Chapter 34
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
The rest of the day passed by swiftly, and soon, the two of them were headed outside of the museum.
As they left the warmth and comfort of the building, they were met with cooler temperatures, a storm having blown in to cover the sunshine and fill the city with rain. With the afternoon drawing to a close and the poorer weather creating puddles across pathways, the streets that had once been filled were swiftly deserted by tourists and residents alike, allowing Matthew and Winnie to reach the car much faster.
She thanked him for opening her door for her, then lowered herself into the vehicle, peeling off her raincoat and buckling up as Matthew got in on the other side.
He made to start the car, but unsurprisingly, Minnie struggled to meet expectations yet again, stalling for what seemed the hundredth time that trip.
“Come on, girl,” Matthew soothed, rubbing the steering wheel again.
“Do you really think that helps?” Winnie asked.
He held up a finger to silence her.
She did as she was told, but when the car stalled again, Winnie had to hide a smile. “She’s quite temperamental, isn’t she? ”
“Aren’t all women?” Matthew asked. “Weren’t you just saying that she was growing on you?”
“That was before when she was actually doing what she was told.”
In the next moment, the car started. “Ah ha!” he exclaimed in triumph. “See? A little patience goes a long way.”
“No one should have to be as patient with their cars as you are with this one.”
“I can be patient with an ever-reliable vehicle,” he returned.
Over the next hour, after a quick bite to eat, the two of them continued through unrelenting rain. Darkness fell, and still, the windshield wipers thwapped back and forth, back and forth.
They drove along a quiet street, turning slowly with the curves that followed stone walls and crooked trees that were only visible in flashes.
Winnie peered out into the darkness, and a nugget of worry hunkered down in her belly.
“Is Minnie safe in this kind of weather?” she asked.
This was too similar to how she’d spun out on the road to Foxwood.
“Far, far more than your little green sports car,” Matthew assured her.
Winnie nodded, still trying to calm her rattled nerves.
“Are you worried?” Matthew asked after she fell silent.
“Slightly. Are you not?”
“Not with Minnie.”
The car rattled in response. Matthew looked down in confusion. “What is it now?” he muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.
Winnie stared. Had the sound been different than any other that day? It must have been. Matthew looked genuinely troubled.
After another sputter, a loud pang! and cling! sounded near the bottom of the car. Winnie gasped. Matthew merely frowned. “Come on,” he said louder.
But the car had had it. Little by little, it slowed until finally coming to a stop, and Matthew pulled off to the side of the road just in time.
Winnie was about to make some sarcastic comment about the car’s reliability, but the sight of the frown marring Matthew’s forehead made her hesitate.
After a minute of silence, however, she couldn’t help herself any longer. “Is she officially…kaput?” she asked as gently as possible—and with only the slightest hint of irony.
His frown stayed the same. “I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably just acting up. First time she’s had to share attention from me before, you know.”
“Oh, so it’s my fault,” Winnie returned.
He glanced at her sidelong. “I’m not saying it is, but I did warn you about offending her.” With a sigh, he unbuckled. “I’ll go see what the problem is.”
“From the sound back there, I would guess Minnie coughed out her engine.”
“Hush,” he said with a pointed look, then he got out and closed the door behind him.
Winnie smiled happily to herself. He was fun to tease. Then again, maybe she shouldn’t under the circumstances. If the car really was dead and they ended up being stuck wherever the heck they were, what were they going to do?
Her concern didn’t last long. She knew Matthew would take care of them both.
Choosing to be a damsel in distress again, Winnie?
Fine, she’d put forth some effort, too. She pulled out her phone to search for what was nearby—a car garage, a hotel, Foxwood—but, to no surprise, she had zero service.
The first time she had experienced no cell service on the road to the estate, she’d been utterly and absolutely frazzled. Now, she didn’t know if it was the slower paced two days she had or her time spent with Matthew, but she was completely at ease.
A few minutes later, Matthew lowered the hood and came back to the car, giving a shiver as he left the cold air outside for the now-lukewarm air inside. Rain beaded in his beard and dripped from his curls.
“So what’s the verdict for our Minnie?” Winnie asked.
Matthew’s shoulders lowered. “I think she’s going to require some major work to recover from this.”
“Of course she will,” Winnie returned. “She’s, like, two-hundred years old.”
He pulled in his lips. “A little respect for the wounded, please?”
