Marissa Lewis hummed the tune of Blake Shelton’s “Bringing Back the Sunshine,” the rhythmic beat of her sneakers dancing their way down the asphalt street. She’d thought about driving to Quinn’s “mandatory” work meeting, but unlike the early-morning chill she’d felt earlier, the sun was now beaming through every crack and crevice in town. And, as if that wasn’t enough, there was almost no wind, which in Cody, was a rarity. She hadn’t seen a day this glorious in over three weeks, and with winter nudging its icy finger through fall’s door, she wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity for one last stream of sunshine.
It was hard to believe her last year of high school was in full swing, the days passing by like the turn of a page. At sixteen, she was the youngest student in her grade to graduate, thanks to skipping two grades a few years earlier. In eight months she’d get her diploma, and then ...? She had plans. Big plans. And they were all coming together with the exception of one—her career. Evie was dead, and she was ... well, screwed, her opportunity to learn the landscaping business dashed now that Quinn was taking over the place and Evie was no longer there to mentor her as she’d promised. She’d worked too hard to be brushed aside by some know-nothing. Thinking about it now, she dispersed a series of repetitive curse words into the air.
Thanks a lot, Evie.
“Bye, bye, high school and hello, college dormitory,” her mother had said to her during a recent conversation. “It will be here before you know it. Aren’t you excited?”
Excited?
The mere thought of leaving town to endure even more years of school surrounded by kids who were at least two years older soured her stomach. She didn’t want to go. She wanted to stay. She belonged here. And that’s why she did what she knew she had to do—she came up with a back-up plan. A foolproof plan B. The future of her career may have been up in the air, but there wasn’t a chance in hell she’d be leaving Cody.
Marissa had been so tied up in her thoughts, she almost missed the faint sound of rubber tires behind her. It was only when the charcoal, matte-finished auto rolled alongside that she brought her eyes down from the sky and looked around.
The car lulled to a stop. The passenger-side window lowered. Well, began to lower. The rate at which the window came down seemed like slow motion, the clumsy, hand-pumped cranking causing Marissa to bite down on the corner of her lip to keep from busting out laughing.
Window successfully most of the way down, the guy said, “Hey there, you need a ride?”
Marissa snickered, thumbing at the guy’s car. “In that old thing?”
“Oh, come on. This car’s a classic. I’d rather drive this any day over zipping around in a cheap, dime-a-dozen sedan.”
“Do you see me zipping? I’m walking. It’s good exercise. You should try it sometime.”
“Where is your car anyway?”
“At home. It’s too nice of a day to spend it behind the wheel.”
“Where are you headed?” he asked.
“Wouldn’t you like to know?”
He grinned. “I would.”
“It’s just a work thing. Evie’s friend is in town. Manager says she’s taking over the place.”
“And you’re not happy about it?”
“You know I’m not. Evie said she’d teach me the business. I was her protégé. She was going to talk to my parents, convince them it would be better to keep me here after high school instead of forcing the University of Wyoming down my throat. Now everything’s a mess. My parents will expect me to go.”
She paused, curious to hear his reaction. She’d baited him, but she hadn’t lied.
Not yet.
“Would college be such a bad thing?” he asked.
Marissa opened the passenger side door, poked her head in, flashed a mischievous grin in his direction. “I don’t know ... would it?”
“Not if you care about your education.”
“Are you saying you want me to go?”
“I never said that,” he said.
“What then?”
“Of course I want you here.”
She leaned across the front seat, her hot breath seducing his lips. “You know I’d miss you if I was gone.”
“Really?” he teased. “How much?”
“A lot.”
“Show me.”
Marissa backed away, peeked out the car window. “Here?”
“Why not?”
“Someone might see us.” She checked the time on her cell phone. “I don’t know. I can’t right now. I’ll be late.”
He reached out, caressing her arm. She closed her eyes, unwilling to deny herself the titillating sensation she felt from even the simplest touch from him.
“You don’t even want to go to your work meeting. Stand up for yourself. Show the new boss who’s really boss. She needs you right now, not the other way around. Make her wait.”
She leaned in, her mouth covering his. “Why? So you can ravage me, have your way with me in the back seat of your car?”
“Do you have a better idea?”
He reached a hand inside her shirt, popping the top two snaps apart, his fingers caressing her exposed flesh. “Come on, Marissa. Let me show you how much I’ve missed you this week.”
“I ... I don’t know. I promised I’d be there.”
“And you will. You’ll just be a little late.”
“Twenty minutes,” she said.
“Forty.”
“Thirty. And not here. Take me somewhere else.”
He trailed a finger up to her face, smiled. “Buckle up.”