Guy held Kitty back. “Sweetheart, he’s fine. Let him go.”
The last glimpse I got of them was Guy holding Kitty from behind, both of them waving to me with worried eyes.
* * *
Jessie’s car wasn’t even fully pulled off the road, her hazards still on. It looked like some other car had side-swiped hers.
Oh, God. What if she was hurt?
I yelled her name, the rain somehow even harder than before. This storm business was no joke. I opened the passenger door and looked in, but she wasn’t there.
I left the car and ran toward the overpass ahead of me, still yelling for her. I didn’t see a person anywhere, but with the rain coming down so hard and people still driving by, I couldn’t see anything. Under the bridge, I’d be able to look better.
Finally out of the rain, I searched for any sign of her. And there, up in the rafters, was a shivering figure. There was Jessie, balled up with her knees under her chin, soaking wet and shaking as a rumble of thunder jostled the air. I ran for her.
“Jessalyn, baby, are you okay?”
She was stuffed up in that little corner where the bridge meets the overpass, in between two pillars.
“Can you come out of there, honey? I don’t know if I can fit in there with you.”
She cried harder, silent sobs wracking her.
“Let me take you home. Please.”
Her voice came out as a shriek. “This is the safest place to be in a storm.”
My heart shattered. She was terrified. “I’m coming in there. Just hang on.”
“No! You can’t shut me out and come walking back into my life! You dumped me!”
“I know, honey. I’m so sorry. A lot happened, but that’s no excuse.”
Another rumble of thunder boomed, and she sat, lips quivering as she cried.
“Hon, please let me be here for you now. I know I fucked up, but I can’t watch you like this.”
I flattened myself to the ground and army-crawled to get up next to her, then pulled her down a bit so I could hold her. Her eyes widened, resisting leaving her safe space.
“It’s okay. We’ll stay up high here. You’re safe, Jessie.”
I cradled her in my lap, letting her cry and shake and do whatever she needed to do. I had a better look at her car from that vantage point.
“Christ, did your front wheel just fall off?”
Jessie sniffled. “Yeah.”
“We’re going to get you a new car tomorrow.”
She stiffened. “The tow truck’s coming. They can fix it. I can get a ride to work.”
I swallowed my frustration at her stubbornness. It wasn’t going to help my case if I bossed her around at the moment. “When is it coming?”
“Couple hours, maybe. They had a few calls ahead of me.”
I shook my head. “No, honey. We’re leaving before that. We’ll cash that one in and get you a new car.”
She squirmed to try and escape my grip. “I’ll wait for the tow truck.”
