Rachel opened her door. “Is it flat?”
“I messed up,” Nathan said. “I’m sorry, I don’t have a spare in the trunk. I used it a while ago and never replaced it.”
She pulled out her phone, and he waited while she figured out what he already knew. The stretch of road was a dead spot. There wasn’t a decent signal for miles. A large thunderclap brought more rain.
He got back into the car as Rachel stared at her phone as though she could will it into working. “We need to get somewhere to make a phone call. How far would we need to go?”
“I’m not sure. The next town is a thirty-minute drive. Maybe a few hours on foot.” Nathan examined the clouds. “That looks nasty. We probably shouldn’t try it until this dies down.”
“It’s supposed to rain all night.”
“I know.” He twisted around to the back seat. “I have a blanket. You can have the back and I’ll stay up here.”
“No.”
She glared at him. Had he missed something? “Do you want the front?”
“No, I need a phone signal.” She looked at the sky. “It’s not that bad. If we left now—”
He waved at the sheets of rain outside her window. “It’s pitch black and the road is narrow. Someone could easily sideswipe us. We should wait here until it eases up.”
“I said no,” Rachel snapped. “I’m not sleeping in your back seat because you can’t handle basic car maintenance. If you won’t go, I will.”
Nathan was baffled by her sudden hostility. Then he noticed the way she held herself rigid, breathing erratically, panting and then labored. Her eyes fluttered, and she covered her mouth like she was close to vomiting.
It was a panic attack. Joe had told him once that they felt like your chest was caving in, while your worst fears played on an endless loop. “Hey,” Nathan said, touching her hand. “Breathe.”
“I am breathing.”
“Do it slower. Count with me—”
“Stop.” She looked away. “I’m not hysterical.”
“I know,” he said, evening his voice. “I know you’re not.” Her hand was a fist. He ran his thumb over her knuckles. “Help me understand. What is it? Is it being stranded? Is it—” He hesitated, not sure if he wanted the answer to his next question. “Is it being alone with me?”
“No.” She closed her eyes. “I can’t sleep here.”
“Outside?”
“No, in the car. I can’t sleep in the car, it’s—” She covered her mouth again. “I know it’s stupid. I’m sorry for yelling at you.”
“Look at me.” He waited until she met his eyes again. “It’s not stupid. I’m sorry for making you feel this way.” A tear slid down her cheek. It was his fault. Him and his careless, fuck-it attitude about something that would have kept her safe.
Rachel’s breathing had slowed, but she still looked frazzled and nauseated. He squinted through the windshield at a sign in the distance, desperate for a solution. It was a closed bait and tackle shop. The red siding and white trim seemed familiar. Then it came to him—that one-off fishing trip with Joe where he caught nothing but the hem of his own pants and his brother vowed never to let him near a fishing rod again.
“Hang on, I think I know where we are.” He looked out the passenger-side window. “This is at the edge of my parents’ property. Their lake house is that way. I could—”
“Alone? Through the woods?” She was breathing too fast again.
“It’s not that far,” he said softly. “Fifteen minutes on foot maybe? I wouldn’t be on the road.”
“But it’s the woods.”
“Plenty of people walk in these woods.”
“During the day. Not at night during a rainstorm. What if something happens to you? I don’t have a phone. I wouldn’t know where you were, or how to find you.”
Her words were running together. He tried to keep his own voice calm, even though he knew the plan was risky. “It’s not that far. I used to play out here when I was a kid.”
Rachel’s hand crept closer to his leg like she wanted to hold him in place. “I’ll go with you,” she declared, trying to sound braver than she looked.
He gestured toward her white dress, which was obviously expensive. “In that? In those shoes?” She wore a pair of thin leather flats. “No, you should stay.”