Page 1 of The Redemption of Remy St. Claire

Chapter one

Thescreechoftireson asphalt, the blaring of a horn, and a man shouting all assailed Remy at once.

What the hell?

Okay, she was in her car. She’d dropped Calleigh off at preschool. Now for the long list of things she needed to accomplish today while her sister was in someone else’s care. She needed to focus on that and stop thinking about the horrific crash that stole her parents two weeks ago. But she couldn’t.

If she opened her window, she could probably reach out and touch the grill of the semi-truck that was mere inches from her door. How had he not hit her? How had she not seen it?

A man slapped the hood of her car and the sound reverberated through the vehicle. She jumped.

“Lady!”

The scowl was enough alone to cow any person, and the normally feisty Remy pulled into herself. No way was she getting out of her car to confront that man. He could undoubtedly snap her scrawny neck with little effort. When he pounded on her hood again, she startled again. And terror turned to anger. He might dent her car.

Yes, she was probably at fault. Yes, she should probably be roadkill under the guy’s massive truck—but she wasn’t—and all that didn’t give him the right to dent her beautiful car. The car her parents bought her when she graduated from law school. The tangible reminder left in a world where her parents no longer lived.

Although she’d love to jump out of the car, the proximity of the grill meant she had to sidle out to avoid scraping the door against the menacing steel. She managed to twist out and left the door open in case she needed to make a quick escape. The constantbingto remind her she’d left her keys in the ignition was irritating, but the man’s face twisted in rage was a far bigger problem.

She held up her hands in the universalI mean no harmgesture.

He didn’t look appeased.

“I coulda hit you, you stupid bitch. I coulda smashed your car into little pieces and you woulda been strewn across the pavement. Why the hell did you run that stop sign? You’re lucky I was slowing down because I saw this red thing headed right toward the intersection, and it was clear you wasn’t going to stop.”

His anger didn’t appear to be dissipating.

Should she argue? Apologize? She was out of her depth. Ten years with a driver’s license and she’d never had so much as a speeding ticket or a close call. She drove with great care. Even more so now.

Thank God Calleigh wasn’t in the car.

Small consolation. If she’d wound up as roadkill, her little sister would be truly alone.

Damn, there wasn’t a provision in Remy’s will. Calleigh’d become a ward of the province with no one to care for her.Shit.Another thing she had to worry about.

“Lady!”

Her attention snapped back to him.

“You drunk or something? Or high? You smoke something before you get in that stupid little sports car of yours? That’s illegal, you know. Pot might be legal, but toking and driving ain’t.”

“I…” She cleared her throat. “I didn’t drink anything, and I’ve never smoked marijuana in my life.”

At his snicker, she bristled. “I’m not lying.”

“Whatever.” He grabbed his phone from his back pocket. “I’m calling the cops. You ain’t fit to drive.”

And his language was appalling, but that didn’t mean she wanted the cops descending.

She stepped closer to the man, cringing at his cologne. Who drove a truck and wore cologne?

Focus.

“I take responsibility for running the stop sign. I wasn’t paying attention, and for that I truly apologize. I’m not sure why the police need to become involved. There’s no damage as far as I can see.”Oh crap.“You are okay, aren’t you? You’re not injured?”

He rubbed his sternum. “Seat belt caught me hard, but yeah, I’m okay. I mean aside from the fact you scared the shit outta me. Took, like, ten years off my life. If I ever caught my kid driving like that, I’d take away his license myself.”

She doubted her parents would ever have done something so drastic, but now she’d never know. “Look, I’m heading home now. I promise to drive slowly and carefully. And will do so from now on,” she hastened to add.

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