some more silk ribbon for her practice embroidery projects.
“I’ve already embroidered silk flowers on a pair of bedroom slippers I bought for my mother, a vintage handbag I bought for my sister, and a whole set of place mats,” Alice said as she counted the things off on her fingers. “By the time Stella is ready, I’m going to be fluent in these roses. They aren’t hard, really, but we know how picky Stella is.”
Finally they headed back out into the cold. Annie was looking forward to getting home. Alice had to drop a Divine Décor order off to a client at the southern end of Main Street. Then she continued south a bit and made a wide circle back around to catch Grand Avenue past the waterfront.
“Aren’t we going the long way?” Annie asked.
“A little,” Alice admitted, “but I hate turning around and coming back the same way I went. Sometimes you see interesting things when you take the scenic route.”
“That’s fine,” Annie said, although she could have done without the scenic route. Her knees were beginning to ache again, and the glamour had worn off the movie business somewhere about the fifth time they took the same short boat ride in a frigid wind. Still, she couldn’t help but look for the wardrobe trailers as they passed. It was hard to believe how quiet the area seemed now.
The Mustang reached a long empty stretch of road near the waterfront, and they heard the roar of an engine behind them. A dark SUV rushed up on their bumper. “Hey, no passing here,” Alice grumbled, glaring into her rearview mirror.
The SUV driver clearly didn’t care as the vehicle crossed the double yellow line and moved up beside Alice’s convertible. They rode side by side for a few moments. Alice let up on the gas to slow her car so the other car could get by her. Instead the SUV slacked off on speed also and kept pace beside her.
“Well, pass already!” Alice yelled, waving at the SUV to move forward. “This isn’t a one-way road, buddy. If someone comes around one of the curves coming up, there’s going to be an accident.”
Annie put out a hand to brace herself against the dash. Something about the SUV’s dark windows as it kept pace with them seemed ominous. There was no glimpse of the driver inside the vehicle.
The SUV suddenly swerved over, as if trying to get in their lane right on top of them. Alice leaned on the horn as the two vehicles bumped hard. The little convertible was rocked by the impact, but Alice kept it on the road.
“This guy’s crazy,” she yelled. She was gripping the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles turned white from the effort. “What is his problem?”
The SUV still didn’t pass, and again it came over on them, bumping Alice’s Mustang and shoving them toward the narrow shoulder and the rocks just beyond that.
“It’s trying to force us off the road!” Annie exclaimed. She reached into her coat pocket and fished out her cellphone. With shaking hands, she dialed 911 and told the operator what was happening. Her voice sounded high, almost shrill in her ears. She fumbled and nearly dropped the phone when the SUV made contact with the convertible again.
The Mustang ran along the shoulder for a moment, kicking up slush, before Alice could wrestle it back into the road, barely in time for the turn ahead. Side by side, the two vehicles turned onto Ocean Drive, the road that ran in front of Annie and Alice’s homes. Alice spotted a pickup coming their way in the other lane. She hit the gas hard and jumped ahead so the SUV couldn’t bump her again. The SUV driver must have spotted the truck barreling toward it, because the driver wrenched the big vehicle to the right and dropped behind Alice’s convertible.
That’s when the women heard the sound of a siren. The SUV turned off onto the gravel road that led to Butler Lighthouse. The driver used the road to make a turnaround, racing off down Ocean Drive in the opposite direction. Alice pulled off the road into
“I’ve already embroidered silk flowers on a pair of bedroom slippers I bought for my mother, a vintage handbag I bought for my sister, and a whole set of place mats,” Alice said as she counted the things off on her fingers. “By the time Stella is ready, I’m going to be fluent in these roses. They aren’t hard, really, but we know how picky Stella is.”
Finally they headed back out into the cold. Annie was looking forward to getting home. Alice had to drop a Divine Décor order off to a client at the southern end of Main Street. Then she continued south a bit and made a wide circle back around to catch Grand Avenue past the waterfront.
“Aren’t we going the long way?” Annie asked.
“A little,” Alice admitted, “but I hate turning around and coming back the same way I went. Sometimes you see interesting things when you take the scenic route.”
“That’s fine,” Annie said, although she could have done without the scenic route. Her knees were beginning to ache again, and the glamour had worn off the movie business somewhere about the fifth time they took the same short boat ride in a frigid wind. Still, she couldn’t help but look for the wardrobe trailers as they passed. It was hard to believe how quiet the area seemed now.
The Mustang reached a long empty stretch of road near the waterfront, and they heard the roar of an engine behind them. A dark SUV rushed up on their bumper. “Hey, no passing here,” Alice grumbled, glaring into her rearview mirror.
The SUV driver clearly didn’t care as the vehicle crossed the double yellow line and moved up beside Alice’s convertible. They rode side by side for a few moments. Alice let up on the gas to slow her car so the other car could get by her. Instead the SUV slacked off on speed also and kept pace beside her.
“Well, pass already!” Alice yelled, waving at the SUV to move forward. “This isn’t a one-way road, buddy. If someone comes around one of the curves coming up, there’s going to be an accident.”
Annie put out a hand to brace herself against the dash. Something about the SUV’s dark windows as it kept pace with them seemed ominous. There was no glimpse of the driver inside the vehicle.
The SUV suddenly swerved over, as if trying to get in their lane right on top of them. Alice leaned on the horn as the two vehicles bumped hard. The little convertible was rocked by the impact, but Alice kept it on the road.
“This guy’s crazy,” she yelled. She was gripping the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles turned white from the effort. “What is his problem?”
The SUV still didn’t pass, and again it came over on them, bumping Alice’s Mustang and shoving them toward the narrow shoulder and the rocks just beyond that.
“It’s trying to force us off the road!” Annie exclaimed. She reached into her coat pocket and fished out her cellphone. With shaking hands, she dialed 911 and told the operator what was happening. Her voice sounded high, almost shrill in her ears. She fumbled and nearly dropped the phone when the SUV made contact with the convertible again.
The Mustang ran along the shoulder for a moment, kicking up slush, before Alice could wrestle it back into the road, barely in time for the turn ahead. Side by side, the two vehicles turned onto Ocean Drive, the road that ran in front of Annie and Alice’s homes. Alice spotted a pickup coming their way in the other lane. She hit the gas hard and jumped ahead so the SUV couldn’t bump her again. The SUV driver must have spotted the truck barreling toward it, because the driver wrenched the big vehicle to the right and dropped behind Alice’s convertible.
That’s when the women heard the sound of a siren. The SUV turned off onto the gravel road that led to Butler Lighthouse. The driver used the road to make a turnaround, racing off down Ocean Drive in the opposite direction. Alice pulled off the road into
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