Chapter 24
Gordon breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the truck stop shining like a lighthouse beacon through the thickly falling snow. He expertly controlled the car as it fishtailed into the parking lot.
"Why are we stopping?" Em looked pale in the uncertain light of the flashing neon sign advertising 'The Dew Drop Inn'. As the euphoria of their little scam died away she had become more and more quiet, often fiddling with the ring on her finger.
"Get some coffee. Have a talk. Stretch a little."
"Don't you have to leave soon?" Her voice sounded a little plaintive.
"The weather is a bit dicey for flying in. I'll call Father when I get to your place."
The hot air of the coffee shop hit them like a welcoming blast as they walked in. Snow started melting off of them, so that when they slid into the small booth they both looked like half drowned cats. The waitress thoughtfully brought over a towel and two menus.
"I'll be back in half a mo' with some coffee. 'Kay?" She went over to exchange some words with a long range trucker who was leaving. "Drive carefully Pat!"
"Don' I always darlin'?" The trucker turned up his coat collar and dashed into the storm.
Gordon had taken the towel from Em's hands and was vigorously drying her hair.
"Hey! Careful!" Her protests were muffled by the towel. The result was a spiky, tangled mass. Gordon applied the towel just as energetically to his own red mop as hers. He grinned as she tried to finger comb it back into the smooth elegance it had been earlier.
"Lord, I look like something the dog drug in." she mourned, looking at her uncertain reflection in the window darkened by the storm.
"I like you ruffled." Gordon smiled and leaned over the table for quick kiss on the cheek just as the waitress came with two hot steaming cups of coffee. The waitress smiled wryly, truckers and traveling salesmen were more usual customers, young lovers tended to stop at more romantic places.
Em felt the heat rush to her cheeks and she took a quick sip of the coffee to hide her reaction. Gordon had certainly kissed her a lot today, all in the game of appearing to the lawyers and Charlotte that they were engaged and in love, but that quick one to the cheek left her - confused.
"I think a good bowl of hot soup and lots of crackers would do us a world of good. "Gordon announced. "Same for you, dear one?"
Em practically choked on a gulp of hot coffee. "Gordon!" she hissed at him.
"Of course, if you want something else?" He put that so puppy dog, trying hard to please expression on his face.
"Two soups with crackers?" The waitress' pen poised over her data pad.
"Yes, please." Em managed and shot her friend a poisonous look.
"What? If you didn't want soup, why not say so?" He made as if to call the waitress back.
"It's fine." She pulled his arm down. "Lord, Gordon, you are impossible at times."
"I know." He sighed theatrically and took her hand in his. It was a worn and calloused hand. He turned it over and ran his own work roughened fingers over the burn scar on her wrist. He didn't release it right away.
"For this, I am sorry."
"It was just an accident Gordon."
"It was my fault." He said mulishly.
Em recognized the finality to his tone of voice. Gordon was mostly easy going, but when he got stubborn there was no shifting him.
"Okay. It was your fault," She pulled her hand gently and he gave it up rather reluctantly. "And I forgive you."
"Maybe you do, maybe you don't." he said enigmatically and leaned back in his seat.
"I do. I do! Dang it Gordon. What do I have to do to..." She stopped suddenly as the red headed young man slid out of his seat knelt on the floor in front of her.
"Be my girl, Em."
"Gordon!"
"I want you to be in love with me again." He said louder. "Then I know you will have forgiven me for all this - mess." He took both of her hands in his and kissed the burn scar tenderly. "Please Em." he repeated huskily his eyes on her.
The waitress had come with their two bowls of soup and was waiting patiently to serve them.
"If you like your soup hot, honey, I suggest you give him an answer."
"I...you..." Em stuttered. A million reasons why to say 'no' rushed through her brain. There was only one good reason to say yes. She looked into his eyes and saw that one same reason there.
"Yes." She said with finality and a great deal of inner relief.
The announcement was greeted with a scattering of applause from the customers of the
coffee shop.
"That's a good one you got there." The waitress whispered to Em as she placed the soup in front of her.
"Yes. I know." Em winked at Gordon who winked back.
They ate the meal in a silence filled with quiet messages of looks and the brushing of hands across the table. The words would come later. Not surprisingly enough, the waitress announced that the meal was on the house.
One of the truckers had gone out earlier and swept the accumulated snow off their car, so they didn't get too cold or wet before starting out.
Driving was beastly. The snow was driving down so furiously that it was impossible for Gordon to use the high beams. Wind gusts seem to come out of nowhere rocking even the sturdy frame of the car. Frankly, it was no worse than some of the other conditions he and his brothers drove, rode, or flew through for International Rescue. At least he wasn't dangling at the end of a hawser in this mess.
"If it gets too rough..." Em ventured, not wanting to impinge on his concentration. The weather was terrible.
"I think we can make it home." Gordon spared her a glance.
"I meant I could drive. I'm used to this kind of stuff. Pipes always burst in winter."
Gordon took a deep breath. Em wasn't a fluffy dependent female, she'd always kept up with him, even led the way at times. She was his partner, his pal, and maybe much more. "Thanks. I'll let you know."
The accident was already unfolding a mere hundred yards in front of them.
