Promises To Keep. Shirley Hailstock

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      “Why is that road so important to you?”

      “It’s not the road.”

      “It is,” Lydia contradicted. “If it wasn’t that road, would you take the highways or even fly? You want to take that car over that road.”

      McKenna stared at the wall behind Lydia for a while. “It’s been a wish of mine for a long time. And Marshall’s, too.”

      “Marshall never said anything about wanting to drive 2,400 miles, or wanting to drive that road.”

      McKenna refrained from telling her that there were some things that husbands and wives shared that other people knew nothing about.

      “Why do you think Marshall had that replica in his office?”

      “He liked cars,” Lydia replied.

      McKenna shook her head. “He didn’t just like cars. He loved cars. Loved everything about them—the smell of the oil, the sound of a perfectly pitched engine, the squeal of the tires against the road. Every year he couldn’t wait for the new models. Even the new paint colors excited him.”

      “I know,” Lydia said. “Marshall lived and breathed cars.”

      “I asked him once about the car. Why he had the replica on his desk.”

      “Did he say he wanted one, wanted to take it on a road trip?”

      “Not in those words. He said it represented a dream. He wanted the freedom the car represented. Not that he regretted marrying me. I wasn’t the tether holding him in place. It was the business. We had so much responsibility because of it, the welfare of our employees depended on us. He took that seriously and said driving away wasn’t in his plans any longer.”

      “When was this?” Lydia’s voice was soft. McKenna felt as if she was trying to protect her from the memory of things she and Marshall would never do.

      “Shortly before he died. You remember the business was taking a slight hit. We’d begun the custom work and we were pouring a lot of financing into it.”

      Lydia nodded. “And then he was gone.”

      McKenna felt her eyes tear up. “And then he was gone.”

      “And you decided to fulfill his dream.”

      She smiled at Lydia, a genuine smile. “It wasn’t just his dream, Lydia. It was mine, too. I didn’t build that car in memory of my husband.”

      Lydia gave her a scant look.

      “Well, not totally. Building it was my idea, only mine. It was a way to help me deal with Marshall’s death, take my mind off everything. Once I started, it became me. I wanted to do it. I wanted to put all those pieces together and complete it. And I wanted to take it on the road. Men aren’t the only ones who think taking off into the wild is their birthright.”

      Lydia held her hand and squeezed it. Then she released it. “I’m sorry that I can’t go with you now.”

      “Don’t worry. I’ll have no problem being on my own.”

      “Well...you won’t be going alone, actually”

      McKenna raised her brows, curious. “I won’t?”

      “Parker is going to accompany you.”

      McKenna couldn’t believe her ears. “Parker!” She almost screamed. “Parker Fordum?” She stood up and took a step back. “You’ve got to be kidding.” McKenna’s stomach churned at the thought of Parker sitting next to her in the small car.

      “McKenna, Fordum is on sabbatical. He’s a perfect replacement,” Lydia said.

      “Lydia, he’s old, has no imagination and he wants to label and define everyone into a neat, little box. That’s not the kind of person I am or the kind of trip I’m going on.”

      “He’s not that old. He’s younger than you are.”

      “That’s not what I mean. He acts old, set in his ways. He’s too much of a by-the-book person. He would never fit into the way I want this trip to be.”

      “McKenna, he’s not like that at all. Parker is a warm, funny individual who loves adventure. Give him a chance.”

      McKenna was shaking her head before Lydia had finished speaking.

      “You can’t go alone. It’s too long a drive and too dangerous. And Parker could help out if the car breaks down.”

      “Is he a mechanic? Does he know the first thing about a car, about a ’59 Corvette, other than how to drive one? And it has a standard transmission. Can he even drive a stick?”

      “You still need someone to help you,” Lydia insisted.

      “No, I don’t,” McKenna said. She was sorry she’d ever mentioned the trip to her friends. Maybe it would have been better if she’d just called them from the open road and told them she was off and would be back when the adventure was over. She sighed. It was too late for that now.

      “I don’t need his help. I built that car. If it breaks down, I can fix it.”

      “McKenna, I’m not doubting your intelligence, but you might just need someone with strength to help you along.”

      “Lydia, it’s more than that. You and I are women. The whole dynamic changes with a man. We can’t stay in the same hotel room, so that means more expenses. I’m not familiar with his habits, his likes and dislikes in food, his pet peeves. You and I had agreed to eat simple, healthy food and to exercise everyday so we wouldn’t get run-down or develop any health problems. I rarely even talk to Parker other than sharing a polite conversation at a party.” She’d always cut short or avoided conversation with him altogether. And then there was the matter of Marshall and Parker.

      “Then you two can spend the time getting to know each other.” Lydia put her hand up when McKenna began to speak. “He’s already agreed to spend part of his sabbatical on the road with you, so don’t mess this up. You don’t leave for two days. You’ll have time to get used to the idea.”

      “What idea?”

      McKenna turned to find Parker Fordum in the doorway, holding a bouquet of flowers in a glass vase. She stiffened at his unexpected presence, then forced herself to relax. While she and Parker were like oil and water, he and Lydia had been friends since their college days. McKenna usually tried to be at the other end of the room whenever they were at the same event. She couldn’t imagine spending weeks on the road with him. Alone.

      “The idea of traveling a long distance with you,” Lydia responded truthfully.

      McKenna wanted to glare at Lydia, but she transferred her attention to Parker and said, “I was a little surprised when Lydia told me you agreed to stand in for her on our trip.”

      “She’s very persuasive.” His voice was almost a drawl, yet McKenna knew he’d spent his entire life in and around Chicago.

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