She stayed true to her word and stayed up with me until my cab came. Once I jogged out of the door she waved and then I was headed out to my place. I stumbled into bed still fully dressed and passed out confused about what to do.
By the time morning came around my head banged a little, but I knew what I had to do. I couldn't let her leave without saying something to her. I'd dreamed about her all night and I knew how much I loved her. I couldn't stand the thought of being without her.
I showered and brushed my teeth before I headed out the door. When I went outside I stopped short and realized that I'd left my truck at the bar. Shit. I knew I'd have to pick that up first before I did anything else.
I pulled out my phone and for the first time, I realized that Joanne had called me the night before. I tried to remember when but the night was blurry. Groaning, I dialed her number. It rang a few times and went to voicemail… she must have sent me there on purpose.
"Shit."
I had to get over there right now. If I never got to see her again I wouldn't forgive myself. I needed to find out if she felt the same way that I did.
I dialed another number. Thankfully I'd grown up in the same town all my life, I could call in a little favor and all it would cost me were some quality steaks. Not that I needed to bribe my old friend the sheriff, I just would give him whatever he wanted if he could help me out.
Chapter 17
Joanne
I woke up exhausted. How the hell was that possible?
When I looked at my phone there was no return call from Peter. I dropped my phone into my bag and rolled off of the air mattress that I'd slept on.
Yawning, I padded to the bathroom to get ready for the day. The part for my car was supposed to be picked up and installed. As soon as it was ready to go then I would be heading out and not looking back.
The heat of the shower hit my skin and I moaned. My mind immediately went to Peter and the way he touched and held me when we showered together. I could still feel his lips and teeth on my throat as he ground up against me until I caved and bent over.
I missed those moments.
Those thoughts slammed into me so hard it was damn near hard to breathe. Why couldn't I have those times forever? The part of me that longed for his companionship ached. I'd gotten so used to spending time with him throughout the blizzard and then it was all gone.
Nothing. I had nothing.
I quickly slipped out of the shower and dried off before I slipped into my clothes for the drive. A pair of comfortable sweats, a t-shirt, a jacket, and my favorite sneakers. I wanted to be as comfortable as possible for my drive.
There was a knock on my door. I quickly finished up getting dressed before I opened it to find Dan on my front porch. He held a box in his hand and held it out to me.
"Got your brand new alternator. Let’s get it installed, shall we?"
"Please. It's not like I know what I'm doing," I laughed.
Dan looked around. "Is Peter here?"
I frowned. "Why would he be here?"
"Oh, no reason I guess. I just figured the two of you were still hanging out. Can I have your keys? I'll install this part for you."
I handed them over and Dan took the box and walked back down the stairs. His expression had been embarrassed but I didn't care. We spent a little time together and it was gone. There was no reason to get upset about it. Right?
I stared at the car and sighed. Everything was packed up and ready to go. There was no reason to hang around anymore. Dan
had handed my keys back once he was finished, and now that the new alternator was installed in my car I could leave at any time.
So, why didn't I want to go?
I gripped the keys in my hand and they made impressions on my palms. Why hadn't Peter called me back the night before? I thought for sure that when he didn't pick up he would at least call me back and say something, but nothing. Not a word. Not a text. Not a damn thing.
"Time to go," I whispered to myself. "No point in stalling."
I picked up my phone and called the realtor to make sure everything was going to go smoothly. I could have stayed and sold it myself, but I just needed to get the hell out of here and go home. My boss was climbing up a wall and I knew she wouldn't wait much longer for me to get back.