CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jude wanted to bail on the driving lessons he’d promised Duncan he’d give Angela and Kiara. There was a tension between him and Angela that caused him to hurt in ways that made no sense.
How had he allowed this to happen?
Ever since his one serious relationship had ended years ago, he’d gone out of his way to make sure he didn’t get close enough to a woman to fall in love.
Had he been attracted to women over the years? Sure. However, he’d kept his distance from them, so it never developed into anything more. And that had worked… until it hadn’t.
With Angela, he'd failed completely. Every time he saw her, he felt that pull toward her—that desire to protect her that went beyond his job description. His efforts to keep his distance from her had been pathetic and ineffective, because even when he wasn’t with her, he was constantly thinking about her.
"Are you okay?" Dawn asked as she popped her head into his office. "You're staring at that report like it personally offended you."
Jude sighed and set down the security assessment he'd been pretending to read for the last twenty minutes. "I'm fine."
"Right." Dawn leaned against the doorframe, crossing her arms. "That's why you've been scowling for a while now."
"I have not been—" He caught himself. "Is there something you need?"
"Just reminding you that you're scheduled to take the ladies driving at two. Which is in…" She glanced at her watch. "Ten minutes."
Jude nodded. "I haven't forgotten."
"Good." Dawn lingered a moment longer. "You know, whatever's bothering you, it might help to talk about it."
"Nothing's bothering me."
Dawn's knowing look told him she didn't believe him for a second. "If you say so." She pushed off the doorframe. "I'll let you get back to glaring at that report."
After she left, Jude leaned back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face. He needed to get himself together. This was just a driving lesson—a simple task that required him to be professional and focused. He could manage that.
He stood and grabbed his jacket. After stopping briefly to chat with the guys in front of the monitors, he stepped out into the cold end of January air.
The sun was shining brightly, creating a glare off the snow that had him blinking as he pulled his sunglasses from a jacket pocket and slid them on.
Reaching the garage at the main house, he let himself in, then stared at the cars parked there. Most were top of the line and expensive. He wanted a vehicle that wouldn’t intimidate Angela and Kiara.
Finally, he settled on a compact sedan that was the cheapest of the vehicles there, even though it was still fully loaded and top of the line. He went to the cabinet that contained all the keys and punched in the code to open it.
After he retrieved the keys to the sedan, he went to the car and unlocked it. He slid behind the wheel, grunting as he had to scrunch his body to fit.
Once he’d adjusted the seat and started it up, he opened the overhead garage door and backed the car out onto the large cement parking pad outside the garage. He parked it so that it pointed in the right direction. He didn’t think the ladies were ready to tackle backing up just yet.
As he got out of the car, the door to the house opened, and Angela and Kiara appeared, both wearing jackets and knit caps.
Kiara waved enthusiastically when she spotted him, then she headed in his direction. Angela followed more slowly, her eyes not quite meeting his.
"Ready for your first driving lesson?" he asked, keeping his voice professionally neutral.
"More than ready," Kiara said, practically bouncing with excitement. "I've been watching YouTube tutorials all morning."
"That's… good initiative," Jude said. "But there's a big difference between watching and doing."
“Is this the car we’re practicing in?” Kiara asked, looking at the car he stood next to.
“Yes. Which one of you is going first?” he asked.
“Me,” Kiara said without hesitation.
Jude motioned to the driver’s door. “In you get then. Angela, you can sit in the back, probably behind her because if you sit behind me, you won’t have much room.”
Kiara was behind the wheel in no time flat. Once both were in their seats and buckled up, Jude slid into his.
For the next couple of minutes, he walked Kiara through adjusting the seat and mirrors. He wasn’t a driving instructor, but his goal was to get the two women comfortable with the car and maneuvering it before turning them over to a professional.
"Okay," he said once Kiara had everything adjusted properly. "Before we start moving, let's go over the basics. The brake pedal is on the left, accelerator on the right. Your right foot does all the work—you'll never use your left foot for anything in an automatic transmission vehicle."
Kiara nodded eagerly, her hands gripping the steering wheel.
"The most important thing to remember is that this car is much more responsive than you might expect. A tiny bit of pressure on the gas pedal goes a long way when you’re first starting out."
