cars.”
“Finally!” Melinda said.
They grinned at each other. A couple of guys leaning against the car next to them gave them both double high-fives and a loud whoo-hoo! before climbing back into their vehicle and turning its engine over.
Jacob and Melinda moved on, faster now, while all around them, engines began to rev and cars slowly crept forward. They shifted off the pavement to the side of the road, out of the way.
Everywhere they looked, people were diving back into their cars, celebratory whoops going up like it was the Fourth of July.
They were still a fair distance from their vehicles when Melinda spied Danny standing on the driver’s side running board of the SUV and hailing them with his arms raised over his head, urging them to hurry up.
“Come on,” Jacob said, and grabbed her hand.
Together, they sprinted toward the car, flashing past the many vehicles.
Laughing, Melinda gave his hand a squeeze, then disengaged and poured on the speed.
“Hey, slowpoke,” she called, “last one there’s a—ow!”
Her left foot landed in a hole, and she went down hard, scraping her hands and knees on the rough desert sand.
“Mel!” Jacob dropped to his knee beside her, one hand on her back as he peered at her face, tucking back the curtain of her hair. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, Melinda swiped the instant and instinctive rush of tears from her eyes. Stupid, girly reaction! She was more embarrassed than hurt, though her foot throbbed.
“Yeah,” she said. “Just, you know—” She gestured with a wave of her hand to encompass herself, sprawled in the dirt.
She hoped he didn’t hear the slight catch in her frustrated sigh. She was not going to cry over a few scrapes. At least she hadn’t torn a hole in the knees of her favorite jeans.
“Can you stand up?” he asked.
Without waiting for her response, Jacob grabbed her beneath her arms and hauled her up in one quick motion. When he set her back on her feet, she gasped in pain and lifted the left one up again.
“Damn it!” she said. It had better not be sprained and ruin what was already a half-ruined ski trip!
“Here, hop on,” Jacob said, dropping down again with his back to her. He put his hands backward over his shoulders, reaching for hers so he could haul her up on his back. “We’ve got to get moving.”
As if to underscore his statement, the car beside them rolled forward several feet.
Melinda grasped his hands and swung up, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His hands clamped her thighs securely as he took off at a jog for the SUV and the rest of their party.
“Is she all right?” Stan called across Karen through the open passenger window of their car as Jacob ran past with Melinda.
“I’m fine!” Melinda yelled back.
When they got to the SUV, Gabe held the passenger door open for Jacob to deposit her on the front seat, then the guys swung into the vehicle and Danny put it in drive, moving forward before she’d even buckled her seatbelt.
All around them, cars picked up speed, their drivers eager to move forward after their long wait.
Leaning over from the third row to pat her on the thigh, Christian asked, “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said again, though embarrassed heat burned the tops of her cheekbones and the tips of her ears.
“You’re lucky I’d just put my phone away,” Danny said while Wendell snickered, “or that sucker’d already be on YouTube. You went down like a brick.”
“Shut up, moron,” Melinda said. Silently, she gave thanks the phone and its handy little video camera had indeed been put away.
“Yeah, don’t they teach you kids etiquette anymore?” Gabe asked from his spot behind Danny, thwacking his friend on the top of his right ear. “You’re supposed to say she went down like a graceful brick.”
“Here, Mel,” Jacob said, batting Gabe in the back of the head with one hand and giving her the first aid kit with the other, while the rest of the guys snorted
“Finally!” Melinda said.
They grinned at each other. A couple of guys leaning against the car next to them gave them both double high-fives and a loud whoo-hoo! before climbing back into their vehicle and turning its engine over.
Jacob and Melinda moved on, faster now, while all around them, engines began to rev and cars slowly crept forward. They shifted off the pavement to the side of the road, out of the way.
Everywhere they looked, people were diving back into their cars, celebratory whoops going up like it was the Fourth of July.
They were still a fair distance from their vehicles when Melinda spied Danny standing on the driver’s side running board of the SUV and hailing them with his arms raised over his head, urging them to hurry up.
“Come on,” Jacob said, and grabbed her hand.
Together, they sprinted toward the car, flashing past the many vehicles.
Laughing, Melinda gave his hand a squeeze, then disengaged and poured on the speed.
“Hey, slowpoke,” she called, “last one there’s a—ow!”
Her left foot landed in a hole, and she went down hard, scraping her hands and knees on the rough desert sand.
“Mel!” Jacob dropped to his knee beside her, one hand on her back as he peered at her face, tucking back the curtain of her hair. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, Melinda swiped the instant and instinctive rush of tears from her eyes. Stupid, girly reaction! She was more embarrassed than hurt, though her foot throbbed.
“Yeah,” she said. “Just, you know—” She gestured with a wave of her hand to encompass herself, sprawled in the dirt.
She hoped he didn’t hear the slight catch in her frustrated sigh. She was not going to cry over a few scrapes. At least she hadn’t torn a hole in the knees of her favorite jeans.
“Can you stand up?” he asked.
Without waiting for her response, Jacob grabbed her beneath her arms and hauled her up in one quick motion. When he set her back on her feet, she gasped in pain and lifted the left one up again.
“Damn it!” she said. It had better not be sprained and ruin what was already a half-ruined ski trip!
“Here, hop on,” Jacob said, dropping down again with his back to her. He put his hands backward over his shoulders, reaching for hers so he could haul her up on his back. “We’ve got to get moving.”
As if to underscore his statement, the car beside them rolled forward several feet.
Melinda grasped his hands and swung up, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders. His hands clamped her thighs securely as he took off at a jog for the SUV and the rest of their party.
“Is she all right?” Stan called across Karen through the open passenger window of their car as Jacob ran past with Melinda.
“I’m fine!” Melinda yelled back.
When they got to the SUV, Gabe held the passenger door open for Jacob to deposit her on the front seat, then the guys swung into the vehicle and Danny put it in drive, moving forward before she’d even buckled her seatbelt.
All around them, cars picked up speed, their drivers eager to move forward after their long wait.
Leaning over from the third row to pat her on the thigh, Christian asked, “Are you okay?”
“Fine,” she said again, though embarrassed heat burned the tops of her cheekbones and the tips of her ears.
“You’re lucky I’d just put my phone away,” Danny said while Wendell snickered, “or that sucker’d already be on YouTube. You went down like a brick.”
“Shut up, moron,” Melinda said. Silently, she gave thanks the phone and its handy little video camera had indeed been put away.
“Yeah, don’t they teach you kids etiquette anymore?” Gabe asked from his spot behind Danny, thwacking his friend on the top of his right ear. “You’re supposed to say she went down like a graceful brick.”
“Here, Mel,” Jacob said, batting Gabe in the back of the head with one hand and giving her the first aid kit with the other, while the rest of the guys snorted
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