AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Freddy nodded, but he didn’t want to think about the meeting just yet. He knew Sabrina was the obvious scapegoat. If Patrick chose to put it all on her, Freddy would follow Sabrina out the door. Fuck his family.
But he could wait and worry about that later. Right now, Freddy just wanted to find a way back to the Charlottesville airport where his car was still parked. He decided it was one hundred percent worth explaining to Greg, their CFO, why he spent almost two hundred dollars on an Uber.
He got a reply from Patrick while waiting for his ride. All of Whitetail Mountain lost power around two. Sabrina’s house was on the other side of Simmon’s Gap, so hopefully her place was good. The thought of arriving home to no lights or hot water sounded as appealing as trying to shave his face while holdingthe blade with his toes. Also, Freddy desperately needed coffee. Maybe the driver would be willing to drive through somewhere.
A car matching the app’s description pulled up and rolled down the passenger window. “Freddy Taylor?” the driver checked.
“That’s me.”
“You’re going to Charlottesville airport?” He raised a brow in the rearview mirror as Freddy shoved his duffle into the backseat before flopping into the front.
“Yeah, that’s where I flew out from, so my car’s still there,” he explained. The man’s hair was naturally too light to tell how much of it was gray, but the wrinkles across his forehead and around his eyes showed how much life he’d lived.
A look of understanding crossed the driver’s face. “Ah. Yeah, they just announced they won’t be able to reopen until midmorning because they’ve got to clear branches and debris from the runways. Last night’s storms were intense.”
Freddy’s gut tightened, and he checked his phone again. Still no word from Sabrina, but it was early. “That’s why I’m trying to get home.”
“Let’s make that happen. I’m Justin, by the way. Where’s home?” The driver navigated them south toward I-66 with the relaxed posture of a DC native appreciating the limited pre-dawn traffic.
“Southwest of Fort Luray. Up in the mountains.”
“Ouch. That area got hit hard.”
Freddy frowned harder at his phone. It dinged with an incoming message, and he jolted hard enough to drop it on the floor by his feet.
“Careful now. If you need a charger, I’ve got a few here in the console.” The driver nodded to the storage bin between them. “You’re welcome to plug in and juice up along the way.”
“Thanks.” He retrieved his device and checked the battery. “I’ll take you up on that. I’m down to thirty percent.” But first, he wanted to see what Sabrina said.
Mom: Patrick just messaged me saying you’re back in VA. Why didn’t you text me?
Not Sabrina. Damn. Also, Katrina Taylor was a crazy woman. Freddy loved his mother, but that didn’t stop her from driving him fucking insane. He tried not to show it. Everyone knew he was the laid-back, fun Taylor kid. When his parents offered him the spare house they’d built between their retirement cabin and his childhood home (which had been converted into headquarters), he rubbed his hands together with glee and announced his plan to sponge off his parents forever was working. Then he’d faked maniacal laughter before sleeping in a room his mother had decorated.
“You look disappointed,” the driver commented.
Freddy glanced over at him before answering. “The text was from my mom.”
“Wishing it was your girlfriend or boyfriend, huh?”
“No girlfriend.” He’d given up trying to explain his friendship with Sabrina to strangers long ago. Even his family didn’t understand how close they were.
“So your mom’s that much of a pain?” Justin asked.
“She walks into my house like she owns it, which technically she does, but she’s always cleaning the place and tidying up. Sometimes I feel like I’m suffocating.” He clamped his mouth shut before anything else could escape. Freddy never spoke like that. He flirted and joked, or he was polite and professional.
Justin kept silent as he wove through the few early morning commuters heading west instead of into DC.
Feeling like a jerk, Freddy apologized. “I didn’t mean to dump that on you. Sorry. I appreciate you driving me such a longdistance.” Then he reached deep to pull out his funny persona from where it was buried beneath exhaustion and stress. “And hey, feel free to tell future passengers about the grumpy nutcase you had to drive all the way to Charlottesville.”
“You don’t need to apologize for complaining about your mother. We’ve all got one. Where were you flying in from?”
“I took the redeye in from Seattle after flying down from Alaska.”
“Damn.” Justin’s cheeks flushed. “My turn to apologize. I don’t normally swear at my riders, but that’s a lot of travel. I’m impressed you aren’t complaining about everything from your toenails to seatmate.”
Freddy chuckled. “No worries. It was,” he paused to consider his next words, “intense.”
Justin’s face crinkled in thought, but he didn’t ask any follow-up questions. “You want me to stop somewhere for coffee or food or anything?”
