Page 112 of A Moment In Time

“Being in the darkroom is relaxing to me. But we’ll come back.” He looked at her. “Will you come back with me later and stay the night?”

“Yes.”

“Okay. We’re going to take the Mustang.”

Sydney got to her feet. “You could’ve led with that. I’ve always wanted to ride in it.”

“Today is the day.”

They prepared to go and Gage backed the vintage car out of the garage he’d built to keep it out of the winter weather. He only drove it once the snow was gone. And he stored it in the garage as soon as the first snows fell.

Sydney got in and smiled. “It’s so beautiful.”

“Cooper and Cabe helped me restore it while we were in high school.”

“Where did you find it?”

“When old man Bailey died, it was in his barn. No tires, faded blue paint job, and the upholstery was a mess. But as soon as I saw it, I could see its potential.” He looked at her. “Kind of like when I met you.”

“Are you saying I was an old wreck of a car?”

Gage laughed. “No. You were obviously beautiful on the outside. But I could see your potential as a journalist and an asset to the paper. I also knew you probably wouldn’t put up with my crap. So I figured I was going to be in hot water a lot of the time.”

“Yet you hired me anyway.”

“And I’ve never regretted it.” He pulled onto the road. “We’ll put the top down once we hit the highway.”

“Isn’t it a little cold, still?”

“Trust me. You’ll love it.”

When they got to Highway Three, Gage pulled over and put the top down. Then he went to the passenger door. “Okay. You get to drive.”

She looked up at him. “What? You don’t let anyone drive your precious Mustang.”

“Do you want to drive or not?”

“Yes.” He opened her door, and she stepped out. “I’m honored.”

“When it warms up a little, we’ll take it up the mountain.”

“That sounds fun.”

“It’s a blast.”

Sydney went around the car and got in behind the wheel. Then she put her hands on the steering wheel. “I’m so nervous.”

“Just take it slow.”

She pulled onto the pavement and headed down the road at ten miles under the speed limit.

“Not that slow.”

She glanced at him, then sped up a little. When Gage heard a siren chirp behind them, he looked over his shoulder and saw Booker’s Blazer. He flashed his lights for a second.

Sydney panicked. “Oh, my gosh. What did I do?”

“Nothing that I know of. Pull over.”

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