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“Will do. Thanks.”
He shut the door and Raina buckled up. “You sure you’re up for driving?” she asked.
“Yeah. I didn’t take anything that I shouldn’t be driving with.”
“And the nausea?”
“Almost gone.”
She narrowed her gaze and studied him. He did look like he was feeling much better. “I’m glad, but don’t hesitate to let me drive if you need to.”
“Noted.”
Raina tapped the address to the hangar into her GPS. “I never can remember how to get there,” she muttered. “Who keeps a helicopter—or a plane—on top of a mountain?”
“Only Penny.” He laughed. “Guess it makes sense, though. Climb in and you’re already halfway to your destination. Saves on gas too.”
She grinned. “Cute. And not totally wrong.” He reached for her hand, his eyes suddenly serious and on hers for a split second before he looked back at the road. She frowned. “What’s with the sober expression all of a sudden?”
“I just realized how rarely you smile. Like that full-blown grin.”
“Oh.” She sighed. “I guess I haven’t had much to smile about lately.”
His hand squeezed hers. “We’re going to change that.”
Her heart trembled at the care on his features and the warmth in his touch. But a little voice reminded her that she hadn’t been completely honest with him and didn’t need to be having feelings for the man—because when he knew the truth, he might just walk away. The thought doused her budding feelings as effectively as a firehose aimed at a firepit.
She removed her hand from his and clasped it with her other in her lap. He shot her a questioning look but didn’t say anything.
“I saw Felix Hamilton,” she blurted, “the drunk driver.”
“I was hoping you’d tell me how that went.”
“It went.”
“Ah. I see.”
He didn’t see, of course, but how could she put into words what she was thinking? Feeling? To try or not to try? She glanced at him. He met her gaze with a brief, warm look. But he would understand in a way most people couldn’t. “I’ve hated the man who killed my father from day one,” she finally said, her voicelow, gaze on the passing scenery. “I don’twantto hate him, but I’m not sure I want to forgive him either, although I know that’s what I’m supposed to do. Forgive your enemies, right?”
He nodded. “I get it.”
“Have you forgiven your brother-in-law?”
Vince blew out a low breath. “I think it’s a process. Some days forgiveness comes easier. Other days, like holidays, the resentment and anger want to surface, and I have to make a conscious effort not to dwell on it. To give it back to God.”
“I think that’s part of my problem too. I think deep down, I’m still not sure I can trust God. Mentally, I know I can. But sometimes my heart doesn’t line up with that.”
“Better to go with what you know than what you feel.”
Raina shot him a small smile. “I know that too.” The smile faded. “I judged him, Vince. I judged him and found him guilty. In my head, even when I was saving his life, I had put him on trial, with me as the sole judge and jury. If I’d had the power, I would have sentenced him right then and there.”
“Did that change after you met him?”
She sighed. “Yes. Sort of. I felt compassion for him, and that felt like I was making less of what happened to my father. Like I was cheating him from having his justice.”
“Didn’t the guy who killed him die?”
“He did. And I’ve been glad ever since. But meeting Felix Hamilton has given me something to think about.”
