Hourglass

Chapter Three

Brooke 

The next morning I awoke in my room to a brighter sun and birds chirping. Okay, the birds may not have been chirping, but the sun was brighter, damn it. I was going to have a job with Hourglass Magazine, the elite magazine in the fashion industry. Granted, I technically had to wait for the official job offer, but I was in. This called for some serious shopping. A new wardrobe and those heels I promised myself as I sat in the lobby waiting for my interview.

 I jumped out of bed, and darted over to my closet, searching through my racks of clothes. With a wide array of colors and textures to choose from, I finally settled on a causal look. After grabbing a denim button up blouse, my black skinny jeans, and my brown riding boots, I got dressed. Standing in front of the mirror I looked myself over. I was typically against the brown and black combo, but Savannah had insisted it worked. I hated to admit it, but she wasn’t entirely wrong, although the combo could just as easily be a recipe for disaster.

All I needed was some blush and mascara just to make myself presentable, and I’d be ready to go. Scooping up the keys I headed out the door. My Jeep Wrangler, was the car I’d begged my dad for daily as a teenager, when instead he chose a sensible car that I could ‘learn in’. So after I saved up enough pennies, I traded in my Subaru and got the silver, soft-top jeep that sat so high I damn near needed a stepladder to get in. The smell of the leather interior was my salvation. I turned over the ignition and she roared to a start. I truly was a country girl at heart, and I intended to put my four wheel drive to use today.

Peeling out of my apartment parking lot, I could feel the need to cut loose simmering in my blood. I was literally aching to take this baby out and use the independent suspension on one of the mountain trails. Shopping would be next on my agenda I decided as I turned off the interstate and looped the bend that would lead me out of the city. The burning green light, a serendipitous sign I was going exactly where I should.

As I took the turn, my ears assaulted by the sound of tires squealing, a black blur flashed in front of me. I knew the impending crash was unavoidable and braced for impact. Locking up the brakes, I cringed as the vehicles collided. Son of a bitch! I pulled my wheel right, figuring the curb would be a speed bump for my jeep, just as the black SUV veered to the left. Horns blared all around me, and yet I heard with crystal clarity the moment our two vehicles swapped paint.

Coming to a stop I let out a string of curses, hitting my steering wheel repeatedly until the palm of my hand sent a pain up my arm.

A tap on my window alerted me to the fact I was no longer alone. When I rolled my head, a man stood outside my driver’s side window. I gave the handle a tug, and the door popped open. I swung my legs out and dropped down to the asphalt with a thud. Looking up, it seemed like a year before I finally met his eyes. Tall, he was really tall. Goodness me. His eyes were a beautiful green that made me think of the trees in the forest I was on my way to enjoy.

Reminded of my plans, I moved my eyes to my poor jeep, which now had a haughty Range Rover attached to the front left quarter panel. She wasn’t totaled, but she would definitely need some TLC so this ass better have some good insurance, scanning the car I looked for the driver.

"Are you okay, Hun?"

Hun? Seriously? Throwing my shoulders back I twisted on the balls of my feet, wishing my boots had a point to kick this guy with. "I’m fine. Are you the idiot driver who missed red light day in Driver’s Ed?"