My Anonymous Lover (Forbidden Fantasies 57)

I interrupt.

“No, I think it’s interesting! I know nothing about law and next to nothing about politics so it’s actually riveting.” I can’t help but laugh a little as I look down at my drink. “But you know, I genuinely believed that all political candidates were the same. You know, with a pretty wife and a perfect family with two and a half kids. You seem quite different though.”

He grins.

“Yeah, especially with my particular habits.” But then Jeremiah shrugs. “Maybe in the past, candidates had to have a telegenic family in order to win elections, but I think society has changed a lot. Voters are much more tolerant now. I mean, look at Lindsey Graham and Pete Buttigieg. Lindsey Graham has never been married, and Mayor Pete has a husband and two beautiful kids, so yeah, I think it’s safe to say that molds are being broken right and left.”

I laugh.

“You’re right. I love Mayor Pete, by the way. It’s so awesome that he took paternity leave after his children were born too.”

Jeremiah grins.

“Yeah, right? Seriously, the world is changing every day,” he marvels. But then, those piercing blue eyes turn to me once more. “But what about you, honey? You mentioned you’re a long-haul trucker, which is an interesting career in and of itself. How’d you decide to get into that?”

I smile, my cheeks growing warm.

“It’s a simple story, really,” I say with a wry grin. “My family is filled with truckers, and I always knew that this is what I wanted to be. So yeah, when I was a little girl, I always told my friends that I wanted to be a trucker, and of course, the little boys would always say that I couldn’t because I was a girl,” I giggle, rolling my eyes.

Jeremiah nods.

“So how’d you get over all the hurdles? I can’t imagine there were tons of job offers when you went on the market.”

I nod seriously.

“Yes, at first the situation looked pretty grim, but I have an aunt who’s also a trucker, and she looked out for me. She didn’t just teach me how to handle a big sixteen-wheeler. She also taught me how to take competitors down a peg, and how to deal with misogyny and bias in the industry.”

Jeremiah looks thoughtful.

“Very interesting. Is your aunt still trucking?”

I shake my head.

“No, Aunt Sookie’s got to be seventy or so now. But she led by example because Sookie didn’t care what anyone thought of her. Trucking made her happy and helped her provide for her family, which is all she really cared about. Sookie was a real professional.”

Jeremiah nods.

“Sounds like serious work.”

I smile.

“It is! I’m not just about rest stop hook-ups, you know,” I tease. “But yeah, you have to be disciplined, and to have stamina and a thick skin on the job, especially as a female trucker. But I like it, and I enjoy it. It’s nice to come back to Sugar sometimes, but I’d say my real life is on the road.”

Suddenly, self-consciousness strikes because I keep blabbing about myself, and my blue-collar ways pale in comparison to Jeremiah’s decidedly white-collar career. I mean, he’s an attorney-slash-politician, and I’m just a trucker. I’m proud of my accomplishments, but we’re not exactly at the same level.

“I’m sorry,” I say with a nervous bite of my lip. “I realize that this isn’t exactly the most glamorous career in the world, but—”

My date slides one big hand over mine, his blue eyes serious.

“No, it’s a big deal. I’m impressed that you work in a male-dominated field, and that you make it work as well. Again, molds are being broken every day, and you’re part of that, Ginny. You’re amazing.”

I bite my lip, staring at him with my heart pounding out of my chest as warmth spreads through my body. It feels so good to be affirmed, and Jeremiah’s praise helps me feel more confident. I’m generally pretty sure of myself already, but hearing it from his lips makes all the difference.

“Thanks,” I murmur in a soft voice. “I guess sometimes, I still have doubts. Like maybe I should have become an elementary school teacher or something, instead of living my life on the wild side.”

Jeremiah squeezes my hand and winks.

“Yeah, but I adore that wild side, honey,” he growls. “That’s what makes you so attractive.”

With that, my heart contracts and then flips over as I swallow hard. After all, I was already halfway in love with this man, but his words make me feel so good that the other half seems like a foregone conclusion. Could that even be possible? Could the trucker and the politician have a future together after our improbable first meeting? I suppose we can only wait and see, and I smile happily at Jeremiah, suddenly feeling blessed and blissful at once.