Mud Slinging
"Dammit!" Zoe cursed as she pulled to the side of the road. The sudden deluge from the night sky was not the annoyance; it had been raining on and off for days. What aggravated her was the huge smear that appeared across her windshield when she flicked on the wipers, making it impossible to see the dark, rainy road. Debris from the flowering trees was caught under the blades and was being dragged across the glass as the blades rotated back and forth. Zoe put the car in park and listened to the rain pounding on the roof, trying to decide if the downpour was letting up at all. "Ugh!" she grunted after a minute. Hoping she did not get too drenched, Zoe readied herself for a quick jump out of the car to clear the wiper blades.
"One, two, three!" Zoe threw open the car door and hopped out. Her foot hit the ground and continued sinking past her welly clad ankle into the squishy Alabama mud. "Dammit!" she cursed again.
Zoe managed to clean the blades and hopped back into the car, carefully containing the mud from her boots to just the floor mat. Her face was dripping and the back of her shirt was soaked, but at least the windshield was clear. She put the car in drive and stepped gently on the gas to ease back onto the road. The car didn't move. She applied more gas, hearing the engine rev. Still the car did not budge.
"What now?!" Zoe spit in frustration. Placing the car in park again, she got out and trudged through the mire to check the tires only to find them stuck in the mud almost to the wheel well. "Dammit!" Zoe cursed a third time.
It was just passed 1am. Zoe was on her way back home after delivering a baby out at the Culpepper farm when the skies opened up. Zoe admonished herself for taking the back roads home. With all the rain they've been having, she should have known better. Scrolling through her phone's contact list, she came across the only tow service she knew of, Pete's Garage in Bluebell, but Brick had Pete on bed rest with a herniated disc. That option was out. She could call Lavon, but that would mean disturbing Annabeth as well. There was only one person she knew who would not be awakened by a call at this hour.
"Wade? Hi, it's Zoe."
Stuck on the side of a dark, lonely road without a house or building in sight, Zoe was getting jumpier by the minute as her over-active imagination started to get the best of her. She recalled the scary stories she heard at sleep-away camp about escaped psycho-ward patients terrorizing unsuspecting teens making-out in their cars. "Relax," she said aloud. "There are no mental hospitals near here." She turned on the radio, but due to her location and the storm, the stations had too much static. "Toot-toot-toot" she whistled, but when she glanced towards the woods, she was reminded of scenes from The Vampire Diaries where lone drivers were prey to the demons of the night. "Stop it!" She yelled!
About twenty minutes into her internal freight fest, Zoe saw headlights in the distance. "Yes! Finally, Wade." Zoe breathed a sigh of relief until she realized those headlights belonged to a white pickup truck she did not recognize. Her mind reeled to true-crime stories of stranded motorists being kidnapped and murdered by "good Samaritans" stopping to help. Her pulse quickened as the truck slowly passed her, and then flashed red brake lights. As the truck began to back up, Zoe's blood pounded in her ears. "Dammit!" she squeeked.
She watched wide-eyed with fear as the darkened window rolled down.
"Hey there, Doc! You sure got yourself in a pickle." Wade grinned.
Relieved it was Wade but annoyed by that moment of terror, Zoe rolled down her window and snapped, "It took you long enough!"
"Well, if you're not gonna be nice …" Wade started to warn.
Zoe cut him off, "I - I'm sorry. I just got a little freaked out when a strange car stopped." She said contritely. "Whose truck is that?"
"Meatball's. It's got a tow chain, so I can pull you out of the mud." He explained. "Let's get this set up."
"What should I do?"
"Once I get the truck positioned, why don't you come sit in the cab here while I hook up the tow. It'll be easier to pull the car out with less weight in it."
"Uh! Did you just call me fat?" Zoe pretended to be insulted.
"No!" Wade chuckled. "Dang, girl! You're in a mood, tonight."
Smiling, Zoe rolled up her window and watched as Wade angled the truck near her front bumper. She began fiddling with the radio again and looked up in time to see Wade jump out of the truck can and disappear.
The embankment gave way and Wade slid ten feet down through the mud. Gasping, Zoe leaped from the car. "Wade!" She plodded around the front bumper. "Wade are you OKKKKKKKKKKKKK-ahhhhhhhhhhhh" Zoe screamed as she, too plunged down the muddy embankment.
