Honeymoon

Chapter 42

I SHOULD’VE SEEN the split coming, where the road divided. I was too busy staring at the big Sealy mattress delivery truck ahead of me, preparing to overtake it.

Bad decision.

With my right foot pressed to the floor, I pulled up alongside the truck. It blocked my view of Nora. Edging forward, I strained my neck to see where she was.

But it was something else I saw. Big, bright yellow drums! The kind they fill with water and stack before concrete dividers so instead of going splat, you go splash.

I looked over at the delivery truck. We were neck and neck, the driver peering down at me.

I glanced at those big yellow drums. They were getting very close, very fast.

The lanes were about to split. I was in the left one, Nora in the right. I needed to get over.

The goddamn truck!

As soon as I nosed out in front, the driver sped up. I jammed on my horn while flooring the accelerator.

Up ahead, Nora passed the yellow drums and shot off to the right.

I was still stuck in the left lane and running out of real estate. Fast.

Fuck it.

I slammed on the brakes. If I couldn’t cut in front, I’d duck in from behind. All two tons of the minivan began to swerve wildly as I watched the Sealy mattress truck—an easy ten tons—start to veer. That’s when I realized he wanted into my lane.

I couldn’t hear the horns behind me. Or the screeching of tires. The only sound was my heart pounding as the nose of my minivan kissed the truck’s back, metal against metal.

Sparks flew. I lost control of the wheel. I spun out wildly, nearly flipping over. I would have were it not for one small detail.

Splash!

My face hit the air bag, and the yellow drums did the rest. It hurt like hell, but I knew right away. I was one lucky son of a bitch.

Traffic started to move again as I stepped out of the minivan. Like me, everyone else had survived with barely a scratch. There was water everywhere, pools of it, but that was it.

Idiot. I was furious with myself. Finally, I collected myself and made the call.

“I lost her.”

“What?!” snapped Susan.

“I said—”

“I heard you. How could you lose her?”

“I had an accident.”

Her register immediately shifted to concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“In that case, how the hell could you lose her?”

“The woman drives like a maniac.”

“What, and you don’t?”

“I’m serious. You should’ve seen her.”

“I’m serious, too,” she barked. “You should’ve never lost her.”

I was pleading with myself to stay calm. However, Susan wasn’t exactly making it easy. As tempting as it was to grab her anger and throw it right back, I realized I’d be better off just taking it on the chin.

“You’re right,” I told her. “I screwed up.”

She calmed down a bit. “Do you think maybe she spotted you?”

“No. It wasn’t like she was trying to lose me. She just drives fast.”

“How much luggage did she have?”

“A small roller. She carried it on.”

“Okay, then. Cut your losses and come on back to New York. Wherever she’s going, it’s safe to assume she’ll be returning to Connor Brown’s house soon enough.”

I decided that it was a good idea to change the subject. “Did we get the okay on the dig?” I asked.

“Yes, the dig is a go. The paperwork should come soon,” she said. “I’ll let you know.”

I said good-bye, and that should have been it. But this was Susan I was talking to. In case I wasn’t absolutely clear about her disappointment, she gave me one more shot.

“Have a safe flight home,” she said. “Oh, and try not to screw up anything else today.”

I listened as she hung up and then I shook my head slowly. I started to pace, trying to burn off the anger. It wouldn’t burn off. The more I paced, the worse I felt. The tension began working its way through my body, and before I knew it, it all collected in my fist.

Smash!

And like that, my rented minivan had one less window.