The Last Blind Date by Carmine Valentine

Author:Carmine Valentine [Valentine, Carmine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-05-19T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 7

From the darkened end of the limousine, it was quiet. She could see that Travis’s and Betsy’s heads were together. She tried to ignore the sound of their kissing and their murmurs to each other. When another couple was smooching in a darkened corner, it brought about an uncomfortable feeling when you were sitting close to someone you didn’t know well enough, yet, to smooch with. Mimi made the pretense of knocking her evening purse off her lap. Reaching down to retrieve it from the floorboards, she came up having moved several inches away from Derek.

The lights of Seattle were miles behind as they climbed in elevation. The night had darkened the evergreen covered mountains that rose to either side of the freeway. They passed exit signs to Fall City and signs indicating the distance to North Bend and Spokane.

Occasionally they saw a light from a home flickering through the dark green density of the forested mountains. Semi-trucks carrying their deliveries passed by on their long haul over the mountain pass toward Eastern Washington and states beyond. The exit sign to North Bend went by in a blur as the limousine kept on the freeway.

“How much further?” Mimi asked.

Betsy lifted her head of red curls from Travis’s shoulder and rapped on the driver’s window that separated the cab from the passenger area.

The driver had his cell phone up to his ear. He put that down before sliding open the window. Oddly, he didn’t say anything, his dark eyes just stared at them in the rearview mirror, which Mimi thought was rude, having expected him to say, “Good evening. Or how can I be of service?” Something from the politeness manual. Instead, he just stared at them, and was hopefully keeping his eyes on the road ahead, as well.

“How much longer?” Betsy said. She was never intimidated by anyone or anything, not even a pair of dark unflinching and unfriendly eyes in a rearview mirror.

The driver’s lips moved, and a sound came out. To Mimi it sounded like a grunt. The window closed. Exchange over.

Betsy turned around from where she’d sat sideways talking to the driver. “Did any of you get that?” she asked.

“Sounded like a grunt to me,” Travis said.

“Pretty much,” Derek agreed.

Betsy knocked on the window, again. The driver opened the window. Again, just dark eyes looking into the rearview mirror, waiting.

“How much longer?” Betsy asked, again.

Their driver held up his wrist where a gold watch flashed digital numbers. This time he spoke in a deep guttural voice with an accent so heavy it was difficult to understand what he’d said. Both his hands were on the wheel again. They saw his head move to check his side mirror as a vehicle passed on their left to change into their lane, the red taillights moving speedily away from them.

“What did he say?” Derek looked at Travis who could only lift his shoulders and shake his head.

Betsy giggled behind her hand. “Was that even English?”

Mimi leaned forward, happy to be of assistance.

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