steering wheel.
“How far are we going today?”
“Up into Kansas I think. We’ll see how it goes.”
They rode in silence until it overwhelmed her. He didn’t even have the radio on. “Never found that Tim McGraw CD?”
Will laughed. “Sorry, you pegged me wrong. I’m not into country.”
“So tell me about your consulting job.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Decided to make some small talk after all?”
“Unless you’d rather play the alphabet game. So what kind of consulting do you do?”
He shot her a wicked smile. “I’d be more than happy to demonstrate if you like.”
“I thought I wasn’t your type, with my baggage and all.” She raised her hand and waved to the back seat.
“Ouch,” He pressed his hand to his chest. “That hurts. Maybe I’ve decided to be an equal opportunist.”
“Do you ever lay off the crap or is it all bullshit, all the time with you?”
He laughed. “I work with computers. Networking stuff, nothing very exciting.”
“So you make up for it with your crappy pickup lines?”
Cocking an eyebrow, a slow smile spread across his face. “I can assure you, I’m not all talk. The offer to demonstrate still stands.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Thanks, I’ll pass.”
They passed an exit. “Do you need to stop anytime soon? Use the bathroom?” Will asked.
“No, I’m good. Since Jake’s sleeping, I say just keep going. Unless you have to stop.”
“I’ve been trained to travel for long lengths of time without needing a bathroom stop.”
“Oh yes, that previous military training. I still think you’re bluffing on that one.”
Will winked. “I guess you’ll never know. So now, your turn. You have to tell me something about you.”
She didn’t want to tell him anything. Whatever she told him needed to be fairly benign. “I used to be an accountant before all of this happened. A CPA.”
His eyes widened in surprised. “You? An accountant?”
A smug grin lifted the corner of her mouth. “Don’t see me as the accountant type?”
“Not any accountants I ever knew. They teach you how to drive in accounting school?”
“Not hardly.” She scoffed. “I learned how to drive like that when it became a necessity. Believe it or not, I used to be a very boring person.”
“Princess, somehow I doubt you were ever boring.” The way he said it made it sound like an actual compliment. “So why aren’t you still an accountant?”
“It’s hard to find a job in the professional world when you keep leaving without notice. Employers frown on that.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. You keep leaving because of the Bad Men?”
Emma realized she had been too unguarded. She straightened up in her seat. “Jake might feel it necessary to discuss it with you but I don’t.”
“Fair enough.”
Will’s sudden niceness unnerved her. He had to be up to something. “So did you learn your consulting skills in the military?”
He paused then belly laughed. “Yeah,” he choked out. “I guess you could say that.”
“What did you do in the military?”
His cocky attitude returned and he gave her a lazy smile. “I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”
She groaned. “Seriously? Is that the best you can do? It’s such a cliche.” Emma closed her eyes again. This was going to be a long trip.
“Ever live here?” Will asked as they drove around the outskirts of Oklahoma City.
“Fishing for information?”
“What do I care where you lived?”
“Exactly. Then why bother to ask?”
“Mommy, you need to be nicer to Will.” Jake sat up in the back seat, tears streaming down his face.
Her heart lurched. She leaned over the seat to wipe the tears from Jake’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’ll be nicer, okay?”
Will grunted.
She narrowed her eyes with a glare. “Don’t push me.”
“Mommy, please be nicer. Please .”
His face was so earnest that guilt hit her like a tidal wave. Why did he care if she got along with Will? Maybe Jake
“How far are we going today?”
“Up into Kansas I think. We’ll see how it goes.”
They rode in silence until it overwhelmed her. He didn’t even have the radio on. “Never found that Tim McGraw CD?”
Will laughed. “Sorry, you pegged me wrong. I’m not into country.”
“So tell me about your consulting job.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Decided to make some small talk after all?”
“Unless you’d rather play the alphabet game. So what kind of consulting do you do?”
He shot her a wicked smile. “I’d be more than happy to demonstrate if you like.”
“I thought I wasn’t your type, with my baggage and all.” She raised her hand and waved to the back seat.
“Ouch,” He pressed his hand to his chest. “That hurts. Maybe I’ve decided to be an equal opportunist.”
“Do you ever lay off the crap or is it all bullshit, all the time with you?”
He laughed. “I work with computers. Networking stuff, nothing very exciting.”
“So you make up for it with your crappy pickup lines?”
Cocking an eyebrow, a slow smile spread across his face. “I can assure you, I’m not all talk. The offer to demonstrate still stands.”
Emma rolled her eyes. “Thanks, I’ll pass.”
They passed an exit. “Do you need to stop anytime soon? Use the bathroom?” Will asked.
“No, I’m good. Since Jake’s sleeping, I say just keep going. Unless you have to stop.”
“I’ve been trained to travel for long lengths of time without needing a bathroom stop.”
“Oh yes, that previous military training. I still think you’re bluffing on that one.”
Will winked. “I guess you’ll never know. So now, your turn. You have to tell me something about you.”
She didn’t want to tell him anything. Whatever she told him needed to be fairly benign. “I used to be an accountant before all of this happened. A CPA.”
His eyes widened in surprised. “You? An accountant?”
A smug grin lifted the corner of her mouth. “Don’t see me as the accountant type?”
“Not any accountants I ever knew. They teach you how to drive in accounting school?”
“Not hardly.” She scoffed. “I learned how to drive like that when it became a necessity. Believe it or not, I used to be a very boring person.”
“Princess, somehow I doubt you were ever boring.” The way he said it made it sound like an actual compliment. “So why aren’t you still an accountant?”
“It’s hard to find a job in the professional world when you keep leaving without notice. Employers frown on that.”
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. You keep leaving because of the Bad Men?”
Emma realized she had been too unguarded. She straightened up in her seat. “Jake might feel it necessary to discuss it with you but I don’t.”
“Fair enough.”
Will’s sudden niceness unnerved her. He had to be up to something. “So did you learn your consulting skills in the military?”
He paused then belly laughed. “Yeah,” he choked out. “I guess you could say that.”
“What did you do in the military?”
His cocky attitude returned and he gave her a lazy smile. “I could tell you but then I’d have to kill you.”
She groaned. “Seriously? Is that the best you can do? It’s such a cliche.” Emma closed her eyes again. This was going to be a long trip.
“Ever live here?” Will asked as they drove around the outskirts of Oklahoma City.
“Fishing for information?”
“What do I care where you lived?”
“Exactly. Then why bother to ask?”
“Mommy, you need to be nicer to Will.” Jake sat up in the back seat, tears streaming down his face.
Her heart lurched. She leaned over the seat to wipe the tears from Jake’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I’ll be nicer, okay?”
Will grunted.
She narrowed her eyes with a glare. “Don’t push me.”
“Mommy, please be nicer. Please .”
His face was so earnest that guilt hit her like a tidal wave. Why did he care if she got along with Will? Maybe Jake
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