When the blue and red light flickered in my rearview mirror, I knew I had to pull over. That wasn’t what I wanted to do, but if I didn’t, I might have a problem with the law. I didn’t normally get pulled over in the middle of a highway. It must be pretty bad.

     Squinting, I watched the police car and the officer behind the driver’s seat from the mirror. Not a very good sight when my car was in motion, but I still saw him. A vague reflection of him. A brawny man in a tan Dickies uniform with an impressive stature. Maybe there wasn’t a problem and it was just a random check, but I knew it wasn’t. A cop pulling me over in the middle of a highway wasn’t part of my weekend getaway. But life, they say, is full of surprises. My GPS said I was twenty minutes from my destination. In addition to that, I was using a map too. I had already passed the arrow-shaped signpost that read SHELBURNE, 30 MILES AWAY. I had to be close.

     Was I overspeeding? Possibly. I glanced down at the speedometer. 85mph. Shit! I must have hit the accelerator hard. I wanted to get off the road and settle in the farmhouse already. The more time I spent on the road, the less chance I had of getting to my destination on time. And it looked like rain. I wouldn’t want it to catch me on the highway.

     I pulled over to the side of the road. My knuckles whitened as I tightened my grip around the steering wheel. I inhale, then exhale. Uneven lines of mascara streaked my face. My eyes were still watery from the little crying I had done before I got into my black Lexus and hit the road.

     Why’re you late again? You’re seeing another man, aren’t you?

     Tom’s voice echoed in my head once more. I had only found out he had this mean streak two years back. When he unleashed it again months later and struck my face, I knew I should have left him and asked for a divorce. The monster within him hadn’t gone. It was just tamed, and it laid dormant all this while.

     But I didn’t. I stayed. He apologized and bought me flowers. That night, he showed me the lovely part of him. I had thought everything was fine and we had patched things. Until another month later... He got worse and hit me again, and I still stayed. But yesterday was the last straw. I couldn’t let him use me as his punching bag.

     Tom needed help. He’d turned into a controlling freak over the years. If I had stayed, I was sure one of us would’ve ended up...

     Two consecutive raps on the window snapped me out of my thoughts. I tucked strands of straying blond hair from my face, wiped off the streaks, and whipped my head over my shoulder, then rolled down the window. My eyes immediately caught sight of the clouds scudding across the sky, the tall trees, and the surrounding forest. In a haste to get away from home, I hadn’t seen the drastic change in my surroundings. Suddenly it felt like all the tall buildings had been swallowed up by the trees. I’ve been on the road for a while.

     I swung my eyes away from the beautiful landscape to the officer crouched over my car. My smile was warm, but it felt forced. Smiling had become a foreign concept in the past few days. That’s what you got when you were constantly grieving. Small gestures weren’t even genuine anymore.

      “Hey, officer,” I said. “Is everything all right?”

     He peered at my face. “You tell me. Got any idea the speed you’re driving at?”

     I was right. He pulled me over for speeding. What tangible reason could he have to pull me over other than speeding? I wasn’t ready to get a speeding ticket or worse, lose my license. If it didn’t go well, I was sure I might pay a fine. After all, I didn’t know I was speeding—which in actual sense sounded reckless. I could’ve gotten into an accident and had no idea it was due to speeding. I should have taken this trip tomorrow when I wasn’t so stressed.

     “Let’s see your license, Miss.”

     When he leaned toward the window, Clara meowed. She’d been tucked in her fluffy quilt on the passenger’s seat enjoying the ride till this officer stopped us. This stranger.

      “Sure.” I let go of the wheel and dug into my Gucci handbag. It took a few seconds to get my driver’s license out from the items I had stuffed into the bag. I patted Clara on the back and whispered, “It’s all right.”

     “Here you go, officer.” I stretched it toward him. If he was going to give me a speeding ticket, he better do it fast. On second thought, I realized he didn’t look stern. Maybe he might go easy on me, but I wasn’t sure about that if he found out I didn’t know I was overspeeding till he pulled me over. What a jerk! Who didn’t know when she was speeding?

     He took it and glanced at it, then said, “Elodie Grant.”

     A chill ran down my spine from hearing the name Grant. Now more than ever, I regret changing my last name. “Yes, Officer. That’s me.”

     He stared hard at the license, then back at me, as though I didn’t match the person in the picture. Then slowly his face lit up and he said, his jaw dropped, “Elodie Danvers?”

     God, how did he know my birth name? I didn’t have any friends in the police force around this area. I had planned to go incognito. That’s why I chose an area far away from home.

     “Do I know you?” I asked, my voice husky.

     “Maybe this will help.”

     He took off his wide-brim hat. My eyes lingered over his oblong face with sharp jawlines and very thin lips. The dimples around the corners of his lips I had found attractive years ago peered at my face.

     I spilled, “James?”

     A smile tugged on his face, he nodded.

     Holy cow, this can’t be! My high schoolmate—now a big man in police uniform. My lips curved into a smile. I didn’t have to force it. For the first time in so many months, I could smile from the bottom of my heart.

     Swiftly, I released my fingers from the wheel and stepped out. They hurt badly from hours of driving, but I didn’t feel the pain anymore as I wrapped my hands around James, pulling him into a big hug. “I can’t believe it’s you, James!”

     “Me either.” He said as we pulled away. “What are you doin’ here? You’re far away from home.” He took his eyes off my license.

     I smiled. Exactly my intention; to be far away from home where I wouldn’t get to see Tom’s face and hear his incessant accusations. “Weekend getaway.”

     He lifted a brow. “Terrible weather for a road trip. You might want to slow down.”

     The more reason I had to get off the road. “Okay, Officer Hunt. Or what’s it?”

      “You got it right. Here.” He handed me my license and I collected it, flinging it onto the dashboard.

     “I was about to give you a speeding ticket, but I’ll let it slide with a warning.”

     I giggled. “I guessed that much.” I dipped my hands into my pockets. “I’m so happy to see you, James. Maybe we should catch up.”

     My invitation wasn’t planned. But if he lived close by, I’d love to have him around for the time I’d be staying here.

     “Where are you headed?” he asked.

     “Shelburne.”

     “I live around there.”

     “Great!” I brought out my business card. “This is my number. Text me, and I’ll give you a call when I settle in.”

     He collected it and stuffed it into his pocket. “Sure. Welcome to Vermont. Hope you enjoy your stay.”

    I smiled. “Thanks. With you in town, I’m sure I will.”

     I didn’t know if I sounded flirtatious or casual, possibly the former, but my intention wasn’t to hook up with him. I just wanted to catch up. He was the first person who made me smile genuinely in a while. It meant so much to me.

     “I will see you around, Elodie. Nice having you here.” He leaned forward and hugged me briefly, then withdrew. “Bye.” He waved to me and walked to the patrol car behind my Lexus.

     A flurry of wind gusted toward the car. My hair blew violently and I tucked strands behind my ears. I shivered. Clara meowed again. She wasn’t enjoying the weather any more than I was. I slipped into the driver’s seat and rolled up the window.

     “Don’t worry, baby. We’ll be there in a jiffy.”

     She tugged my overcoat with her paws.

     I smiled and gripped the wheels, hitting the road once again.