Page 9 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach (Rosewood Beach #7)

“I don’t know how pleasant it is, really,” she said apologetically. Her voice was a little shaky, and she held onto the steering wheel to try to steady herself. “I just had a bit of a—well, not an accident, but?—”

“Are you okay?” His tone sounded alarmed. The way he was so quick to be protective of her made her feel suddenly much safer.

“I am, thank goodness. I’m perfectly all right. I’m on my way back from Providence, and one of my tires burst.”

“Oh no! And right after you were supposed to have such a relaxing day.”

Her eyebrows rose. “How did you know about that?”

“I was at Main Street Auto picking up my car and Dean told me about the gift they gave you.”

“Oh.” Her heart was fluttering, but she wasn’t sure why. “I suppose I should call Dean, since he has that big truck and might be able to tow my car?—”

“Nonsense, I’m happy to come out there and change your tire. Dean is working today, and I have the day off. I’ll be able to get there that much sooner. As a matter of fact, I’ll leave right now.”

Her heart beat faster at the prospect of him coming to her rescue so quickly. “Oh! I—thank you so much, Terrence. I don’t know where I am, exactly. I don’t see any street signs, but I should still be on Whittling Road?—”

“Do you know how to send me your location on the map app?” he asked her.

“Yes, yes, I do.” Although she had a pretty good grasp of how to use technology, it was often something she forgot about. “I’ll text it to you.”

“Perfect. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

She was about to thank him again, but she realized that he’d hung up. She stared straight ahead, holding her phone in her hand and feeling her heart beat faster for different reasons than before.

Terrence Rawlins never speeded under any circumstances, but today he was driving nearly five miles per hour over the speed limit. His lips were pressed firmly together and his eyes were glued to the road.

His thoughts were on Vivian. He knew Whittling Road well, and it was a beautiful, scenic route but a dangerous one.

It was the kind of road he would never want to take in a thunderstorm or when there was any danger of snow or ice on the road.

The road was winding, with a steep ditch on one side that in some places turned into a deep slope that led down into the surrounding forest.

She’s okay , he reminded himself, even though his heart was still beating faster than usual. Things could have turned out differently but they didn’t. Everything is going to be fine.

He thought to himself as he drove that this was why he was so intent on making sure establishments followed health and safety codes.

Not all accidents could be prevented, but he always did his best to ensure that the ones that could be prevented would be.

He hated the idea of Vivian being in any danger at all.

Her tire had burst? There must have been something in the road that had torn it.

If only people weren’t so irresponsible, leaving things behind that might damage a car tire…

He shook his head, reminding himself not to get too frustrated with the rest of humanity, since he didn’t know what had happened. He should focus on getting to Vivian and making sure she had everything she needed.

She’d said that she was all right, but she was probably feeling shaken after the ordeal. He himself was feeling fidgety and anxious, and he kept glancing at his GPS, wishing he wasn’t so many minutes away.

The thought of her getting hurt makes me ill, he thought as he finally turned onto Whittling Road. I know how these roads are out here. Even on a nice day like today, it’s a terrible place to have an accident.

Finally, he saw her car up ahead, parked on the side of the road. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her standing beside it.

He parked his car on the shoulder in front of hers and got out in a hurry. He practically jogged over to her, and the sight of her pale face broke his heart. She looked shaken, and without thinking he pulled her into a reassuring hug.

“Thank you so much for coming out here,” she said, still sounding a little breathless.

“Of course.” He pulled away from their hug, looking at her face in concern. Her cheeks were somewhat rosier than they’d been before, and he was encouraged to see that she seemed to be feeling less rattled. “I’m so thankful you’re all right.”

“So am I.” She laughed a little breathlessly. “It could have been much worse.”

He nodded, not even wanting to think about it. “Let me go ahead and change your tire, so you can get home that much sooner.”

“Okay. Thank you. I probably could have done it myself if I looked it up online, but it’s been years since I had to change a tire, and?—”

He held up his hand with a smile. “I’m happy to do it for you. I actually quite like changing tires.”

She burst out laughing, which surprised him, but he couldn’t help smiling to see her so amused.

“What?” he asked, chuckling as he went around to the back of the car to retrieve the spare tire.

“Just… you.” She shook her head, smiling at him warmly. “I don’t know anyone else who would say they liked changing a tire, even Dean.”

He grinned at her as he got to work. “What can I say? I like to make things right.”

For a few minutes, they were quiet as he worked. A gentle breeze ruffled against them, and they could hear birds singing in the trees bordering the road.

“It’s a nice day,” Vivian said finally. “It’s almost relaxing to be out here, now that you’ve arrived.”

He was turned away from her, so she couldn’t see the delighted smile that leapt onto his face. “I’m very happy to hear that. It is nice out here.” He paused to grunt as he worked. “Speaking of relaxing, did you enjoy your spa experience?”

There was a short pause before Vivian said, “Yes, it was very relaxing. It was so thoughtful of my children to give me that certificate.”

She was smiling as she said it, but he couldn’t help notice something a bit bittersweet about her tone, almost as if something about her wonderful day had made her sad.

He decided not to press her, however. She was already feeling shaken, and if something had made her sad, he wanted her to be able to stop thinking about it.

“There,” he said finally, standing up and wiping his hands on one of the clean handkerchiefs he always kept in his pocket. “You’re all set. How are you feeling?”

Vivian still seemed a bit shaken up. Her face was now flushed instead of pale, and she seemed to still be trembling slightly. “Oh, I’m fine.”

Without thinking, Terrence reached out and touched her cheek, wishing that he could remove the flush of worry he was seeing.

All at once, Vivian was standing on tiptoe and placing her lips on his. With a jolt of excitement as sudden and shining as a lightning bolt, Terrence realized that she was kissing him. Actually kissing him. Vivian Owens was kissing him. His heart began to pound wildly.

The kiss was short and quick, and over almost as suddenly as it had begun. When Vivian drew back from it, her eyes were wide, and she looked almost as shocked as Terrence felt.

“Uh, thank you for coming to help me,” she stammered. Her cheeks were still flushed, but the flush looked rosier now. “I really—it means a lot to me.”

“Of—of course.” Terrence swallowed. “Can I do anything else for you?”

She shook her head. “No. Thanks, I—I guess we’d better be getting on home. You want to follow me?”

“Sure.” He liked the idea of getting to watch her during the drive back, since that way he could ensure that nothing bad happened to her.

“Great. Well. Thank you again.” She spoke hurriedly, and a moment later climbed into her car. Terrence blinked at her as she started the engine and began to drive away.

Feeling confused and elated, he got into his car and started to follow her back to Rosewood Beach.