Page 84 of Tangled up in You

Jesse forcibly held her smile in place, handed over her ID, and showed her the reservation details in an email on her phone, all while silently cursing the travel department’s new intern who’d handled booking her flights and rental. “It’s probably under our corporate account.”

The agent looked at the reservation number, typed again, and her eyebrows arched. “Ah, Ms. Gudban…datter?”

Jesse couldn’t hold back that soft growl of irritation. “That’s my middle name. Scott is my last name. Dr. JessicaLynn Scott.” She tapped her ID, which still lay on the counter. “A new intern at my company made the reservation.”

Another flurry of tapping. “Okay, we have a two-door economy for?—”

“No,” Jesse said, struggling to maintain her rapidly fraying composure. “I told them an SUV.”

The agent scowled and typed some more. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have any. I see they did reserve one, but we apparently overbooked and all our available inventory has been rented.”

Jesse silently counted to three and patted her laptop case, which lay on top of her huge pile of luggage and crates. “As you can see, I need something more substantial. I’m driving to Yellowstone for work and I need a vehicle that can comfortably hold my equipment. I’m picking up more equipment here inSpokane. I’ll settle for a truck, or even a minivan. A full-sized van would do, if necessary.”

More tapping. The agent eyed the pile on Jesse’s luggage cart and tapped some more. Jesse was about to ask if the agent at the other car company’s counter might have a vehicle when she realized the woman had closed the counter and left at some point.

Dammit.

“The only vehicle I have that might meet your needs is a four-door BMW sedan. It’s a luxury ren?—”

“I’ll take it,” Jesse wearily said.

After handing her the paperwork and key fob, the agent gave Jesse quick instructions on finding the car and then called the next customer before Jesse even pushed her cart out of the way.

This isnothow I wanted to start my trip.

CHAPTER 2

JESSE

It took ten minutes to locate the rental and then stow the equipment cases and her luggage in the trunk and backseat. Then she slid into the driver’s seat and familiarized herself with the car’s systems while taking a moment to…breathe.

She wasn’t an “outdoorsy” person, even though where she lived in Virginia she was surrounded by beautiful forests perfect for hiking. Not being a complete ignoramus, she’d been trained nearly every day for the past couple of months, using a treadmill and step machine at home and at the gym at work. She hated it, but at least she felt physically ready for this journey.

After securing the necessary permits for this trip, she conducted extensive research on the park’s climate and a few weeks ago purchased hiking boots, along with appropriate socks. She wore them nearly everywhere to make sure they were broken in and that the socks wouldn’t bother her. Everything she needed she ordered online for in-person pick-up at a sporting goods store in Spokane.

Twenty minutes later, a cheerful clerk she’d tipped a twenty helped Jesse load the two carts full of purchases into herrental. Jesse knew damned well she’d over-ordered but she also realized she needed…choices.

Because there was a good chance many of the items she’d ordered would end up being returned tomorrow morning. Something about the item would prove unwearable to her. Whether seam placement, fabric texture, fit—something. As her mom taught her, it was better to find the right thing to wear than force herself to tolerate wearing something uncomfortable and being miserable, because it would negatively impact her focus and increase the chances of her experiencing sensory overload that could lead to a meltdown.

Not to mention she’d purchased a hiking pack, tent, sleeping bag, and other items. Any additional equipment she could purchase in Livingston or Gardiner before heading into the park.

Jesse’s next stop was a grocery store to buy snacks, a salad for dinner, bottled water, laundry soap, fabric softener, and large zipper-top plastic bags. Then she headed to her hotel.

This is exhausting.

Not the travel. She loved to travel, even though it was nearly always for work.

Correction—she lovedhavingtraveled.

She haaaated traveling.

The nature of this trip meant she needed to stay somewhat flexible to changing conditions—such as she’d already experienced twice now.

That was something else she hated, having her itinerary upended. Which was why she’d built a three-day cushion into her travel time to the park, so she could deliberately stay flexible.

What she hadn’t expected were the two snafus for what normally would have been nearly certain factors.

Two hours later she’d sorted her purchases, showered, ate dinner, then she made herself comfortable in the hotel’s laundry room and read on her tablet while she washed her new clothes.Fortunately, the grocery store had her preferred brand and scent of laundry soap and fabric softener, but she’d already psyched herself up to accept any of several pre-determined alternatives.

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