EIGHT
GWYNETH
“Come on!” I shouted, slamming my palms against the steering wheel out of frustration.
How was it possible that my brand-new Mercedes-Benz wasn’t starting?
I turned the key for the fifteenth time, and for the sixteenth time, and it did nothing; not a single sound could be heard under the hood of my seventy-thousand-dollar car my father had bought me for my birthday. A gift I had adamantly refused, but he was having none of it. I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles turned white and rested my forehead on the top of the smooth leather.
Of all the days for my car to mess up, it had to be today? When I had to be at the hospital to help Alyssa get ready for her date.
At sixteen, she was the oldest on the pediatric wing and had spent the past four years of her life in and out of the hospital with a bad heart. Needless to say, she hadn’t experienced many normal teenage things.
When she had asked me in private if I would help her get ready for her first date, I had been a little shocked, considering she wasn’t allowed to leave the hospital. It turned out, a sweet boy from her old school had asked her on a date to the hospital cafeteria, and she had accepted.
The look in her eyes when she told me about her date was beautiful. I had never wanted something for someone else so badly in all my life. Alyssa was a sweet girl, guiding the younger kids and being more like a big sister to them than a fellow patient.
Alyssa deserved happiness, and if I had to climb out of my car and run to the hospital, I wouldn’t miss helping her get ready. I wouldn’t miss the look on her face when her date showed to pick her up and take her to the hospital cafeteria.
It had been years since I had experienced that kind of excitement over a man, but I could live through Alyssa, who deserved that kind of excitement and more. Deserved so much more than I did since I’d had my moment one or twice.
No
I wouldn’t miss it.
I’d make it in time and gently apply a light sheen of makeup over her soft skin. I’d put intricate curls in her thinning hair and make her feel beautiful. And then like a worried mother, I’d watch her leave on her first date with a sense of joy for her.
Opening the door, I got out and took my phone from my pocket, looking for the number to Uber. I went through all the steps until I confirmed a car was on the way, and then I leaned against my car and waited.
Looking at my watch, I sighed. I had twenty-five minutes to spare, but at least I wouldn’t be late to the hospital. Still, I needed to at least let Alyssa know I wasn’t standing her up.
Pulling up the number for Teresa Curtis, who was working the front desk, I put my cell to my ear as I waited for the call to connect. Teresa’s smooth voice filled the line, and I breathed a sigh of relief.
“Hey, Teresa,” I said happily.
“Hey, Gwyn, what can I do for you, hon?”
I would never tell anyone this, but Teresa was my favorite nurse at Savannah Hope. It wasn’t that she was better at her job than the rest of the nurses, but I could see it in her face that she truly loved the kids just as much as I did. She was a favorite among the kids for that same reason.
“Could you please tell Alyssa I’m running a bit late? I’ll be there. I had a bit of car trouble, but I’m almost on my way.”
“Absolutely. I’ll go tell her right this second.”
“Thank you so much. See you in a bit.”
After hanging up with Teresa, I quickly sent my father a text message about my car. I knew he would have it taken care of for me, but when he called, I ignored his phone call. The Uber was already on the way, and I knew my father; the first thing he would do was send one of his drivers my way and freak out.
I didn’t have that kind of time. His drivers were older gentlemen, which meant it would take them forever to get to me and even longer to get me to the hospital. It was the main reason I contacted him after calling Teresa.
As soon as I finished my text to my father, a charcoal-colored SUV came to a slow creep beside me before pulling off the road and stopping in front of my Mercedes.
I checked the time on my phone. Only ten minutes had gone by since I had submitted my request for an Uber. It was my first time ordering an Uber, so I wasn’t sure how long they usually took to arrive, but ten minutes was quick, and quick was exactly what I needed at that moment.
Grabbing my purse from inside the car, I locked the doors and made my way toward the SUV. I was putting away my phone and keys in my bag when I heard the door open.
“Thank you so much for getting here as soon as you could.” My sentence came out choppy as I struggled with the zipper of my bag. “I’ve never used an Uber before, but my car won’t start.”
I looked up once I’d zipped my purse and halted, almost falling forward as my feet planted firmly on the asphalt beneath them.
The angry stranger from the bookstore stood there, a smirk filling out the perfect shape of his mouth. His intrusive eyes did a slow sweep down the length of my body, leaving no part of me untouched.
I cleared my throat, and with no haste on his part, his eyes finally settled on my face.
“You need a ride?” he drawled.
I frowned.
Did he not remember me?
He certainly didn’t look like he knew we’d met just a few days ago.
A spark of annoyance lifted my chin a notch, and I pushed away the small part of me that wanted to throw a tantrum over the fact I had spent a good amount of time obsessing over our brief encounter and he couldn’t even be bothered to remember me.
Without answering his question, I walked around to the other side of his SUV. I certainly didn’t take him for an Uber driver, but what the hell did I know?
