“You’re crazy,” Alex stated. “The three of us can manage in the bed.”

“Okay,” Tom replied.

Jorden could see Tom’s shoulders relax. She thought he would be perfect under the bed.

Tom proceeded to lay down fully dressed on top of the bedspread. There were a couple of blankets on top of a rack over the bed; Alex pulled them down and draped them over the three of them. Tom lay on the outer left side, Alex in the middle and Jorden on the right side. Alex turned toward Jorden’s back with no space between them as Tom quickly began snoring. Alex placed his arm over Jorden’s small waist. She felt him squeeze her hand while he brushed his lips against the back of her neck . . . then he promptly fell asleep.

Jorden could hear his shallow breathing become deeper and slower. She couldn’t believe they were sharing a bed even if it included Tom. The men slept while Jorden lay awake. Tom’s snoring drove her nuts. She had the urge to leave—but where too?

She turned her thoughts to her last conversation with Justin. How could she have broken their date? It wasn’t right. Maybe she’d stop by the university tomorrow. She didn’t know what she’d say . . . Jorden’s eyes became heavy as she tried to decide what to do.

“Jorden, wake up! It’s almost seven. We have a long drive ahead of us.” Alex’s voice seemed to come through a fog. She heard a toilet flushing. Where was she? She opened her eyes and it all came back.

They took turns in the bathroom. Jorden checked out her disheveled hair in the mirror and quickly pulled it back, securing all with a hairclip. Since they hadn’t undressed, it didn’t take long to get back on the road. As often happens in the southern states, overnight the temperature had warmed up forty degrees. It was now in the upper fifties, and the roads were much better.

They stopped for gas and spotted a diner. After eating a scrumptious breakfast of crisp bacon, eggs, pancakes, and steaming coffee, they were ready to get back on the road. Jorden couldn’t get over the change in Tom. He looked relaxed and wasn’t even harassing her. The catchy tune “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, bolstered her spirits and helped her drift off to sleep. An hour later, Tom started snoring. The sound startled her, making her body jerk. Alex put his hand out to catch her. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Tom.”

Jorden pushed herself up. “I didn’t realize I fell asleep. You must be beat driving the whole way.”

“I’m better now after getting some sleep and a decent breakfast helped. How about you?”

“I’m okay—just tired. It’s hard to sleep through Tom’s snoring.”

“Lucky me,” Alex replied. “I never heard him last night.”