Forever My Angel by Kelly Walker

now, but it’s already starting to stick. The weather wasn’t calling for snow today, so I’ve got no idea how much or how little we’re in for.
    She won’t be happy if she thinks I’m insinuating that she isn’t capable of taking care of herself, but if something happens to her...
    Maybe I can finish with Eva quickly, and then I’ll just drive out to the farm myself. I can tell her I just wanted to apologize again, in person, and that I couldn’t wait to do it. Then I’ll drive her back and we can pick up her car later this week. Win-win.
    By the time my GPS delivers me to the address Eva specified, her motorcycle is already parked out front. I barely glance up as I cross the street, keeping my head tucked low and my eyes down, trying to avoid getting blinded by icy flakes.
    Eva greets me with a smile, not looking the least bit bothered by the weather. “Hi!” she chirps. “You made it here faster than I thought. In a hurry to see me?”
    “In a hurry to get this done.”
    Her smile doesn’t dim. “All the more reason to pick this property and put in an offer immediately.”
    She might be on to something there. I have to grudgingly admit, this property is worth seeing. From what Eva tells me, it just came on the market twenty-four hours ago, and there’s already an offer. A large, open main floor provides plenty of room for a bar, two dance floors, and a small seating area in the middle. I can already picture the layout if I close my eyes. Storage rooms along one wall can be converted into staff areas, and there are already restrooms. There’s no kitchen, which will have to be fixed, because the top floor is home to a wraparound balcony with several rooms leading off of it that would be perfect for themed dining areas. With this space I can create the perfect blend of bar, trendy eatery, and dance club. I’ll make it into the one and only spot to see and be seen, and the best part is, it will be all mine. Then no one will ever be able to doubt that I made my own way, and didn’t just siphon success from my father.
    I take a few pictures to show Kevin, then indicate I’m ready to leave. “Draw up the paperwork and send it over to me this afternoon. I’ll pay more if the seller is willing to go to closing fast so we can move this along.”
    Eva replaces the key to the property in the realtor’s lock box after securing the door behind us. “Great!” She turns to me, and I think she’s about to shake hands to seal the deal. Instead, before I can react, she stretches up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on my cheek, her hand lingering on my chest as she scalds me with a heated grin. “We make a good team.”
    “The fuck?” All professionalism goes out the window as I open my mouth without thinking. “Ms. Fitzsimmons! I think you’ve gotten the wrong impression.” I hurriedly take two steps back, putting space between us. Before I can inform her that I’m about to propose to the woman who is my everything, the sound of squealing brakes and screeching tires slices through the near-silence of the deserted street.
    My breath becomes a brick of dread lodged in my throat. A cherry-red Mustang that I’d know anywhere skids across the road in front of us, while my mind processes every detail in painfully slow motion. Angel’s look of anger as she glares at me and Eva, followed quickly by her panic when she realizes her car is no longer under her control. The moment she gives in, her body going limp as she shields her face with her arms. Then my brain catches up to my ears, the crunch of metal and shattering of glass creating a symphony of horror as the car slides into a telephone pole.

Chapter Fourteen
    —-♥—-
    T here’s a moment of eerie stillness before I catapult out of my horror and into action, sprinting for the car.
    It takes me at least three heartbeats to get to the groaning pile of metal, and two more to get her door opened. The driver’s side was mostly spared, but the front is crumpled