.”
“Sounds like it. This town could use a little shaking up in terms of people coming out. I’m glad it seems to be working for everyone.”
“Yeah, it really has turned into a closeknit community. Even more than it used to be.”
“Good.” The traffic picks up speed and I’m grateful we can head home. “Looks like we might make it back before it’s too late.”