"Ugh!" Wade grunted has her weight slammed into him.
"Ohmygod! Wade! I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"
"For a tiny thing, you sure do pack a wallop!" Wade grinned and Zoe smacked his shoulder "Shut up!"
She heard him start to laugh, quietly at first and then it grew into a huge belly laugh. Soon, Zoe followed suit. Both laughing so hard they could not speak. Zoe's body shook so hard, she rolled onto her side and slipped further. "Ahh" she screamed as Wade grabbed her around the waist. This only set off more laughter.
"Ohmygod! Look at us!" Zoe lamented as they started to recover.
Chuckling, Wade replied "Not exactly the mud bath you'd get at the spa, huh?"
"How are we going to get back up that hill?" Zoe craned her head to look back up at the cars.
"Why don't you try to climb up and I'll be here in case you slip." Wade suggested.
With Wade's support, Zoe rolled over onto her hands and knees and crawled up the embankment. Slipping at one point, Wade used the palms of both hands to push her bottom, leaving two complete muddy hand prints on her butt. "Hey!" Zoe yelled.
"Don't get snippy, Doc. You needed a boost!" Wade defended himself with a cocky grin on his face.
As Zoe reached the top of the embankment, Wade was right behind her.
"What a mess!" Zoe complained shaking the mud off her her hands and trying to wipe her face.
"I have some towels in the truck." Wade said.
As Zoe turned towards the truck, she slipped in the muck and fell against Wade.
"Whoa, there." Wade said, catching her around the waist.
"Sorry" Zoe said grabbing onto his shoulders.
"God! She's soft." Wade thought.
"God! He he's strong!" thought she.
"Matted in mud, and she's still beautiful."
"Covered in muck, and he's still sexy as hell."
Their eyes met and held for a moment, when the rain started falling again. "Ugh!" they said in unison as together they moved to the passenger door of the truck, each remembering another night when the rain interrupted a "moment."
Wade ducked in and arranged a towel over the seat and placed Zoe in the cab, covering her with a blanket. He then eased himself under the Prius to attach the tow chain. Despite making quick work of it, he was completely caked in mud. Before sliding behind the steering wheel, he removed his shirt and tossed it in the truck bed. Zoe tried not to stare at his bare chest as he grabbed another towel and placed it on the seat protecting it from his muddy jeans.
Turning his crooked grin on her, Wade said "Here we go!" Putting the car in gear, he eased on the gas. Slowly, slowly, bit by bit, the Prius emerged from the mud.
"Will it drive okay or do I need to get it towed to a repair shop?" Zoe asked nervously.
"It should be fine. Only the tires were sunk in the mud, the undercarriage barely got dirty." Wade clarified. "If the ride feels off, you may need the tires rebalanced."
Towing the Prius onto the road, Wade parked the truck. Since the rain had let up again, they both got out as he moved under the car to unhook the tow chain. "I'll follow you back to the plantation." Wade suggested. "If anything makes you feel uneasy, just put your flashers on and stop on the road. Don't pull to the burm in case of another mudslide."
Nodding her head, Zoe replied, "Okay. I can do that." She started to remove the blanket that was still wrapped around her.
"Take it." Wade said. "You don't want to muddy up your seats."
"Thanks! I'll wash it and get it back to you." Zoe smiled appreciatively.
"No problem." Wade grinned.
"Seriously, Wade. Thanks for all of this."
Holding her gaze for just a moment, he simply responded "You bet."
Zoe walked back to her car and situated the blanket along the driver's seat before climbing in. She started up the car and blasted the heat to try and warm up. With a little wave to Wade, she pulled out and headed home with Wade tailing her the whole way.
They pulled into the drive at the plantation. As Zoe pulled in front of the carriage house, she watched in her rear view mirror as Wade parked at the gatehouse. She exited the car, grabbing the muddy blanket from the seat back. Climbing the steps she contemplated dropping her muddy clothes on the porch. With a glance at the gatehouse, Zoe saw Wade dump muddy towels onto the deck and shuck his jeans adding them to the pile. In just his boxers, he moved toward the deck doors, but he paused just before entering and turned towards the carriage house. There was a single light on inside, backlighting a frozen silhouette standing on the porch.
"Everything okay?" Wade called out.
