closer even though the miles between them grew exponentially every day.
“Nick,” she whispered.
My teeth snapped together right before my hands clamped into a fist. Sleep evaded me for the rest of the night as I lay there listening to her…waiting for another word from her subconscious. Nothing. Fuck Nick.
_______________
Fighting the annoyance at hearing Nick’s name come from her lips last night, my grip on the steering wheel was basically white knuckled. She, of course, was her normal, bubbly, wide-eyed-self, watching the scenery and memorizing it like she’d never see it again. If she only knew what I could give her.
“What’s on your mind Mr. Grumpy Gils?” She glanced over my way and then back toward the Idahoan landscape.
“Don’t mean to be grumpy. My back and that bed didn’t get along last night.” I stretched in the car seat, trying to make my lie believable.
“Oh my goodness. I slept so good last night. Thank you again for allowing me to stay in your room. It seems so childish, I know.”
“Seriously, Phoebe. I don’t want to hear another thing about it. We’ve settled it, we will share a room from here forward.” My terse words surprised me and by her reaction, hurt her.
The moment her eyes rounded; I regretted the comment. Her eyes fluttered as she looked away. An apology sat on the tip of my tongue but never found its way out. Maybe Nick would console her.
The scenic ride was beautiful but quiet, and that was alright with me. After a couple of hours, I pulled off the highway so I could take a leak. She shot out of the car almost before it came to a stop and bee-lined it for the convenience store. She seemed furious. For the first time today, I giggled. Alone in the car, I giggled. Like a god damned 12-year-old girl.
She didn’t ask to take a picture next to the Welcome to Oregon sign—a clear indication that she was getting more pissed by the minute. By the time we reached Hood River, one of my favorite places, Phoebe hadn’t said two words, but her eyes never left the window. I’d be surprised if her neck didn’t ache from staring away from me for so long. As I parked, I grinned at her stubbornness. Maybe I owed her an apology, maybe I didn’t. Regardless, her stubbornness was endearing.
The cliffs overlooking the Columbia River were breathtaking as usual. Our three-bedroom penthouse villa was clean and ready for our arrival. I set both of our suitcases in the master bedroom. When I went back into the living area, Phoebe stood on the balcony overlooking the river.
“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” I asked.
“Very.” She left me standing there alone. Fuck. I didn’t know whether to think this was a cute first fight or if she was genuinely angry at me. We were meeting people tomorrow, I needed to address this tension so this whole charade could continue as planned. I walked through the living area, down the hall and noticed she had moved her suitcase into one of the spare bedrooms. Wow, I had a lot of shit to eat to make this right.
“Phoebe?”
“Yes?” she poked her head out of one of the bathrooms.
“Come with me. I have some things to show you.”
Her obligatory nod caused me to cringe. I should have been happy that she’d follow me just about anywhere, but I knew she felt it as an obligation. Meeting back up in the car, I drove first to Bonneville Dam. Something I thought she would find fascinating. She followed me over to the actual dam, which was releasing water. A lot of water. A steamy mist hovered over the spillway pounding water as it rushed through the dam.
“There’s so much water,” she commented while her eyes took in the massive dam. She turned her back, holding her phone up to capture herself with the dam behind her.
“Want me to take it?”
“No. It’s ok.”
Most of the pics taken had been of both of us. She knew that. The cool wind tossed her hair a thousand different ways throwing the smell in my face. A hungry roar vibrated in my chest as her intoxicating smell drove me mad. My hands flinched to rake through the red curls. I knew the perfect thing to straighten out her ass.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Come on. You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
She bared her teeth with the most beautiful smile and relief soaked into me—her stubbornness was hopefully fading. Nothing prepared me for her excitement over