“Thanks for the ride. Here you go.” I hand him enough to cover the ride and a tip. Normally I use an app but since he’s old school, I figure he’ll take it.
His eyes go wide at the amount before he slowly takes the pile. “You sure about this? That’s a big tip.”
“I’m sure,” I say with a big smile. “You’ve been nice enough to go further than your normal, right?”
He nods.
“Then take the tip and treat yourself. Or maybe a special someone.”
I climb out before he can reply. Getting caught up in conversation is not part of the plan.
The piece of paper in my pocket is very clear in what I’m meant to do.
Get on plane and safely land.
Find a ride to town.
Get someone nice to drive me to Bram.
Convince him to let me stay.
Figure out what’s bothering him.
Make it better.
Have an awesome Christmas with him.
The minute I’m out of the car, the driver takes off. For as much as he wanted to check on me, I could tell he was ready to get out of here too. I’ve never seen someone get so spooked at holiday decorations.
With my bag slung over my shoulder, I take off for the crowd of people milling around the town square. One of them might be just who I need for the next step.