“My apologies,” she said, her hands raised in a gesture of retreat. She looked at the rain now pouring down the windows in droves. “So what are we supposed to do now? Call for an Uber?”
“No, they’re too hard to find all the way out here. Of course I had to take the scenic route in the dark,” he mumbled. “We’re only about thirty minutes from Foxwood, though. Char should be able to pick us up.”
Thirty minutes alone in the dark with Matthew Wintour? Winnie didn’t mind if she did.
He pulled out his phone, clicked on his sister’s name, then held the device in his hand against the steering wheel. He placed the call on speaker as the other end rang throughout the quiet space of the car.
“How do you have service?” Winnie asked.
Before he could answer, his sister picked up. “Matthew?”
“Hiya, Char,” he said.
“Hiya, you okay?”
“Yeah, we’re all right. You’re on speaker with me and Winnie.”
“Oh, Winnie! Aw, I love Winnie. All right, Winnie?”
Winnie beamed. She had only spoken one other time with Matthew’s sister since the park, yet she felt as if she and Char were the best of friends.
“Hi, Char,” Winnie greeted back.
“Is my brother behaving himself?”
“Well…” Winnie began .
“Char, listen,” Matthew interrupted. “Before you and Winnie get into another Matthew-Teasing-Fest, I just needed to tell you, Minnie has finally died on me.”
“Wait, what?” Char asked. “You’re breaking up, Matty. I just talked to Winnie. How did she die on you?”
A guttural laugh sounded at the back of Winnie’s throat.
Matthew shot her a look, but his eyes wrinkled at the sides, a clear sign he was finding this humorous, too. “Not Winnie . Minnie .”
“Oooh,” Char said. “That stupid lemon? Why haven’t you gotten rid of it already?”
“That’s what I’ve been saying this entire time,” Winnie piped in.
“Shh.” Matthew put a finger to his lips.
“Are you telling me to hush?” Char asked, her voice taking on an attitude.
“No, I’m telling Winnie to hush,” he clarified.
“I thought Minnie was dead? Why would she need to hush?” Char asked.
Again, Winnie laughed.
“Oh my giddy aunt,” Matthew said, pressing a hand to his brow. “Listen, Char. My car has died, and Winnie and I are stranded near Littlethorpe, I think. Is there any way you could pick us up?”
“Oh…” Char clearly hesitated, and Matthew met Winnie’s gaze. “I…Um, yeah, I can do that.”
Matthew frowned. “Wait, what’s the matter? Are you busy?”
“No. Well, just a bit. I was about to leave on that date I told you about, but I can cancel.”
Winnie instantly shook her head in protest, but Matthew was already on it. “Oh, I forgot you’d mentioned that. No, don’t cancel. We’ll be fine. You should go on the date. Winnie agrees, too.”
“Your car has feelings about who I date?” Char asked.
“No, Winnie ,” Matthew stated loudly .
Char’s voice hinted at her own smile. “I know. I was joking that time. Really, though, I’m sure I can reschedule.”
“No, please. We’ll be fine. I’ll just call Mum or Dad,” Matthew said.
“They’re in Manchester for the night, remember?”
Matthew grimaced. “That’s right. Well, we, uh…” He seemed to think for a minute. “I think there’s a small bed and breakfast in Littlethorpe. We can just stay for another night and have you pick us up in the morning.” He glanced at Winnie, clearly seeking her approval, which she gave with a ready nod.
Anything to get Char on the date. A single mother of two children deserved that at the very least.
“Are you guys sure?” Char asked. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“No, we’ll be right,” Matthew said with a reassuring nod, though Char couldn’t see.
“Right,” Char said, still hesitant. “Well, give me another call when you get sorted at the B&B, just so I know you made it.”
“Will do. Thanks, Char. Love you, bye.”
Winnie’s heart nearly exploded at his expression of love for his sister. She couldn’t remember the last time her siblings had shared their love for her—or she for them, for that matter.
He hung up the phone and faced Winnie with an expectant look.
“What?” she asked.
“Are you ready to walk in this downpour for ten minutes to the B&B?”
Ten minutes? Eesh. But what choice did they have? “Yep,” she stated with a smile. “Good thing I’ve got my wellies.”
He grinned, and together, the two of them left Minnie at the side of the road with their suitcases and umbrellas in hand, both of them praying the inn held some vacancies. Otherwise, they were in for a very long, very cold night in what little-to-no shelter with which Minnie would provide them.
Come on, B&B.