Part 26 (2/2)
Nicole shrugged. ”I was supposed to come over here and pretend itwas my idea to ask her, and you, too, if you want, to come over for dinner tomorrow.”
”Whose idea was it?” Dylan asked.
”My dad's,” she said. ”I think he kinda likes your mother.”
”Divorced?” Dylan asked.
Nicole shook her head. She kept her gaze fastened to Abby. ”My mom died.”
Dylan nodded. ”Oh. Sorry.”
Nicole shrugged in acknowledgment.
Dylan sighed. ”Well, thanks for asking, but right now, I don't know what she wants to do,” he said. He walked over to the window and stared out into the darkness. ”I don't even know where she is.”
30.
You were lucky,” said the man in coveralls who had arrived from the towing service. ”d.a.m.n lucky you didn't tip over. I can't tell you how many times I've had to pull these SUVs upright after an accident like this.”
Keely nodded. She was s.h.i.+vering uncontrollably.
”You sure you don't need to go to the hospital?” the tow truck operator asked.
”No, I'm fine,” Keely whispered.
The man made some notes on a clipboard and handed it to Keely.”Here, sign this. You should call the cops on that guy, you know. These kind of nuts cause more trouble. I don't know why everybody's in such a big hurry these days. I'd call 'em if I were you.”
”I just want to get home,” said Keely. ”I have two kids waiting for me.”
The driver shrugged. ”Well, she's good to go. You sure you're okay now?”
”I'm okay,” Keely insisted, scribbling her signature in the spot marked by an X.
The man gave Keely back her auto service card, then walked over and climbed back up into the cab of his truck. ”Keep 'er in the road,” he called down to Keely.
Keely nodded and climbed back into the SUV. She turned on the ignition, then slid the heat indicator as high as it would go. In a few minutes, the vehicle's interior was stifling. Keely felt her chills subsiding, but she still didn't feel ready to start driving. She picked up her cell phone out of her bag and stared at it. Then slowly, she punched in the number at home.
”h.e.l.lo?”
”Dylan,” she said. ”Is everything all right there?”
”Yeah, where the heck are you, Mom?”
”I'm fine. Everything's okay,” she lied.
”Did you see the guy?”
”What? What guy?”
”The pizza guy.”
”No,” she said. ”No, I didn't. I waited for a long time, but he didn't show up.”
”Oh,” he said. She could hear the disappointment in his voice.
”Is Abby okay?”
”Yeah. She had a meltdown, but that girl Nicole came by. She helped me sc.r.a.pe her off the ceiling.”
”She's okay now?”
”Yeah, she's sleeping.”
”Okay, good,” Keely whispered.
”Nicole's dad wanted to ask us over for dinner or something,” he said offhandedly.
Keely did not reply.
”Mom?”
”I heard you.”
”What's the matter? You don't sound right,” said Dylan.
”I'm fine. I'm okay. I'm on my way home. Why don't you lock the door and get up to bed. You sound very tired.”
”I don't know,” he said. ”I'll see.”
There was a silence.
”I just wanted to check,” said Keely, ”to be sure you and Abby were okay.”
”You didn't trust me?” he asked.
”You know better,” she said.
”I'll see you later,” he said, hanging up.
Keely exhaled and put the phone back in her purse on the seat. She glanced up and down the street, but there was no sign of another car.It was just some nut,she told herself.He had some frustration to burn and you just happened to be in his path.That's what it had to be. It had to bebecause she couldn't allow herself to think it might have been deliberate. That someone had followed her and run her off the road on purpose. No, it wasn't possible.
Keely glanced into her mirror and put her shaking hands on the wheel. She suddenly felt afraid to get back out on the road. Part of her just wanted to sit there and weep. But she was desperate to be home, and there was only one way to get back to her children. She took a deep breath, s.h.i.+fted the SUV out of park, then nosed it back out onto the quiet, empty street.
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