Once she’d shrugged into the thing, she secured her bags and waved down a cab. “Where are you going?” the man behind the wheel said as she hurried toward the trunk he’d popped open.
She worked to hoist her luggage into the trunk, then closed it with ahumph, noting a special ding from her phone. Only one number made her phone give her that unique alert, and that was Marsha Langston’s.
Ivy hurried to read the text as she climbed into the back seat.
Marsha: Thanks for sending your last four interviews. They’re great, but the one I’m looking forward to most is Easton Sparks’. His resume and photos are something else…he’ll have America going crazy! Make that interview count! I know you will.A kiss face closed out the text.
A rush of adrenaline surged through her at the woman’s confidence. This was her shot. Her chance to show Marsha that she deserved this promotion more than anyone. Her shot to prove that…that taking a year and a half dating hiatus had actually been driven by determination and not fear. But to prove that to whom—herself?
Ivy set her attention to her phone and quickly texted out a reply. She kept it short and sweet, the way Marsha preferred:I won’t let you down.
And she meant it. Ivy would make this interview, the one with the very handsome-sounding flirt from Front Range, her best yet.
“Miss?” came the man up front. “Your destination?”
She hit send and lifted her chin to address the cab driver.
“You should really have a screen-locking feature on your phone,” he said with a nod. “My kids got onto my social media once. Posted someveryinappropriate things.”
Ivy tipped her head in question, then glanced down at her phone. “I deactivated that feature on purpose. I don’t have any kids.”
“Oh. Where you headed?”
“Sorry. Front Range, please.”
“Front Range?” His black, bushy eyebrows shot up, echoing the panic she’d heard in his voice. “Why?”
“I’m doing an interview. There’s a survival camp there,” she added.
Only the man didn’t start driving. Instead, he propped an elbow on the back of the seat and spun to look at her. “You know there’s a blizzard coming…” he said.
“So I’ve heard. But you guys are used to blizzards, aren’t you?” Heck, it was Denver, for crying out loud.
“We’re used tosnow,”he corrected. “Blizzards…I don’t think I could make it very far in the canyon with conditions like that. Especially as the road starts to narrow…” He shivered. “Is there any way you could have someone meet us part way? Someone with chains on their tires, perhaps? We’re looking at buckets of snow. Clear-up-to-your-roof-in-a-matter-of-days snow.”
What, was this guy from Hawaii or something? She ducked to take a look at the freeway overpasses. “It looks like the roads are clear to me.”
“Sure, right here they are. The plows are going over it nonstop. But where you’re going, they won’t be. In fact, when the blizzardreallyhits, you won’t be able to see your own hand in front of your face. They’ll probably send us all home within the next few hours is my guess.”
A shock of fear shot through her. “Who? The cab company?”
He nodded.
“Sendallthe cab drivers home?”
He nodded once again. “It’s a very bad storm, Miss. And with tomorrow being Christmas Eve and all, they’re encouraging people to get to the place they want to be on Christmas Day today, as they fear travel in the next few days might be difficult, if not impossible.”
More fear rippled through her. If she was smart, she’d run right back into that airport and take the first flight out of there. But would that really be the wise thing to do after all?
No, because Ivy couldnotmiss out on this interview. Likewise, she could alsonotget stuck in this heaven forsaken town where fingers froze into paralysis within seconds flat.Claim it, Ivy. Claim what you want.She took a moment to do just that. After all, reading the self-help book that focused on the importance of a can-do attitude is what had helped her become one of Marsha’s top assistants. Now if she could just beat Nancy for that coveted spot.
“It’s going to be fine,” she told him, claiming that very outcome in her mind.The storm will clear. I’ll get the interview. I’ll be home in time for Christmas Eve.“Tell me how far you can take me. I’ll have my…friend meet us there.”
Of course, that meant she’d have to call Easton Sparks again. The man who’d suggested her positive thinking would produce sunshine and rainbows just for her. “On second thought,” she said. “Pop the trunk. I’d rather take a rental vehicle. They have ones with four-wheel drive, I assume?”
“Yes, ma’am, they do.”
“Fine then. Thank you for your help.” At once, she was flinging open her door and hurrying to the back of the cab. It took her a moment to hoist the heavy suitcase from the confined space. She was rewarded with a smashed toe as it landed on her poor excuse for boots. The leather, ankle high boots did little to warm her feet and they, to her dismay, seemed to soak up moisture as quickly as she stepped into it.
