“I’ll work so hard and do so well in school,” she whispered, almost as if she was practicing a speech she’d have to give later. “I’ll be the best vet in the world.”
“I know you will.”
On a happy sigh, Elise wheeled herself into the bedroom, running her fingers along the dresser’s edge. “I’m going to hang sheer curtains right there,” she said, pointing to the window. “And maybe a photo wall above the desk. Oh, and look at all this natural light! It feels so open and welcoming.”
Nicole took a few photos on her phone, already imagining how she’d show them to Cameron later as proof of how safe and supportive this environment was. Surely he’d see that this wasn’t dangerous or reckless—it was Elise’s chance to thrive.
Reluctantly, Elise agreed it was time to go. “I want to tell him right away,” she said, rolling back toward the door. “If I can get Cameron on board, I know my parents will follow. Cameron’s the key to getting them to see the light.”
“And he will,” Nicole said with determination. “When he sees all of this? How could he not?”
After they’d finished, they returned to the van in the admin building lot. Nicole helped Elise position her chair on the hydraulic lift platform. With a smooth hum, the lift raised her to the vehicle’s interior. Elise rolled into the designated space, locking her wheels before Nicole secured the straps that held the chair steady.
Already comfortable with the van, Nicole climbed into the driver’s seat, setting the GPS for the route back toward Heber City.
“We’ve got plenty of time,” she said, glancing at the clock. “I’ll get you home, then head straight to Benny’s dog talent show. Then you and Cameron will both come to tonight’s New Year’s Eve party, and if you haven’t persuaded him by then, I will. Youarecoming, right? You’re not too tired?”
“Are you kidding? I haven’t been to a New Year’s Eve party in…forever.” She snorted. “And I mean that literally. Will there be any cute single guys there?”
Nicole laughed. “Um…Red?”
“Oh, Red. Kindred spirit. Okay, I’ll hang with him, but I really was hoping for someone under thirty.”
“Well, there’s Benny, whoactsthirty. But he’s ten.”
Elise grinned, then looked out the window as they drove away from the small campus. “Oh, Nicole. I am so happy, I can’t even put it into words. This is really happening. My whole future?—”
A sudden, loudthunk-thunk-thunkcut her off, followed by a sickening grinding sound. The van lurched to the right.
“Whoa!” Nicole fought the steering wheel, heart hammering. She eased the vehicle to the shoulder, found the hazard lights, and cut the engine.
“What happened?” Elise cried, gripping the armrests of her chair.
“Not sure, but we might have a flat. Hang on.”
Nicole jumped out, boots crunching on snowy gravel. Cold wind slapped her face as she rounded the back of the van—and her stomach dropped. The rear tire on the passenger side sagged completely flat, rubber shredded and steaming slightly from friction.
“Oh, dang it!” She bent closer, as if staring could magically fix it. “It’s totally blown.”
She went back and gestured for Elise to lower the window.
“Flat as a pancake,” she told her.
“Can you…fix it?”
Nicole let out a helpless laugh. “I can barely change a light bulb, much less a van tire. And this thing probably needs special equipment. And I don’t have my AAA card, which is in my car…at your house.”
“What do we do?”
Nicole pressed her hands to her temples. She could call her dad, but…no.
There was really only one option. She climbed back inside, meeting Elise’s wide, anxious eyes. “We call Cameron. Maybe he can sneak out of work or get me his AAA card number or a tow or something.”
Elise paled. “Nicole, no—he’ll?—”
“He’ll help us,” Nicole insisted as she tapped his name on her phone and pressed it to her ear.
He answered on the second ring, his voice clipped. “Nicole?”
