Grey clouds stood above them as the sound of rolling thunder echoed across the sky. Jewel looked at the traffic ahead of them moving along the highway at snail paste. She knew that it would be another forty-five minutes or so before she reached home, then she found herself wondering if Dylan will make it home before the storm hits.
'Why am I making it my concern? She asked herself. She tried to shake of the feeling of concern for her supervisor and looked out the window.
Dylan glanced over at her as she stared out the window. He felt a wave of nervousness suddenly and took a deep breath before asking her if she was comfortable. She nodded and smiled slightly before returning her gaze at the traffic. "A penny for your thoughts." He said keeping his eyes forward. He knew she would looked at him and smiled satisfied. "You're in deep thought." He continued.
Jewel smiled and replied with a "I'm fine thank you." She placed her hands in her lap and played with her flash drive.
Dylan noticed her fidgeting with it. "Why haven't you put that away? You wouldn't want to lose it again. Or do you?" He gave her a mischievous side grin. She snapped her head in his direction with her eyes wide open.
"I most definitely don't want that, especially to lose it in your vehicle." She rebutted.
"Trust me I will make sure you get it back, in a much faster time." He grinned.
"It's ok, I would rather not have you stalking me to give me it back." She punched back with a satisfying chuckled.
"At least I will be stalking only you." He spoke with a smoothness that left her speechless. She blinked repeatedly. He raised a brow at her and smiled devilishly. Her heart throbbed so hard, she thought it would stop. She blushed, reading between the lines of his words. A smile crept across her lips and she bit her bottom lip shyly.
He watched her as the traffic slowed to a hault. "You know you shouldn't do that." He said watching her shift in her seat under the weight of his gaze.
"Do what?" She tried to regain some composure and forced eye contact with Dylan. Her curly locks blew in the wind like heads of cotton in the cotton field and her skin glowed in the sun. Dylan gave a slight chuckle at her efforts to stare at him. He knew he was causing an effect on her.
He didn't realized it, but his hand had moved to a piece of string that was tied up in a lock of her hair. Jewel froze and stared at him shocked that he touched her. He immediately apologized and returned his hand to the steering wheel. "I'm sorry if I offended you. I really didn't mean,"
"It's ok. No harm done. I didn't know that I had something in my hair. Thanks." She gave him a tight lipped smile and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. The rest of the drive was quiet. The sound of thunder in the distance was heard over honking horns of impatient drivers. This roused a sense of nervousness to come over Jewel. She wondered if they would make it home in time.
Dylan turned on the radio. Jewel secretly wished that it would be an occasion where random love songs would play each time the channel was changed, creating a romantic scene. Instead, the unindulging sound of the news and weather forecast was played and simultaneously, it echoed from other vehicles creeping along the highway. Jewel's shoulders sunk a little.
The winds picked up and the rain followed. The announcer spoke over the radio stating that there was now a flash flood warning in some areas. They had to avoid driving on certain roads since they were blocked off.
It looked like it was after 5 or 6p.m, but it was only after 3 p.m. Jewel was becoming more worried by the minute. She had never been out in the mist of a storm before. She remembered days when Harriet would pack her cookies and milk and she would suggle up and listen to the rain. Dylan noticed her worried look and handed her bag from under his seat. "What's this?" She asked before looking inside the bag.
Dylan looked at her as her face lit up. "A blanket? Why do you have a blanket in your car?"
"Hmm...It's just part of the aesthetics." Dylan said and smiled when he caught her cuddling and sniffing his blanket. She yawned and brought the blanket under her chin. "It smells nice." She said as her words droaned off.
"I just thought you might need it." Dylan said, giving her a quick glance. Jewel rested her head on the door and let out a deep breath. "Don't drool all over my blanket."
Jewel snickered at the comment then went into a full out laugh. "What are you saying?" She managed through her laughter.
"I'm just saying that you have to wash that yourself if you drool on it." Dylan teased.
"I'm not going to drool into your precious blanket Mr. Wells. But what if I do? Then what?"
"It's like I said. You're going to wash it or have me following you around for the more if you place your bewitching drool in my blanket."
"What?" Jewel laughed so hard that tears filled her eyes.
"I'm just stating the facts, that's all." He watched as Jewel buckled in laughter. "Then all your friends and family would want to know what you did to me."
"And I would say absolutely nothing."
"Lies!"
"It's the truth! I don't drool. That's nasty."
"What? C'mon you probably snore too. Like a bearded face big belly man."
"Stooopp it!" She yelled unable to stop laughing. And then the worst thing happened. She snorted in all that laughing. She knew it was all over.
"What was that? You trying to turn on me?" By this Dylan was laughing just as hard.
"I can't with you. Stop it. I'm a decent lady."
"That snores, drools and snorts. Uh huh decent all right." He rebutted.
Soon enough they were making way through the traffic. The thunder clapped above them and Jewel clutched the blanket tightly. She felt the need for a distraction. Dylan peered outside his window at two vehicles caught in an accident.
"By the look of it, they're going to be there for a while." Jewel said, he glanced over his shoulder at Jewel who was also trying to see the collision, then she settled back in her seat.
"Why do you say that?" He asked.
"In this weather? The police is not going to be speeding down the highway if no one's hurt. That's just what it is."
