Page 38 of The Law of Attraction
Miraculously, Adam managed to wrestle the car back under control and steer them safely onto the right shoulder of the road. As soon as the car rolled to a stop, Olivia sucked in a long, shuddering breath and let it out again with an involuntary whimper. Her fingers had practically embedded themselves in the plastic door handle, she was squeezing it so hard.
“Are you okay?” Adam asked, slapping on the hazards and the interior car lights as he swung his head to look at her.
She gave him a weak nod. There was so much adrenaline spiking through her system, she wasn’t sure she could speak yet.
“Olivia?”
Rain pelted the windshield and rattled on the roof of the car as Adam twisted in his seat to face her. His fingers touched her cheek, hesitating for a second before turning her face to his.
Those beautiful dark eyes stared into hers like they were staring right into her soul.
Her lips parted, but no sound came out. If she couldn’t speak before, she definitely couldn’t do it now with those eyes on her.
“You’re okay.” He said it like he was willing it to be true. His thumb moved over her cheek in the softest of caresses. “We’re fine. We made it.”
She managed another nod, and he took his hand away.
He leaned back in his seat and rubbed his palms on his thighs as he blew out a long breath. “That was terrifying.”
“Are you okay?” she asked, finding her voice finally. The blood was still pumping in her ears, making her voice sound oddly distant, and her stomach was tied in about a million knots.
He nodded. “Yeah.” He kept on nodding, like he was trying to convince himself.
She reached across the console and squeezed his hand. “You did great. You saved us.”
He swiveled his head to look at her, and gave her hand a squeeze back. “Not too bad for a rain novice, huh?”
She smiled at him. “Not bad at all.”
His forehead creased in a frown. “You sure you’re okay?”
“I did not expect to have two near-death experiences today, but other than feeling like a character in a Final Destination movie, I’m fine.”
“I’m not sure either of them really count as near-death.”
There was the Adam she knew. If he was arguing with her, he must be fine.
He plucked his phone out of the console. “I’m calling Triple A.”
Olivia looked out the window at the rain-sodden night. It had to have been twenty miles since they’d passed their last town, and it hadn’t been much of a town. “It’s going to take forever to get a wrecker out here in this weather.”
“I know, but what choice do we have?”
“We could change the tire ourselves.”
He stared at her like she’d just suggested they rob a bank. “In the dark, on the side of the highway? In the rain?”
“It’s fine,” she said with more confidence than she felt. “The rain’s letting up and the visibility’s better already. Just pull up a little more, so we’re on a straightaway instead of a curve.” The easier they were to see, the less the chances of someone hitting them from behind.
Adam pulled the car up, slowly and carefully. He cut the engine and turned to look at Olivia uncertainly. “Maybe we should just wait for Triple A. They can do it for us and then neither of us has to mess with it.”
“Are you afraid of getting your hands dirty?”
He looked embarrassed. “I’ve never changed a tire before. Have you?”
“Sure.” Her dad had forced her to learn how to do it when she’d gotten her license. It had been a while, and she’d never had to do it on the side of a highway before—at night, in the rain—but she ought to be able to manage it. Especially with Adam lending his strength to turn the lug wrench, which was the part that gave her the most trouble. “I’ll teach you. Come on. Get out on my side of the car. It’s safer.”
She got out and ran around to the back of the car while Adam slid out from behind the steering wheel and clambered over the passenger seat. Despite her optimistic declaration about the weather a minute ago, it was starting to rain harder again, and she was thoroughly drenched by the time she got the hatch open.
