June, Reimagined (33)

Just as June’s resolve was about crumble, Lennox slammed on the brakes, jerking her forward. Standing not one hundred feet from the car was the biggest, hairiest cow June had ever seen. Lennox swerved to avoid it, but the back tires acted more like ice skates, and their momentum pulled and pushed at June until they spun off the road and landed in a ditch with a thud.

“Are you hurt?” The gravity was back in Lennox’s voice.

But June only laughed. “I’m fine.”

“Damn it, June.” Lennox banged on the steering wheel. “You distracted me.”

“Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”

“You could have been hurt or worse.”

“Don’t be so dramatic. Nothing happened.”

Lennox clenched his jaw. “This time. Nothing happened this time. But what about the next or the next? Is nothing serious to you?”

“Is everything serious to you?”

He didn’t respond. He attempted to drive out of the ditch, but the car didn’t budge. “Fuck. We’re stuck.”

“Look at you. You’re a poet and you didn’t even know it.”

“Seriously?”

“What? ‘Fuck’ and ‘stuck’ rhyme.”

“Now is not the time for bad American humor.” Lennox got out of the car.

June followed him. “Well, seeing as we’re stranded in a snowstorm in the middle of nowhere, now seems like a good time for a little humor.”

“We are not stranded.”

June leaned back on the car as Lennox paced, examining their position in the ditch. “Those wouldn’t happen to be snow tires, would they?”

“You don’t need snow tires in Scotland.”

“Apparently, you do.”

“This is all your fault.”

“No, it’s the cow’s fault.”

“No,” Lennox countered. “If I was paying attention like I ought to have been, instead of watching you, I would have seen the damn cow in time.” He walked to the back of the car and instructed June to steer while he attempted to push it out of the ditch. “Now gently press on the gas, Peanut.”

June did as she was instructed. The car didn’t move.

“Give it a little more!” he shouted over the motor. June pressed on the pedal, revving the engine. “Stop! Stop!”

Snow dripped from Lennox’s face as he attempted to shake his clothes clean. June met him behind the car, gasping with laughter, and began to wipe at his shoulders and chest, her lips tight as she tried to contain her giggles. But when a glob of snow fell into Lennox’s eyes, she burst into hysterics.

“You think this is funny?” he asked.

“I do, actually. I think this is all very funny.”

Lennox nodded and licked his wet lips. “Right.” He made a snowball and cocked his arm to fire before June could even consider running.

She turned quickly with a yelp, but it was too late. A thud hit her back. With a pivot, she pointed at Lennox. “This means war.”

For years June had played endless games of catch, running bases, and battling Josh and Matt in snowball fights. She could pack a firm weapon, dodge incoming fire, and throw with the best of them. But Lennox was tough competition, agile on the slick snow, swift and determined. Snowballs rained down as the two of them dodged each other. June ran across the street and ducked behind a stone fence for cover. She sat against the wall and caught her breath.

“Surrender!” Lennox shouted.

June crawled on her hands and knees, her pants now soaked, her hair full of snow.

When Lennox next spoke, he sounded slightly concerned. “Peanut? What are you doing back there?”

He crossed the street, where she pressed herself against the wall and then stealthily slithered to the other side as Lennox looked for her.

“June, where the hell . . .”

She leaped onto his back. Lennox startled and grabbed her, spinning them around. He lost his balance as their bodies tangled, and snow and gravity forced them to the ground with a thud, June landing on top.

“Jesus, Peanut. Are you OK?”

But June was laughing too hard to respond. She took a handful of snow and smeared it on Lennox’s face. Clumps clung to his nose and eyelashes, increasing June’s hysterics. But her laughter stopped when Lennox’s large hand wiped snow from June’s hairline down to her chin. She blinked, shocked. Lennox took another handful and casually started eating it.

“I hope there’s dog pee in that,” June said.

“It’s more likely to have cow piss, where we are.”

“Admit it. I win.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Look who’s on top,” June said.

“Who says I’m not letting you pin me? If I wanted you off me, I’d make it happen. But I just so happen to like a woman on top.”

The fire that June had fought hard to squelch caught quickly. She pushed the feeling away and stood, wiping snow from herself. “What do we do now, Mr. Responsibility?” She gestured toward the car and the empty country road. “Got a miracle in your trunk?”

Lennox retrieved his cell phone out of the glove box. “It’s not a miracle, but it might just work.” But no one answered at the inn, and Amelia’s phone went straight to voice mail. June rubbed her arms, hugging her limbs tightly into her core. Lennox left a message for his sister and shoved the phone into his pocket.