Read Online A Grant County Collection by Karin Slaughter - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Karin Slaughter
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over his chest. There was a half-smile on his lips that did not quite reach his eyes as he nodded toward her suitcase. 'Ready to go?'
A gentle mist of rain met them as they drove out of Grant County, and Sara watched the wipers sluice water off the windshield at steady intervals, trying to think of something to say. With each pass, she told herself she was going to break the silence, but the next thing she knew, the wipers were swiping across the glass again and nothing had been said. She stared out the side window, counting cows, then goats, then billboards. The closer they got to Macon, the higher the number got, so that by the time they took the bypass, Sara had reached triple digits.
Jeffrey shifted gears, passing an eighteen-wheeler. He had not spoken since they left Grant, and he chose to break the ice with 'Car handles well.'
'Yes,' Sara agreed, so glad he was talking to her that she could have cried. Thank God they had taken her car instead of his truck or there was no telling how long the silence would have lasted. To keep the conversation going, she said, 'German engineering.'
'I guess it's true what they say about doctors driving BMWs.'
'My dad bought it for me when I got into medical school.'
'Nice dad,' he said, pausing before he added, 'Your mom seems nice, too.'
Sara cleared her throat, unable to recall any of the apologies she had been rehearsing in her mind for the last hour. 'I would have preferred for you to meet her under different circumstances.'
'I never expected to meet her at all.'
'Oh, right,' she said, flustered. 'I didn't mean –'
'I'm glad we got to meet.'
Sara nodded, thinking that the fewer times she opened her mouth, the less likely she was to put her foot in it.
'Your sister's cute.'
'Yes,' she agreed, knowing a lesser person would hate her sister by now. Sara had been hearing the same thing all her life. Tessa was the cute one, the funny one, the cheerleader, the one everyone wanted to be friends with. Sara was the tall one. On a good day, she was the tall redheaded one.
Before Sara could phrase something more elegant, she blurted out, 'I'm so sorry about what I said.'
'That's okay,' he told her, but she could tell from his tone that it was not. Why he had still wanted her to go to Florida with him was anyone's guess. If Sara had any self-respect, she would have let him leave without her. The forced smile he had kept on his face as he loaded her bags into the trunk could have cut glass.
'I was just trying to . . .' She shook her head. 'I don't know what I was trying to do. Make an idiot of myself?'
'You did a good job.'
'It's part of my personality to want to excel in everything I do.'
He did not smile.
She tried again. 'I don't think you're stupid.'
'As a box of hair.'
'What?'
'You said "stupid as a box of hair."'
'Oh. Well.' She laughed once, like a seal's bark. 'That doesn't even make sense.'
'But it's good to know you don't really think that.' He glanced behind him and passed a church van. Sara stared at his hand on the shift, watching the tendons work as he passed the cars. His fingers gripped the shaft, his thumb tapping lightly on the knob.
'By the way,' he told her. 'I did go to college.'
'Really?' she asked, unable to check her surprised tone. She made it worse by saying, 'Well, good. Good for you.'
Jeffrey gave her a sharp glance.
'I mean, that's good as in . . . well . . . because it's . . .' She laughed at her own ineptitude, putting her hand over her mouth as she mumbled, 'Oh, God, Sara, shut up. Shut up.'
She thought he smiled, but wasn't certain. She dared to ask, 'Exactly how much did you hear?'
'Something about me rubbing off on you?'
She tried, 'I meant it in the good way.'
'Uh-huh,' he said. 'Just FYI, I've heard you say that word before.' This time, he showed his teeth when he smiled. 'Well, not say it. More like scream it.'
Sara bit the tip of her tongue, watching the passing scenery.
He said, 'It's good your mama worries about
A gentle mist of rain met them as they drove out of Grant County, and Sara watched the wipers sluice water off the windshield at steady intervals, trying to think of something to say. With each pass, she told herself she was going to break the silence, but the next thing she knew, the wipers were swiping across the glass again and nothing had been said. She stared out the side window, counting cows, then goats, then billboards. The closer they got to Macon, the higher the number got, so that by the time they took the bypass, Sara had reached triple digits.
Jeffrey shifted gears, passing an eighteen-wheeler. He had not spoken since they left Grant, and he chose to break the ice with 'Car handles well.'
'Yes,' Sara agreed, so glad he was talking to her that she could have cried. Thank God they had taken her car instead of his truck or there was no telling how long the silence would have lasted. To keep the conversation going, she said, 'German engineering.'
'I guess it's true what they say about doctors driving BMWs.'
'My dad bought it for me when I got into medical school.'
'Nice dad,' he said, pausing before he added, 'Your mom seems nice, too.'
Sara cleared her throat, unable to recall any of the apologies she had been rehearsing in her mind for the last hour. 'I would have preferred for you to meet her under different circumstances.'
'I never expected to meet her at all.'
'Oh, right,' she said, flustered. 'I didn't mean –'
'I'm glad we got to meet.'
Sara nodded, thinking that the fewer times she opened her mouth, the less likely she was to put her foot in it.
'Your sister's cute.'
'Yes,' she agreed, knowing a lesser person would hate her sister by now. Sara had been hearing the same thing all her life. Tessa was the cute one, the funny one, the cheerleader, the one everyone wanted to be friends with. Sara was the tall one. On a good day, she was the tall redheaded one.
Before Sara could phrase something more elegant, she blurted out, 'I'm so sorry about what I said.'
'That's okay,' he told her, but she could tell from his tone that it was not. Why he had still wanted her to go to Florida with him was anyone's guess. If Sara had any self-respect, she would have let him leave without her. The forced smile he had kept on his face as he loaded her bags into the trunk could have cut glass.
'I was just trying to . . .' She shook her head. 'I don't know what I was trying to do. Make an idiot of myself?'
'You did a good job.'
'It's part of my personality to want to excel in everything I do.'
He did not smile.
She tried again. 'I don't think you're stupid.'
'As a box of hair.'
'What?'
'You said "stupid as a box of hair."'
'Oh. Well.' She laughed once, like a seal's bark. 'That doesn't even make sense.'
'But it's good to know you don't really think that.' He glanced behind him and passed a church van. Sara stared at his hand on the shift, watching the tendons work as he passed the cars. His fingers gripped the shaft, his thumb tapping lightly on the knob.
'By the way,' he told her. 'I did go to college.'
'Really?' she asked, unable to check her surprised tone. She made it worse by saying, 'Well, good. Good for you.'
Jeffrey gave her a sharp glance.
'I mean, that's good as in . . . well . . . because it's . . .' She laughed at her own ineptitude, putting her hand over her mouth as she mumbled, 'Oh, God, Sara, shut up. Shut up.'
She thought he smiled, but wasn't certain. She dared to ask, 'Exactly how much did you hear?'
'Something about me rubbing off on you?'
She tried, 'I meant it in the good way.'
'Uh-huh,' he said. 'Just FYI, I've heard you say that word before.' This time, he showed his teeth when he smiled. 'Well, not say it. More like scream it.'
Sara bit the tip of her tongue, watching the passing scenery.
He said, 'It's good your mama worries about
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