Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102781 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 514(@200wpm)___ 411(@250wpm)___ 343(@300wpm)
Plus, if you go with my ideas, I might be asking you to follow me to a new firm. I need at least a few days to get my resume floated out there.
Trent nodded. “Sure. Of course.”
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to get going. The rain is really getting heavy out there, and I don’t want to be driving with flooded streets.”
“Oh. Of course,” Lauren said. Her eyes shifted to her brother and then back to me.
“Would you mind giving me a lift?” Andrew said. “That way Lauren and Trent don’t have to go out in this weather.”
“Ummm…” I couldn’t very well say no. Andrew’s house was right on my way home, and it was pretty nasty out there. “Sure. No problem.”
Maybe this was good. We’d kept the door open an inch, and it was finally time to close it and say goodbye. I could tell him on the way that I’d met someone. It was the right thing to do after eight years. And I didn’t need any hard feelings between Lauren and me, if we were going to be working together.
The four of us said goodbye. It felt strange to be leaving their house with Andrew—we’d had dinner so many times as couples. Together, Andrew and I made a run for the car. But the rain was coming down sideways, and we were both drenched by the time we slammed the doors behind us.
“Damn.” Andrew shook off his arms. “It’s really raining.”
I swiped water from my face and started up the car. “Yeah, awful.”
“You want me to drive?”
Driving in this was the last thing I wanted to do. But that didn’t matter. “No, I’m good. Thanks.” Looking in my rearview mirror, I took a deep breath and whispered, “Checking for oncoming cars,” before putting the car into drive. “Pulling away from the curb.”
“This is one of the things I missed the most.”
I heard the smile in Andrew’s voice, but I kept concentrating on the road. It was pouring like I’d never seen before, and the streets were already starting to flood.
“Not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult that this is what you missed the most.”
I white-knuckled the steering wheel and navigated my way to the highway. The windows were starting to fog up, and when I looked in the side view mirror to merge onto the highway, I could only see a blur of lights through the cloudy driver’s side window. The rearview wasn’t much better because of the fogged-up back window. So I pressed the button to roll down my window and get a better look. But just as I did, a car passed, sending a big splash of water through my open window and directly on my face.
My innate reaction was to hit the brakes. But that caused me to hydroplane on the merge. I gripped the steering wheel, and my car started to fishtail out of control.
The car pulled to the right, toward the traffic moving on the highway, and I jerked the steering wheel to the left.
Everything happened in slow motion after that.
We started to spin.
I lost all sense of what was forward and what was backward.
Lights flashed in my eyes.
And I realized it was because we were facing the wrong way.
On the merge of the highway.
A horn started blare.
The car coming toward us swerved to the right.
But there wasn’t enough room for two of us.
I braced for impact.
We got hit.
It was loud and jarring.
My body jolted to the left and then to the right.
Andrew screamed my name.
Then everything became quiet again.
I started to think we might be okay.
And then…
We got hit a second time.
Chapter 46
* * *
Bennett
I pulled up in front of Lucas and Fanny’s house a few minutes early and checked my phone for the tenth time since last night.
Still nothing.
I’d texted Annalise to see how her presentation went and never heard back. Even if she’d gotten home early and went to bed, she’d definitely be up by now. Most days she was in the office by seven.
I’d had a fucked-up, anxious feeling all night after I didn’t hear back. But that was probably more due to the shit going on with Lucas and having to say goodbye for three weeks after what went down last weekend.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket, looked up at Fanny and Lucas’s house, and took a deep breath before getting out of the car.
Fanny opened the door with her usual sunny disposition.
“He could use some spending money for his vacation.”
I shook my head. Yeah? So give him some. “Fine. Is he ready?”
She slammed the door in my face, and I heard her shriek, “Lucas! Get your butt moving!”
My heart started beating erratically when I heard his big feet clomping down the stairs. I had no idea what I’d do if this kid didn’t come around. The palms of my hands started to sweat.