Twice Upon A Road Trip

By Shannon Stacey

When the going gets tough, Jill Delaney gets going…in the other direction.

 

This time the other direction has Jill hitching a ride with the senior center's Spring Fling tour to Orlando. Screwed out of a promotion, she's ready for some fun in the sun before it is time to balance her checkbook again.

 

Ethan Cooper just wants to get his mother settled into her new job so he can pick up the pieces of his own life. But first Mom's got a little vacation planned. Now Ethan has to survive a trip with a busload of retirees and one sexy but infuriating blonde, and then he's home free.

 

But when they find themselves stranded and alone, Jill and Ethan are faced with making their own way south. Fighting scorching sexual desire and each other along the way, they give in and indulge in a little vacation sex—which doesn't mean they have to fall in love. After all, Jill's not ready for white picket fences, and Ethan's convinced she's not his type. They never saw the handcuffs coming…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Shannon Stacey
• Release date: Aug 11, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201190569

Shannon Stacey

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and off-roading with her friends and family. You can contact Shannon through her website, www.shannonstacey.com, as well as sign up for her newsletter.

Book preview

1

For a Thursday it had been one hell of a bad day.

Jillian Delaney navigated across the grocery store parking lot, cursing her rotten luck. It wasn’t a Monday or a Friday the thirteenth. She hadn’t broken a mirror, walked under a ladder or tripped over a black cat. There was simply no explanation for the words that had come from her boss’s mouth.

She stopped the cart and let it rest against her hip while she opened the back door. The cart slipped and she cringed as the shopping cart gouged a trail across the cherry red fender of her new car.

Damn, she hissed, examining the wound. Could this day get any worse?

The Fates only laughed at the foolish question and split the bottom of the plastic bag in her hand. Groceries showered the pavement. Two cans of vegetables hit the asphalt with metallic thuds before splitting up and rolling in opposite directions. A can of soup ricocheted off a can of tomato paste. And the jumbo thirty-nine-ounce can of coffee landed on her foot.

Jill let loose a short, frustrated scream and threw the torn bag into the car. Tears burned her eyes, but she concentrated on her anger. She was not going to cry in the grocery store parking lot. She would cry when she got home, then comfort herself with the one-pound bag of chocolate she’d just bought. One by one she picked up her canned goods and pelted them into the backseat. Half bounced back at her—par for the course today.

Some idiot had stolen her promotion. For four years she coveted that job, waiting for Mrs. Bright to retire. Now some out-of-towner with a fancy résumé—she wasn’t even from New Hampshire—had swooped in and pulled the rug out from under her. In two weeks, somebody else would be the head librarian at the Carlson Memorial Library.

Jill swore and kicked the fender, leaving a nice little dent right below the scratch. In for a penny… She kicked it again.

Pain exploded in her toes. An anguished growl tore from her throat and she sat on the edge of the backseat. With one hand, she rubbed her bruised toes while the other hand massaged her temple. Maybe a good, public cry was inevitable, because her day was getting worse by the second.

A pair of men’s Reeboks stopped in front of her. Hi there. Is there a problem?

Geez, do I look that bad? Or maybe the screeches of outrage had given her away. She stood with a weary sigh.

The man occupying the Reeboks smiled at her and she completely forgot what she was going to say.

His tall frame was a tad bit thinner than she usually liked, but he still managed to fill out his worn jeans and Red Sox T-shirt pretty well. Her gaze skimmed over his clean-shaven jaw, his sensually curved lips. He had thick, mahogany-hued hair she would bet curled like mad if he didn’t keep it trimmed short. And those dark chocolate eyes…

Jill pressed her lips together to keep from grinning like an idiot. Spring was most definitely in the air, and it had been a while since spring had sprung. I’m fine—really. Thanks for asking.

I, uh…I appreciate the groceries but I bought my own, he said, waving toward his own cart.

What? Wasn’t it just her luck to bump into a cute guy whose elevator didn’t go all the way to the top? If only she was more superstitious, she’d have a clue what she’d done to bring this on herself. Had she spilled salt at lunch and not tossed it over her shoulder? Look, pal, I’m not in the mood for any games right now, so if you move your cart I’ll just leave, okay?

That’s my car.

What? I don’t… She looked over her shoulder and the words died on her lips. Her travel mug was red, not blue. And her center console hadn’t been that organized since it left the dealership.

This isn’t my car!

The man smiled at her—cautiously, as if she might bite. Like I said, it’s my car. But there’s a lot of them out there, so it’s an easy enough mistake.

The tears welled with renewed vigor and she flicked her wrist at the freshly abused fender. I beat up your car.

He bent low to examine the damage and, despite her distress, she couldn’t resist a quick peek at his ass. Nice. Very nice indeed. Too bad it had taken her less than a minute to make a fool of herself in front of the best-looking fish she’d seen in the sea lately.

It’s fixable. I doubt it will cost more than what my insurance deductible is, so there’s no sense in going through them.

Please don’t call the police. My brother-in-law is the chief and I’ll never live this down.

"No need for cops. We can exchange info and I’ll let you know what the estimate comes to. You will pay for it, right?"

Of course, Jill muttered while she dug in her purse for a pen.

She didn’t look forward to tightening her belt another notch. The damage she’d done to her credit cards in anticipation of her promotion was substantial. My name is Jill Delaney. Here’s my address and phone number.

He took the slip of paper she handed him. Jill Delaney?

Yeah, it’s all right there. She leaned into the car to gather up her loose canned goods.

You’re the children’s librarian?

How does he know that? She jerked back and smacked her head on the roof of the car. Ouch!

Real concern furrowed his brow. Are you okay?

