"Of course. It's my pleasure, sweetheart. And you should know that your dad would have come," Sandra said, forcing herself to focus on Emma.
"That’s fine. He’s not bad when it comes to girl stuff," Emma said, wrinkling her nose. “But it’s still kind of awkward."
"He loves you enough to be whatever you need him to be."
They pulled up to the elementary school just as the final bell rang, and Sandra climbed out to watch a stream of children pour out of the building like water from a broken dam. Toby spottedher immediately and broke into a run, his backpack bouncing against his shoulders.
"Sandra!" he shouted as he yanked open the door and threw himself into the back seat. "Did you get a new car? This is different! I don't have to ride the bus! Wait, is this car smaller than yours?"
"My car's still in the shop getting new tires," Sandra said, keeping the explanation simple. "Your dad said I could pick you guys up and get burgers and fries for dinner."
"Yes!" Toby pumped his fist in celebration. "This day just keeps getting better and better!"
Sandra grinned, thinking the same thing. As they pulled away from the elementary school, Emma chatted quietly about her day while Toby bounced in the back seat with excitement about dinner plans. She had to admit… burgers and fries sounded perfect.
45
Sandra guided them through the drive-through at the local burger place, the car filling with the comforting scent of french fries and the easy chatter of siblings discussing their respective days. Emma had perked up considerably since leaving school, and Toby was in full storytelling mode about a dodgeball victory that had apparently involved epic strategy and dramatic heroics.
"School break is almost here," Sandra said as they pulled back onto the main road, bags of food warming the car with their familiar comfort-food aroma. "What are you guys most looking forward to?"
"Sleeping every day," Toby declared immediately, his enthusiasm bubbling over. "And maybe we can go to the beach at Virginia Beach when we stay with Mom."
"I want to read all the books on my reading list," Emma added, her earlier embarrassment forgotten in the face of planning ahead. She turned toward Sandra. “You could teach me how to make your world-famous French toast.”
“You won’t need to learn,” Toby said from the back. “Sandra will be living with us and can make it whenever we want!”
Sandra blinked, not knowing where Toby got the idea that she’d be living with them this summer. She hoped that was inher future, but for now, had no idea how to address the concept with Toby. Deciding to let Terry handle it, she just kept driving.
The kids continued to talk about their plans and she felt the deep warmth of being included in their future thinking. These weren't just Terry's kids anymore, but they were already important to her too.
She glanced in the rearview mirror to check traffic before changing lanes and felt her stomach drop. A dark pickup truck was following closer than normal traffic warranted, its bulk filling her mirror. In such a rural area, pickup trucks were more prevalent than other vehicles, but her pulse quickened as she maintained her speed and watched the vehicle behind them. When she turned off the main road toward Terry's neighborhood, the truck followed, closing the distance despite the rural road being otherwise empty.
Stay calm, Sandra told herself. Lots of people drive this way. It doesn't mean anything.
But her hands tightened on the steering wheel as the SUV accelerated, coming so close she could barely see its front bumper in her mirror. The driver's face was hidden behind heavily tinted glass, and something about the vehicle's aggressive positioning sent alarm bells screaming in her head.
"Sandra?" Emma's voice carried concern. "That truck's really close."
Before Sandra could respond, the truck bumped the back of her car—not hard enough to cause damage, but deliberate enough that there was no mistaking the intent.
All three of them gasped as Sandra's car lurched forward, her heart hammering against her ribs as she fought to maintain control. The impact sent terror flooding through her system like ice water.
"What the hell—" Sandra bit off the curse, not wanting to scare the kids more than they already were. "Emma, call your dad right now!"
Emma's hands shook as she fumbled for her phone, her face draining of color. "Dad! Dad, someone just hit our car! They're following us!"
"Put it on speaker!" Sandra yelled, needing both hands on the wheel as the truck dropped back slightly, preparing for another impact.
Terry's voice filled the car, tight with controlled panic. "Sandra, where are you? What's happening?"
The rural landscape of the Eastern Shore stretched before them in the late afternoon sun. The farmland was dotted with weathered barns, fields of young corn in neat green rows, and scattered homes connected by narrow two-lane roads that meandered through the countryside. Sandra had always found this drive to Terry's house peaceful, but now, with the dark truck looming behind them, the isolation that had once felt charming was terrifying.
"Someone's following us in a dark truck," Sandra said, fighting to keep her voice steady as adrenaline flooded her system. "They just rammed us. I can't see the license plate, and the windows are too tinted to see the driver."
The truck had dropped back after that first impact, but Sandra could see it accelerating again, eating up the distance between them with predatory intent. Her knuckles were white where she gripped the steering wheel, and cold sweat beaded along her hairline despite the car's air-conditioning.
"Sandra, listen to me," Terry's voice came through the speakers with forced calm, though she could hear the barely controlled panic underneath. "I have the kids’ phones on tracker, but I want you to tell me exactly where you are while Pete pulls it up."
