1. Rachel

1

RACHEL

I tried not to stare at the tree branches swaying on either side of the narrow gravel road as the wind whipped through them while I drove. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. I struggled to slow my breathing while focusing on the sound of Serenity humming softly in the backseat. She was oblivious to the panic racing through me, which was probably for the best. But now, with the storm of the year—as the weatherman had called it—rolling in, I was kicking myself for waiting so long to run to the store for essentials to get us and Aunt Maribel through it.

We’re almost home , I thought as I rounded another corner.

I glanced up at the sky through the windshield, noticing more dark clouds had gathered above us.

How was Aunt Maribel not terrified of this storm?

Part of me felt that I should trust her and her intuition, but another part thought I should trust the weatherman. This storm was coming, and it wasn’t going to be pretty.

While Aunt Maribel might not be worried about it, I was.

“Mommy, can we have grilled cheese for dinner?” Serenity’s sweet voice broke through my thoughts.

I forced a smile as I glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “Of course, sweetheart. Grilled cheese sounds perfect for a rainy night.”

She grinned, content with my answer, and went back to humming her little song. I envied her ability to stay carefree and happy no matter what was happening around her. I wished I could be that relaxed, but I hadn’t felt that way in a long time.

A sigh escaped me.

Not for the first time, I wondered how I’d ended up here—living deep in the woods in Aunt Maribel’s spare bedroom, juggling being a single mom, trying to figure out if I had any magic in me, and running my online shop for intention candles and ritual perfumes. Some days, I felt like I was barely keeping my head above water.

I could pinpoint the exact moment everything began to spiral—the day Serenity’s dad passed away.

The car jerked suddenly, and a sharp thud snapped me out of my thoughts. My heart skipped a beat as I gripped the wheel tighter to keep control of the car. I slowed to a stop and pulled off the road.

“What was that?” Serenity asked, her tiny voice filled with concern. She stretched her neck in the backseat to better see out the windshield.

“That was our tire,” I said, hoping my voice sounded calm.

“Oh, no!”

I smiled at her through the rearview mirror. “It’s okay. I’ll fix it. Stay in your seat. I’m going to crack your window so you can keep humming your pretty song to me while I do.”

After cracking her window, I climbed out of the car. My gaze drifted to the back tire, and I noticed it was flat as a darn pancake.

Just my luck.

I let out a long breath and then reached into the car for my cell. There were no bars for service. Of course, we were too deep in the woods now for any of the comforts of modern technology. My gaze lifted to the sky again. The storm was moving in fast, and we were stuck in the middle of nowhere with night closing in.

Panic tightened my chest.

“Do you not know how, Mommy?” Serenity asked, her eyes wide as she pressed her face against the window.

“How to what, baby?” I asked, trying not to let the panic I felt flare through my tone.

“Fix the tire. Are you looking up how?”

I glanced at my cell. “Oh, no. I was seeing what time it was. Everything’s fine. I’ll have us back to Aunt Maribel’s in no time.”

I hoped I could keep my promise, but I wasn’t sure. After all, I’d never changed a flat tire before.

Stepping to the trunk, I popped it open and moved the groceries until I could reach the jack and tire iron. I read the instructions tag on the jack and hoped I could do this right. The wind kicked up as I crouched in front of the flat tire, carrying the scent of rain with it. If I was going to do this, I needed to do it now before the rain set in. My stomach twisted as I placed the jack in position.

Was that even where it was supposed to go? Should I have Serenity climb out of the car just in case?

My mind raced. I exhaled another long breath, knowing I needed to calm down. It was just a flat tire. People changed flat tires all the time by themselves.

“Are we gonna be okay, Mommy?” Serenity asked, her little voice trembling a tiny bit.

“We’re going to be fine, sweetie. I just need a few minutes to get this tire changed, and then we’ll be back on the road.”

Another gust of wind hit me, and I felt the first few drops of rain. Wonderful. I shifted my attention back to the jack.

How hard could this be?

I’d seen it done before, and I wasn’t exactly helpless. I could do this. However, as I tried to jack the car up, I couldn’t seem to get the jack to work right. Frustration built. Why did everything have to feel so impossible today?

I gritted my teeth as I yanked on the jack handle. I could do this. I just needed to put a little more oomph into it and then take it one step at a time.

My gaze drifted to Serenity watching through her window. I made a silly face at her, which earned me a smile. Shifting my focus back to the jack, I pumped the handle like the directions said, but nothing happened.

What was I doing wrong?

“Come on,” I muttered. “Work with me here.”

The wind whipped my hair around my face again, and more fat raindrops fell. I pumped the thing once more, giving it my best shot, but it still didn’t do anything.

Alarm nipped at my insides.

If I couldn’t get this tire changed, we were screwed. We were still too far away from Aunt Maribel’s to walk—especially carrying groceries—and there was no cell service to call and ask her to pick us up or to even call for help.

“Mommy, is it working now?” Serenity asked.

I flicked my gaze to meet hers and forced a smile even though I felt like screaming. “Not yet, sweetheart. But it will. We’ll be at home eating grilled cheese soon.”

The truth was, I wasn’t sure I could do this. I needed a freaking miracle. As though my prayer was answered, the low rumble of an engine made its way to my ears. Headlights bounced down the road toward us. My heart skipped a beat as I dusted my hands and stood.

An old pickup truck pulled up behind my car, its headlights blinding me.

“Who is that?” Serenity asked.

“I don’t know, sweetie.”

“They can help you,” she assured me.

I flashed her another small smile and then returned my attention back to the truck, hoping she was right. Shifting my weight from foot to foot, my stomach twisted into knots the size of my fist.

Please don’t be trouble. Please don’t be trouble.