She rubbed at the spot, wincing against the pain. No, I am not okay. I’m having the worst day of my life!

I’m sorry. I⁠—

No—the second worst day, she continued after a shaky breath. There were those pesky tears again, and she blinked them back. The worst day will come in two weeks when I have to meet the bitch who stole my promotion.

She stopped rubbing her head and looked at him as a horrible suspicion wormed its way into her mind. How did you know I’m the children’s librarian?

I’m Ethan Cooper, he replied, extending his hand. The bitch is my mother.

She knew her jaw dropped, but she couldn’t help it. Of all the people she had to run into right now, why did it have to be him? Humiliation surged from a trickle to a raging flood. She felt reason slipping away, as it always did when she embarrassed herself.

Angry words bottlenecked in her throat, fighting to be first. I don’t… Son of a bitch!

He jerked back, giving her a startled glance. You’re just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you? They let you work with children?

She blew upwards at the blonde wisps forever escaping her ponytail. I can’t believe this is happening to me! Do you know what your mother did to me?

My mother didn’t do anything to you. He looked confused and maybe a little angry. There was an opening for a job she’s qualified for and she applied. The trustees hired her. It has nothing to do with you, sunshine.

The bastard made the endearment sound like an insult. It was an insult. Normally, it would make her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. But right now she just wanted to stomp on his toes.

"I know it had nothing to do with me. But that was my promotion. I worked so hard⁠—"

Jill swallowed the rest of the sentence and started throwing her groceries back into her cart, muttering words she didn’t care if he heard. Nothing to do with me… I waited four years… She’s not even from here.

Ethan leaned over her shoulder to peer into the car. Do you need a hand with those?

Please just leave me alone. If you’re nice to me I’ll start bawling right here in the parking lot.

He held up his hands. Look, sunshine, I⁠—

She stood and put her hands on her hips, looking him in the eye. "Stop calling me sunshine."

His narrowed gaze didn’t flinch away from hers. It’s better than some of the other names that have crossed my mind in the last two minutes.

You don’t even know me, she protested.

He crossed his arms, dragging the hems of his T-shirt sleeves up over his biceps. Very nice biceps, too. She tried not to look, but it wasn’t easy. And those shoulders…

He didn’t speak again until she made herself look up. You don’t know my mother, but you called her a bitch.

She stole my job.

He threw up his hands. I don’t have time to talk in circles with a crazy woman⁠—

Crazy? Just who did he think he was?

Fine—she stole your job. We’re horrible people and there’s a massive conspiracy out to get you. Happy? Now get your shit out of my car so I can go home.

Fury tied Jill’s tongue so all she could do was turn around and start piling cans in her arms. She was going to start crying any second, and she didn’t want to add that to her list of already pathetic behavior. For every two she picked up one fell and she finally just dumped what she had into the cart and threw the rest in, one at a time. Of course a can had rolled under the car, so she got down on her hands and knees to fish it out.

Her fingers closed over it just as Ethan Cooper mumbled something above her. She struggled to her feet. What did you say?

I said I’ll be sure to tell my mother she can look forward to working with you.

The sarcasm was as thick as cheap mascara and she glared at him. You know what? Fine—I quit.

She swung her cart around and walked away, her chin thrust in the air. Oh God, where did I park my car?

Wait, he said, and her heart lurched in her chest when he grabbed her elbow. You can’t quit.

Why not? she demanded, wondering even as the words left her mouth if she’d gone insane. He was right. She couldn’t quit her job. She had bills to pay—a lot of bills.

His hand was warm through her thin sweater, making her flesh tingle. She shook it off. She didn’t take chemistry in school, but she knew it when she felt it. And Ethan Cooper was the last man on the planet she wanted to share any kind of sexual chemistry with.

And oh boy, did she ever feel it. Why was this happening to her? Why couldn’t she have met this guy at a bar, or at the damn laundromat? Instead of sharing a drink, they were having a pissing match in the middle of the grocery store parking lot.

And she’d just quit her job. Your mother is very capable from what I understand.

She is, but she hasn’t even started yet. What is she supposed to do without you?

Jill refused to back down from his anger. Melinda—the page—knows my job almost as well as I do. She can be the children’s librarian.

She thought of the upcoming summer reading program and squelched a pang of regret. She’d promised the kids a sundae party for any who met their reading goals.

Well, Miranda could shelve books like a whirling alphabetizing dervish and knew the Dewey decimal system by heart. Surely she could scoop ice cream.

Still, there was that file full of grant forms to fill out and fundraising letters to send. And performers to book. And she so loved to watch the kids’ faces during the puppet show.

And what are you going to do? he asked, dragging her thoughts away from the to-do list that wouldn’t be hers to do anymore.

Good question. I’m going to travel. I want to see the world.

She was amazed she even managed to say it with a straight face. Wanting to see the world was one thing. Paying to see it was an entirely different story. Maybe a little vacation wouldn’t hurt, though.

Ethan chewed the inside of his lip, and Jill was fascinated by the way the muscles in his jaw worked. It really was too bad he was the promotion thief’s son. Those Reeboks would look damn fine under her bed.

So that’s it? he demanded. You don’t get your way, so you quit?

He made her sound like a petulant child. Maybe she was acting like one—just a little—but she was having a really shitty day. That’s right. I’m quitting my job and I’m going to see the world. And I’m going to find the man of my dreams so he can sweep me off my feet.

The corners of his lips twitched. Good luck.

Okay, that hurt. I’m leaving now. Have a nice life.

Why didn’t you quit three weeks ago?

Jill took a deep breath and blew the hair out of her eyes again. If he disliked her so much, why wouldn’t he just go away? She couldn’t hold