Chapter 37 You Went for a Walk?
thirty-seven
you went for a walk?
Liam
Hours of highway driving passed in a blur until suddenly I looked up, and I was in Fallbridge. That meant I had an hour to go before I was back in Carlisle Creek. Thank god. Almost home.
Funny how I was already thinking of Carlisle Creek as home when I didn’t have a place to live yet. Hell, I wouldn’t even have temporary lodgings to go back to, since I’d checked out of the B&B this morning. None of that mattered right now, though. All that mattered now was getting there.
On a whim, I pulled into the first gas station I saw, unable to wait any longer to check my phone.
Greg
Call me as soon as you get this.
I’m serious. Call me. Now.
My stomach dropped. Unlike earlier, when no one answered their phones, there was no reasonable explanation for Greg demanding I call him at midnight. I stabbed at the call button and brought the phone to my ear.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
Voicemail.
God damn it! I slammed my palm against the steering wheel as my gut tied itself into knots. Why the hell wasn’t anyone answering their goddamn phone?
Liam
I’ll be there in an hour. What is going on?
I also sent Maya a quick update.
I’m on my way back to town. We’ll talk more when I get there. Sorry for running out this morning. See you soon.
That felt too impersonal.
<3
She would freak out if I said the words out loud, but I doubted a heart emoji would scare her off. I wasn’t any more ready to make a declaration of love than Maya was to hear one, but we were less than a month in and already she dominated my every thought.
She was everything.
I dropped my phone into the cup holder and pulled onto the highway as the first few flakes of a late-season snowfall drifted past. One hour to go. Less than that if I cranked the cruise control up. Less if I skipped it altogether and let my anxiety control the gas pedal.
The gnawing sense of foreboding in my stomach made my choice for me, and I pushed the gas pedal to the floor, letting my nerves take the wheel.
The closer I got to Carlisle Creek, the harder the snow fell. Hadn’t the weather report predicted warmer than usual temperatures? So much for no snow in the forecast. And so much for making good time. The weather seemed determined to take back any time I’d saved.
My white-knuckled grip on the steering wheel did nothing to quell the anxiety that built with every time I’d been forced to slow down further. Even with my face nearly mashed against the windshield, I could barely see through the deluge of snow.
My headlights caught a flash of white in the distance. What the hell is that? Squinting, I tried to make out the shape through the snow flying at my vehicle. A deer? A snow-covered road sign?
My heart skipped a beat. It’s a person.
No, it couldn’t be. Could it? People don't walk in this weather, especially this far from town.
My pulse kicked up as I took my foot off the gas, squinting against the blur of falling snow. I sucked in a startled breath as the snow cleared long enough to give me a clear view.
A woman walked along the shoulder of the road. Her bare knees, scarcely visible below the hem of the fluffy white robe belted loosely around her thin frame, peeked out above big black boots. Her sparse white hair sketched a familiar halo as it whipped in the wind.
Jesus fucking Christ! I smashed the brake pedal to the floor, praying to anyone who would listen that I wouldn’t skid right into her.
The tires slid, and the car came to a safe but shaky stop on the shoulder.
I’d unbuckled and jumped out the door before I knew it was happening, sprinting to the last person who should be on the side of the road in the middle of the night.
“Nana!” Her robe was cold as ice beneath my fingers when I grabbed her shoulders. “Oh my god, Nana. What are you doing out here? And why are you in your nightgown?”
Her blue-tinged lips remained closed. She blinked at me, confusion swimming in her distant, unfocused gaze.
My stomach twisted. My heart tried to climb up my throat to choke me from the inside as I guided her to the car.
I buckled her in and draped my jacket over her lap before hurrying back to the driver’s side.
The sole thought in my head was how to get Nana warmed up.
I cranked the heat, turning every vent to blow warm air in her direction.
When the air was warming her body, I pressed her fingers between my palms. “Jesus, Nana, your hands are like ice.”
“Oh, that’s n-n-nice,” she said through chattering teeth, rubbing her hands together. “My hands are f-f-f-freezing for s-s-some reason. I wonder if there’s s-something wrong with my circulation.”
I stared at her, my jaw agape.
“Something wrong with your circulation?” I repeated, dumbfounded. “Nana, you were walking down the highway. In a snowstorm. In your nightgown. Don’t you think that might have something to do with it?”
She glanced down, frowning. “Huh, would you look at that? I am in my n-n-nightgown. Isn’t that strange?”
“Nana. Why did you go out in the snow?”
She scoffed. “Pshh. D-d-don’t be silly. It wasn’t snowing when I started walking.”
An incredulous laugh slipped from my lips. “It wasn’t snowing when you started? Why were you out there in the first place? Snow or no snow, it’s freezing.” My stomach clenched, fear and frustration twisting inside me. “Nana, what were you doing out here?”
Nana folded her hands in her lap, studying them. “I … I c-c-couldn’t sleep.”
My grip on the wheel tightened. “You couldn’t sleep? Where were you going?”
“N-nowhere. I j-just went for a walk.”
“You went for a walk? In this?”
A yawn racked her slight frame as her eyes drifted shut. “That really tuckered me out. I bet I can sleep now.”
I released a shuddering breath. There was no way I’d get any real answers from her tonight.
“That’s okay, Nana. You rest. We’ll be there soon.”
Once I had her safe, I’d figure out what the hell was going on.