CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
It was like a car candy store when William’s house manager opened the huge garage that housed the most expensive cars she’d ever seen. She didn’t know where to begin!
“He told you to pick your choice,” Cory said as he leaned against the Lamborghini, attempting to give her a hint.
But Joy wasn’t thinking about getting the best car in that garage. She wanted a practical car. Something that would be nice to drive, but that wouldn’t make her stand out like a sore thumb.
But then again, why not stick out for a change?
When it was taking her too long to decide, the house manager, who kept glancing at his watch as if she was wasting his time, took over. “Perhaps this very sensible Volkswagen Jetta would fit you fine,” he said.
Joy nodded. She would have loved to drive something fancy for a change, but the house manager was right. She needed to be sensible. “I guess you’re right.”
“Why would that be right,” asked a disappointed Cory, “with all these cars to choose from? Stop settling, girl. Just stop.”
“Miss Sloane phoned before you arrived to alert me that you were coming,” the house manager said to Joy as if that would bolster his case. “It was her suggestion as well.”
Joy should have known. To Sloane, people like Joy would never deserve to drive around in luxury.
A VW was as good as it should get for the less-than people like Joy.
And Joy was falling right into that trap.
Because she believed, too, that it was as good as she should have hoped for.
That VW was even better than the hoopdees she was used to.
But wasn’t the point of getting this job all about getting away from what she was used to? Wasn’t this supposed to be a new beginning for her? William told her to pick a car. Not the cheapest car. Not the most sensible car. William, not Sloane, told her to pick a car.
“I’ll take the Porsche,” she said confidently. She’d always dreamed of driving a Porsche.
Cory was elated. “Alright now girl!” he said happily and they high-fived.
The manager didn’t like it, but he had no choice in the matter. He went into a locked box inside the garage, pulled out the keys, and handed them to her.
“So you’re driving on to Bridell now?” Cory asked.
“I’m going straight there. I can’t wait to start packing and getting back to Chicago.”
“I know that’s right. I’m going to be spending the rest of the week getting ready for my new life too. No more taking whatever they throw our way girl,” said Cory as they clasped hands. “Mr. Skeffington is giving both of us a chance, and we’ve got to make the most of it.”
“I agree.” Tears were welling up in Joy’s eyes. “He’s going to clean house too, and start hiring more people of color.”
Cory nodded. “I heard. It was like the reality of his practically all-white company was right before his very eyes, but he chose not to see it. Until he met you,” Cory added.
Joy would have normally dismissed such praise, but she knew it was nothing but the truth. “I just hope our new life is everything it’s cracked up to be.”
“It will be,” said a confident Cory. “It absolutely will be.”
They hugged. But when they stopped embracing, Joy asked a favor of Cory.
“It depends,” Cory said. “What is it?”
“I have no idea how to get from William’s house to the highway to Indiana.”
Cory laughed. “Follow me girl. I’ll take you to the highway.”
“Thanks, Core,” she said, got in the Porsche that, to her delight, smelled just like William, and then she followed behind Cory’s Toyota Camry as they left his estate.
But just after Cory blew his horn and waved for her to turn left onto a rural highway outside of Chicago, while he drove straight, he suddenly heard a crash so loud it horrified him.
When he looked through his rearview mirror, he saw that Porsche skidding across the street after an SUV had crashed into it. He tried to turn around but the rubberneckers had him pinned in. So he forced his way through.
But Joy was stuck in that Porshe after the crash with her airbag deployed. Her entire body had been rocked so violently that she ended up laying sideways onto the passenger seat. She had on her seatbelt, which prevented her from going through that side window, but she still felt the sting.
But when she sat up and looked out of that side window, she could see a man hopping out of the passenger seat of that SUV that had crashed into her, only he had a gun in his hand. Was he a cop?
But when he stopped in the middle of the street and aimed that gun directly at her head, she was so stunned that she became frozen in place.
And just as the gunman was about to pull the trigger as if he was going to fire a hail of bullets into that car until he was certain she was dead, Cory in his Toyota Camry came speeding into the frame and didn’t stop speeding until he ran straight into that gunman, causing his gun and his body to separate and fly into the air.
He landed nearly thirty yards away, where another car accidently ran it over. That gunman was dead.
Then Cory, still terrified for Joy, jumped out of his car and ran to the Porshe.
But he couldn’t open the door. All he could do was scream are you alright, Joy? Are you alright? He could see that she was conscious, but pinned into that car.
She wasn’t dead, but she was a long way from alright.