Heartbreak Highway 1 Read Online Free PDF Page A

as all of his other sides.
    “Granny was the first person I was close to that ever died. My chest still aches when I think about her three years later. Granddad was bigger than life, and as much as I loved Granny…it still didn’t compare to how I felt about him. I just wonder if my chest will ache forever, every time that I think of him.”
    “I don’t know,” he said as he pulled into the restaurant lot and parked, “I hope not. I hope that someday we can look back on what a full life he had and think about the fact that he got to live with his soul mate for sixty-five years and just smile without tears.”
    “Me too,” she said, “He would have hated making anyone miserable, especially us.”
    “Yeah,” he said with a grin. “I think that’s part of the purpose of this silly trip and this silly map,” he said.
    They stepped out of the car and as they walked into the restaurant Eva said, “Maybe, but I think he also wanted us to have fun…you know, experience life more. He was always after me to do that.”
    “That’s because you spent all of your time taking care of him,” Marshall told her as they sat down in their booth, “He loved you, but he hated that he needed to be taken care of. He felt like he was holding you back.”
    “He wasn’t holding me back,” she said. “You know and he did too, I’m just not a social butterfly. I’m not good with people.” The waitress seated them and took their drink orders and left them with a menu. When she was gone, Marshall said,
    “You’re fantastic with people when you want to be. You were great with Henry. Any other care provider would have walked out on the stubborn old crazy man years ago. Then there’s me,” he said.
    “What about you?”
    He shrugged, “You’re good for me, Eva. You always have been.” Marshall looked into her eyes as he said that. Eva put her face in her hands and her elbows were on the table, holding it up. She fantasized briefly about just leaning in across the table and kissing him right on his sexy, shaved….
    “Oh my God! You shaved,” she said.
    “Thank you, finally. We’ve been driving for an hour and a half. How could you not notice?”
    “I’m sorry,” she said, “My brain has been a little preoccupied today. It looks really good. Granddad would be proud.”
    “Well, he’d be happy I shaved, but pissed because I still didn’t cut my hair.”
    “True,” she said, “Because you didn’t follow his instructions to the letter.”
    “Controlling old coot,” Marshall said with a laugh. Then he looked into her eyes again with that intense, ice-blue gaze and said, “I’ve enjoyed spending the day with you though, and now the night.” He grinned when he said the last. Eva was caught up in his stare when the waitress brought their food. She wanted to stomp down on her foot. She didn’t though and she thought that spoke volumes about her ability to control her impulses. She’d have to keep practicing now that she thought about it. She wasn’t sure that she could be in such close quarters with Simone for so many days and keep herself completely in check. For Marshall…she was going to try.
    They finished their meal and Marshall raided the vending machine on the way out.
    “What are you doing? I’m stuffed and you ate more than me.”
    “It’s a road trip. You can’t have a road trip without fun food.”
    “Fun food, huh? I’m not going to be able to fit in my jeans when we get back, am I?”
    They were almost back to the car when she said that. Marshall stopped and suddenly got behind her. She stopped too and looked over her shoulder and said,
    “What are you doing?”
    “I was just checking out the logistics. I think you’d be okay going up a size,” he said.
    Eva felt her face go hot, “Stop it,” she said, with an embarrassed giggle. She took a step backwards and positioned herself behind him once again. He was grinning, but he didn’t say anything until they got to the car. Then as they