“Viper has rented us two connecting rooms at the hotel. One of Knox’s men will stock the rooms with groceries before we arrive. He won’t even have to go the store, since Diamond has enough supplies hoarded that she won’t even miss them.”
“I’m surprised Knox is still there. I expected Diamond to make him take them to her island,” Ginny said.
“The island is for emergency use when there is a Zombie outbreak. Diamond isn’t letting anyone step a foot on her island until the dead rise again.” Gavin said with a wry twist of his lips.
Diamond was notorious in their town for being a doomsday prepper after she married Knox.
“She afraid they’ll never want to leave.” Grinning at the silliness of what they were discussing, Ginny couldn’t help herself. “I told her she was wasting her money on an island. She should have invested in an underground bunker. Some dude is selling apartments in an underground apartment complex for two million a pop.”
Gavin narrowed his eyes on her at the tiny sound she let accidentally escape. “When was that?”
“During Christmas … when she was begging Knox to check out a system alert she wanted him to buy her. I was sitting with them at the same table with Dr. Price when she was asking him if he thought the system would sound if anything moved without a heartbeat.”
“What did he say?”
“He gave her Dr. Alder’s card. He’s a psychiatrist who’s moving into town the first of March.”
“A psychiatrist?”
“Personally, I think she should ask him if he has any opening day specials, but if you tell anyone else I said that, I’ll deny it. She gets a little testy when you tell her the zombie apocalypse only happens in movies. Willa told me that after Dr. Price gave her the psychiatrist’s card, she now drives to Jamestown when she needs a doctor. I might need a lawyer someday, and I don’t want to burn that bridge with her.”
Gavin didn’t give a full-fledged smile, but it was close. He was slowly relaxing his guard. However, the least little thing, and he would withdraw back in a shell, like a tortoise scenting danger. He wanted his hard exterior to blunt the pain, to prevent anyone from becoming too close. Sweet man didn’t know she loved tortoises. They took a lot patience to get them to show their real personality, and she had plenty to give Gavin; when he was ready to accept what she ready to give.
“We’re three hours away from Treepoint. The women’s restroom is empty if you need to go.”
“Are you going to leave me stranded while I’m in the restroom?” she teased.
“Depends on how long you talk me to death before you go.”
Ginny immediately got out of the car. With unfaltering steps, she walked toward the women’s restroom.
Sweet man was so obtuse that he was unaware she would never let him leave her behind. Hell, would have to freeze over first.
Ginny had never peed so fast in her life. Washing her hands, she dunked the paper towel in the trash at a run, determined not to give Gavin any excuse to leave her behind. Coming out of the restroom she nearly tripped over her feet at seeing Gavin patiently waiting outside the door.
“Why didn’t you wait in the car?” she asked in surprise.
“I wanted to make sure you didn’t leave the car keys in the restroom.” Lifting an ironic brow at her, Gavin held out his hand for the keys.
Reaching into her pocket she gave the keys to him. “I wanted to make sure you didn’t leave me.”
“Ginny, if I didn’t want you to get out the car at the gas station to keep you from getting near Jesus, why would I have let you ride on a motorcycle when you’d be even closer?”
“You were joking?”
“Wouldn’t say it was a joke, more to get you mad so you’d give me the silent treatment.”
Ginny stared at him balefully. “So, why are you admitting the truth when we still have three hours to go?”
The big jerk was actually proudly swaggering toward the passenger door. “All good things must come to an end.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“I need to make a phone call.” Ginny turned the radio down once Gavin was back on the road.
“If you didn’t want me listening in, you should’ve made the call while we were at the rest area. I don’t want to pull over.”
“I don’t mind you listening.” Finding her cell phone, Ginny pressed Silas’s phone number.
“Hey.”
Ginny smiled when her brother answered. “Hey. What are you doing up so late?”
“Watching television.”
“Don’t watch; it’s depressing.”
“Makes me glad I quit work at the lumberyard after Christmas.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“Nothing worth mentioning.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Wasn’t important.”
Ginny let the subject drop. Silas had always maintained his silence about his treatment at work.
His mother and stepfather both worked at the same store, and she had used her influence to get Silas a job there when he was just sixteen. From the few things he had told her, Ginny believed he had been treated unfairly by his stepfather, compared to the other employees.