expect many people in the store, so Alex didn’t mind. He moved out from behind the register.
“You ready?”
“Not really.” She hugged herself nervously. “But it’s something I should know how to do.”
They left the store, walking toward his jeep. Climbing in, she could feel his gaze on her.
“Why the sudden rush to learn how to drive?” he asked. “Is the bike not good enough?” he teased.
“The bike is all I need,” she said. “But I want to get a driver’s license.”
He reached for the car keys before pausing. He turned back to her again, and as he stared at her, she caught a glimpse of the investigator he used to be. He was alert and she sensed his caution. “Learning how to drive is only part of it. To get a license, the state requires identification. Birth certificate, social security card, things like that.”
“I know,” she said.
He chose his words carefully. “Information like that can be tracked,” he pointed out. “If you get a license, people might be able to find you.”
“I’m already using a safe social security number,” she said. “If Kevin knew about it, he would have tracked me down already. And if I’m going to stay in Southport, it’s something I need to do.”
He shook his head. “Katie…”
She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. “It’s okay,” she said. “My name’s not Katie, remember?”
He traced the curve of her cheek with his finger. “To me, you’ll always be Katie.”
She smiled. “I have a secret,” she said. “My hair isn’t naturally brown. I’m really a blond.”
He sat back, processing this new information. “Are you sure you want to be telling me this?”
“I figure you’ll find out eventually, anyway. Who knows? Maybe I’ll go back to being a blond one day.”
“What’s this all about? Wanting to learn how to drive, volunteering information?”
“You told me I could trust you.” She shrugged. “I believe you.”
“That’s it?”
“Yes,” she said. “I feel like I can tell you anything.”
He studied their hands, locked together on the seat divider, before looking at her. “Then I’ll cut to the chase. Are you sure your documents will hold up? They can’t be copies. They have to be originals.”
“I know,” she said.
He knew better than to ask anything more. He reached for the keys but didn’t start the engine.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Since you want to learn how to drive, we may as well start now.” He opened the door and got out. “Let’s get you behind the wheel.”
They switched places. As soon as Katie was behind the wheel, Alex pointed out the basics: gas and brake pedals, how to put the car in gear, turn signals, lights and wipers, gauges on the dashboard. It was always best to start at the beginning.
“You ready?” he asked.
“I think so,” she said, concentrating.
“Since it’s not a manual transmission, you use only one foot. It’s either on the accelerator or the brake, okay?”
“Okay,” she said. She moved her left foot near the door.
“Now, push down on the brake and start the car. When you’re ready, keep the brake on while you put the transmission in reverse. Don’t use the accelerator, and slowly release the brake. Then turn the wheel to back out, keeping your foot lightly on the brake.”
She did exactly as she was told and backed the car out gingerly before he guided her out of the parking lot. For the first time, she paused. “Are you sure I should drive onto the main road?”
“If there was a lot of traffic, I’d say no. If you were sixteen, I’d say no. But I think you can handle it, and I’m right here to help. You ready? What you’re going to do is turn right, and we’ll follow that until the next turn. Then we’ll turn right again. I want you to get a feel for the car.”
They spent the next hour driving along rural roads. Like most beginners, she had trouble with oversteering, she sometimes veered onto the shoulder, and parking took a little while to get used to, but other than that, she did better than probably either of them expected. As they were getting close to finishing, Alex had her park on one of the downtown streets.
“Where are we going?”
He pointed to a small coffee shop. “I figured you might want to celebrate. You did well.”
“I don’t know,” she said. “I didn’t feel like I knew what I was doing.”
“That comes with practice,” he said. “The more you drive, the more natural it feels.”