Page 4 of Ride By Your Side

After sending me one final ‘thank you’ text, I reach for my wallet and keys and make my way out. Apparently, a getaway driver’s work is never done.

With a Taco Bell bag in hand, I knock on Ronnie’s door. I hear some shuffling, followed by what I assume is her looking through the peephole before I hear the locks being undone and the door opens.

It’s clear she wasn’t kidding when she said she just wanted to relax. The T-shirt and jean shorts she’d been wearing are now replaced with a big, white fluffy robe that she’s holding tightly around her. Her short, shoulder-length wind-blown brown hair has also been pulled up into a ponytail, with a few tiny strands escaping to frame her face.

“What are you doing? Is everything okay?” she asks, folding her arms across her body.

“Brought you dinner. Blair said you’re a sucker for a Crunchwrap Supreme and a bean and cheese burrito, so here you go,” I announce, lifting the bag.

She purses her lips and shakes her head but eventually gives in with a small sigh. “Blair just couldn’t help herself, could she?”

“No, no, she couldn’t,” I agree. “But I couldn’t either. I know today was shit and that you’re going through it, but you have to eat something.”

“Well, if it helps put you two at ease—since I’m sure you’ll be reporting back—just before you got here, I made a quick trip to the front desk’s little gift shop and treated myself to a bag of Skittles.”

I shake my head, less than impressed. “Candy is not food.”

“Sure it is. It might not be the healthiest food choice, but it is, in fact, food. Red food dye and all,” she proudly proclaims, lifting her hand under her chin as she wiggles her fingers.

“Well, I guess Taco Bell probably isn’t the healthiest of choices either.” I slightly give in, doing my best not to smile at her ridiculous assessment. “But I think it’s better than straight-up sugar, so will you please just eat it?”

She lets out a small huff as she motions for the bag. “Fine. I’ll eat it. But even Taco Bell sounds a bit rough right now, so if I get sick and you have to spend the entire drive tomorrow stopping at every rest stop you’ll only have yourself to blame.”

“Oh shit,” I curse, handing it over. Why does she have a point? And why did I let Blair make me think Taco Bell was the perfect choice for tonight? The woman had it wrong—Taco Bell is not the food of the gods and is, in fact,notthe ultimate cure for a broken heart.

“Yeah, see. Taco Bell may be the food of the gods, but it must be chosen wisely,” she tsk-tsks.

“Fuck, you and Blair are way too alike,” I mutter, shaking my head. “But I still stand behind it being better for you than Skittles, so just this once, can you do the reasonable thing and go with it? Humor me for a change.”

She scoffs. “Nothing is better for me than Skittles. A food that is dedicated to tasting like a rainbow? Come on now. They’re magical.”

“Oh, for the love of—” I groan, raising my hand to rub at the bridge of my nose. “I take it back. You two aren’t alike—you’re way more annoying than Blair,” I declare, doing my bestto fight off the fresh wave of annoyance. This is exactly why I’ve always gone out of my way to ignore her. Sure, she’s undeniably gorgeous—practically a bombshell who could rank a solid ten on any scale, and not just by small-town standards like Evergreen. But looks can only go so far.

“Oh, come on, you know you love me,” she says, playfully pinning a hand on my chest and giving me a light shove. “And hey, maybe my delightful personality will rub off on you during our little trip, and you’ll finally stop being a boring old man.”

I raise an eyebrow. “A boring old man?”

“Yes, a boring old man. Seriously, what do you do besides go to work and come home every day to your dog? Not that there's anything wrong with Bubba, because Bubba is a perfect little angel who...” She trails off before her eyes go wide. “Oh shit. Bubba!”

“Bubba is fine,” I quickly assure her. “Blair agreed to look after him while we’re gone.”

Relief visibly washes over her as she places a hand on her stomach. “I’m glad you thought about it, because earlier the only thing on my mind was getting out of Evergreen as fast as I could. Hell, for a moment there, I sort of felt like Blair.”

I let out a genuine laugh. Evergreen has always been home, but it hasn’t always been easy. Growing up with a mother who ran off and a father who preferred the bottle to raising his kids, my sister and I ended up being cared for by our deadbeat grandma—until we lost her too. Despite everything, that town still holds its roots deep in me.

For Blair, though, Evergreen was a place she couldn’t wait to escape—at least until recently. After rekindling old feelings for her childhood friend during all the wedding festivities these past few weeks it seems as though we might have her back for good. If nothing else, at least one good thing came from all this mess.

“But, uh. I should probably get to eating this. There’s nothing worse than soggy Taco Bell,” Veronica says, holding up the bag one final time.

“I could think of a few worse things,” I reply, feeling compelled to disagree with her a bit more—it is our way after all. “But I’ll leave you to it,” I add. Nodding toward my room before turning to leave.

“Miles,” she calls after me as I tap my electronic key to the door pad.

“Hmm?” I hum, looking back in her direction as the light on the door blinks green and I turn the knob.

“Thanks. Not just for the food, but for driving and coming with me. I know I’m a pain in the ass, but it really means a lot.”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever. It’s no big deal.” I shrug, even if in many ways, it kind of is.

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