“I guess that’s a chance I’ll have to take.”
“No, it’s not, and no, you won’t. I have things all worked out,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“Last night, from the hotel, I contacted two of my men who are still in the area. One is bringing me a rental car, and the other is coming to drive my rig to Dollywood to make the delivery for me. They will be waiting at the Texaco Truck Stop.”
“Why can’t you deliver the shipment to Dollywood yourself?”
“Because I want to make sure you are safe before I leave you. It was my intent to check you into a hotel and prepay like I toldyou, but since you don’t need me to do that, the least I can do is make sure you get to Western Union.”
“I’m sorry, Drew. I know I’ve been nothing but trouble. But you’ll be rid of me soon enough.”
**
Drew was glad it was bumper-to-bumper traffic on I-40 so he could glance over at Eden. Is that what she thought? That he was anxious to get rid of her? He wished he could tell her just how wrong she was. If he had been acting moody, it was because he knew their days together were about to end. Regardless of whether he had wanted it to happen or not, Eden Tyson had gotten under his skin. He had been waking up happier than usual for the past couple of days, knowing he would see her. And he had never been a morning person.
“You don’t owe me an apology, Eden. What’s happening to you is not your fault.”
“You’re wrong, Drew. It is. For years, I’ve let my parents tell me what to do, never giving it a second thought. I dressed the way they thought I should, I let them select my friends, and enrolled at the college that generations of Tysons have attended. Then, the one time I wanted to do something different, something that would make me happy for a change, they flipped. The only reason Dad is doing this is because he thinks I will eventually fall in line. I always have. But not this time. I truly want to be a model. That is my passion. Do you understand?”
“Of course, I do. When my cousins Harold and Lester moved from Phoenix to Charlotte, I thought I had lost my best friends, because in a way, they were. They were like big brothers to me, and I had always admired them. Whatever they did, I wanted to do it, too. Lester went to college, and Harold went to truck driving school. After Lester joined the executive team at a huge production company in Charlotte, Harold was hired by the samecompany as one of their tractor-trailer drivers. The Steeles have always looked out for each other.”
He stopped talking to look at the road, moving his truck up a little. He glanced back at her. “During the summer, I would ride with Harold when he made long-distance deliveries. Back then, there weren’t the same rules and regulations as there are now. It was during those summers, riding with Harold, that I discovered I wanted to be a truck driver, too. So, I understand how it feels to want something badly.”
Traffic began moving a little steadily now, so he looked back to the road. He understood exactly what she was feeling. For years, driving trucks had kept him sane, especially during those times when he returned home to see his parents and realized nothing had changed. He had wanted so much for them, and to persuade them to move to Charlotte headed the list. But they had refused. They had said Phoenix was where they had been born, and it would be where they would die. In the end, it had been.
A few hours later, they saw the huge marker indicating they were leaving Arkansas and entering Tennessee. The truck stop was only thirty minutes away. It looked like his time with Eden was about to come to an end.
**
Eden remained in the truck while Drew got out and spoke with two men who looked to be in their mid-twenties. Both had been waiting at the truck stop when Drew’s rig had arrived. A few minutes later, Drew returned to the truck, opened the passenger door, and helped her out of it. He then introduced her to each man by their trucker’s handle -Firecracker and Cool Breeze.
Once they had switched vehicles, she and Drew got into the rental car and sat there watching as they pulled away. “I’m going to miss that truck,” she said.
“Why?”
She wanted to tell him it was where she’d spent time with him, but didn’t. “Over the past few days, it’s been my home away from home.”
He chuckled. “That’s how I feel after spending days in my rig. For me, there is no place like it.”
Before long, they arrived at the Western Union office, situated not far from Beale Street. She knew it was time for something she was dreading -saying goodbye. When she turned to thank him for everything, he said, “There’s no parking anywhere on the street, so I’ll circle the block and come back.”
“You’re not leaving?” she asked, surprised.
“Not until I make sure you’re in a hotel somewhere.”
She nodded, accepting that she’d been wrong. Hewasa knight in shining armor. Her knight. “Thanks, Drew. It shouldn’t take long.”
“Take your time. I’ll just keep circling until I see you come out.”
“Alright.”
She got out of the car and quickly rushed inside the building, and moments later, she’d signed for the funds. She was surprised when the man at the counter told her that the sender of the wire transfer had requested the recipient call her immediately after she received the cash. He offered her a private phone to use in another section of the room.
When the call was answered, Eden asked, “Sophie, what’s wrong?”
“Mark recently discovered that one of your father’s hired people spotted you at a rest stop and has been following you and the trucker. Chances are, they know you are in the Western Union office and might even be in there with you as we speak.”
