Page 437 of The Parkers' Handsome Holiday
“It can be a pain in the ass to drive in, but yes, I suppose I do.”
“The subway is good for that.” She giggled. “I never have to worry about traffic or ice. Sure, it’s a little cold and the train always feels damp, but I enjoy it.”
It began snowing harder as we finished our meals, and I paid the tab. By the time we stood up and donned our coats, it had begun to stick on the streets and sidewalks down below.
“I should get you home before this weather gets worse,” I said.
Tinsely followed me to the elevator, where Christmas music played as we rode it down to street level to collect my keys and car from the valet. I opened her door for her, and she thanked me with a silent smile that made her eyes sparkle.
Get a hold of yourself, Chad. She’s your colleague, nothing more.
CHAPTER 13
TINSELY
Chadwick cranked the heat in his luxury car when we pulled away from the hotel. He must have noticed that I was shivering. I settled deeper into his heated seats, enjoying the way the leather warmed my butt and the back of my thighs. Hot air blew on my feet while the radio played Christmas music so quietly I could barely hear it.
The snow had already begun piling up on sidewalks. Business owners were out salting and knocking snow from the canopies over their front doors. Soon they would need plows to come down the streets and salt trucks. Chadwick switched to all-wheel drive and palmed the wheel, taking an easy right turn. Even going slowly, the back tires lost traction and we slid a bit.
I gripped the edges of my seat.
“It’s all right,” he said. “I’ll take it slow and get you home in one piece. We probably hit some black ice.”
“Black ice. Wonderful.”
“This car is good in the snow. Trust me.”
I wrapped my arms around myself. “I’ve never been a very easygoing passenger.”
“Not a fan of cars?”
I shook my head. “Not really. When I was little and in the back seat of my parents’ car, we were rear-ended by a truck, and it was the scariest thing ever. I couldn’t get my seatbelt off and I was stuck in the car until the firemen showed up and cut me out. It’s why I prefer transit over driving, personally.”
“That would be scary for a little kid.”
“It was.” I sighed as I looked out the window as more snow piled up and visibility got worse. “And the worst part? My mom kept yelling at my dad that he should have seen it coming and gotten out of the way. His back and neck were hurt, and they had an insurance claim for the accident that lasted months. So even though the event was over, it was still talked about on a daily basis at my house and it was like I had to relive it. Looking back, I kind of resent them for not shielding me from those conversations or trying to help me overcome my fear.”
“It’s never too late to overcome fear,” Chadwick said. He slowed down as an upcoming traffic light turned yellow. His eyes flicked to his mirrors as we came to a gradual stop. I wasn’t sure if this was how he always drove or if he was taking special care to make me feel at ease. Whatever it was, I appreciated it.
We waited at the intersection as other traffic drove through. He tapped his foot to the beat of the song playing on the radio and I closed my eyes as the warmth of the car threatened to lull me to sleep. It had been a long day, and now that my belly was full and my head was a little light from the wine, I felt exhausted. My bed would be so glorious to crawl into.
“Oh shit,” Chadwick breathed.
My eyes fluttered open. “What is it?”
His knuckles went white as he gripped the steering wheel with one hand and thrust his other hand out in front of me. He dropped the clutch and swerved to the right, driving us right up onto the snowy curb. His front fender crunched and the car lurched to a stop when he hit the brakes. With his hand on my chest—yes, my chest—I hardly moved in my seat.
As my heart raced, I saw the crash unfold that he’d had the presence of mind to avoid.
A sedan hurtled through the intersection. Its tires weren’t spinning, so I knew the driver was panic braking but sliding across ice. Another vehicle came screaming through the intersection, traveling far too quickly for these road conditions, and slammed right into the back door of the sedan. The sound of the impact brought back a surge of memories of the back of my family’s car being hit by the truck. I inhaled sharply through my nose as my stomach churned.
Chadwick undid his seatbelt as the sedan spun in circles through the intersection and slid right past where we’d been stopped at the light.
“Are you okay?” His voice sounded far away, like he was in another car calling out to me through the closed window.
My lips felt swollen. “I… I think so.”
Chadwick looked around, his eyes going to the sedan that had just spun past us and then to the minivan that had slammed into it. He waited a beat, maybe two seconds or so, before twisting in his seat to face me.
