“Oh, um, how about anything other than heavy metal rock or opera,” I said, feeling myself relax the farther we drove from the hotel.
He settled on an ’80s playlist, which was good. I lost myself in Journey’s “Open Arms.”
It reminded me of my father.Maybe I should have picked.This was going to be a long day. The tears flowed. Poor Marcus kept looking at me in the rearview mirror. When it finished, I asked him if he could play it again.
“Are you sure, Ms. Taylor?” He looked worried. I nodded, asking him to turn it up.
Taking stock of my situation, I had to admit that I took a chance and it backfired on me. I foolishly thought I could manipulate things. I told myself that I could manage Aleksandr, and that proved ludicrous.
I should have stayed in Skagit County. If I had, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now. Going back was always an option. That was why I hadn’t sold it. The other glaring truth was I had become complacent.
I needed to take my ass home, rip open that envelope with all the secrets I’d ever needed answers to, and come back into agreement with my reality. And only then could I knowingly move forward in my life.
“Jellybean, never become complacent. Nothing in life is certain,”Owen’s voice rang out in my head.
“Ms. Taylor?” Marcus’s voice startled me out of my memories.
“I’m sorry. Can you repeat the question? I didn’t hear you the first time.” I flushed in embarrassment.
“Um, I didn’t ask you anything. You were saying something. I thought you were talking to me. Something about jelly beans?”
“Sorry, I ramble sometimes.”
“About jelly beans and complacency?”
I groaned, realizing I must have spoken aloud. My phone buzzed. It was a message from Alek. Choosing to ignore it, I unbuckled and climbed in the front with Marcus.
He laughed and then scolded me. “Buckle up.”
“I’m curious,” I began, my voice holding a mix of curiosity and frustration. “Does Alek always act this obsessive and controlling?”
Marcus responded without hesitation. “Only with things that are important to him.” There was a subtle side-eye, a hint of something unspoken.
“Great, so my mundane life has somehow become important to him. I promise I’m not that exciting.” Settling in, I pushed the butt heater on his dashboard. I sighed as the warmth spread across my backside.
The silence between us stretched on for a few minutes, broken only by the hum of the engine. Suddenly, Marcus turned to me with a grin, breaking through the heaviness that enveloped the car. “I hear you like to hike?” he asked, his voice carrying a playful undertone.
“Yes, I don’t get to go nearly enough anymore. When my grandfather was alive, we used to take a few days and visit some of the waterfalls along the Pacific Northwest.”
“Did you stop for jelly beans?”
A genuine laugh escaped my lips at his question, the sound filling the confined space. “We absolutely did, every single time.”
With his eyes fixed on the road ahead, Marcus continued our conversation. “So, if you love hiking so much, why did you leave this morning?” His tone was gentle, but his words pierced through my defenses, inviting me to share my vulnerability.
I turned my gaze toward him, even though I knew he wouldn’t look over. “It’s complicated,” I confessed, my voice shaking with my frustration and sadness. “Last night was a disaster.”
Marcus shook his head at my words. “That bad, huh? Game nights are usually fun,” he remarked, acknowledging the contrast between my expectations and the reality I had experienced. The invitation to open up further hung in the air when he gently nudged me. “Want to talk about it?”
I nodded, accepting his offer. “Sure, with the full expectation that you’ll share with your boss later. I’ll be as honest and candid as I can.”
“Seems fair,” he said, still focused on the road.
“The Reaper is confusing. I can’t read him. You’d think with his obsession, he would have jumped at the opportunity to spank my ass last night. Yet, here I sit, quite comfortably, no sore bottom.”
“And you wanted a sore bottom this morning?” His lips twitched into a smile.
“It was part of the game. I didn’t set out seeking that outcome. In the end, I’m not mad that they didn’t go through with it. More humiliated than anything. Egos suck, you know. It made me realize something important.”
