Page 25 of Salute, To Bravery
I double-checked my luggage, making sure I had everything I would need. I would only be gone for about a month, but to be honest, I’d never been on a trip like this before. I didn’t know what to expect, or what I’d need. I had decided on one big bag for all of my things as well as my tote bag for my laptop and other electronics. I hoped it would be enough.
Satisfied that everything was in order, I sat down on the couch. It was only 3:15. I groaned. I flipped on the TV and quickly dozed off to a random infomercial.
The tapping on the door woke me up.
Glancing at the clock, I saw it was 5:30. I jumped off the couch and quickly crossed the small apartment to swing open the door.
Ian smiled at me. “Good morning, beautiful.”
I fought the smile that started to creep across my face. “Good morning, Ian.”
“What, you don’t think I’m beautiful too?” He pouted.
“Get your ass in here and stop standing in the hall.”
He gave me one of his best smiles. “So bossy in the morning. I like it.” He slid in past me and made himself comfortable on the couch.
“Are you going to flirt with me the entire time we’re on this trip?” I put my hands on her hips.
He laughed. “First of all, liking when a woman takes a leadership role is not necessarily flirting. Second of all, you are no longer my coworker, and I can shamelessly flirt all I want now.” He rose from his place on the couch and stopped in frontof me. “Third of all, if you don’t like it, I’ll stop. I’m not here to make you uncomfortable.” His smile softened.
I breathed in his scent again, trying to figure out what he was wearing that was so intoxicating. I took a step back. “Just remember, this isn’t a trip for you to be getting laid on. At least not from me.” I smiled back at him.
He tilted his head to the side, glee in his eyes. “Oh, so I can bring other women in the RV then?”
I smacked his arm as his grin got bigger. “Really? Have you no shame?”
“Sweetheart, I told you I was in the Army. We have no shame.” He waggled his eyebrows at me, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Can you just behave for the month?” I giggled as I poured coffee into two travel mugs.
“I’ll be on my best behavior.” He placed his hand over his heart in a silent oath.
“Good.” I handed him his coffee. “I’d hate to have to leave you on the side of the road somewhere.”
He shrugged. “Eh, had worse.” He scooped up my luggage as I grabbed my tote.
The RV was exactly what I had hoped for, especially since Ian was riding with me now. It had a single queen-size bed in the back of the RV, a decent sized bathroom and a nice couch that folded out into a bed. It also had a small dining table and storage over our heads for all our bags. The kitchen was tiny, but I felt like it would be fine as long as we didn’t try cooking a ton of meals in it.
Ian offered to drive first, which I appreciated. I hated driving in city traffic, which is why I completely avoided owning a car. It would be easier for me to drive as soon as we cleared the city and got on the highway.
Our drive started much like our trips to the bar; we kept it polite and only really talked when necessary. Ian asked fordirections often, and it dawned on me that he agreed to this trip without even knowing where he was going.
“You realize you’re insane for just blindly going on a trip like this?” I stared at him from the passenger seat.
“Not any more insane than you agreeing to let some dude go with you.” He raised his eyebrows.
“Okay, that’s fair.” I shrugged, a smile playing on my lips.
“So where are we going? Do we have a destination out here in the middle of nowhere or what?” He gestured around him. We’d been driving for a few hours already and had cleared Chicago’s outer reaches some time ago.
“I don’t really have a destination, to be honest. I just wanted away from there. I’ve been thinking about the Ozarks, though.” I chewed my lip as I looked down at my GPS.
“The Ozarks, eh?”
“I know, don’t laugh. I’ve been told it’s very pretty down there.”
“Oh, it is. You’ve got tree-covered mountains, bluffs, and caves. There’s a lot of stuff to do down there if you’re just wanting to get some nature.”
