Chapter 24
Fiona POV
“I’ll drive you home.‘
The words come out even as I inwardly curse myself. Driving him home will only expose more of my faults. I haven’t driven a car
since before I went to prison. This could be a disaster, but I still accept the keys when we reach his car and when he holds them
out to me.
I try to tell myself it’ll be fine. No one forgets how to drive in only three years, right? I’ll just be a bit rusty; that’s all.
This won’t be too bad.
Silently, I get into the driver’s seat and take a few deep breaths. All the while, Nolan stands there and watches me. He probably
thinks I’m overreacting, but he eventually gets in the passenger seat beside me.
I try to ignore his gaze while I double check the mirrors, and I don’t miss how one of his hands grips the armrest between us and one grips his thigh. It’s like he already knows I could be bad. Is he testing me?
I’m not sure, but I put all my focus on not wrecking. I start slowly, pulling out of the restaurant parking lot. There aren’t too many cars out, so I build my speed up, and soon, I’m cruising down the road.
“You’re a very good driver,” Nolan says, sounding surprised. I glance at him, raising an eyebrow at Nolan and smiling proudly. A compliment means he doesn’t totally see me as worthless, which is good for me.
I stay silent as I drive, making sure to focus on the road, but also because my mind keeps going back to how awful Andy is. My ex- boyfriend is a complete scumbag. I thought he would have changed by now, but clearly, he’s still just as manipulative and self- serving as always.
Learning that you can’t read people very well is a bit disconcerting. How many other people have I thought were good when in reality they were bad?
I glance at Nolan. Am I reading him wrong, too? Is he really the icy King that everyone, including myself, believes him to be. He’s definitely not the type to initiate conversation, and as we drive, the atmosphere in the car becomes stiff. However, he does lean forward and turn the radio on.
A soft, soothing piano tune flows from the speakers, easing the air between us and giving me a chance to speak.
“Is this Schumann’s Fantasia?” I ask, keeping my voice quiet so I don’t disturb him too much.
“It is. You know it?”
Nodding, I reach over and turn the sound up a bit, answering, “I used to listen to this when I was working on my research. It helped me focus.” There were several pieces of classical music that helped me focus when songs with lyrics distracted me.
“Classical music often helps me the same way. I use it while looking over files on late nights,” Nolan says, surprising me. I didn’t
Chapter 24
+40 Bonus
expect him to answer, but he even continues, “Schumann is an amazing composer. Many of his works are in my realm of taste.”
“Schumann is great, yes, but I also really like Chopin for the softer yet also dramatic compositions.”
Our conversation flows easily from here, the atmosphere becoming less awkwardly charged and more relaxed. I find that Nolan and I have similar tastes in music, both of us like classical. While I’m not as informed as he is, I still find myself enjoying the random facts and pieces of information he spouts.
“Did you know that Schumann ruined his own composing career because he used a home–made finger stretching device while he practiced the piano?” Nolan asks. It’s the third random fact about a composer, but I find it interesting that he wants to share these with me.
Does that mean he’s warming up to me?
“I did not.”
As he continues talking about the end of Schumann’s career, I note the difference in his tone. It’s lighter, not as rigid as it usually is, and the coldness is gone. When he states another nonsensical fact about Beethoven, I realize he’s trying to keep me calm.
“Did you know that you’re a good father?”
He turns to look at me, blinking once then twice slowly. It’s like he’s processing my words, and his brain stalled. A minute later, he sucks in a deep breath, but he doesn’t speak.
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