"Got it," Kiara said, though Jude could see her knuckles were white from how tightly she was holding the wheel.
"Relax your grip a little," he instructed. "You want to be firm but not death-gripping it. Now, put your foot on the brake and shift into drive."
The car lurched forward slightly as Kiara released the brake, making her gasp. Angela’s hand gripped the back of Kiara’s seat, her gasp also audible.
"That's normal," Jude said calmly. "The car wants to move forward when it's in drive. You control that with the brake. Now, very gently press the accelerator."
The car moved forward at a crawl, and Kiara let out a nervous laugh. "I'm doing it! I'm actually driving!"
"You're doing great," Jude said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Angela watching intently. It didn’t surprise him at all that Kiara had volunteered to go first. He had a feeling that this was the norm for them. Angela needed to observe first.
For the next half hour, Jude guided Kiara around the roads of the estate. It was actually the perfect place to practice driving, since there was no other traffic and the pattern of the road was a meandering circle, so they could just keep going around and around.
“Okay,” Kiara said. “Your turn, Angie.”
They’d come back around by the house, and Kiara was doing really well. No real surprise. She’d had confidence even before getting behind the wheel.
“Maybe we should do it another day,” Angela said.
“Nope.” Kiara turned in her seat to stare at Angela. “It’s your turn now.”
Jude could see the apprehension on Angela's face. Where Kiara had been eager and excited, Angela looked like she was facing an execution.
"Hey," he said gently, turning in his seat to face her. "We don't have to do this today if you're not ready."
"No, I need to do this," Angela said, her voice barely above a whisper. She took a shaky breath.
Something in her tone made Jude's chest tighten. He wondered what other fears she'd had to overcome since leaving that farm.
They switched places, with Kiara sliding into the back seat and Angela taking the driver's position. Jude watched as she adjusted the seat and mirrors with careful precision, her movements deliberate and controlled.
"Take your time," he said, settling back into the passenger seat. "There's no rush."
Angela's breathing was shallow as she gripped the steering wheel. "What if I crash into something?"
"You won't," Jude said with quiet confidence. "And even if you do, it's just a car. Duncan has plenty of them."
"But what if I hurt someone?"
"Angela." Jude kept his voice firm but kind. "Look around. There's no one here but us, and we're surrounded by open space. The worst thing that could happen is that you drive into a snowbank."
You've got this," Kiara said from the back, her voice encouraging. "It's actually easier than it looks."
Angela's hands trembled slightly as she gripped the steering wheel. Jude noticed immediately.
"Take a deep breath," he said, his voice softer than he'd intended. "There's no rush."
She followed his instructions, her shoulders relaxing marginally. "Okay. Brake on the left, gas on the right."
"That's right. And remember, gentle pressure on everything. This car responds to the lightest touch."
Angela shifted into drive, and the car lurched forward just as it had with Kiara. But instead of pressing the accelerator, Angela immediately slammed on the brake, sending them all forward into the restraining strap of their seatbelt.
“Ack!” Kiara squawked as she flopped back into the seat once the car settled.
"Sorry!" Angela’s knuckles turned white on the steering wheel. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay," Jude said, fighting the urge to reach over and place his hand over hers. "That happens to everyone on their first time. Even Kiara did it. Just ease off the brake slowly."
Angela took another deep breath and did as instructed. The car settled into a gentle forward motion.
"Good," Jude said. "Now, just a little pressure on the gas."
The car inched forward as Angela applied the slightest pressure to the accelerator. Her entire body was rigid with concentration, her eyes wide and fixed on the road ahead.
"You're doing great," Jude encouraged. "Give it a little more gas. Just keep it slow and steady."
As they continued along the winding estate road, Jude noticed Angela gradually relaxing, her death grip on the steering wheel easing slightly.
"How am I doing?" she asked after they'd completed half a circuit.
"Perfectly," Jude said, and he meant it. She was cautious but controlled. "You're a natural."
"I don't feel like a natural," Angela muttered, but he could see a tiny smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.
That small smile made something warm unfurl in Jude’s chest. He'd missed seeing her smile over the past couple of days.
"Can I try going a little faster?" she asked.
"Of course. Just ease into it gradually."
Angela pressed the accelerator a bit more, and the car picked up speed.