He frowned at the palm tree. Are you ready to go?
Yes. My luggage is right over here. She started toward the bags shed stashed to the left of the door.
He shook his head.
She looked at him. What?
I should have known a woman would pack half her closet for just a few days.
The words set her teeth on edge. She faced him, hands on her hips. Well be gone over a week. Besides, thats not half my closet. Not even close. One of the best features of the carriage house was a huge walk-in closet. Shed filled the space with clothes to suit her every mood, all bought at bargain prices at the citys best thrift and vintage clothing stores.
He frowned down at her luggage. Three bags?
Honestly. Just because a man could get by with one suit, two shirts and pair of jeans didnt mean a woman could! The big suitcase is clothes and shoes. The small tote is makeup and hair accessories. The larger tote has my laptop, books, snacks and emergency supplies.
Emergency supplies?
Band-Aids, aspirin, sunscreen, stain remover and, uh, other things. She didnt mention the condoms shed added at the last minute. Not that she was planning anything, but you never knew.
He picked up the suitcase and the larger tote. She locked the door behind her, then followed him to his car. Thank you for giving me a ride, she said, determined to start off on the right foot with him, despite his less than pleasant demeanor. He was Bryans friend. She was Susans friend. There was no reason they shouldnt get along. Just let me know how much my share of expenses comes to.
Ill do that. He stashed her totebag in the back seat, then turned and handed her a CD case and a sheaf of computer print-outs. Your job is to keep the tunes spinning, read this itinerary and schedule Ive printed out, and keep quiet.
She stared at him. So much for thinking they could be friends. The guy was a jerk. You obviously have the wrong impression of me, she said, barely suppressing the urge to rip his head off.
What do you mean?
She reached up and removed his sunglasses. He blinked at her. Hey
I like to look people in the eye when I talk to them, she said. Lets get this straight. I am not some child or some servant for you to order around or patronize.
Without the sunglasses, he looked less forbidding, though he was still frowning. Im going out of my way here to do you a favor.
And Im doing you one.
Hows that?
Im keeping you company and paying half the expenses.
I didnt
ask for company.
No? You agreed to do this, didnt you? You could have said no.
They stared at each other in silence for a long moment. He had eyes the color of toffee, a rich brown with golden flecks. The kind of eyes that could make a woman forget what shed been arguing about.
He was the first to look away. Youre right. I agreed.
She suppressed a thrill of victory. A man whod admit he was wrong couldnt be all bad. So if you have regrets about that, thats your problem, not mine. That doesnt give you the right to make us both miserable.
He winced. Right again. He took a deep breath and straightened. Im sorry Ive been such a jerk. Lets start over. He held out his hand. Im Craig.
Now this was more like it. The faintest hint of a smile replaced the scowl hed worn earlier. Much better. The man was definitely easy on the eyes. She slipped her hand into his, warmth traveling through her at his touch like an electric current. Its nice to meet you, Craig. Im Marlee.
She didnt know how long they stood there like that, holding hands and staring into each others eyes. She was dimly aware of traffic moving past, of the distant drone of a lawnmower and a slamming door. These were merely background noise for the fireworks going off in her brain. If she was writing dialogue for the commercial version of the encounter, the only word she would have been able to come up with was Wow!
He slipped his hand from hers and took a step back. Come on, he said. Weve got a long way to go. Wed better get started.
While he guided the car toward the Beltway out of town, she adjusted her seat, then flipped through the CD selection. Lyle Lovett, Shania Twain, Stevie Ray Vaughn. Filed alphabetically. Of course. The man had eclectic tastes. Nothing boring here. She slid the Lyle Lovett disc into the player, and flipped through the sheaf of papers hed handed her. What is all this anyway? she asked.
The itinerary for our trip. It shows driving directions, mileage between major intersections and the hotels where well be staying. Ive listed our rest stops, stops for fuel and food, along with local gas prices and information on highway conditions.
She scanned the pages of close print and columns of figures with the horrified fascination of someone perusing an autopsy report. You must have spent an awful lot of time putting this together, she said.
Itll save us a lot of time later.
Right. With a week to go until the wedding, they didnt exactly have to race across country to get there in time, but Craig was obviously one of those guys who didnt consider a day on the road worthwhile unless he could set a new record for distance traveled in the shortest time.