Page 38 of Letters of Faith
Putting the car in drive, I pull out of the parking space as the snow begins to fall.
Nerves skitter across my skin as I take turn after turn, leading me away from the cemetery. I should have been smarter about coming here today. The roads were slick, but I needed a place for my frustration.
Taking another curve, the car starts to slide, careening.
I slam on my breaks, trying to prevent the inevitable, but it only makes it worse. The car skids across the road, and in that moment, I do something I haven’t felt like doing in a while—I pray.
“Please, God, please.”
The prayer isn’t eloquent or long, just a repeat of the same words over and over until the car stops in a ditch on the opposite side of the road.
My heart hammers in my chest as I try to catch my breath.
Swallowing hard, I look up and whisper, “Thank you.”
Tears stream down my face as the knot of anger in my chest loosens. I’ve held onto my anger at God. I couldn’t understand what he was doing, but as I was sliding across the road, praying, I felt peace.
Easing my grip on the steering wheel, my hands shake as I bring them away and reach for my phone, only to find it no longer on the seat beside me. Leaning over, I see it lying haphazardly on the floorboard. I reach over, plucking it from the ground.
Through the windshield, I can see the front of the car is pushed into the bank.
With a groan, I contemplate calling a tow truck, but it could be hours before they arrive in this weather. I could call my dad, but he’s getting older, and with the roads as slick as they are, he’d probably break a hip trying to help. That only leaves one option.
I wince as I pull up Grayson’s number and wait for it to ring.
“Georgia,” he says as a way of answering, his voice smooth and warm.
Goosebumps prickle my skin, and I’m thankful that it’s cold, so I can at least tryto blame it on that.
“I need your help. I went to the cemetery.”
“I’m on my way,” he says without hesitation.
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My teeth chatter as the cold permeates the air of the car. It’s been thirty minutes since I talked to Grayson.
He’s coming, but I might freeze before he arrives.
The rumble of a truck catches my attention, and I turn to see Grayson pulling up behind me.
I watch him through the back windshield as he steps out of his truck. His brows are pinched, and his lips are smashed into a grim line. Annoyance radiates off of him as he walks around the car, assessing. Black clouds follow over his head, his anger palpable. He stomps through the snow, making eye contact with me as he approaches the front. His glare sears into me, landing somewhere in the area of my heart.
I glare back. He can just take that annoyance and shove it because I’m not having the best day, either. I wouldn’t have called him if I’d known it would be such an inconvenience to him.
Shoving the car door open, I step out of the car as he approaches the driver’s side door.
“Are you hurt?” he asks once we are standing face to face. The tip of our boots touch, and his eyes roam from my head down to my feet and back up.
Now is not the time for the tingles that run down my spine when he does that, but my body doesn’t care. There’s an appreciative glimmer in his eyes under all that annoyance, and gosh, if that doesn’t make my heart feel like it might beat out of my chest.
“I’m fine.” It comes out barely above a whisper. I clear my throat and try again. “I’m fine.” This time, it’s louder, but the husk in my voice is undeniable.
“Are you sure?” His voice is rough, holding back the anger thatradiates off him, but I’m tired of him holding back. He doesn’t see the man I do, and I want to push and prod until he explodes, letting go of all the weight he holds on his shoulders.
Irritation prickles across my skin. Letting out a huff, I cross my arms over my chest. “I said I’m fine.”
He ignores the annoyance in my voice, letting his eyes travel to the car behind me, and that irritates me further.
