Shivering in the cold, I wrapped my arms around my midsection. My cute, off-the-shoulder sweater shirt was now hanging off of me like a wet bag, and my leggings felt stiff as ice on my legs. My torn jacket wasn’t doing much to break the icy wind. Maybe jogging would keep me warm.
I started out with a light jog, side stepping my way around the icy patches and keeping my eyes on the painted line of the shoulder. If I could jog my way to the highway entrance, maybe I would be able to hitch a ride into town from there. Albeit, it would probably be with someone I knew. Maple Cove was a town of only 5000, give or take myself and a handful of others who came and went. The chances of someone I knew picking me up wasn’t even high, it was an absolute certainty. My town was the last exit off the highway so unless a car was lost, anyone even driving west was heading straight for Maple Cove.
Jogging did help, though. Only it helped with the cold and not my boobs. Despite always having been on the small side, I needed a military grade bra to keep those girls in place. Jogging without one essentially meant holding one in each hand. My body had warmed up enough to stop shivering, but my toes and fingers and the tips of my ears were frozen. I kept my head down and plodded along, occasionally sticking out a thumb when I heard a car. If not for the hunger in my belly, the freezing cold, and throbbing pain in my head, I actually would have been proud of my pace. I’d run track in high school and although I wasn’t the fitness buff that I used to be, I could still pull out a solid 5k when I had to.
I settled into the zone, but nearly jumped out of my skin when the sound of a car seemed to come out of nowhere behind me, the horn beeping loudly. Stopping to turn around, my eyes squinted in the headlights. For a moment, I felt like a deer frozen in place. Until it dawned on me that I was staring down the front of a Tesla Model S. Who was that? Anyone driving a car like that was definitely not from around here.
The car beeped again, making me jump for a second time. I inched forward a step, suddenly feeling a little queasy. I had been convincing myself this entire time that it would be Benny from the diner or my mom’s old friend Carole who would be the one to stop. Not some fancy car that clearly didn’t quite belong…
The door swung open and suddenly adrenaline flooded my body from the tips of my frozen toes to my head. Blinded by the headlights, I really couldn’t see him but holy hell, I could smell him. A woodsy, musky scent suddenly reached my senses, overwhelming me with intrigue and something else that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Such an odd feeling to have in that moment.
A gravelly rumble floated across the ice-cold silence. “Miss? Are you all right? What happened to you?”
He was walking towards me, but my mouth and face felt too frozen to move. I tried to answer, but everything felt numb, and all that came out was a garbled sound.
“Oh my god, you’re totally frozen!” He immediately threw off his coat, revealing an expensive suit beneath it. Wrapping the coat around me, he held me tightly like he was afraid I’d bolt. “Get in the car right now!” He growled, sounding angry and nasty, which was just… weird.
Who was this guy? Something seemed off, but I wasn’t sure what. Maybe I should decline? Maybe my brain was frozen, too? I wasn’t exactly a newbie at hitchhiking but still, I was taken aback by this guy’s oddly aggressive demeanor.
Then again, all that melted away with the heat of the car. As he opened the door, it drew me in, enticing me and melting away all my doubts.
“Shit, your head is bleeding…” He mumbled, almost more to himself than to me. “I’ll fix it. I have a medical emergency kit in the back.” He continued. I still hadn’t looked up. This car, that voice, there was something about his smell. It was all too fairytale like, and it made me suspicious as all hell. Who the fuck drove around small towns dressed like a goddamn millionaire?
And sure, I lived in New York and saw tons of cars and men like this every day. But I was also an artist. I lived in Brooklyn and painted for a living. These were the kind of guys who got dragged to art galleries by their uptown wives and girlfriends. Not the kind to find you stranded on the side of a small-town road north of Lake Ontario.
He was probably a serial killer. The kind who would be later dubbed by the media as “The Cashmere Coat Killer” or something equally as odd. I could just see the headlines now. Fake millionaire picks up girls off the streets before chopping them to bits and eating their remains with chianti and lima beans. Maybe I did hit my head too hard.
That gravelly voice brought me back to reality as he slid into the car. “I’m turning up the heat. Do you feel it yet?”
A gist of cold air slipped in before he closed the door. I kept my eyes down, fingers rubbing my temples. The throbbing was getting worse and the pain from defrosting my numb digits was intensifying, but I nodded in response.
“Okay, just lean your head back and I’m going to lower the seat. I’m just going to clean your wound.”
“Um…okay…” My voice came out garbled and soft. I hated that I sounded so weak, but the truth was, I was. Losing control of the car and jogging in freezing rain had taken its toll. Now that the warmth was hitting me, the stress of it all seemed to be flooding my nervous system and bringing me down fast from a self-induced adrenaline high.
I pushed away all thoughts about not being able to see him clearly or not asking any questions. His car was warm and comfortable and in that moment, that’s all I cared about. I closed my eyes and let him gently guide me back on the seat. Feeling it recline made me relax.
“This will sting a bit.” He cautioned.
“FUCK!” Sting it did. Like a bitch.
“Hold still.” His voice was calm but as cold as the antiseptic on my forehead. I let him work in silence as he cleaned and applied a bandage.
“Okay, you’re done for now. You might need stiches later, but it’s okay for now.”
“Thank you.” I whispered. “Thanks for stopping and for…helping.” I motioned to my forehead. I craned my neck in the moonlight to see him, to get a better look at this confusing man who was somehow both aggressive and gentle. But still it was too dark and all I could make out were glimpses of a profile.
“I suggest you stay in that position for the ride. I’m heading to the Maple Cove Inn. That work for you?” He asked casually as if he was my Uber driver.
“Yes, that would be great actually.” I answered, grateful that he was going to get me somewhere I could rest and regroup.
I shifted a bit as he started the car and began to drive.
“So, tell me…how did you end up frozen, bleeding, and running down the highway at midnight?”
I turned my face towards his and examined his perfect bone structure. Sharp angles accentuated a beautifully dangerous profile. I wished I could see more of his face but the
light never quite illuminated it completely. His silk suit however, did nothing to hide his large, athletic body. Just like the cashmere scarf didn’t hide the bulging veins in his neck. This guy wasn’t dressed for a storm any more than I was. Except his were clearly office clothes. Successful office clothes. My fingers grazed the sides of his coat that was wrapped around me. Also cashmere. Expensive, just like this car.