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Their baby’s life.
He couldn’t forget that.
* * *
Savannah slid behind the steering wheel of the used car she was considering purchasing. Her pulse thundered like a wildebeest stampede across the Serengeti and breathing became so difficult you’d have thought she’d been leading the herd.
“Maybe I don’t want to buy a car yet,” she mused, earning a frown from the salesman and a look of concern from Charlie.
“You’ll be going home soon,” Charlie reminded her, his gaze coming hard her way from the passenger seat. “You need transportation.”
The salesman, worried he might lose a prospective customer, reiterated, “We have other models much nicer than this one.”
“There’s nothing wrong with this car,” she said. “I’m just not sure I’m in the market for a different vehicle.”
“Well, you can’t go back to driving the old one,” Charlie reminded her as he motioned the salesman off and closed the passenger car door.
He was right. The insurance company had declared her old car totaled and cut her a check for the value. She’d bought the car used a few years ago so the amount hadn’t been much. Oh, how she dreaded having a car payment. Especially now, when she’d want to take time off work for a while when the baby came along.
That was why she was hesitating.
It had nothing to do with fear.
Fear of driving.
Fear of being behind the wheel of a car.
Fear of another vehicle smashing into hers.
Fear of the pain that followed.
Yeah, fear had nothing to do with why she hesitated to start the ignition.
“Savannah?”
“Hmm?” she answered without looking at him.
“It’s going to be okay.”
That had her turning his way. “What?”
“I know you’re scared, but it’s like riding a bicycle. You’ll be fine.”
“I have some nasty scars on my knees from bicycle wrecks.”
“But you still went right back on your bicycle every time.”
He was right. She had. She’d been younger then, more foolish. Driving this car felt foolish.
“Driving the car is going to be the same,” he gently told her, placing his hand on her knee. “It’s a little scary just because the last time you drove you were in an accident, but it’s going to be all right.”
Hearing him give voice to her fears made them seem all the more real.
“You’re sure?”
“There are no guarantees in life, but I do know you’re a good driver, Savannah.” His thumb stroked across her pants in a reassuring motion. “Statistically, that decreases the risk of you being in an accident.”
“I was in an accident.”
