Page 11 of A New Chapter in Rosewood Beach

She hadn’t hit anything, but one of her front tires had burst. She murmured thankfully as she circled the car, checking for any other damage. She’d gotten close to a couple of road signs, but she hadn’t hit them.

She walked across the road, toward the ditch. Her throat tightened when she saw that it was no longer a ditch but a major drop-off leading down a steep slope into the surrounding forest.

That could have been a terrible accident,she thought, feeling as though her whole body had suddenly gone cold with alarm.And thank goodness no one was on the road with me when this happened—I might have hit them. This incident could have been far worse.

She went back to her car and sat down in the driver’s seat. Slowly her fright was giving way to extreme relief. She knew she needed to call someone to ask for help, since she wouldn’t be able to get home with a burst tire and she didn’t feel up for putting on the spare herself.

She took out her phone, and without even hardly thinking about it, dialed Terrence’s number. It rang once before he picked it up.

“Vivian! What a pleasant surprise.”

“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.”

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