Page 6 of Craved at Christmas

A strong independent woman like she was, Coralee didn’t want to take his hand, but she also didn’t want to bust her ass and eat shit in the muddy parking lot either. So, she took it and climbed into the warm cab. In the mirror, she could see Jake going around the back of the truck, and then he opened the back door of the four-door pickup and tossed her suitcase in behind his seat. The truck was roomy and completely immaculate. Not a speck of trash to be found, other than what looked like Jake’s coffee cup from that morning. She chuckled, recalling how particular Jake had always been about his car, his room . . . well, about everything.

“What’s so funny?” he asked as he settled himself in the driver’s seat, taking his hat off and placing it on the back seat behind her.

“I was just thinking about how you always kept everything neat and tidy. Like this truck is right now,” she replied.

“And that’s funny?” he replied, giving her a confused expression, and raising an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah. You’re just so particular about things. It’s funny how much you care about everything having a place. I guess some things don’t change,” she said.

Jake put the truck in drive, and carefully pulled out of the slick parking lot, onto the main road. The highway would likely be much clearer, and they’d be able to get a move on a bit faster once they made it there. The Houston area didn’t have salting and plowing vehicles for handling snow prevention and removal, and it seemed nobody had taken the threat of a storm approaching Texas all that seriously judging by the state of the roads. It had unfortunately been cold enough for the road to be frozen and the snow was sticking and accumulating. On the upside, it seemed that a lot of people had heeded the warnings and stayed home; the roads weren’t particularly crowded for a major city.

“Oh, I think we’ve probably changed a bit,” Jake replied wistfully. “So, why don’t you tell me about your job here? How long have you lived in Houston?”

“It’s been a few years. During college I had an internship, and when I graduated they hired me. I worked my way up, and now I’m in charge of all communications and media for the rodeo.”

“Well that’s impressive. Good for you.” Coralee got the impression from his tone he had other questions he wanted to ask, but he settled for small talk. Small talk she knew he’d probably already had with her mother at various times anyway. Her mom had loose lips, especially when it came to the Corriente brothers. She’d chew their ear off telling all her secrets if she didn’t keep her in check.

“It’s a good job. And I like what I do.” Coralee decided not to elaborate. She did enjoy her job, but it was just a job, and she didn’t love being so far from her family’s ranch, or her parents. She was an only child and was extremely close to both of her parents.

Like she assumed Jake had, she’d gotten updates from her mom, and from Jake’s mom for that matter, over the years. She knew he’d fulfilled his dream of becoming law enforcement like his dad, but she didn’t know more than that. Jake’s mom had been pretty vague in that area, which led Coralee to believe he had a dangerous federal job. Suddenly, a wave of worry washed over her. She briefly considered his safety and hoped he would always come home at night. It was a strange and immediate emotion for her, and as it passed in a moment, she looked over at him, wallowing in some of the regret she had over their past together.

“You okay?” he asked her. He had his eyes on the road, but he glanced at her often.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Sorry. Just a lot to take in right now.” He hummed in response. “It’s a little wild to be here with you, on our way back to El Paso, in the middle of a snowstorm no less.” She chuffed, much like her favorite horse, then laughed. “It’s a weird day, Jake. Wouldn’t you agree?” She lolled her head to the side so she could see his reaction.

He laughed and met her gaze. “Yeah, Coralee, it has been a bit of a weird day. Certainly not what I expected when I got up this morning.”

“Oh really?” She laughed as well. “You mean you didn’t jump out of bed and say to yourself what a great day it would be if you got to drive home in a blizzard with your ex-girlfriend I haven’t talked to in years?”

Jake’s grin straightened out a bit, and the smile left his eyes. “No, I definitely didn’t think that when I woke up this morning.”

An awkward silence fell between them and lasted until Jake pulled into a gas station with a convenience store. “I’m going to top us off, fill a spare can. Would you grab some snacks and waters? I think it’s going to take us longer than normal to get home, and in case there’s traffic or something, I’d like us to be prepared. You know that long stretch of pretty much nothing?”

“Yeah? What about it?” Coralee asked nervously.

“Well, it’s right on the edge of this storm, and if it keeps up like this it’s either gonna be real bad out there, or it’ll be smooth sailing. But we’re not gonna know until we hit it. So, I’d like us to be prepared. You know how I like everything in order. . .”

It was as if Jake could sense the things he was saying were making Coralee nervous, and he ended his request and explanation on a mildly self-deprecating note for her benefit, which she appreciated. “I’d be happy to get us road trip snacks.” She zipped up her jacket and hopped out her door before taking off in a sprint through the snow toward the convenience store.

Once inside, she grabbed a little shopping basket and started filling it up with more snacks than any two children on a shopping spree could eat, let alone two reasonably fit adults. She didn’t know what his body looked like under his clothes—anymore—but she was pretty sure not much had changed, and he was all man. The thought of Jake completely naked, on top of her, gave her the tingling sensations she hadn’t felt in as long as she could remember.

Coralee meticulously went through every snack aisle, grabbing things she knew Jake used to love, as well as her own favorite staples, when she landed in the health and wellness aisle. She perused the shelves, thinking over whether or not she needed a bottle of overpriced aspirin, or a ten dollar all-purpose allergy pill. When her eyes landed on the condoms, she hesitated. She wasn’t sleeping with anyone. And she had no intentions of sleeping with anyone, but she was compelled to get them anyway. Just as she tossed them into her little shopping basket, Jake popped up.

“Are you not feeling well?” he asked, suspiciously eyeing her basket.

“I feel fine. Why?” she replied, far more defensively than she’d intended.

“You’re in the health aisle of a gas station convenience store. The only reason for that would be you’re not feeling well, or you need to grab some rubbers,” he said, laughing.

“Oh please.” She rolled her eyes at him and tried to cover up the condoms which now felt like they had a laser beam shining on a disco ball attached to them, announcing their presence from her tiny shopping basket, which was overflowing with snacks.

“I’m just saying. But, if you’re feeling fine, you about ready to go?” he asked, still scrutinizing the contents of her basket without shame.

“Yeah, I’m ready. I got stuff that you used to like, and stuff I would eat too. If there’s anything in particular you want because I didn’t get anything healthy, I suggest you go grab it now.” She desperately tried to get him to just go anywhere, but at her side.

“I don’t think so, but maybe I’ll do a quick loop to see if there’s anything I gotta have. It’s gonna be a long day, and I suspect we’re going to be on the road for a while.”

“Okay, well you do that. I’m going to check out, and then use the restroom before we settle in,” she said as she backed away from his overbearing perusal of her little basket. He probably wasn’t even looking that hard, but she was sure he knew she was hiding something, and the faster she could tuck the condoms that no longer seemed like a good idea away, the better.

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