The Speed of Light: A Novel(6)

His eyes flick back again before settling on me, concerned. “You might be waiting a long time on Christmas Eve. I could give you a ride somewhere, if you want.”

Hell no. As much as I don’t want to sit here waiting all night, there is no way I am getting in this strange man’s vehicle, no matter how handsome he is. I force a smile, wishing I didn’t feel the compulsion to always be polite. If Nikki were here, she’d have no problem telling this guy to get lost. “Um, no, thanks. I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” He glances back again. “We’ve got room.”

We? Before I can say it out loud, another voice pipes up.

“Can we go? I wanna open a present tonight!”

I blink, searching for the source of this high-pitched demand. Finally a small head also covered in snowflakes appears next to him in the darkness.

“Hey, I told you to stay in the truck.” He’s more worried than angry, which pushes him a notch toward endearing instead of threatening. “And where’s your hat?”

He scoops up the youngster, and suddenly I’m face-to-face with a smiling little girl. “Hi. I’m Ella.”

I smile back. “Hi, Ella. I’m Simone.”

“I like your green dress. You look like a Christmas tree.”

My face flushes, but I laugh. “Well, that’s good because I was on my way to a Christmas party.”

Ella nudges the man with a stage whisper. “Mom says we should always introduce ourselves.”

He flashes an apologetic smile. “I’m Connor, and I’m sorry, but I really need to get this little one home. She lives in Aberdeen, but my offer for a ride still stands, wherever you need to go.”

Aberdeen is where I need to go, and who knows how much longer the tow truck will be? I could call my dad, but it’s clear now this man is harmless.

Unless he somehow has an elaborate scheme where he uses his child to lure women into his vehicle.

Where do I even come up with these things?

I smile as I grab my purse and shrug into my coat. “I’d love one.”





CHAPTER TWO

“‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’!” Ella hollers from the back seat of the truck.

“What do you say, Ella?” But her response of “please” is muffled by the music because Connor has already turned on the song. I chuckle as her little-girl voice turns “Rudolph” into “Woodolf” as she sings along.

“How old is she?” My purse is clutched on my lap like a protective barrier, giving me the courage to initiate small talk.

“Five.”

Ella interrupts her singing to correct him: “Five and a half!”

“Sorry, El.” Connor winks at me and my neck warms. “She’s five and a half.”

“She’s adorable,” I say. “She looks just like you.”

He gives me a strange look. Oh God. Does he think I’m hitting on him or something? Am I hitting on him? “Um, I mean, she has your eyes.” I stare at the floor, wishing I could melt into it.

“Well, thanks, I guess. Ella’s my niece, so no one’s ever said that before.”

I look up in surprise and he’s smiling. I smile back, but it’s shyer now. Up close there is no doubt how handsome he is.

We stare ahead and an awkward silence sets in. Or maybe it’s only awkward to me. When I first got in, there was such a flurry of activity and the talking point was so obvious—Where do you live and how do we get there?—that I didn’t have to feel nervous. Then I called AAA again to let them know I’d gotten a ride and to give them the address to deliver my car.

Then I texted my mom and told her a family had stopped and offered to give me a ride—“family” was both true and safer than saying “strange man.” Because my fretful apple didn’t fall far from my mom’s anxious tree.

When I first got in, I thought I was sitting next to a married father, not a handsome, potentially single man who is super sweet to his niece. As the vehicle crawls along the snow-covered road, social anxiety rears its ugly head. I rack my brain for something to say.

“So you’re going to a party, huh?” Connor’s voice is pleasant; his eyes don’t leave the road.

I tuck my hair behind my ear. “Yes. Well, I mean, it’s at my parents’ house. So it’s the three of us and my brother, but they always invite the neighbors over for Christmas Eve. And it’s our year to have my grandma, too.” His eyes dart to mine, a question in them, and I look down. “My grandma’s . . . health has declined. She doesn’t really remember us anymore. She mainly lives with my mom and dad, but sometimes she goes to my aunt’s or uncle’s house for holidays. They kind of rotate.”

I pause to catch my breath, and there’s a beat of silence. Dammit, why do I always do that? I’m either awkwardly quiet or I spill out way too much information.

Connor clears his throat. “Well, that sounds like a great party to me.”

“I want to go to a party!” Ella yells from the back, and it gives me a fresh topic.

“Where are you guys headed?”

“I’m bringing her home. We got to spend three fun-filled days together, just us and Grandma and Grandpa, didn’t we, El?”

“Yup. But I have to go home because Mommy misses me, and I get to open a present from her tonight. And I have to be at home so Santa can bring me his presents, of course.”