We passed a man walking along the side of the road—middle-aged with stubble and a baseball cap—and I twisted in my seat to look back at him.
“Should we see if he needs a ride?”
Jordan glanced in the rearview mirror. “If I were alone, I would consider it, but not with you in the car.”
“Why not?”
“Because risking my safety by picking up a stranger who may or may not be violent or on drugs is one thing. I won’t risk yours.”
I understood where he was coming from, but at the same time, I had been that person stranded in the heat or freezing temperatures, hoping a compassionate woman or old couple would pick me up.
“I wanna stop and go back,” I said.
Jordan frowned. “Why?”
“There’s no car broken down, so he’s probably been walking in this heat for a long time. The least we can do is offer him something to drink.”
He sighed and veered onto the shoulder of the highway, putting the car in park. “This is one of the reasons I’m concerned about you having your license. Eventually, you’ll be out here driving alone, and your compassion gets the better of you in situations like this.”
“I probably wouldn’t stop if I was by myself.”
He stared at me. “Probably?”
“Mmm most likely wouldn’t. Because there are muggers and hijackers and serial creepers. I’m sure Sam will make me a horrifying, nightmare-inducing list before I get my own car.” I grabbed my knapsack from the floorboard. “But you’re with me this time, so I’m not worried.”
The hard lines of his jaw softened as he read between the lines of my admission—I felt safe with him. He shut off the engine and unhooked his seat belt. “Let’s go give this guy some Cheetos and marshmallows.”
“Uh, I didn’t say I was sharing my marshmallows. He can have a package of Swiss rolls.” Share my marshmallows. What was he thinking?
We climbed from the car and walked toward the stranded man, the afternoon sun beating down on us from a cloudless sky. How had the man not been reduced to a melty puddle by now?
He slowed at our approach, wariness crossing his features. I knew what he must be thinking, because I had thought it before—are the people approaching me friendly or dangerous? In my experience, the results were usually a mixture.
“Hi.” I offered him a smile I hoped would put him at ease. “We saw you walking, and I thought since it’s kinda hot, you might want something to drink.” I pulled out an unopened water bottle from the last gas station we stopped at. “It’s still sealed.”
The man hesitated, glanced at Jordan by my side, and then accepted the bottle. “Thanks.” He cracked it open and took a few long swallows.
“I have snacks too.” I rummaged through my bag, pulling out a bag of Cheetos, a granola bar, and a banana. “Take whatever you need.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, and when I nodded, he took the banana and granola bar. “Thanks. I’ve been walking for almost an hour, and I missed breakfast.”
“Car break down?” Jordan asked.
He nodded as he peeled the banana from the bottom instead of the top—that was backwards. “The fuel gage is busted, and I ran out of gas about three miles back. I’ve got thirty dollars to my name, so I’m trying to make it to the next town to buy a can and some gas.”
“The next town is about six miles.”
The man grimaced. “Yeah, so my phone tells me. But I don’t have a choice. My daughter’s having a baby today in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and I need to get there.”
I looked at Jordan. We could give the man a lift to the gas station and then drive him back to his car, but knowing his story didn’t necessarily make him trustworthy.
Jordan ran a hand over his hair and blew out a breath. “Tell you what, you head back to your car and wait. We’ll grab some gas at the next station and bring it back to you.”
The man’s chewing slowed. “If I give you the last of my money and go back to the car, and you change your mind—”
“We’ll cover the gas to get you to the next town, and you can figure things out from there.”
“Yeah, okay, if it won’t put you out. I’m Bronson, by the way.” He stuck out his hand to Jordan.
“Jordan. Nice to meet you.”
When Bronson offered his hand to me, I plopped a package of Swiss rolls in it. “Dessert makes waiting less miserable.”
He smiled. “Yes, it does.”
We agreed to meet him back at his car and headed back to ours. Helping Bronson added an extra hour to our trip, but it was worth it.
CHECK OUT THE NEXT HOLLY NOVEL
What a cute scene! I just love Holly and Jordan!
💜
I love that scene! You should have tried to keep it in the story somehow. But, I can see Holly doing this. I hope when driving alone she does not stop!
I considered keeping it, but it slowed down the flow of the story. It may fit into another book somewhere, but I doubt it.
I loved the scene! So cute!
Really like Jordan’s plan of action. Good safety lesson to put forth. Wish it could have been included. Love the scene!
Oh, how fun to read! It was so Jordan and Holly!!! Thank you for the smiles.
Holly letting her heart lead her, and Jordan scrambling to figure out how to protect her from any dangerous consequences ❤️
Makes me want to go back and read the series again as I wait!
Nothing wrong with that!
What a fun seen. When Holly says something like “Probably” it means highly unlikely. 😂
Jordon was smart about how he handled the situation. I like that he always seems to be able to calculate risks of both the danger and disappointing Holly and somehow manages to come up with pretty good compromises. Of course, Holly still usually manages to find herself (and him )in a more dangerous situation. 😉
She definitely keeps him on his toes 😂
I love it too! Thank you for sharing it with us, super thoughtful of you!
So glad you enjoyed it 💙
Loved the scene. I struggle with those situations. If my husband is with me, I’m usually o.k., but still anxious. The way Jordan handled the situation was well done and it’s definitely food for thought if that situation arises again, and I know it will. As far as leaving it out, I totally understand why. Leaving it in would have reinforced what kind of people we know them both to be and it makes them relatable. Flowing, trimming and deleting is all a part of writing a great book! I think you made a great choice. Making these scenes available to us is truly awesome! Thank you!