In her embarrassment at being caught watching him, Zoe's voice cracked as she yelled back "Yah." Then, with quick nervous motions, she ran into her apartment.
Early the next morning, Zoe awoke to knocking on her porch door. Half asleep, she lumbered to the door, forgetting that she wore only the Victoria Secrets red silk camisole and boy-cut shorts that her mom had given her last Christmas. She met Wade's eyes through the glass. He smiled at her sleepy face and mussed hair. When she opened the door, Wade gulped as his eyes traveled down her body and the unexpected display of curves and skin. Swallowing hard, he tried to mask his sudden desire.
"Wade?" Zoe asked sleepily.
"Uh - sorry. I – uh – know it's early." Wade stuttered, scratching the back of his head. Taking a breath, he finally composed himself. "I need to wash the truck and get it back over to Meatball. I figured, I'd wash the Prius as well."
"Oh, no, Wade. I couldn't ask you to do that." Zoe demurred.
"You didn't ask. I offered. I just need the keys to move the car." Wade said.
"Are you sure –" Zoe started.
"Doc, just give me the keys" Wade demanded impatiently.
"Okay, hold on," she said turning to rummage through her oversized handbag sitting on the floor next to the hall table. Wade allowed himself to view her backside but was quick to mask his enjoyment when Zoe suddenly turned around. "Here they are," she said holding the keys out to him.
With that crooked grin, Wade took them and turned away. "Know what?" Zoe asked and Wade turned back. "I think I'll join you."
Wade grinned, "I'll go ahead and get started. C'mon out when you're ready." He said as his eyes glanced again at her attire – or there lack of.
Ten minutes later, Zoe emerged clad in a white tank top and cutoff jeans. She saw Wade, shirtless of course, spaying water into a bucket of suds.
"Hey." Zoe greeted.
"Hi-ya." Wade said.
"So, how do you do this?" Zoe asked.
"Seriously, Doc?" Wade scoffed. "You've never washed a car?"
"I lived in Manhattan. So, no, I've never hand-washed a car before." Zoe explained defensively.
Chuckling, Wade explained the basics as he sprayed down the Prius.
They worked quietly for a few minutes until Wade tossed his sponge into the bucket and it splashed Zoe.
"Oh no you didn't" She laughed, tossing her sponge at him. She then picked up the hose and sprayed him.
"Ahh." He exclaimed as the cold water hit his chest. Laughing, hands raised to deflect the water, Wade moved towards her, wrestling the nozzle from her hand. Knowing she was in for it, Zoe let out a little scream and turned to run as Wade chased her with the hose. She ducked down on the far side of the car, but Wade had the advantage of height and was able to reach over the hood and squirt her. "Ahh" she screamed again. "Truce! Truce!" Zoe yelled.
Laughing, Wade agreed. "Okay. Truce."
"Ugh! I'm drenched." Zoe complained as she wrung out the hem of her t-shirt.
"Always wanted to see you in a wet t-shirt contest!" Wade teased.
"Shut up!" Zoe squealed, embarrassed, slapping him on the shoulder as she walked back to the bucket of soapy water.
They went back to work, each eyeing the other to see who would break the ceasefire first, but after a couple of minutes the eyeing became less suspicious and more appreciative. Zoe noticed Wade's muscles flexing as he worked, the light glinting off his wet skin and his golden hair. Wade wondered if he could actually burst into flames watching her in those even shorter short-shorts she wore, especially when she reached on tip-toe across the hood of her car with her soapy sponge.
"Here let me get that for you." Wade offered, his voice cracking a bit.
"Thanks. Um, Wade? It's starting to get late and I need to get into the office."
"No problem. I'll finish up while you get ready."
"Are you sure." She asked nervously.
"Doc?!" Wade asked, looking at her like she had three heads.
"It's just – well since – I don't - " Zoe struggled to get her thoughts out and couldn't meet his eyes. She didn't want to take advantage of his feelings for her. But at the same time, she wanted them to be friends, maybe more, if she could ever get the image of him with Claudette out of her mind.
Wade sensed her sudden withdrawal and immediately drew closer to her, tipping up her chin with his index finger. "Zoe, it's fine. Go on, now." Wade spoke in that hushed tone he sometimes used, that hushed tone that always made her feel safe and cared for. She saw his tender smile reflected in his eyes and nodded faintly, before returning to the carriage house.