Page 107 of Lovesick
JJ was worth it.
“Sweet baby pineapple,” I whispered and braced myself. No one else could save me from this thing I’d been avoiding. Storm or not, I was going to Adventura to let JJ know exactly how I felt.
Love gave me wings.
* * *
My knuckles squeezed the steering wheel so hard they blanched white. An all-too-familiar mantra repeated in my head:I won’t slide off the canyon road. I won’t plunge into the icy river below. I won’t die tonight. I won’t slide off the canyon road...
Thankfully, the canyon remained open, though other cars were few and far between. The snowplows had been out, but the falling storm had quickly replaced the snow. Packed ice escorted me past the steep mountain walls. The thought of JJ’s touch on my face carried me through the storm.
Finally, what felt like an eternity later, I let out a squeak of surprise. The turnoff to Adventura loomed to the right. Though tempted, I didn’t let my gaze drop to the frothing river below. It had claimed plenty of cars by now.
With a careful foot, I pumped the brakes to test the road, then slowed. My heart skipped a beat when the tires skidded, sliding to the left on their own. With a smooth motion, I counter-turned and lifted off the brakes. The movement slowed.
“I’ve got this,” I whispered.
Memories of impending doom slipped through my mind as I eased into the turn. A snowy, dark bridge awaited. The truck ambled onto it without a problem. A long breath later, I’d crossed the whole thing, finding packed ground on the far side.
Shiny coconuts, but that was scary.
This road hadn’t been plowed yet, and six inches had fallen in the last few hours. The truck barreled through it as I kept my attention on Adventura. The snowy conditions robbed my mind of the space to think, so I had no idea what I would say to JJ. There was so much to explain.
Instead, I focused on getting there.
The road wound deeper into the canyon crevice until a familiar building appeared in the snowfall. The truck crunched to a stop as I parked not far from the Zombie Mobile, which was buried under inches of snow.
For five minutes, I sat there and stared at Adventura. A mixture of relief and trepidation filled me. For courage, I thought of my favorite books. The power the women showed at the end. The bravery in the face of uncertainty.
I could do this. This was real. Terrifying. Utterly unknown. My makeup was gone, eyes reddened, face blotchy, hair a mess. I smelled like lasagna and probably looked like I’d been in a car wreck. There was positively, absolutely, not a thing romantic about this day or the way I looked.
But I’d never felt more certain. More giddy. More terrified.
I could do this.
“I got this,” I murmured. “I’m fine. This is fine. Everything is fine.”
Then I shoved the door open.
There was no sound as I waded through the fresh snow and up to the office door that I knew so well. My hand paused. Home waited inside. Warmth. Familiarity. Safety.
JJ.
Or maybe none of those things. This could flop, go utterly awry. He could tell me that he was never interested, that I had dreamed the whole thing up. That could happen.
And it would still be worth it.
I knocked.
Footfalls came to the door as my heart pounded, matching their rhythm. Then, all at once, it opened and JJ stared at me. He blinked once. Twice. Mark descended halfway down the ladder, stopped, saw my face, then slowly turned around and climbed back up with a goofy grin.
JJ opened the door wider. “Come in,” he said.
I licked my lips but stayed rooted to the spot. The words flew out of my mouth in the midst of snow and surprise.
“No. First, I just need to say something. I’m in love with you.”
JJ’s expression fell. I rushed into what I had to say, because there was no other way.
