He sat for a minute and in my peripheral vision I could see his chest was heaving.
Finally, he let go of the hem of my dress, which I hadn’t realized he had in his grasp. Then he picked up his phone and dialed a number, then put it to his ear, opening the glove box with his free hand and flinging a stack of napkins in my direction.
“Dare? Yeah. Tell Uncle I can’t make dinner. No. Yeah. Yup. Right, bye.”
Then he dialed again, “Earl? You there yet? Yeah, I’ve got her. We’re on our way there. See you in 15. You have back-up? Still? Whatever, just keep a watchful eye. I’ll see you soon.”
He started the car and then leaned over me. I flinched but he just fastened my seatbelt and then we were back on the road. I was relieved to not have to meet his family and sit at a table with them, prete
