"I can carry my own suitcases."
Jake took them from me and put them in the back of the SUV. "I know, so can I," he said, coming around to the passenger side and opening the door for me. I climbed in and put on my seatbelt. The job still had me rattled and I still wasn't sure I'd made the right decision.
"You don't have to drive me, you know. I can make my way there," I said.
He turned on the car, sighed and put his head down on the steering wheel in exasperation. "For the love of God, will you let me do this one thing for you? It's not weakness to accept a bit of help."
I know that, I thought, folding my arms. But maybe Jake was right. It was only a lift to the bus station, after all.
"OK, sure. I appreciate the lift."
"Great," he said. "Tunes?"
"What?"
"What tunes do you want? Do you like rock? Pop? Hip hop?"
"I don't care," I said, puzzled. It wasn't a long enough drive to get through one whole song, but whatever.
"Hip hop it is," he said, backing the car out and heading towards the downtown. He called up a Kendrick Lamar playlist, and I was happy with the choice. He got to the bottom of the steep road and then turned left instead of right.
"Bus stop is that way," I said, pointing as he made the wrong turn.
"I have to pick up a few things first," he said. He looked at me like I was crazy, and I returned the look.
"Can't you wait until you drop me off?" His little detour was costing me minutes.
"In Montreal?" he said, looking as confused as I felt.
"Wait a minute. When you said, 'let me drive you,' you meant all the way to Montreal?"
"Well, yeah. You don't want to take the bus alone in your condition. You pass out and barf at the drop of a hat, remember?"
"But what about the paper?"
"I'm the boss, remember? I make the rules. I'm giving myself a few days off." He turned up the stereo and rapped along, badly. I shook my head.
"You can't just take a few days off when you run a paper. You're crazy. You know that, right?"
"Nope, just always up for a road trip." Every time I thought I had this guy figured out, he threw me a curveball.
"Butt warmer?" he asked.
"Please," I said, still thinking. I had to admit, I liked the idea of driving in comfort all the way to Montreal instead of being jostled around on a crowded bus. I relaxed into the leather seat.
"It'll take about 12 hours to get there," he said. "We'll break the drive up over two days so it's not too hard on you. I'll book us into a hotel to sleep along the way; separate rooms of course."
"Why are you doing all this?" I turned to him.
"Because ever since you got to town, you couldn't catch a break. You tried to put down roots and got chased out of your house and your job — the latter thanks to me. The least I can do is help get you get set up in your new city. You don't seem to have a lot of support around you, or people in your life you can rely on."
He was right about that. I nodded, blinking away tears at the unexpected kindness. "Thank you," I said quietly. I was done arguing. For the sake of the baby, I decided I was going to accept every hand extended to me and not worry about the consequences or what it meant.
I was no longer scared about Shane; it was clear from social media that he'd moved on from me with his new chick. Jake was right. I couldn't do it all on my own. Everyone needed a bit of help now and then.
"Missy told you what happened in the old house?" I said, wiping my eyes.
"Yes. I'm surprised you lasted as long as you did there. Most people only make it two or three nights in that creepy, old place."
"That would have been good to know before I rented it," I muttered.
"Missy felt terrible about that. She tried to cancel the rental, but that asshole of a husband wouldn't let her. All he cares about is money. That's why she was hovering a bit around you; she knew you were on your own and she was going to get you out of there at the first sign of trouble."
That explained a lot. "Did you and Missy ever have a thing?" I asked suddenly. I couldn't help myself.
"Me and Missy? No. She's my best friend," he said simply. "I wish she'd picked a better dude, though. She dated my brother for a while, they were good together. Then that fucknut Julian came along." He grimaced. "She's like a sister to me, she could do so much better."
I laughed. "Fucknut — is that a Maritime word?"
"I don't know, I've lived away for a long time," he said. "I've only been back a few years." There was more to that story, I thought. Suddenly, I was interested.
"Missy said you actually liked staying there," he said, before I could ask him about his life story.
"Yeah. It reminded me of my grandmother's house where I spent part of my childhood. The noises didn't bother me much. Then, there was that one night where the whole place went bananas — I couldn't stay in it after that. It's a shame, it's a beautiful place. I don't know how to explain what happened in that house. I feel silly for saying it, but it clearly doesn't want me there. Which sucks, because I love it."
He gave me that same look, like I was out of my mind. "It's true," I said. "I found it peaceful. Well, until it wasn't."
He nodded and drove on. I looked out the window, and at the little town receding in the rear-view. I didn't feel good about leaving it behind; just the opposite.
"You sure you're making the right decision?" He asked, picking up on my thoughts. He gave off an air of nonchalance; of not caring about anyone or anything around him. But I realized he paid close attention to people, noticing even a slight change in their mood.
"No," I said honestly. "Who knows?" He nodded and looked like he was about to say something further, then swallowed it.
We drove in silence into the sunshine. So much had happened, I wasn't paying attention to the subtle change of the leaves and the days growing shorter. I did a mental calculation and figured out I'd have the baby in the spring. Next summer was going to be very different from the last, I thought.
The day was bright, and I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the window. The luxury car purred, and I was warm and comfortable. Soon, I drifted into sleep thinking about meeting the sweet baby growing inside me. Sometime later, we hit a small bump and I jolted awake.
When I looked over, Jake was looking at me. "What?" I looked down to see if I'd drooled on myself.
"Nothing," he said, colouring a bit before training his eyes on the road. "You were snoring, that's all."
Oh, God. "Where are we?"
"Almost to the border. One province down, two to go."
I nodded. "Hey, can we get lunch?" I was suddenly starving.
"It's 10:30 in the morning!"
"So, we'll have brunch."
His eyes flashed gold in the sunlight, and his smile gave his face a boyish charm. "There's a coffee shop about a half hour ahead. We'll stop then."
"We'll probably have to stop a lot. I have to eat every hour or two or I get nauseous."
"Well, you are growing a person," he said. I could hear a trace of admiration in his voice, and it warmed me.
"I am indeed," I said, glancing down at my belly. We stopped a bit later at a gas station and I took the opportunity to pee. I offered him gas money, and he scoffed at me, so I bought him breakfast instead and made him take it. He must have been hungry after I took his earlier. After scarfing down two lemon donuts and a large container of milk, I was ready to go again.
Fed and fueled, we headed back onto the road and slipped into easy conversation. He was a good road trip companion. He knew when to talk, and when to keep quiet and he liked the same music as me, which wasn't insignificant. I loved music, had my favourite artists I'd loved since I was a kid. Shane was the kind of person who didn't have a favourite band or artist. When asked what he listened to, he'd always say "anything but jazz or rap." Just one more thing that made him suck.
I'd braced myself for a difficult ride out of town on the bus. I had to admit as I sank into the warm, buttery-soft seat that this was much better.
We were just about to cross the New Brunswick border when Jake's phone rang. He pressed a button and the call came through the console. It was Missy, and my heart jumped in my chest when I heard her voice.
"Jake, are you with Sarah? Is she gone?"
"I'm here," we both said at the same time. "Missy, are you alright? Where's Simon?" I asked.
"He's fine, he's at a friend's house. Are you very far away? Could you come over, both of you? I don't know what to do." She let out a sob.
Oh, God. I looked at Jake, startled. We were almost out of the province. To turn back now would derail all of my plans. But the fear and heartbreak in Missy's voice left me with no choice.
Jake's eyes asked a silent question. "Missy hang on tight," I said, answering it. "We're a way's out, but we'll be there as soon as we can." Jake took the nearest exit and got back on the highway heading east.
For better or worse, Locke's Harbour wasn't done with me yet.