Page 6 of Extreme Romancing in Idaho

“Well, I kinda offered them a ride.” I pointed to the truck, the bed loaded with their luggage and the cab still packed full of Johnsons.

“You never change.” He gave a soft chuckle. “I don’t know how we’ll fit.”

“We’ll make it work.” I slapped his back.

“I’ve missed your optimism.”

“And I’ve missed your sarcasm.”

I walked over to Angie and her parents while Myles brought the car alongside their truck. Taking the two carry-ons from the pick-up bed, I introduced the Johnsons to my oldest friend. Both suitcases fit in the compact car’s trunk with ease. I slid my backpack from my shoulders and carefully placed it on top of the two bags. It only had one change of clothes in it, my toiletries, and my Stetson hat my father had given to me the day I started working for our company.

Making sure the case my Stetson rested in wouldn’t be crushed, I lowered the trunk until it latched.

Nora had already helped Tony into the front seat and climbed behind him, leaving Angie and me. I moved to sit on the middle hump seat, and at the same time, she leaned into the car. We bumped shoulders and wedged into the opening.

“I’m ah—” I started.

“I’ll sit …” she said at the same time. “Hold on.”

We both squeezed our way out of our predicament.

She held up a hand. “I’ll go first.” She folded herself into the car, and I piled in next to her.

Being six foot two inches had its advantages. Fitting into the backseat of small cars wasn’t one of them. It took me three tries to get the door to shut. My whole right side touched her. I tried to set my hand down, but it brushed her thigh, so I held it next to my chest.

“You two situated?” Myles looked at me through the rearview; his laughter tacked on every word.

Angie’s chuckle joined Myles’s. “You do know it takes forty-five minutes to get to our house, right?”

My bare upper arm touched her soft skin. I could think of worse ways to spend forty-five minutes.

“On second thought, we’ll find another way home.” Angie shifted, and the side of her breast touched my arm.

My lips lifted into a crooked smile, and I swallowed. The fun meter for this company trip notched upwards by two more marks. Who said business couldn’t be mixed with pleasure?

“At this time in the morning?” Myles backed the car out of the parking spot and sped out of the lot, not giving her a choice. “I’m your best option.”

Angie leaned back against the seat.Thank you, Myles.

“I, for one, am grateful for the ride,” Nora said, glancing toward Tony, who’d finally gotten situated in front of her. The level of effort and the amount of pain it’d taken him to simply climb in the car was a reality I never wanted to live.

The trip had worn on him. Even I could tell the difference in him from when we’d first taken our seats on the plane.

“You are more than welcome,” I answered for Myles and me. The car wobbled in the wind. “Does it always blow like this here?”

“In the spring?” Angie laughed again. “Yes.”

Nora leaned over Angie to talk to me. “We used to tie a sheet to her ankles and wrists and watch her get blown around the yard. She loved it. Didn’t you, Angie?”

Angie braced her forehead in one hand and shook her head. If she could beam out of this car, I had no doubt she would.

“I’ll have to try that,” I said with what I hoped was an understanding smile.

“Better use king-size sheets when you do,” Tony said from the front seat.

“And take pictures. I’ll look you up on Instagram when I get home.” Nora nudged Angie, and Angie sank lower in the seat.

The longer this drive went on, the more I loved this family. I couldn’t help but wonder about the son they mentioned on the plane. Would I like him as much as I did the rest of the family?

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