The ride was blissfully quiet at first, the hum of the engine filling the silence as we finally escaped that tiny, soggy town. The SUV wasn’t exactly luxurious—it rattled whenever we hit a bump, and the air conditioning had clearly seen better days—but it was dry, and at that moment, that was enough.
I glanced at Mr. Thorne, who was staring out the window with his usual brooding expression. He hadn’t said a word since we left the diner, and honestly, I wasn’t about to break the silence.
The driver, an older man with a thick Southern drawl, tried to make small talk a few times, but after a few grunts from Mr. Thorne, he gave up. I shot him an apologetic smile in the rearview mirror, but he didn’t seem too bothered.
About thirty minutes into the drive, I started to relax. My eyelids gr