Gordon breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the truck stop shining like a lighthouse beacon through the thickly falling snow. He expertly controlled the car as it fishtailed into the parking lot.
"Why are we stopping?" Em looked pale in the uncertain light of the flashing neon sign advertising 'The Dew Drop Inn'. As the euphoria of their little scam died away she had become more and more quiet, often fiddling with the ring on her finger.
"Get some coffee. Have a talk. Stretch a little."
"Don't you have to leave soon?" Her voice sounded a little plaintive.
"The weather is a bit dicey for flying in. I'll call Father when I get to your place."
The hot air of the coffee shop hit them like a welcoming blast as they walked in. Snow started melting off of them, so that when they slid into the small booth they both looked like half drowned cats. The waitress thoughtfully brought over a towel and two menus.
"I'll be back in half a mo' with some coffee. 'Kay?" She went over to exchange some words with a long range trucker who was leaving. "Drive carefully Pat!"
"Don' I always darlin'?" The trucker turned up his coat collar and dashed into the storm.
Gordon had taken the towel from Em's hands and was vigorously drying her hair.
"Hey! Careful!" Her protests were muffled by the towel. The result was a spiky, tangled mass. Gordon applied the towel just as energetically to his own red mop as hers. He grinned as she tried to finger comb it back into the smooth elegance it had been earlier.
"Lord, I look like something the dog drug in." she mourned, looking at her uncertain reflection in the window darkened by the storm.
"I like you ruffled." Gordon smiled and leaned over the table for quick kiss on the cheek just as the waitress came with two hot steaming cups of coffee. The waitress smiled wryly, truckers and traveling salesmen were more usual customers, young lovers tended to stop at more romantic places.
Em felt the heat rush to her cheeks and she took a quick sip of the coffee to hide her reaction. Gordon had certainly kissed her a lot today, all in the game of appearing to the lawyers and Charlotte that they were engaged and in love, but that quick one to the cheek left her - confused.
"I think a good bowl of hot soup and lots of crackers would do us a world of good. "Gordon announced. "Same for you, dear one?"
Em practically choked on a gulp of hot coffee. "Gordon!" she hissed at him.
"Of course, if you want something else?" He put that so puppy dog, trying hard to please expression on his face.
"Two soups with crackers?" The waitress' pen poised over her data pad.
"Yes, please." Em managed and shot her friend a poisonous look.
"What? If you didn't want soup, why not say so?" He made as if to call the waitress back.
"It's fine." She pulled his arm down. "Lord, Gordon, you are impossible at times."
"I know." He sighed theatrically and took her hand in his. It was a worn and calloused hand. He turned it over and ran his own work roughened fingers over the burn scar on her wrist. He didn't release it right away.
"For this, I am sorry."
"It was just an accident Gordon."
"It was my fault." He said mulishly.
Em recognized the finality to his tone of voice. Gordon was mostly easy going, but when he got stubborn there was no shifting him.
"Okay. It was your fault," She pulled her hand gently and he gave it up rather reluctantly. "And I forgive you."
"Maybe you do, maybe you don't." he said enigmatically and leaned back in his seat.
"I do. I do! Dang it Gordon. What do I have to do to..." She stopped suddenly as the red headed young man slid out of his seat knelt on the floor in front of her.
"Be my girl, Em."
"Gordon!"
"I want you to be in love with me again." He said louder. "Then I know you will have forgiven me for all this - mess." He took both of her hands in his and kissed the burn scar tenderly. "Please Em." he repeated huskily his eyes on her.
The waitress had come with their two bowls of soup and was waiting patiently to serve them.
"If you like your soup hot, honey, I suggest you give him an answer."
"I...you..." Em stuttered. A million reasons why to say 'no' rushed through her brain. There was only one good reason to say yes. She looked into his eyes and saw that one same reason there.
"Yes." She said with finality and a great deal of inner relief.
The announcement was greeted with a scattering of applause from the customers of the
coffee shop.
"That's a good one you got there." The waitress whispered to Em as she placed the soup in front of her.
"Yes. I know." Em winked at Gordon who winked back.
They ate the meal in a silence filled with quiet messages of looks and the brushing of hands across the table. The words would come later. Not surprisingly enough, the waitress announced that the meal was on the house.
One of the truckers had gone out earlier and swept the accumulated snow off their car, so they didn't get too cold or wet before starting out.
Driving was beastly. The snow was driving down so furiously that it was impossible for Gordon to use the high beams. Wind gusts seem to come out of nowhere rocking even the sturdy frame of the car. Frankly, it was no worse than some of the other conditions he and his brothers drove, rode, or flew through for International Rescue. At least he wasn't dangling at the end of a hawser in this mess.
"If it gets too rough..." Em ventured, not wanting to impinge on his concentration. The weather was terrible.
"I think we can make it home." Gordon spared her a glance.
"I meant I could drive. I'm used to this kind of stuff. Pipes always burst in winter."
Gordon took a deep breath. Em wasn't a fluffy dependent female, she'd always kept up with him, even led the way at times. She was his partner, his pal, and maybe much more. "Thanks. I'll let you know."
The accident was already unfolding a mere hundred yards in front of them.