Page 182 of Hot Mess
“We’re going to Chilliwack,” he said flatly, like he wished we weren’t.
“Oh.” I’d never been to Chilliwack. I knew it was a town east of Vancouver. And maybe about forty-five minutes out of the city? I wasn’t sure. But I definitely hadn’t expected that answer.
I looked over what he was wearing. “No sweatpants today?”
“Wouldn’t want you to think I was a total slob.”
He was wearing black cargo pants, sexy on him, more loose-fit than his usual jeans… but I couldn’t imagine they were much more comfortable where it counted.
“You look great,” I said. “But I wouldn’t want you to be in pain just to look good for me.”
“Not in pain,” he said in a low voice. “As long as you keep looking at me like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like you want to undress me.”
I did want to undress him. He was wearing a black shirt with gray three-quarter sleeves that hugged his gorgeous body something yummy, and I wanted to slide it right up and bite his nipples…
“You look nice,” I said lightly.
“Stop saying that.”
As we rolled to a stop at a red light, he looked me over, slowly.
I smiled as his eyes met mine. “Am I overdressed?”
“Definitely,” he said, and licked his lip.
* * *
“Hey, Ashley. Why are we in Chilliwack?”
Of all the things we’d talked about on what turned out to be the hour-and-a-half drive out here—our favorite restaurants, what TV shows we liked, how politely he’d skirted the issue when my cousin Charlotte asked if we were getting married—he hadn’t filled me in on that.
“I grew up here.” He tossed me a slight smile. “Don’t judge.”
“Why would I judge you for where you grew up?” I watched houses, trees, and commercial buildings pass by my window. It was a bigger town than I’d thought. According to a sign I saw, there was a hospital, and we drove past a pretty big courthouse. Plus, I spotted two Tim Horton’s. “They have two Timmy Ho’s. Everyone knows Tim’s has the best coffee. How bad can this town be?”
“Said the girl who drinks tea,” Ashley said, as we headed right out the other side of the downtown area and kept driving. “And it’s a city, not a town. I’ll forgive you for not noticing.”
I smiled at him. “I’ve never been here before. For all I know, it’s the greatest place on Earth.”
“I think that’s Disneyland.”
“I think that’s the happiest place.”
“Either way. Not here.”
We continued on through the small city… and then right back out of it again. About five minutes later, we were on a long paved road with quaint countryside homes off to either side. A few minutes after that, we turned off onto a long dirt road.
“Hey, Ashley. Where are we now?”
“We’re heading out the ass end of Chilliwack. To my dad’s place.”
One dirt road became another, and another. The houses got farther apart but not necessarily smaller. There were a few older, shabbier ones here and there. A few big, beautiful ones, too.
Then we turned into a dirt driveway, into the shabbiest yard of the shabbiest house I’d seen so far. Ashley parked us partway up the driveway and turned off the truck, threw me a look that I interpreted as apologetic, and got out.
