“Ican do it myself.”
“Why are you so stubborn? Just let me help. I’m here anyway.”
I wrestled my suitcase away from Gunner. “I doubt this is in your job description. Now leave me in peace. I need to get on the road if I want to make it on time.”
It was Thursday morning, 5am, and I was standing outside my house, arguing. Only because he had dinner with us every night, he now thought he’d have to do the nice thing and help me pack my car. But it was early, I was grumpy and the last thing I wanted to be doing was driving all the way to Denver. I was secretly looking forward to seeing Rhett, but there was no way I would ever admit that out loud.
The fact that I was thinking about Rhett made me angry, and since Gunner was the only person awake at the moment he had to bear the brunt of my displeasure. I would feel terrible about it later, but for now I just wanted to be a bitch and be left in peace. I didn’t need anyone to help. I was a strong, independent woman. And I was repeating that to myself every time I felt like breaking down into a sobbing mess at the thought of what Anna was going to do. Her radio silence was eerie, making me extra touchy, much to Gunner’s detriment.
I almost felt bad for him. He was standing next to me, arms crossed, giving me his best displeased look. His muscles bunched from the movement, distracting me momentarily, and I dropped the suitcase on my toe.
“Motherload, that was your fault. Go away already,” I yelled, immediately regretting my outburst.
“How is it my fault you dropped the suitcase? I offered to help, and you turned me down. If anything, I could have prevented this.”
I let go of the handle and the heavy bag dropped on its side. Grabbing it, Gunner loaded it into the car in one smooth motion. “How do you need this much stuff for two days?”
“I’m prepared for every possible scenario. And then packed two extra outfits. That’s how.”
He shook his head and packed the rest of the bags in the car. I graciously let him do his thing and went back inside to get Josie. Oma was awake, sitting up in bed, reading a book.
“We’re all packed. I’ll see you on Saturday, Oma,” I said and lifted up a sleeping Josie. The trick to not waking her up was to support her head. Every other body part could flap around, but as soon as her head moved too much, she’d wake up.
Oma startled and dropped her book. “Dear, I didn’t hear you come back inside.”
I eyed the book cover and grinned. “I bet you didn’t.”
She ignored my comment but put the Mills and Boon novel aside and motioned me over. “Say goodbye to your Oma.” She kissed my cheek and brushed her hand over Josie’s hair. “I’ll miss you girls.”
“We’ll miss you too, Oma. It’s two nights at most. I’ll try and drive back Friday night if I can. I have to help Cassie on Saturday anyway, so the earlier I can get back the better.”
“All right, you drive safely and call me tonight.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too, Schatz.”
I carried a still sleeping Josie outside and put her in her car seat. She didn’t even stir. Not when I put her seatbelt on nor when I covered her with a blanket.
Gunner would follow us until I got to the apartment and then he was off for two days, probably doing some Rambo relaxation like skydiving, free climbing or defusing bombs.
Josie woke up just before we reached Denver, demanding to be fed. So I stopped at a roadside diner and bought us a big breakfast to share. She only liked to eat the eggs and hash browns, which meant the bacon, baked beans and mushrooms were all mine. I kept trying to get her to eat something else, but she was a stubborn one and refused to open her mouth every time my fork got near.
Gunner sat with us, enjoying a cup of coffee, black of course, refusing to eat the disgusting, grease-infused, artery-blocking cholesterol bombs we were inhaling with gusto. His eyes were alert, his posture stiff. He was constantly scanning the small dining room, tensing every time the door opened. You’d think I had death threats against me and not just a loony bin mom.
“Don’t you think you can relax a little bit? I doubt Anna would follow us to Denver.”
His passive face turned toward me. “I’m the best in the business.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes. “I gathered that when Rhett hired you.”
“Then let me do my job. I’ve met people like your mom. She has no morals and when it comes to money, she’ll do anything to get it.”
I gulped at how accurate his description was. The lump in my throat grew to the size of a tennis ball, threatening to choke me. Gunner sensed my fragile mental state and gave me one of his rare smiles.
“You’re safe. Rhett is cautious. And I’m the best there is.” He winked at me and the tennis ball shrunk to a golf ball.
I finished my food in three big bites, eager to get back on the road, suddenly worried Anna might have followed us after all. “You finished,Schnucki?” I asked and grinned at a messy Josie, who was waving her messy hands in the air, spraying bits of hash brown across the table. “Done. Done. Done,” she sang but stopped immediately when food landed on Gunner’s brow. Both Josie and I held our breaths, getting ready to bolt.
