Cross Country Christmas Read Online Free PDF

blinker on.
    "I hope a drive-thru is okay?" I asked, turning into the parking lot of a popular fast food chain.
    "That's fine," he said as I pulled behind a heavy-duty truck that dwarfed our small car. The line moved fast and soon we were back on the road. Grant had the juggling act of passing me my food while trying to eat his own, but neither of us wanted to go inside the restaurant. I started to feel more human after I downed my burger and fries. I switched lanes until I was farthest to the left, which I considered my comfort lane. Like the parking lot at Enterprise, the highway was pretty much empty except for an occasional oversized semi-truck.
    "This is comfy," Grant said, stowing our trash in the minuscule backseat. He shifted his legs to a suitable position, which happened to be intimately close to my right leg. I debated moving, but that would have been obvious, and possibly lead to an awkward conversation. Instead, I tried to ignore the voice in my head telling me how good his leg felt against mine.
    Neither of us talked as the city lights faded away and the night swallowed our lone vehicle. I kept my eyes on the road ahead of me, afraid if I looked at Grant it would start a conversation. It's not like I didn't want to talk to him. I just felt our current driving arrangement was intimate enough without initiating a conversation in the cloak of darkness. A part of me wished he would go to sleep so I could relax a little.
    "Are you okay driving?" he asked, making me jump. In all my deep thoughts of not wanting a conversation, I wasn't ready when he initiated one.
    "I'm good for now. I'm hoping we'll find a decent hotel there," I said around a yawn as I pointed to a gas station billboard stating the next exit was in twenty-five miles. Despite how tired I was, I felt I could make it.
    "Okay. I'd offer to drive, but I'm not sure I'd be able to fit behind that steering wheel," he said sardonically. "Maybe if there's an Enterprise in town we can look into trading this thing for something bigger in the morning."
    "I'm okay driving," I said, yawning again. Once the yawns started, there was no stopping. "I drive all the time for work," I added.
    "You're some kind of chef, right?" he asked, draping his arm across the back of my seat. If there was something that would wake me up, that was it.
    "Um, yeah, but I run a cooking blog," I said, shifting uncomfortably. Grant acted like he didn't notice and continued to talk.
    "That's cool. What's your blog called?"
    I mumbled the title under my breath.
    "Sorry, can you repeat that?" he asked, sounding amused.
    "Cooking for Love."
    He chuckled. "Still hung up on that whole love thing, I see," he observed.
    I flushed slightly. I knew my reasons for leaving Woodfalls were common knowledge.  I couldn't expect anything less from our small town. "What's wrong with wanting love?" I asked defensively as I maneuvered around a semi-truck that seemed to be having a hard time staying in its own lane. As we passed, I could see the driver was texting on his phone. What an idiot.
    "There's nothing wrong with love. You've just always been a bit obsessive about it."
    "Obsessive?" I asked in a slightly raised voice that bounced off the tight quarters of the vehicle. "I don't see anything wrong with wanting to find my soul mate," I argued.
    His laughter boomed through the vehicle. "Did you say soul mate?" he asked, trying to catch his breath.
    "What's wrong with that?" I bristled.
    "It's just so clic hé , believing there's only one perfect person out there for you. True love is a give-and-take relationship that takes years to perfect," he stated.
    "Well, thank you, Dr. Phil. Are you a love therapist now?" I snapped. My faith that my perfect match was somewhere out there had been keeping me going for so long. It was the whole reason I traveled so much for my job. I have this fantasy of walking into a romantic restaurant and waiting at the bar for my table. The bartender sets down a glass of red wine and