“How does this work?” I stared at the passenger side doors.
“How does what work?”
I lifted my hand toward the vehicle. “Well, do I sit in the front or back?”
A frown pulled his brows. “Do you prefer to sit in the back?”
“Not really.”
“Then sit in the front.”
Without waiting for me to answer, he climbed back into the driver’s seat and waited for me to follow.
Standing between both doors, I shifted my gaze between the handles. Sitting in the back definitely felt safer, but the temptation to sit next to him was far too great to ignore. With a deep breath, I pulled open the front door and slipped in, settling into the soft leather seat.
He didn’t move to start the car, nor did he say anything to me as we sat there in silence.
“I’m kind of in a hurry,” I said with annoyance.
I kept my eyes straight ahead. I was sure if I looked at him, my body would respond the way it had before.
“I could get there a lot faster if I knew where I was going.”
I frowned, this time braving a look at him. He found my eyes across the console of the car.
“Didn’t you … never mind. I’m going to Savannah Hope Hospital. Do you know where that’s at?”
“Yep,” he said as he started the engine and put the car in drive.
For the first five minutes, we drove in complete silence. Not even the radio was on to break the quiet. I tried not to fidget in my seat, with the edge of my skirt, or with my purse as I anxiously sat there, a million and one questions going through my head. But I kept my lips tightly together.
If he wasn’t going to talk, I sure as hell wasn’t going to say a word either. Settling deeper into the soft seat, I counted down the minutes until we were there. He was taking the same route I took every time I went to the hospital. It wasn’t the fastest way there, but it was the route with the best scenery, and it always brightened my mood before I got there.
“I hope you don’t mind me taking the long way.” The deep sound of his voice took me by surprise, and I startled. His head shifted slightly in my direction, and I saw the smirk. “Sorry.”
“I don’t mind. I actually drive this way every time I go to the hospital.”
“I kn-” He started but then stopped suddenly. I turned toward him, but he didn’t say anything else.
“So have you been doing this long?”
“Doing what long?”
I lifted my hand toward the steering wheel. “An Uber driver.”
“I’m sorry, a what?”
I swallowed. “You’re the Uber driver I called for, right?”
He shook his head and rolled it in my direction. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Oh, my God.
My stomach roiled, and suddenly, I felt like a hand was wrapped around my throat, cutting off my air supply. I’d just gotten into a car with a complete stranger.
What if he was a stalker?
A killer who preyed on innocent women?
Messing up their cars so he could get them alone in his.
“Pull the car over,” I whispered. My hands were shaking as I gripped the passenger door.
“What?”
“I said pull over!” I could feel the hysterics claiming my body as I waited for him to speed up and disappear with me. No one would even know where to find me.
To my surprise, he swerved the car into the right lane before finding a parking spot in front of a crowded set of small family-owned shops. My hand flew to the handle as I pulled as hard as I could, waiting for the door to open and release me, but nothing happened.
“Unlock the door.” My voice shook as I threw out the command.
“Did I miss something? What’s wrong?”
I pulled on the handle again. “How did you know I needed a ride? Did you mess with my car?” With each question, I pulled hard on the handle until I thought it would break off.
“What the hell are you talking about? I didn’t mess with your car, and I had no clue you needed a ride. I saw you on the side of the road, and I stopped to see if you needed help. I had no idea you were the woman from the bookstore until I saw you up close.”
His words wormed their way past my panic, and I stopped struggling with the door. My eyes scanned his face for any sign that he was lying or telling me the truth. His eyes screamed honesty, and for some unknown reason I didn’t quite understand, I believed him.
“Holy shit,” I whispered, relief filling my veins like a drug.
I covered my forehead with my hand, pressing my thumb and forefinger into my temples. My head leaned back on the headrest of my seat as I took several deep breaths to calm my racing heart.
I heard him chuckle, the deep, soft sound filling the small space between us and sending chills across my flesh.
“What’s so funny?” I grumbled.
The corners of his eyes crinkled with his smirk; his thick lips tilted, pressing his breathtaking dimples into his cheek. “I’ve never had a woman think I was a kidnapper before.”
I looked away briefly, catching the breath his smirk had stolen before I swung my head in his direction and peeked at him through my fingers. “I’m so glad I can entertain you right now.”
Again, his chuckle filled the car. “I’m glad, too. So am I taking you to the hospital, or are you still convinced I’m kidnapping you so I can turn you into my sex slave?”
My eyes went wide, and I dropped my hands from my face. “I never said anything about a sex slave.”
Putting his car in drive yet again, he turned his shattering smile my way once again. “You didn’t have to. The blush all over your skin every time you look at me says it for you.”
I opened my mouth to refute his accusation, but the heat on my cheeks reminded me that would be a lie.
Instead, I faced the road and said nothing as he pulled away from the curb and started toward Savannah Hope Hospital once more.