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A-R-R-O-G-A-N-T
“Let’s go, our flight leaves in an hour.” Ryder’s exasperated tone percolated up the stairs and stabbed straight into the crunchy center of her amygdala. Typical. Now it was her fault they were running behind. She’d been ready for two hours.
“I’ll meet you in the car,” Claire hollered as she shoved her spare phone charger in her purse and flew down the stairs of the hollow townhouse.
Almost on vacation, she reminded herself. Glad she’d gripped the banister, her boots skidded on the Saltillo tile at the foot of the stairs as she hooked a sliding U, flicked off the hall light on her way by, and entered the dry heat of the garage before he could comment on her tardiness.
The last few weeks—okay, months—had barreled by while she’d been immersed in a delirium of studying and long hours of clinicals. Ryder had been more than patient while she finished grad school. And he hadn’t complained about her tendency to crash after a long day, home for a rare meal, and burning the midnight oil, night after night. In an equitable exchange, she’d shown understanding while he built a name for himself at one of the west coast’s top marketing firms.
That had always been their plan. First date conversation:I’m at a critical point in my career, he’d said.That’s ok, I have another two years of veterinary training ahead, she’d responded. Careers first, then each other. Once things were settled, they’d find the house with the white picket fence, get a dog, and pop out a couple of kids.
She’d turned thirty last week. Where had her twenties gone? Baby number one was supposed to be at least a year old by now.
Ryder hoisted her suitcase off the ground and tossed it in the back of the SUV. “Why did you pack so much? Foothills may be in the middle of nowhere, but the house has everything you could possibly need.” He shot her a look with those famous heartbreaker baby blues. Infamous anyway. His dark eyebrows scowled so fiercely that she felt about as small as the toy poodle she’d neutered last week.
She resisted the urge to rip her suitcase out of his grip and take care of things herself. Help wasn’t exactly appreciated when it was paired with criticism. Instead, she hopped into the passenger seat before he caught her rolling her eyes. “The forecast calls for lower-than-average temperatures and probable snow, so I had to buy enough winter clothes and boots for the trip, as I didn’t own any, and I wasn’t sure how many layers I would need. And I want to be prepared for anything. I’m not the bimbo that shows up in heels for hiking, nor the dowdy one in hiking boots at a cocktail party. I thought you liked Foothills.”
Ryder clicked the button to close the rear door and started the car as he slid into the driver’s seat. “When did I say that?”
Grrr. They rarely saw each other enough to have human conversations lately, but at least she had the decency to remember the important ones. “A few weeks ago, when we booked the trip. I thought you wanted to move back home? You mentioned commuting to Seattle like your mom, and I was going to open my own clinic.”
“Hell, no. Dr. Mallory prefers to be the bigshot fish dominating the small pond of Foothills. I suppose if you have your heart set on Washington, I could probably commute between Seattle and Phoenix. We’d see less of each other, but I’m only at the office in Phoenix one or two days a week as it is.” Flying through the yellow light as he pulled out of their cookie-cutter neighborhood, he veered around a stopped bus, revealing the Phoenix airport in the distance.
Claire clutched the door handle to avoid crashing her skull into the window as he took the next corner. Whether they were running late or ahead of schedule, he’d still drive recklessly, as rules apparently didn’t apply to handsome marketing consultants. Yet he maintained a clean driving record. Unlike her. Police seemed to take one look at her and decide she deserved every penny of the ticket. No idea why; she looked perfectly kind and innocent, or so she thought. Quirky, maybe, but she could pull off normal like the best of them. Almost.
As much as she loved his sleek Cayenne, it was a little unnecessary in arid Phoenix. They’d intended to drive it up to the mountains to go skiing, but they were well into winter and this was the first time they were leaving the city together.
“On the way home, let’s spend a day or two in Seattle and check out the area,” he suggested as he wove between cars, inches from knocking off the rear bumper of a turning sedan.
Compromise. Relationships were about give and take. Wasn’t that what her mother was always telling her? Seattle was at least better than Phoenix. Despite growing up in the desert metropolis, she had no desire to stay there indefinitely.
There weren’t many places she could treat both horses and dogs, but she couldn’t decide between them and had spent way too much extra time in school to treat animals of all shapes and sizes. Except reptiles. Her toes curled in, and her gag reflex threatened the safety of her breakfast at the prospect of examining a python.
She could look at the rural areas outside Seattle for work. Reverse commuting. It was a thing, right? Although, more drive time for her and flight time for him would add a new level of strain to the relationship. What about when they had kids?
Her suitcase crashed and rolled across the back of the SUV as he rounded the last corner into the long-term parking lot. She envisioned the gooey mess if her toiletries busted open and soaked into her clothes, or worse, into the “gown” she’d packed for the terrifying “gala.” She’d suspected his family was loaded, but that costly addition to her wardrobe had sealed it.
As soon as he shifted into park, Claire grabbed her purse and stuffed in her sweatshirt for the plane. She snatched her aforementioned-overloaded suitcase out of the back and was on the move, knowing Ryder would catch up with his long legs and impatient gait. It was a toasty seventy-two degrees now, but highs in the Cascade Foothills today looked to be in the mid-twenties.
“Think we could go ice skating?” she asked as she speed-walked to keep pace with Ryder, who passed her before they even reached the sidewalk. The pace beyond what the wobbly wheels could handle, her suitcase rocked and bounced behind her like a seabass fighting for its life. In preparation for the trip, she’d invested in the tall, lace-up Sorrel boots she’d drooled over for ages, but sadly had never had an excuse to invest in. But now her feet were roasting.
He grunted, not glancing back. “I suppose so. They usually set up a skating rink downtown. It’s not Minnesota; there aren’t many frozen lakes, so it’s a pretty pathetic rink. There are better ones closer to civilization, where Grady played hockey, but those are indoors and don’t make good tourist stops.”
Rinky-dink rink.She snorted, sadly keeping the witty joke to herself, knowing few appreciated her infantile humor, Ryder not among them. At least she entertained herself. “Didn’t you play hockey, too?”
“I participated for the requisite season. I mean, we both got roped into more extra-curriculars than we had time for thanks to Patricia’s big dreams for her conversationally well-rounded children. But hockey was Grady’s thing. Matched his temper.” He paused mid-stride, but she wasn’t paying attention and crashed into him. Grabbing her shoulders, he steadied her against him. Easing back, his expression softened. “I’m sorry I’m so irritable today. I haven’t been home in years. My family drives me crazy. Well, Haley’s alright, but she won’t be able to make it home this time.”
Up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his and pulled back. “Thanks for taking me home to meet your family. I’ve been so distracted lately; I should have seen how much this was stressing you out.”
He let out a long sigh, then took her hand and stared at their joined knuckles. “I may dread seeing my family, but I’m glad you and I will get time together.”
Past the hullabaloo of the busy airport, they walked straight to the express line. Thanks to his job, he was frequently on the road and weaved through the airport with shocking familiarity. The security guards practically called him by name. Actually, theydidcall him by name. Yikes. Claire didn’t even remember the last time she’d flown anywhere.
After the easiest trip through airport security that she’d ever experienced as they cruised through the express lane, inspiring jealous looks from those left in the line like engorged cows waiting to be milked, their pace finally eased when they neared the gate. “Is anyone picking us up from SeaTac?”
