Crimson Highway by David Wickenhauser (i can read with my eyes shut txt) 📕

As they were eating lunch, Hugh asked his mom and dad about a good restaurant in town.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve taken a date to a nice restaurant here …”

“Yeah, like, never,” Roly cut in. Mary elbowed him in the ribs.

“You hush now,” she warned him in a stage whisper.

“What kind of meal are you looking for?” Martha asked.

Hugh looked at Jenny.

“I don’t know, let me ask my date. Seafood? Steak?” he asked her.

Surprised by this turn of events, although she shouldn’t have been, after what had just happened upstairs, Jenny nodded, then said, “Sounds good.”

“OK. Sounds like you are thinking about Trilogy. It’s right on the lake. Great view, good service, excellent menu,” Hugh’s dad said.

 “Sounds good to me,” Hugh said. Then he turned to Jenny and asked, “May I have the pleasure of your company to dine at Trilogy restaurant tonight, Miss McDonald?”

“Yes, indeed, you may. I’d be honored, Mister Mann,” she replied, in a like manner.

They all got a big laugh at that.

After lunch, they all broke up to go their separate ways. Hugh told Jenny as she stood up to begin helping Martha clear the dishes that he needed to put away his camping gear, and clean his rifle.

“Give me a buzz when you are ready to swim this afternoon, and I’ll meet you at the pool again,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze.

She nodded, and Hugh went up to his room.

Hugh really did have to put away his gear and clean his rifle. But, he actually needed time alone to think, too.

First, however, he needed to make a call. He picked up the phone extension in his room, and dialed his dispatcher’s number.

“Hey, Hugh, how’s it going?” the dispatcher asked, sounding genuinely pleased to hear from him.

Hugh was puzzled, until he realized that the caller ID on the phone was registered to a Hugh Mann, his father’s name, of course.

“Going good, Yvonne,” Hugh replied. “I’m wondering if you can get me a load out of Boise no earlier than 1600 tomorrow. Later would be OK, but not earlier, because I’m about eight hours away from there.”

“OK. It’ll take me a little time because you’ve been off the board for awhile.”

Hugh said that was OK, but added on second thought, “Actually, Spokane would work too. I’m actually closer to Spokane than I am to Boise. I’m only a couple hours away from there, and could pick up a load mid-morning.”

“You’ll be bobtailing in, right?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Hugh answered.

“OK. I’ll try for Spokane, and I’ll leave a pre-plan on your Qualcomm by early tomorrow morning.”

“Perfect. Thanks.”

With that done, Hugh began cleaning his rifle, which gave him the opportunity to think and plan.

One thing he was dead certain of, was that Jenny was not going to be with him when he left the ranch in his truck. He knew his parents would be happy to keep her here with them, especially after Hugh explained to them the new development with her uncle.

He was also equally dead certain that Jenny would not like that idea at all, and she’d fight him tooth and nail if she knew that’s what he was planning.

So I won’t tell her, Hugh mused. That almost worked one time, he grinned at the memory of when it didn't.

Finished with cleaning his gun, Hugh lay back in his bed with his hands behind his head, and stared at the ceiling. The quiet and solitude caught up with him, and he slipped into a peaceful sleep.

He was awakened by a knock at the door.

“Come in,” he answered.

It was Mary.

“Jenny said to tell you that she’ll meet you at the pool in five minutes,” Mary told him.

On his way out the door, Mary caught his elbow to stop him. “Go slow, real slow, big guy,” she said.

“You’re the third person who’s told me that today,” he told her.

“Then believe it. OK?” Mary replied.

Hugh and Jenny arrived at the pool at the same time. Jenny removed her T-shirt top, more shyly this time than last time. Hugh realized there was more at stake in their relationship, now that the threshold had finally been crossed.

“OK, Jen. Do your thing,” Hugh said.

“Got it,” Jenny replied, and made her signature dive into the pool.

Hugh unabashedly watched this beautiful person perform her swimming magic. Jenny caught him gazing at her as she swam past him on her first lap, then she gave him a wink as she made her first flip turn.

She really is something. Can I actually be so stupid as to let her go? he asked himself. And, in answer, he said to himself, Yes, to protect her, I’ll have to.

Her laps finished, Jenny climbed gracefully out of the pool and headed to her lounge next to Hugh.

Hugh decided to hazard talking to Jenny about some of the events of the past week, and asked her if it would be OK.

“Sure, now is as good a time as any,” she said. “But first, I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead,” Hugh replied.

“Why do you keep calling me McDonald?”

Puzzled, Hugh replied, “That’s your name, isn’t it?”

“Yes, but how do you know that? I never told you. And, I know for a fact that I kept my last name on my driver’s license covered when I showed it to you.”

Hugh realized that now was the time to pay the piper for that little snooping session he had done shortly after he had first met Jenny.

“Jenny, I had to know more about you. So, when you were in the truck stop shower that first night, in Wells, I looked through your things, and found your driver’s license.”

“What else did you do that I don’t know about?”