Page 2 of Snowbound

Carefully, I secure my phone and type the address into the GPS. Eleven hours and forty-eight minutes.

Glancing back at my apartment, I take a deep breath, put my car into drive, and head out into the storm.

CHAPTER2

CARLY

I’ve been on the road for almost six hours when I pull into a rest stop for lunch. I’ve stopped a couple of times at gas stations to use the bathroom and get gas, but after all this highway driving, I need a break.

Much as I might want to push myself to keep going until I hit Michigan, after driving the entire length of Pennsylvania, I need to stop staring at the road for a while. I crossed the Ohio border not too long ago, so when the road signs point to a stop, I concede to the inevitable and pull off the highway.

It’s just past two o’clock, so I tell myself I can have half an hour here. I don’t want to waste too much time taking a break.

There are a few food places here, and though it might be easiest to go into the gas station and get a sandwich, I should put a real meal into my stomach. I should also get gas again. As I head deeper into Ohio, I don’t want to be caught off guard.

A couple of the stores appear closed, so I decide on the fast-food burger chain that has warm lights glowing inside and rush over to it.

As soon as I step inside, I’m greeted by a warm blast of air, which is not unwelcome. Even though it took seconds to walk from my car to the door, the bitter wind has chilled me through again. I stroll up to the counter, glancing around.

There is nobody in here except for me and the lone guy working.

I guess that shouldn’t be a surprise considering it’s January and the entire Northeast and Midwest is covered in the biggest snowstorm we’ve had in years. You’d have to be stupid to be out in this weather, I think. And I do not want to know what that says about me.

The guy behind the counter smiles at me when I step up to it. He has dark eyes and a warm smile, the best human contact I could have had after hours in my car alone. “How’s it going?” he asks, half out of work politeness and half in surprise. He couldn’t have been expecting to see anyone here today, given the weather.

“It’s snowing,” I say simply.

He chuckles at that. “What can I get you?”

I order a burger and fries, a large. That way, I can keep snacking in the car. “Usually, I’d get a frozen milkshake,” I say. “But today doesn’t seem like the day for it.”

“It’s nasty out there, huh?” He grins.

“Sure is,” I say. “And it hasn’t gotten any better between Philadelphia and here.”

“You’ve come a long way,” he says, both eyebrows rising. “What’s bringing you all this way?”

“I’m a wedding planner,” I tell him. “My business takes me all over the country, and I have a meeting with some self-professed important clients tomorrow. So, I’ve got to get to my hotel tonight, and all the flights were canceled.”

“So you drove. Brave.” I nod, and with a grin, he adds, “So, important clients, huh? We get our share of those in here too.”

“I bet.” I chuckle. I can’t imagine he has fun dealing with some of the awful, entitled customers that must come through here. Something my job has shown me is that a hell of a lot of people really don’t like to be told no. “Guess it hasn’t been busy today, then.”

He shakes his head and gestures out into the restaurant. “As you can see, we’re totally overrun with people dumb enough to be out in this weather. No offense meant.”

“None taken. You’re not exactly wrong.”

“At least you can sit at any table you want. They’re all extra clean for you. I haven’t had a whole lot else to do.”

“I appreciate that.”

The conversation lulls, and he says, “Let me go get your food.”

“Thank you,” I say as he turns.

I linger by the counter as I watch him scurry off into the back, then turn to survey the restaurant. It’s eerie being in here with nobody else, and despite it being the middle of the day, it’s so dark outside that it feels like the middle of the night.

Another car’s headlights flash through the window, dazzling me for a second before they turn off and plunge the outside world back into darkness. A woman and a child get out, pull their coats around themselves, and run inside. We acknowledge each other with a nod, but the woman says nothing to me.

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