Page 41 of Endless Southern Love

After I get out of the shower, I dry off, lotion up which is also a mistake because my skin is sore from my vigorous washing and wrap myself in my bathrobe.

On my way to the kitchen, my phone rings. Right off I want it to be Wade and then chide myself for thinking about him. Relief washes over me when I see Leslie’s name on my screen.

“Hey,” I say, answering. I put her on speaker, head to my coffee machine, and put a pod in.

“You made it home?”

“Barely. There was a freak storm, and I ended up with a flat.”

“Where?”

I sigh heavily and reach for my cup of coffee, adding cream and sugar. “I honestly don’t know. Somewhere between here and Mobile. There was a tree down on the interstate and I thought I knew a shortcut. Turns out, I didn’t.”

“Where’s your car now?”

“Still there.”

“Which you don’t remember where?”

“Nope.” Jesus I’m a mess.

“How’d you get home?”

“Funny story,” I say after taking a sip of my coffee. Instead of telling her right away I press the video button so she can see my face when I tell her the unbelievable.

“What’s so funny?” Leslie asks as soon as she comes on screen.

“Well, I’m sitting there, waiting for the storm to pass so I can change my tire, and a truck pulls up behind me.”

Her mouth drops open. “Don’t tell me you hooked up with some random roadside hunk?” Leslie fist pumps the air and grins widely. “I’m so proud of you.”

I shake my head slowly.

“Ugh, seriously? Was he creepy and you felt the only way to survive was to run through the woods? Wait, was there any woods?”

“Not exactly. I definitely hooked up with a roadside hunk. It actually reminded me of that song by Heart.”

“‘All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You’?”

I nod.

“But that’s . . .” Leslie trails off. I wait for her to draw her own conclusion, but she just looks confused.

“It was Wade.” I let his name sink in. It takes a second and then her mouth drops open.

“You slept with Wade?”

“In his truck. On the side of the road.”

“Lemon!”

I hang my head in shame.

“Go girl!”

My head pops up and I know my eyes are bugging out. Surely, I didn’t hear her correctly. “What?”

“Oh, you heard me loud and clear. Go you! Get the man.”

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