“No, that would be ridiculous.” She blinked. “It’s just, police vehicles remind me of Brad, seeing him in one. You know, I actually only saw him in one once, and it was a transport unit, but it was enough.”
He covered her hand where it rested on the door. “You experienced a great deal of trauma with him. It’s understandable.”
“People expect you to get over it after a certain time. They’ll tell you that you just need to have more faith and God will heal it, but it doesn’t work like that.” She glanced at his hand covering hers, but she didn’t move to pull away. “My faith is strong. It had to be to carry me through the aftermath of abuse and addiction. And I’m sure God could wipe away every memory and scar I carry from that time, but He hasn’t. I don’t know how to reconcile that other than my faith continues to carry me when the memories become too much.”
He cringed. “I’m sorry people have said that to you. There was a time when I would have made similar statements. I could make excuses all day, but I’d rather apologize.”
A small smile formed on her mouth. “You know, I have to apologize to you as well.”
“For what?” He angled his head, his mouth slightly ajar with confusion.
“For thinking you had become an arrogant neanderthal.” Her lips stretched wide. “You’re not so bad, after all.”
He chuckled. “Thanks for the second chance.”
She slid into the passenger seat. “Let’s go before I’m late.”
“No Lilly today?” he asked after circling the SUV and sitting behind the wheel.
“I have to leave her alone eventually. With all the commotion yesterday, I wasn’t sure how today would go, and thought it best to leave her behind.”
“She’ll be fine.”
Tiffany gave him a sheepish smile. “I may have left the television on the dog channel so she wouldn’t get bored. Plus, I have a neighbor down the hall who will take her out for me throughout the day.”
He rolled his eyes. “Mrs. Leola has that channel, and she does the same.”
Traffic was increasing on the return to his house, and soon came to a complete standstill. Cars began turning around, leaving a bad feeling in his gut. He glanced at Tiffany. “Do you mind if I turn my work radio on. I can figure out what’s happening.”
“That’s fine.”
He flipped the switch and at once heard voices. “This isn’t good.”
“What is it?” Tiffany asked him nervously after a minute.
“There’s a gas leak in the neighborhood next to mine. They’re evacuating the homes and shut down the surrounding roads. It must have been found right after I left.”
Worry lines creased the corners of her eyes. “Will Mrs. Leola be okay?”
Her concern for his elderly neighbor before all else touched his heart. “She’ll be fine. Evacuations are mainly a precaution, and there’s a team that’s trained to check the houses and take care of the residents.”
“That’s a relief.” She didn’t look convinced, though. She closed her eyes, and Connor sensed she was praying.
He waited until she opened her eyes to speak again. “The bad news is, we won’t be able to get your car right now.”
“I’m so sorry. What an inconvenience I’ve become. I should have just driven home last night.”
“You’re not an inconvenience by any stretch.” He turned down the radio so they could talk uninterrupted. “I offered, and I don’t regret it. I’m grateful for the time we got to spend together.”
“If you say so.” A partial smile returned to her face. “What do we do now?”
“We can wait it out, or I can take you to work and pick you up.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That’s too much. I can’t ask that of you. How long will the wait be?”
“It could be a half hour, could be five hours.”
“I can’t wait hours. The ladies are counting on me.” She eyed him hesitantly. “I guess you’ll have to drop me off and pick me up.”
