I’m going to freeze to death in my car.
Of course, I ignore the fact I have half a tank of gas and enough heat to keep me warm until it runs out.
“How far out are you?”
I glance around, even though I can’t really see much. “I think I was approaching Johnson’s farm. I don’t remember passing the barn, but I know I already went over the old bridge.” At least I hope I didn’t pass it.
“Okay, so you’re not too far from town. Maybe four miles?”
“Yeah, four to five.”
Too far to walk,but I don’t vocalize the obvious.
“Oh! You’re near Gabe’s house!”
“Gabe?”
“My brother. You remember him, right?”
Memories of Hallie’s nerdy older brother come flooding back. Gabe storming out of his room to yell at us to keep it down while he studies. Him completely ignoring us as he plays with his friends in the backyard. Gabe throwing a roll at my head the moment his mom turned around to get more ham from the kitchen. The time he returned home from his first year of college looking like a man instead of the boy I remembered.
“Yeah, uh, I recall.”
“He’s right up the road. He purchased the Peterman place just ’round the bend,” she informs.
“No, I don’t want to bother him.”
I’m met with silence on the other end of the line. “Blair, I’m not sure who else could get you right now. They’re not running the plows. It might be hours before emergency services can get someone out to your location,” she says with a slight hesitancy in her voice.
“Shit. You’re right.”
“Unless you want to call…you know.”
“Nope, no way,” I insist, already understanding where she was going.
“That’s what I thought. So, why don’t you let me call Gabe? At least you’ll be safe, and I won’t have to worry about you.”
I take a deep breath, letting it out in a loud sigh. What choice do I have? “Fine. Thanks.”
“I’ll call you right back, okay?”
“Yeah, all right,” I mumble, making my oldest and dearest friend laugh.
“Just sit tight, Blair. Help is on the way!”
Where else am I going to go?
I slip my phone back into the cupholder, barely refraining from slamming my head on the steering wheel. Seriously, Blair? If I would have just left tomorrow morning the way I wanted, none of this would have happened. I’d be safely tucked away in my townhouse, wearing my comfy flannel pants, no bra, and half-drunk on my favorite red wine. The snow would be long cleared from the roadways, and I wouldn’t be trapped in the middle of nowhere, waiting on a rescue.
My phone rings a few moments later, my best friend’s face filling the screen. “Hello?”
“He’s on his way.”
“Is Gabe going to be able to get to me? It’s really deep, Hal. If the plows aren’t running, maybe it’s not safe for your brother to venture out into it either,” I reason, noticing the snow hasn’t let up in the slightest.
“Not a problem for Gabe,” she insists with a chuckle. “I can’t believe you were going to surprise me a day early. I’m so bummed I’m not there.”
“I can’t believe I didn’t pay closer attention to the weather forecast before I took off, but once I had it in my head I wanted to go, I just packed up and left. I should have been here almost two hours ago, but the farther north I went, the worse the roads got, especially after I turned off the interstate.”