What is he going to get out of all of this?
None of it matters.
Not right now.
Releasing a heavy breath, I drive through town, heading, I don’t even know where.
An hour later, I find myself pulling into the lot of a car rental. Thirty minutes after that, I have a rental car and am heading north, still unsure exactly why I’m running away.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll get somewhere and then I’ll figure my head out.
Night falls hours before I find a place to stop for the night. I’ll probably end up being stopped here for more than just a night. The snow was coming down hard, and the roads were barely visible when I finally pulled into a hotel. I managed to get off I-85 and onto I-40 before pulling off.
For some reason, I started heading toward Tennessee without even thinking. I hadn’t been there before, but I figured going into the mountains would be a great place to think.
I pull into the hotel I picked for the night and find a spot to park.
Turning the car off, I throw my phone in my bag and get out. I’m blasted with the cold air, and fat snowflakes hit my nose. Maybe I should have thought this through a little more because I definitely didn’t pack a thick enough coat. Or anything warmer than a sweatshirt.
Darting across the parking lot as fast as I can without slipping on the already slick walkway, I rush for the entrance. Stopping long enough to wipe my feet on the floor mat before walking over to the reception desk.
“Welcome, how may I assist you?”
“A room for one,” I tell the woman behind the desk. “I was planning for one night, but with the weather, I’m not sure.”
“The roads are probably going to be pretty bad tomorrow, but the storm’s going to be gone by middle of tomorrow. Roads should be better day after. They try to keep the roads clear as much as possible, especially when we’re this close to the interstate.”
“Okay, so let’s go with two nights just to be on the safe side.” Two nights. That should give me time to think about what I’d seen and get my head wrapped around what Calder does and if I can handle it or not.
I hand my card and ID over to the woman so she can get me all checked in. Once finished, she hands me my things along with a key card with my room number.
Taking my things, I head for the elevator, press the buttons, and wait.
So many things to worry about in such a short amount of time. I don’t know what I’m thinking, which is probably my problem. I need to be able to come to terms with it. Maybe. I just don’t know.
The moment I make it into the room, I lock the door, toss my things into the chair, and flop down on the bed. My head throbs as I close my eyes. I should probably eat, but I can’t think about food right now. I want to lie here with my eyes closed and wish things were different for me.
Rolling to my side, I allow myself to fall asleep to dream about the man of my dreams. Even in my dreams, he looks just like Calder.
seven
CALDER
“Three down, two to go,” I mutter to myself as I pull into my driveway.
Today was productive in handling business. Not only did I manage to get back on track with taking out the rest of the list Grant had given me. Now, with three out of the way, there’s only a few left and I’ll get them handled soon enough. I had a few other things to do in between.
Pressing the garage opener, I pull into the garage, noting the SUV was missing.
I hadn’t missed the decorations outside as the sun was setting. The weather was colder, and I was not looking forward to it.
What I had been looking forward to was having time with Emerie.
Only she’s out.
I pull out my phone and bring up the tracking app on the SUV. I cock a brow as I take in the pin locating the vehicle. She’s at least an hour away.
What the hell is she doing out that far? Sure, it took a bit to get to certain places around here. But that part of town . . . it’s not far from the airport . . .
