Page 84 of Faith

When the car seemed to settle, she sat there, unsure of what to do. Her head was spinning, and she was shaking. She heard people shouting, then banging on her window. She glanced up and found an older Asian man asking her if she was all right.

She nodded and immediately regretted it. Her brain throbbed.

“Let me help you out of there,” he said. He opened her door and held out his hand. “I’m sorry I hit you.”

She blinked as she grabbed her purse, then took his hand. “It wasn’t your fault. My brakes went out. I kept hitting them and nothing happened. The fault was mine.”

“We called 911,” he said as he helped her around to the back end of her car. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“My head is a little rattled, but other than that, I’m fine. You said you called 911?”

He nodded.

“I need to call my boss to let him know. Did you see my purse?”

“You’re holding it,” he said, frowning at her.

She shook her head. “No worries. I’m just a little shaken up.”

It was then she saw his car sitting on the side of the road.

“I am so sorry about this,” she said. “I will make sure everything is taken care of. You won’t have to pay a dime.”

He nodded. “I’m going to go keep a look out for the cops. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

As he walked up the sandy hill, she hit Jensen’s number and hoped he didn’t freak out too much.

* * *

Jensen’s heartwas still in his throat as he arrived at the accident site. The cops had arrived and were directing traffic, but the moment he saw the ambulance, he almost lost all calm. He drove past the accident, then parked off the side of the road. He waited to let a couple of cars drive past him, then he got out of the car and walked to the scene. He saw her then, sitting in the back of the ambulance. She had an EMT jacket on for some reason, as one of them was patching her up.

“Sir, only cops are allowed past here,” a young uniformed cop said.

“That’s my girlfriend,” he said pointing toward the ambulance. “I want to see her.”

The younger man nodded and let him past. As he walked toward her, he realized what he had just said. His girlfriend. She wasn’t that. She worked for him. He didn’t want a girlfriend, especially not her. If he was going to keep her beyond her job, he would definitely marry her.

He stopped walking and tried to gather his thoughts. He wanted to marry her, and he wanted her in his life. Forever. And not just for work or for sex. He didn’t want something temporary.

He’d had those thoughts before, but not until he thought he might have lost her did Jensen realize that it wasn’t a fantasy. Now, he wanted it to be his reality. Just like last night, he knew it would take a lot of convincing.

The sound of the tow truck brought him out of his thoughts. He started back on the path to her.

“Jensen,” she said, her voice wavering a bit. He could tell she was trying to hold it together, but she was seriously close to losing it.

“I think you could have come up with a better way to avoid a video conference than plowing into another car.”

She gave him a sad smile.

“Is there anything wrong with her? Can she go home?” he asked the EMT.

He shook his head. “She’s fine. No signs of concussion, but she should rest tonight.”

“I’ll make sure of it. Come on, love. I’ll take you home.”

“I need to talk to Ms. McCann first,” someone said from behind him. A uniformed cop had a pen and pad out.