Chapter Four

Brent

I've never been so cold in all my life. I lace my fingers together and blow into my gloved hands. Who, in their right mind, gets out in this kind of weather to drive a bunch of folks to the casino? Me, that's who.

"Brent, how many you got?" my Uncle Barry calls out to me over the hum of the bus's engine and the blustery wind.

"Hold on, let me count." I pull the doors of the bus open and climb the two steps to get a view of all the passengers. A blast of warm air hits me in the face—the only part of my body that's not covered.

I hold onto the back of the driver's seat then stand on my tiptoes to do a head count. I learned a long time ago it was easier to count the empty seats rather than the ones that are occupied, since I know how many the bus will hold when it's full. Most of the passengers take the first available seats they come to, but there's always that five or six that will go all the way to the back.

I'm not ready to stand back out in the cold, but the sooner we know now many total passengers we have, the sooner we can be on our way.

On a normal day, the drive from Reno to Tahoe is less than an hour, but on days like today, we'll be lucky if we make it in two. To be honest, I'm surprised they even have us on the road at all considering how quickly the weather is going downhill. This is the last group coming in, so once we make it to the casino, we'll be safe and sound for the next five days. It still baffles me that people would rather spend their time at a casino during the holidays rather than with their friends and loved ones. To each their own, I guess, but Tahoe is a fabulous destination spot. Especially for those who like to ski.

I began working at the casino as a valet attendant when I was still in high school. Even after four years of college and a degree I wasn't sure how to put to use, I found myself coming back to the one thing I was good at—interacting with people. I'm a lot like my father—I don't meet a stranger.

He and my Uncle Barry drove the shuttle buses for the casino for years, carrying charter guests back and forth from the airport in Reno all the way down to the lake. It was the perfect job for my father—it paid decent, plus it got him out of the house several days a week.

Then, without any warning, he had a stroke and his days of transporting guests came to a sudden halt. Because I'd filled in on the days he or my uncle had needed off, I was the likely candidate to take his spot. I was a little hesitant at first—mostly that I'd get tired of driving the same route so many times a week—but I found that the people flying in on the chartered flights were just as nice as the ones who used the casino's valet services. Plus, they were generous with the tips.

I take after my father with my sense of humor and quick, witty banter and the guests love the interaction I have with them. Especially the senior ladies. Their perfume is a bit overpowering at times—I swear, some of them freshen-up as soon as they get off the plane—but they love it when I tell them how nice they look or I take their hand and assist them with getting on the bus.

I know it's not the most ideal job—especially for someone with a college education—but I'm…content. Life could be better, but I'm not complaining.

For some crazy reason, my gaze lands on the guy sitting three quarters of the way back on the left-hand side and I lose count. Maybe it's the full white beard he's sporting—who needs a scarf when you have that much facial hair—or the red and white hat sitting crookedly on his head. I'm surprised I didn't notice him when he got on, but I was probably busy sliding everyone's suitcases into the storage compartment. He'd make a good Santa Claus, for sure.

I resume counting then step back down from the bus. "I've got room for eighteen more," I tell him and adjust the toboggan I'm wearing so that it covers my ears. "Do you think there's going to be anyone else?"

He pauses for a moment as he does the math inside his head. "Sixty-two. That sounds about right. I'll get that number confirmed so we can be on our way. The longer we wait to pull out, the longer it's going to take us to get there. I'll be right back."

While I wait for my uncle to return, I go ahead and close all but one of the doors to the storage compartments. I'm ready to get going too. I was running late this morning, and instead of using the parking garage for my Jeep, I'd pulled into the first spot I'd come to in the main lot. Not the smartest thing to do in these conditions, but I'm hoping the building will at least have shielded some of the drifts, enough so that I'm able to get out and get home.

Uncle Barry walks out a few minutes later and I look up to see him swirl his pointer finger in the air. "Let's go, son. Try to stay behind me as best you can but keep a safe distance. We don't need any accidents."

"Yeah, I'm not looking forward to this," I reply.

I shut the last compartment door on the bus, making sure the latch clicks properly, then turn to climb on.

"Wait! Wait!" a woman's voice calls out. "Wait for me!"

I look up to see someone running out the door of the airport, one hand waving in the air to get my attention, the other dragging an over-sized suitcase. I should've known—there's always that one who wants to grab something to eat or they want to pick up something from one of the giftshops. I roll my eyes at how ridiculous she looks. If she's not careful, she's going to—

No sooner did the thought enter my mind, when one of her boots loses traction on the icy sidewalk and she lands on the ground with a hard thud. I know it's not funny, but out-of-town folks are the worst for not paying attention where they're going. You can't run, or even fast-walk, in these conditions. I rush over and quickly kneel down beside her. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, dear," a soft-spoken voice says. The young woman shoves her fuzzy hat up over her eyes so she's able to look at me. "I'm so embarrassed."

"That was a quite a fall. Are you okay? Can I give you a hand?" I ask, carefully placing my glove against her elbow. I don't want to say it, but the longer she stays on the ground, the more soiled her clothes are going to get. But if she's injured, she needs to stay put until I can get someone from airport security to assist. I should've known we'd have some kind of delay to deal with.

"I think so," she replies and pushes a beautiful mane of golden brown hair over her shoulder.

I have to say I'm most intrigued by how much younger she is than most of the guests that go on these trips. Yeah, if I had to guess, I'd say she's probably closer to my own age, give or take a few years.

"Is there someone I need to get to help with your things?" I look over at the bus, then back to towards the terminal. Surely, she's not by herself.

She begins to shiver as she shakes her head. "Unfortunately, I'm traveling alone. I was supposed to meet my sister, but her flight was cancelled at the last minute, then the rental car place closed down early because of the weather and…and…" She brings her hand up to her cheek, swiping away a lone tear that's escaped her eye. "I'm sorry. It's just that nothing is going like it's supposed to."

"I hate to hear that. Tahoe is quite a lovely place. Your sister would most definitely enjoy it." I know now's not the time for small-talk, but I can't imagine vacationing there alone. It's one thing living here and being single, but the beauty of this place is almost indescribable—definitely some place you'd want to experience with a significant other, or in her case, a family member.

"Do you mind if I use your arm to hold onto?" She shifts her legs out to the side as she attempts to stand.

"By all means. Here, let's get you up and out of this cold."

Once she's on her feet, I give her a moment to regain her balance before leading her towards the bus. "Is this the only suitcase you have?"

She nods. "Yes, and my backpack."

I grab hold of her bag while she loops her arms through the straps of her backpack. "The bus will be much warmer."

"I sure hope so. I knew it would be cold, but I wasn't expecting this." She reaches up to keep her hair from flying all over the place. "Man, this is some kind of wind."

I hate Uncle Barry got a head start on us, but tending to the young woman was way more important. When she's safely up the steps of the bus, I hurry to get her bag into the storage area so we can be on our way. I don't know what she has packed inside, but it's no wonder she took a tumble, dragging that heavy thing behind her. Two bags would've made things so much easier.

I climb on board and quickly shut the doors. I reach in the overhead compartment above my seat and pull down a small, folded blanket. I know it's not much, but I'm sure she'll appreciate it. When I reach her seat, her face lights up.

"Thank you," she says and immediately begins to unfold it. "Thank you so much."

"It should warm up soon." I can't help noticing her pink cheeks and I quickly turn and head towards the front again. "Alright, folks. Let's get this bus on the road."

After taking my spot behind the wheel, I fasten my seatbelt and adjust the mirror above my head. Her gaze is focused on something outside, but I can see she has the blanket all the way up to her chin. I lean over and crank the heat up a little more.