Page 121 of Under the Ink

First, though, the driveway.

How would a normal person get the car out of that space? How would Ginny do it? Surely not by backing up the entire way through the driveway. If Naomi had attempted it, she knew she’d take out a fence or a bush on her journey backwards. The cobblestone area in between the house and garage could possibly lend itself to a little navigation, though, and she tried to assess with her eyes. If she backed up to the left, slowing as she got near the deck, then turned the wheel and drove forward before turning down the driveway, it could work.

That had to be why there was all this space here, right? Unless it was just to make an easy path from the garage to the house.

Taking another deep breath, Naomi longed for a big swig of brandy. That could have helped her manage to get through this. But the last thing she needed to do was drink before driving that treacherous mountain road.

Don’t think about the pass.

Right now, she simply had to take one step at a time. Looking too far forward would do nothing more than paralyze her.

Pulling on the handle, she nearly ripped a fingernail off as she realized the door was locked. Looking at the fob in her hands, she found the unlock button and pushed it, and she heard rather than saw the door unlock. Then she got in, taking another deep breath before buckling in.

She wasn’t sure how to stop her hands from shaking.

It didn’t matter. She had to get to Sage. She had to tell him that somehow…somehow he’d helped her heal.

Which meant that her best friend had been right all along. She’d just needed a man she could trust, someone who loved her for her.

Holy shit. Shehadto tell him. No matter what happened after that, he had to know.

Getting in the seat, she slid the key into the ignition. Then she secured the seatbelt and adjusted the rearview mirror.

And let out another long, slow breath.

Stop putting it off.

Turning the key, she tried to remain calm as the engine burst to life, purring, eager to roll on the road.

Unlike Naomi.

Looking at her eyes in the rearview mirror, she said, “You’ve got this.” And she knew she could—she just had to get started. But after every fucking thing she’d endured throughout her life—driving a car was nothing, right? Ginny made it look effortless.

With a nod, Naomi removed her right hand from the steering wheel onto the gear shift. If she could just stop her hand from shaking…

But she managed to move it into reverse and looked in the rearview mirror again before turning her head and easing off the brake—just a touch. She didn’t even have to give it gas as it rolled backwards, but she continued touching the brake because it was moving too fast for comfort. Then she held her foot firmly in place and looked forward.

Just a little more.

Finally, when the car was perpendicular with both the house and garage, situated perfectly, she shifted into drive and, once more, held her foot up off the brake as she turned the wheel to the right so she could move down the driveway.

Once she was able to straighten the wheel with the Subaru heading toward the street, she thought,I’m doing this!

But when she got to the street and started to exit the driveway, a truck came roaring down the road, causing her to slam on the brakes.

Don’t get cocky.

Waiting for her heart to slow down, she wondered if she should text Ginny to let her know what foolish thing she was doing—but that was silly. There was no guarantee her friend would get her message.

And the woman was on her honeymoon. The last damn thing she needed was a panicked message when she should be tuning out everyone and everything except her new husband.

Besides…she’d offered. Had she known before even Naomi had?

When Naomi took another deep breath, she had the quick thought that she was going to hyperventilate if she kept it up. And then she let herself smile. Easing farther out of the driveway, she looked both ways one more time just to make sure there wasn’t another asshole in a truck ready to run her over.

And, before she knew it, she was driving down the road away from Ginny and Walker’s home.

Holy shit. Shewasdoing this.

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