"She married a guy named Holter and named her kids Holt and Cassen."
"Originality was never her strength." Pointing to the scones, he asked, "It's maple, pecan, and what else?"
"Oatmeal," I said.
"Do you make them in any other flavors?" Jude took the container from me and nestled it on the center console. "Percy's obsessed with chocolate right now, which isn't good for anyone, but he'd go for this without the nuts. He has no use for nuts unless they're ground into a spreadable form."
"Um. Well." I fussed with the seat warmer settings. It was weird getting exactly what I wanted. It happened so rarely that I didn't know how to wrap my arms around it. "Seasonal flavors, usually, or whatever I have around the house."
He grabbed another broken bit, nodding to himself as he ate. "These are the best scones I've ever had, Saunders."
"And you've had many scones?"
He glanced over, a grin I'd never be able to forget stretched across his face. "Enough to know."
I smoothed out the hoodie and tucked my arms back inside my shirt, and I burrowed so deep that Jude wouldn't notice another smile I couldn't wipe off my face.
chapter sixteen
Audrey
Today's vocabulary word: provisions
As the nightfaded into the early shoots of dawn, we passed through towns with names like Anderson Junction and Hurricane and Booze Crossing, each one feeling more remote than the last. In some, the population only numbered in the hundreds. I wondered aloud whether I'd like living in such a small community. I liked small towns like the one Shay lived in, but I didn't want to be isolated.
Jude listened but never offered his take.
We stopped for gas at one point. I headed straight for the restroom and offered all my gratitude to the patron saint of excellent sanitation practices. When I emerged with provisions, I found Jude with the car's hood popped, a little penlight snagged between his teeth as he examined something.
"Everything okay?" I asked, trying to keep the wariness out of my voice.
He pulled the penlight from his mouth, clicking it off. "Yeah, we're fine." He didn't sound too convinced. "Just a minor issue. Nothing to worry about."
I nodded, not reassured but willing to take his word for it. It wasn't like I had a better solution.
We weren't on the road an hour before Jude took an exit for Grandwood Valley. The sunrise was almost upon us with fingers of blinding light edging into the horizon and turning the incredible red rock formations into deep, radiant colors.
Jude steered the car toward another gas station—or a building that'd started as a gas station and had lived through several identity crises and construction projects. He parked in front of the station's garage bays and immediately popped the hood, his focus already zeroed in on the task at hand.
Jude didn't say anything about the car trouble and I didn't ask. I knew how he zoomed in on problems and how he had trouble zooming out until he had a solution.
I climbed out to stretch my legs. It was good to breathe clean mountain air, the sharp scents of pine and mesquite trees heavy on a breeze. Even with the last dregs of night still lingering to the west, it was hot here. The afternoon sun would be toasty.
I paced away when Jude pulled a tablet from his backpack. Whatever this was would take a minute.
Red dust edged the road where scrubby brush grew in spite of itself. I could see small structures spread out across the valley and climbing into the rocky foothills. Houses and stables, maybe. We'd passed signs announcing river rafting and rodeo events in the area.
People lived in this town and they traveled here to visit, though it seemed as though we were alone. The only sign of life came from the cars and trucks passing on the highway. Probably for the best since my hair felt like I hadn't washed all the soap out, I smelled like the back of an earlobe, and crumbs rained from my clothes with every step. I wasn't fit for meeting the locals.
When I made my way back to Jude, my cheeks already warm from the heat, I found him with his arms folded over his chest and a murderous glare aimed under the hood.
"I'm guessing it's not a minor issue anymore," I said.
"We're going to be here awhile," he said.
If there wasone thing I knew to be true, it was that Jude Bellessi could fix anything.
I learned today that this superpower didn't include corroded engine plugs.
