“Hard to fix this when he isn’t even talking to me,” I mumbled, circling back to the biggest and most obvious problem.
Bri snickered. “Oh, I can think of a few ways you canget his attention.”
Mom blushed and swatted Bri’s leg. “Brianna!”
“What! I’m just saying. Vaughn needs to find a way to stop Alex in his tracks so he’ll have no choice but to listen.”
I snorted at her suggestion, imagining Alex dropping the harmonica mid-note as I stormed into his loft without clothes. It actually wasn’t a terrible idea…
Holding the lure to my face, I gently rubbed the slightly bumpy metal against my lips, wishing like hell it could be Alex’s lips.
“You know, Bri, you might be on to something. We give dogs sedatives to help them stay off a fresh injury. I think Alex may need a sedative of his own.”
Bri grinned while Mom rolled her eyes and looked away, probably wishing she could erase the last five seconds from her memory forever.
“Oryou could find a way to emphasize how much he means to you,” she said. “Show him you just want him in your life, not your clinic.”
“Oh, Mom. Where’s the fun in that?” Bri mused. “They don’t call it make-up sex for nothing.”
26
Bri and I had left Newport a day early to try to beat a winter storm that was going to head through northern Idaho. It looked like it was going to be pretty bad, and since it was the first of the season, that meant a higher risk for accidents, especially through the pass.
Bri was quiet through most of the drive, checking her phone frequently for updates.
“Oh, crap. There’s another one now.”
I swallowed hard. “Another storm?”
“Yeah, coming from the north. It looks like they’re colliding just a little bit north of Coeur d’Alene, and from what this report says, it’s ugly, Vaughn.”
I nodded. “Well, we’re not far. We just need to be careful.”
We had just passed through Spokane and were only about an hour away from Coeur d’Alene when heavy white flakes had started to fall all around us.
“Sure is pretty,” I commented.
She sighed. “Yeah. It is. I do love winter, minus the roads.” Bri had been in a bad accident her first year driving that had always made her a little bit afraid of driving in snow. Not enough to keep her off the roads completely, but enough that she always kept her trunk stocked with all kinds of emergency equipment and checked the weather reports before heading out.
Bri turned the volume down on the stereo so we could enjoy the silence, something our grandfather had taught us to do when it snowed. He’d passed away before either of us graduated high school, but Bri and I both still carried on his tradition. There was just something special about the quiet and calm of freshly fallen snow that settled our souls. Mom used to say that was because snow forced us to slow down and huddle up close to the ones we loved, which I suppose is partially true. But the slower pace of winter was also one of the things I loved about it.
We passed a few large plows on the opposite side of the freeway, working to keep the roads clear for everyone. I couldn’t help but read the logo on the side of each one as they got close.
“I wonder if Alex is out plowing,” I said without thinking.
Bri turned her head in my direction, tucking a few strands of her gorgeous brown hair behind her ear. “You never stop thinking about him, do you?”
I blushed. “Not really, no.”
She reached over and squeezed my arm. “I hope you guys work it out.”
“Me too. I’m going to try.”
When we finally turned off the interstate entering Coeur d’Alene, there was barely any traffic. The lights above the street cast an eerie glow on our surroundings, making Bri shudder. “Okay. Ten more miles, then it’s a cozy fireplace and one of those new books Mom gave me.”
“No bubble bath?” I teased.
She shoved me. “That’s before the fire, silly. Oh, hey, looks like the plows are out around town too,” Bri commented, pointing at one at the end of the road.
