I’m rounding the second curve up the mountain road when we come to a line of idling cars and a state trooper’s SUV blocking the road.
“Uh oh,” Linnea says with a frown.
My phone chimes from the console, and the Bluetooth picks it up. It’s Bear.
“Hey, man,” I say, spotting his truck in the line of cars ahead of us.
“Avalanche is blocking the road ahead. They’re saying it’s gonna be at least a half hour.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“Don’t think so.”
I’m glad we took time to pick up pizza and drinks. What if we’d been in the avalanche’s path? “Okay. Why don’t I deliver some of this pizza so you two don’t starve.”
Linnea grins next to me. I steal a glance at her perfect profile in the dash lights.
“I’ll trade you for drinks.”
I agree and we hang up. Meanwhile Linnea is already working on swapping one half of the pepperoni and olive for a half of the veggie so each box has variety. “That’s some quick thinking.”
She whips out a small pocketknife to cut the pepperoni one where it’s hung up near the crust and arches an eyebrow. “Prettyandsmart, remember?”
“And self-sufficient,” I say with an appraising nod at her knife. Why does her having a cute little folding knife handy make me want to kiss her?
So I do, and she laughs. How can I resist? Her lips embrace mine and she does that sexy tug on my lower one, keeping me pinned in place for a fraction of a second. It makes me not one bit mad about this delay we’ll be experiencing. Anything to spend more time with her.
“Be right back.” I grab a pizza box and a handful of napkins and jump down. A brisk wind has kicked up, making the swirling snowflakes sting my face. I wrap my coat tighter with my free hand and squint into the darkness, passing idling cars until Bear materializes carrying a paper bag and blinking the snowflakes from his dark lashes.
He gives me a hearty chuckle as we exchange goods. “Bon appétit!”
I bump his fist then retrace my footsteps through the snow.
Back in the cab, Linnea has turned off the engine and unfolded the cheap Slumberjack sleeping bag I keep rolled up in the back for emergencies. “Okay if we use this?”
“That’s why I keep it handy.” If only my truck didn’t have a center console so I could pull her closer—like into my lap. If this road closure lasts long enough, I may have to get creative.
After the sleeping bag is unzipped and draped over us, Linnea sets the pizza box on the console while I pull out a root beer and a pilsner.
She reaches for the root beer, so I crack the cap and hand it to her, then trade the pilsner for the other root beer in the bag.
“That’s a sobriety coin on your keychain, isn’t it?” she asks.
Though I’ve rehearsed this conversation a hundred times, there’salways an awkward pause before I can force out the words. I crack open the cap of my root beer. “Yeah. Two years, two months.” That I don’t add the days and hours is a sign of growth, right? I’ll have to share that with Dane next time we talk.
Linnea smiles, and even in the dim light coming from the emergency crew’s vehicles and the headlights from the other cars, it’s easy to read the genuine kindness behind it.
I allow myself to drink in that kindness, but it’s big, and my exhale comes out a little shaky.
“My brother has struggled with addiction.” She opens the pizza box and lifts a slice of the veggie. “After our mom left, he kinda spiraled, and it was hard. I went from worrying I was going to lose him to being so pissed at him when he would let me down.”
“Dealing with an addict is tough,” I say with a shy smile. “Ask me how I know.”
To my delight, she smiles back, brighter this time. “Jesse would probably say the same thing. He’s been sober since he found out he was going to be a dad.”
“That’s a great reason.” I grab a piece of the pepperoni and olive and bite into the corner. The tangy sauce and gooey cheese are the perfect combination with the spicy pepperoni and the sweet crust.
She takes a small bite of her piece. “He’s a really great dad. His girlfriend has been clean for over a year, and they’re seriously adorable together. There’s so much mutual respect, you know? They really help each other.”