Chapter 24

 ELIAS

I was already halfway home when I noticed the car sitting on the side of the road.

At first, I didn’t think much of it. The car was old enough that a breakdown wasn’t exactly surprising, and the hazard lights were flashing steadily against the darkening road. I would have driven past if I hadn’t caught sight of the person standing beside it.

I slowed down.

Candace.

She was standing near the front of the car with the hood open, staring into the engine compartment with an expression that made it obvious she had no idea what she was looking at.

I pulled over a short distance ahead and parked.

By the time I stepped out, she had already noticed me. Her head lifted, and the moment she recognised me, her expression changed completely.

“Professor?”

“Candace.”

She glanced at my car, then back at me. “I didn’t know that was you.”

“The windows are tinted.”

“I know.”

Her answer came quickly, and she immediately looked away.

I walked toward the Civic, keeping a little distance between us. “What happened?”

“My car stopped.”

I looked at her.

She sighed. “It started making this horrible sound from the back. I thought it would stop, but then it got worse and the car just… died.”

“Did you hear anything from the engine?”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “It was making so many noises that I just panicked.”

I smiled slightly.

She noticed. “It’s not funny.”

“I didn’t say it was.”

“You were smiling.”

“I was.”

She folded her arms and looked at the car. “Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying my suffering.”

“I’ll take a look.”

She stepped aside.

I moved toward the front of the Civic and examined it briefly, checking what I could without tools. I tried the hood, listened for anything unusual and looked underneath the car before straightening. I checked the dashboard again and tried starting the car, but the engine only gave a weak sound before going quiet.

“Don’t drive it.”

Candace’s eyes widened. “That bad?”

“I wouldn’t risk it.”

She groaned quietly and leaned against the side of the car.

“I was literally just trying to get home.”

“You should call someone.”

“I was about to.”

I glanced at the time.

“It’s getting late.”

“I know.”

She pulled out her phone and stared at the screen without actually doing anything.

“Is someone coming to get you?”

“No.”

“Then I’ll drive you home.”

Her head lifted immediately.

“You?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.”

She looked at the road behind me and then at her car. I could see her trying to decide whether accepting the offer would make the situation more uncomfortable than standing beside her broken-down car.

“I can call a cab.”

“You can.”

She looked at me again.

“I’ll drive you home, Candace.”

She hesitated for another few seconds before finally nodding.

“Okay.”

She grabbed her bag from inside the Civic and locked the car before walking toward mine.

I opened the passenger door for her.

“Thank you.”

She climbed in, placing her bag on her lap rather than beside her.

I closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.

The moment I started the car, the silence inside became noticeable. Candace sat stiffly in the passenger seat, both hands wrapped around the strap of her bag. She kept looking through the windshield, then out the window, then back ahead again as if she couldn’t decide where she was supposed to look.

I pulled away from the roadside.

Neither of us spoke.

The silence wasn’t exactly uncomfortable for me, but it clearly was for her. She shifted in her seat several times before finally settling against the door. Her gaze stayed fixed outside.

I lowered the volume of the radio even though it was barely audible.

A few minutes passed.

She still hadn’t said anything.

I glanced at her once before reaching toward the passenger-side controls and rolling down the window.

The evening air immediately entered the car.

Candace turned toward me.

“You can open it more if you want.”

She blinked. “I’m fine.”

“I know.”

She looked at the open window for a moment. Then she gave a small nod.

“Thank you.”

I kept my eyes on the road.

The tension in her shoulders seemed to ease slightly after that.

We continued driving. She didn’t ask me anything, and I didn’t ask her anything either. There was no reason to force a conversation simply because we were sitting in the same car.

I could tell she was still uncomfortable, though. Every so often, she glanced at me before quickly turning back toward the window. I pretended not to notice. The last thing I wanted was to make her more aware of the fact that we were alone together.

When we finally reached her street, she pointed toward a driveway ahead.

As I turned onto her street, Candace sat up slightly and looked through the windshield.

“This is my neighbourhood.”

“I figured.”

“How?”

“You’ve been staring at the houses for the last five minutes.”

She smiled. “Maybe I was making sure you weren’t taking me somewhere else.”

I looked at her.

“That’s reassuring.”

“I didn’t mean it like that.”

“I know.”

She looked embarrassed for a second before turning toward the window again.

The houses became more familiar as we drove farther down the street. Porch lights were already coming on, and a few cars were parked along the curbs.

Candace pointed ahead.

“That’s mine.”

I turned into the driveway and stopped.

Candace looked out through the windshield at her house. For a few seconds, she didn’t move.

Then she turned toward me.

“Thank you for bringing me home.”

“You’re welcome.”

She reached for the door handle.

“I’ll get someone to look at the car tomorrow.”

“You should.”

“I really hope it’s nothing expensive.”

“I hope so too.”

She gave me a small, tired smile.

“Goodnight, Professor.”

“Goodnight, Candace.”

She opened the door and stepped halfway out before suddenly remembering something.

“My bag.”

She turned back toward the rear seat.

At the same moment, I reached behind my seat for it.

Our hands stopped inches apart.

Candace froze.

So did I.

She slowly lifted her eyes to mine.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

Then a voice came from somewhere outside the car.

“CANDACE EVELYN WINTERS!”

Candace’s entire body stiffened.

Her head snapped toward the window.