Chapter Sixteen

“I hope Elizabeth isn’t at my parent's house.” I mumbled under my breath as I buckled myself in.

Nolan stared intently at the GPS system trying to make sure he was typing in the right address. His eyes gazed back and forth between his cell phone and the screen in his dash.

“Huh?” His delayed reaction caused my brows to furrow with a questioning stare.

I sighed and leaned on to the armrest of my door. My chin rested on my hand as I admired the quaint little bed and breakfast one last time before we set off. It wasn’t just the beauty of the cottage style house covered in greenery and blooms, but what had taken place inside. This would remain a pivotal place in my life. Regardless if Nolan and I worked out or not, this tiny little cottage would be where my walls came tumbling down and I, for once, lived.

“Ah!” Nolan had finally managed to find the right address in his system. “Okay, so why are you so worried about your sister again?”

“No reason.” I leaned back into my chair and folded my arms. “She’s just a little judgmental, that’s all.”

Nolan’s brow flinched as he looked at me. “How so?” He turned back to face the road as he switched the gear into drive. 

“Oh, you know,” I began to mock her in a voice that wasn’t even remotely close to her real one. “You’re almost thirty years old with out a job, living off of your parents, and now you’re planning on moving to South Carolina with a guy you just met?”

Nolan laughed, “she sounds like fun.”

“Trust me, she is.” I rolled my eyes. “You know she wasn’t always like this. She was actually cool, and dare I say my best friend, before she went off to college.”

“What happened in college?” 

“The harsh reality of life managed to miss me and smacked her instead.” I sunk into my seat to get more comfortable. There was still a long way before we’d be making a stop. “I don’t know, I guess she’s more of a realist than I was. She did exactly what our parents wanted for us to do. Went to college, got a job, got married, had kids.” 

“I take that back.” Nolan briefly looked over at me with half a smile. “She doesn’t sound like too much fun.”

“Yeah well, at least she doesn’t have to live with regrets.” 

“Isn’t life all about trial and error?” Nolan’s smile had been replaced with a more serious stare. “You went for a career in something that excites you. You moved out to L.A to find a job. So what if that opportunity hasn’t knocked yet? At least you know you tried. Imagine how many things you’ve experienced that she never will because she chose to play it safe.” 

My eyes grazed from the empty road ahead of us to over my shoulder at Nolan.

“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I just wasn’t raised like that. We were always told to strive for what ever made us happy.”

“Must be nice.” I huffed. “Do you think we might be crazy for doing this?”

“Do I think it’s crazy that a random impulse to help a stranger out while driving on an empty highway in the dessert and then spending every waking hour with that stranger only to find out that I’ve never quiet had a connection with anyone in that way? Yes. Do I think we’re crazy for trying to explore the potential? No.”

I laughed at Nolan’s synopsis. He was right. It was one thing that I felt a certain unexplainable way about him, but knowing he felt it too made it that much more interesting.

I reached over to grab his hand and smiled. “Well, I think it’s crazy and I’m not gonna lie…” He looked over at me waiting for me to finish my thought. “I’m starting to like crazy.”

“Welcome to the party.” Nolan smiled back as he squeezed my hand.

When I lived in my hometown I was always busy with the little things in life. From high school drama to being locked away in my dorm studying all night. I never appreciated the beauty of the East Coast. Ironically coming back home with Nolan as a “new” Harper, it was like I was experiencing it for the first time. I’d never taken the time to really look at the cobblestone pathways, the old English architecture, the way the chilly winter air made the naked trees dance along the road. 

It only made me think about what else I might have missed out on. All I cared about was becoming the best journalist the world had ever seen, and now that I was thinking about it, I’d lived in L.A for years and had only been to the beach twice. Twice. I was so consumed with wanting success that I missed out on the little things. 

The deeper I buried myself into my thoughts the more upset I became. I almost missed out on finding Mr. Right because I would’ve rather written an article exploiting a fake connection I was desperate to make in order to catch the attention of publications. If I hadn’t actually fallen for Nolan, I would still be stuck in that same pessimistic cycle. 

“Do you need to stop?” I heard Nolan’s voice and snapped back to reality. 

It had almost been four hours since we’d been driving on the road. Most days the time couldn’t have gone slower, but today, the closer we got to home, the faster it flew by.

“No, no,” I shook my head as I stretched and sat upright. “I’m fine.”

“I’m a little thirsty.” He reached for an empty bottle sitting in the console and swiveled around the droplets of water. “There’s a gas station up ahead, you sure you don’t want anything?”

I thought about it for a good second before I shook my head. 

Nolan pulled into a parking spot and made his way inside. I sat in the car quietly fiddling my thumbs as I people watched. There was a couple a few parking spots down with a young little boy in the back seat. I watched as he opened up his mom’s bag and pulled out a packet of gum. The sheer look of joy that consumed his face as he stuck the gum in his mouth was enough to make me crave a piece. 

I leaned over and grabbed my bag from the floor and dug around. I knew I had a packet in here somewhere. I continued to dig until finally I opened my bag up and took a peek inside. Crumpled up in the side pocket was an empty package. I sighed in defeat before realizing that Nolan was still inside. I shoved my bag over and jumped out the car. 

By the time I made it to the door, Nolan was already on his way out. “What happened?” He looked concerned when he saw my frantic expression.

“Nothing, I just wanted to grab some gum.”

“Let me get it.” He insisted as he turned around and proceeded back inside. 

I stopped him. “It’s okay, I got it. Besides, I want to see what all flavors they have.”

Nolan shook his head and laughed. “Fine, suit yourself. I’ll be in the car.” He cracked his bottle of water open and took a gulp.

I perused through the candy aisle marveling at the endless options. I hadn’t seen some of these companies since I was a kid. Most of my gum buying took place at the last minute before checking out groceries. 

My attention was diverted to the front of the store as a crowd of people walked in. I grabbed a random packet of gum in hopes of making it in line before any of them had gotten in front of me.

I wasn’t so lucky. Five of the family of eight that walked in had already managed to get to the register. They obviously knew exactly what they wanted before they came inside, unlike me.

The old Harper would have been irritated, but I on the other hand smiled when the remaining family members cut in front of me to join the rest of their tribe. And I continued to smile even when the younger kids of the group couldn’t figure out which candy they wanted even though their parents kept yelling across the store for them to hurry up. Or when the adults of the family chatted up a storm with the cashier for a good ten minutes about a local event taking place that night. Honestly, there wasn’t much that could bother me at this point. 

I patiently waited for my turn, paid for the gum, and pranced out of the gas station. I smiled when I saw Nolan standing against his truck waiting for me. I ripped open the package and held it out. “You want?”

Nolan didn’t move. He was as still as a statue. I slowly pulled my hand back when I saw his jaw clenching beneath his skin. His mesmerizing blue eyes had darken with anger under his furrowed brows. 

“What’s wrong?” I asked as gently as possible. Almost like my words were tiptoeing around him.

He opened his mouth slightly, but then shut it almost immediately. His head shook in disappointment as he exhaled a heavy breath. He took another moment to collect himself.

I watched as he walked over to my car and began unhooking the chains he’d used to attach it to his truck. “Call your dad. Tell him to come pick you up.”