"Hmm, you know you're right." Dylan over took two cars as he moved into the next lane heading southwest of the island. Jewel's cell rang. It was Clement wanting to know if she had gotten a ride. Jewel let him know that she was cover and on her way in. After putting down she looked at her phone screen. She gently rubbed her finger over it and smiled softly at the image.
"Who's that?" Dylan asked.
"My brother." Jewel said and sighed deeply.
"Wow. Didn't know you had a brother. Where is he?"
"Boarding school. "
"Yup, that sums up everything." Dylan understood everything in that little sentence. He also spent time abroad at school. "You miss him?"
Jewel sighed despondently. Her heart felt heavy thinking about her younger brother. "Yes I miss him very much. I keep thinking that he would come back some day and I won't be able to get near him because..."
"Because?"
"Because of Her Majesty. She would do any to keep us under her control."
"Wow that bad?"
"Yup, and to top it off our mother walked out when we were very young and Jeremy, my brother didn't take it well. Her Majesty would hit the roof every time he threw a tantrum and punished us severely. "
"What does severely looks like?" Dylan frowned anticipating the worst.
"You don't want to know."
"I do. I want to know. Please, tell me." Dylan's concern for Jewel left her speechless. She was touched by his sincerity. But she wasn't ready to let those skeletons out the closet.
* * *
They arrived at her home after an hour and a half later, of what usually took thirty-five minutes.
Hailey came outside at the sight of a black BMW pulling up in front the house. Dylan got out and opened the door for Jewel keeping her covered with his large black umbrella as she got out the car with her bag and laptop.
"Hey Jew Jew!" Hailey called from the patio. Jewel's face ran hot with embarrassment as Hailey addressed her by her nic name in front of Dylan. Hailey joined them in front the house with her smiley face umbrella. She turned to Hailey with a 'humph' and started her introduction. "Dylan Wells, this is my good friend Hailey,"
"Jew Jew?" Dylan repeated with a snort.
Jewel looked back at him shyly. Mouthing, "Please don't." But Dylan was relentless and teased all the more as he moved her to the bottom of the steps.
"Nice to finally put a face to the name." Hailey began. Jewel shot her a look but that didn't deter Hailey. "I've heard so much about you. I must say you sound much better in person." She shook Dylan's hand.
Jewel shot him a glare. That only made him laugh.
"Really? Wow! I never that I would be a household topic." He beamed at Jewel but she looked away and blinked repeatedly embarrassed at Hailey's brazen remark.
Hailey grabbed his arm and led him up the steps.
Jewel was shocked at this surprising move. "Wh, wh, what are you doing Hailey?"
"Oh we need to get him out of this rain. He was kind enough to bring you all the way in this weather. Look at him, he's wet from standing in the rain. You know working at BMac has changed her." Hailey continued."
"But, but Hails!" Jewel followed the two up the steps confused as to what Hailey was up to.
"Really? I didn't look at it from that angle." Dylan replied to Hailey
"Oh yes, really. She's more focused and responsible." Jewel snapped her head in her direction.
"Wow!" Dylan folded his hands and rubbed his chin.
"Yeh!" Hailey slapped his folded arm friendly and continued on her rant. "You know what I've found?" She opened the door for Dylan and he went in after her jester.
"What?" Dylan was very intrigued with Hailey's point of view on Jewel.
"It was you." Hailey took his umbrella and place it in the box next to the door and guided him to sit in the living room.
Dylan blinked confused. "How is it me?" He sat after another one of Hailey's hand jester.
~ "You all do know I'm standing right here." Jewel looked at both of them annoyed at their obviously weird conversation about her.
"Yeh...It's like since the day she first met you, you have had this, this impact on her." They continued.
"Really now? Are you all going to actually ignore that I'm here and you're talking about me?"
"Yeh. Actually I think she might just have some secret crush on you or something." Hailey boldly announced.
Jewel grabbed her by the arm in attempt to dragged her away quickly. "All right that's enough Hails!" Jewel pleaded with her eyes.
"By Mr. D.W!" Hailey shouted back.
"Huh?" Dylan was taken back by at the D.W.
"That's her nic name for you." Hailey continued .
Jewel dragged her off into the kitchen. "Hails what are you doing?"
"Jew Jew honey, that man out there sitting in our living room has a huge crush on you. Can't you see that?" Hailey pulled away from her grasp.
"I know that, I think. But this isn't right Hails, there's a storm outside, plus he's my boss. It wouldn't be right for him to stay."
"So what is he's your boss? This is the twenty-first century, who's going to care." Hailey turned away to tend to the kettle.
"So? Hailey what are you saying?He has to go, as to his home, out of the storm." Jewel pleaded but it felt pointless. Hailey obviously had her own agenda. Hailey moved around the kitchen as she spoke. Then she made her way to the oven and plated muffins from the baking dish.
"What are you doing now? You're not listening to me." Jewel smelled something familiar. "What is that? Is that, "
"Yup it is. Now trust me girl, I got you."
"Oh my gosh! I can't believe you're doing this to me..." Jewel moaned as Hailey wrapped up what she had prepared and left her standing in the kitchen.
"Hey, guess what Mr. Wells. I have just what the weather like this ordered. Blue berry muffins with cream cheese and... Hazel nut coffee.