The smile was gone from his face. His eyes were completely transfixed, and he absentmindedly wiped the back of his hand across his mouth.
Caelyn was wondering what on earth had gotten into him. Maybe he was worried about how much the ticket would cost. Or maybe he was concerned because he had outstanding tickets for other things…
She decided not to say a word for now. The tension was so strong that she felt her stomach tightening as if a cord was being wrapped slowly around her insides.
The time seemed to draw out. After what felt like nearly half an hour (but had to be much less), the officer got out of his car and came back to the driver’s side door.
Elijah’s smile and easy demeanor were back in evidence again. “Hope you took it easy on us, officer. We need that extra money to go parasailing.”
The policeman didn’t return the smile. He handed Elijah back his license and registration. And then he handed him a ticket. “I gave you a ticket for exceeding the speed limit. You can contest the ticket if you wish, or you can simply pay by mail or online. Please take it slow and be careful getting back on the highway, okay, Jake?” He patted the hood of the car softly. “Oh, and have fun in Florida. Remember to wear sunscreen.”
“Yes, sir.”
Had the policeman just called Elijah by another name? Caelyn felt like maybe she’d misheard.
After the cop walked away, Elijah breathed a deep sigh of relief. He gave Caelyn the registration. “Would you mind putting this back in the glove compartment for me?”
he asked.
She took it and looked at the name on the form. It clearly said Jake Daniels.
She opened the glove box and put the registration inside. Of course, everything inside the compartment was neat and stacked, totally orderly, just like the rest of the SUV. She closed the glove compartment, her heart racing, as Elijah started his car and slowly pulled out into traffic.
“That was fun, huh?” he asked, glancing at her like nothing was amiss. That it was just every day that he got pulled over by cops and lied to them about who he was.
She didn’t answer at first. Her mind was spinning, trying to make sense of how strangely Elijah had behaved about being pulled over for speeding.
“Why did he call you Jake?” she asked.
“What?”
“That cop called you Jake. And your registration says Jake, too.”
Elijah didn’t answer for a long moment. Finally, he glanced at her. “Listen, I’m giving you a ride to New York City. I’m not here to explain my life story to you.”
“Who said anything about your life story? You just lied to a cop about your name. Either that, or you’re lying to me. Any way you look at it, it’s pretty messed up.”
He shook his head, then smirked. “Oh, that’s pretty rich coming from you, Caelyn.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Look at you,” he said, glancing at her again, his eyes raking up and down her body from head to toe. “You’re a mess. Your freaking skirt is ripped, your shirt’s all stretched out, makeup’s running down your face. It’s pretty damn obvious you’re running away from something. But did I try and demand that you tell me about it?”
Her mouth opened and closed. She crossed her arms over her chest and shrank away from him. The way he’d looked at her and spoken to her—it had been so brutal, so cruel in a way. She hadn’t expected that. Is that what he’d been thinking, is that why he hadn’t really looked at her since he’d picked her up on the highway?
“You’re right,” she almost whispered. “I’m not going to ask you anything. Just pull over and let me out.”
“Caelyn,” he said, his voice apologetic now. “Look, I’m sorry, it’s just – ”
“LET ME OUT OF THIS CAR.”
“I’m not putting you out on the highway,” he told her.
She pointed to a rest stop up ahead. “You won’t be letting me out on the highway. Look, there’s a travel plaza right there.”
“It’s only another hour to New York and the bus station.”
She looked at him and met his eyes. “Let me out, Elijah. I don’t want to go anywhere with you. Understand?”
His jaw set. “Fine,” he said, in a clipped tone.
A moment later, he was pulling into the rest stop and parking the SUV. “Let me just explain one thing,” he started to say.
But Caelyn had already grabbed her purse and bag, opened the passenger door, and started getting out of the car. She was so done talking to him—she was furious, and she could feel the rage flowing through every crevice of her body.
How dare he look at her like that, talk to her like that, judge her like that?
She immediately began walking toward the entrance of the convenience store that was linked to the rest stop. Caelyn was walking fast, not looking back, her hands clutching her purse and bag.