Maybe she was the one bringing all this damn weather.
“What kind of music do you like listening to?” Abby asked.
“Eighties rock, mostly. Hair bands and the like. Van Halen. Bon Jovi. Deff Leppard.”
“Pour some sugar on me!” Abby said.
“In the name of love!” Doug sang.
“For the love of God,” I said, groaning.
But instead of shooting me a glance, Abby lifted up her heel and came down onto my toe.
“Are you kidding me with this right now?” I asked. “All I wanted was for you to trust me. For you to lean back, close your eyes, and let me get you to Wichita. I didn’t fight you on a rental car and I was even excited about the idea of spending more time with you. And here we are, riding in a truck while the two of you sing at the top of your lungs because you want to blame me for our crash. But it was you who kept distracting me because you couldn’t keep your mouth shut. I had four-wheel drive, Abby. Four-wheel drive.”
“That doesn’t work on ice,” Doug said plainly.
Abby grinned at me and I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from snapping at her again.
“So, where were we?” Abby asked
“I was talking about how I got started being a trucker,” Doug said.
“Yes, so you liked driving so much so to make it a career?”
“That and I hated school. Never been a smart man and never wanted to be one. I just wanted to drive and get paid for it.”
“That’s insane,” Abby said. “You don’t get lonely? Or bored?”
“Sometimes. The loneliness didn’t really set in until I met my wife.”
“You’re married!?” Abby asked.
“I am. To the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. No offense, ma’am.”
“None taken,” Abby said. “How did you guys meet?”
“On the road. She was a trucker, too, until we had kids. We met at a rest stop I found on my way from one side of the country to the other, and it was love at first sight.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet. Did you guys stay the night together?” Abby asked.
I looked over at her and I could see how engrossed she was with his story.
“No, nothing like that,” Doug said, chuckling. “We stayed up all night in the 24/7 diner that was hooked up to the rest stop. I almost didn’t make that journey in time because I was so tired on the road. But she was worth it.”
“How did you guys keep something like that going?” Abby asked.
“Phones. We exchanged numbers that night and we tried to sync up our rest stops whenever we could.”
“Funny how communication makes that possible,” Abby said.
I hooked my gaze onto the profile of her face and I could see the hurt buried in her features.
Had she wanted me to call her that badly? Because she sure as hell wasn’t acting like it.
“We dated like that for almost a year, and every time I left her it was harder than the last. The rest is history and now we’ve been married almost twenty years and have three really great children.”
“How did you propose?” Abby asked.
“I think Doug has had enough questions,” I said.
“She’s just fine, Mr. Murphy,” Doug said. “It wasn’t anything special. We were at that same diner we met at and I just brought it up. Asked her how she felt about us getting married and she said she liked the idea. I bought her a ring to wear, and four months later we crossed our paths in Vegas and got married.”
“That is so awesome. And it’s unique to just you guys. Isn’t that a sweet story?”
Abby looked over in my general direction and I snickered.
“Oh, you want me to talk now?” I asked.
“I’m looking at you, aren’t I?” she asked.
“You sure the two of you aren’t dating?” Doug asked.
“Positive,” I said.
I spat the word out with a little more intensity than I needed to and I saw Abby sink back into her chair a little bit. We rode down the highway in silence, the tension hanging thick between Abby and me. How had things careened so far out of control between the two of us in such a short timespan? On the plane, I was surprised to see her, but happy. She was radiant and calm, minus the fact that she spilled her paperwork everywhere. But I had genuinely been happy at the idea of taking another road trip with her again.
Now, we were back at each other’s throats. Just like last time.
I didn’t want it to be that way, and yet it was.
“Do you ever miss them?” Abby asked.
Her voice was much softer this time. It wasn’t as confident or in control of the room. I could feel both her anger and her happiness draining into the floor, puddling around my shoes as her eyes gazed out the window.
She was longing for something, and I wanted to ask her what it was.
“I do,” Doug said. “I regret the time I’ve missed in their lives. The concerts and school plays and church functions I never got to attend. The first dates I missed in order to get overtime to make their holidays and birthdays special. The Valentine’s Days I’ve spent driving instead of being with Darla. I feel real bad about that.”
“Darla is a beautiful name,” Abby said. “She sounds like a strong woman.”
“She’s gotta be to put up with me and what I do for a living,” Doug said, snickering. “I knew if she had rejected my idea of marriage I’d end up alone. I’m a difficult man to live with.”
“You
