"Darling.” Ted dashed to her side. "Are you all right?”
"I’ve just been struck by a runaway vehicle,” she raged. "How do you expect me to feel?”
"Would you like me to call a medic?” Joy asked, wanting to do what she could to help.
"Don’t be ridiculous.”
"I think maybe you should sit down a moment,” Ted suggested, leading Blythe safely inside the retirement center. Once she was seated in the foyer, Ted knelt in front of her.
Blythe held herself stiff and stared angrily at Joy, as if Joy had intentionally rammed her car into Ted’s. "Exactly what were you trying to do? Kill me?”
"No-o-o,” Joy said quickly, stammering in her rush to reassure the woman. "I can’t tell you how sorry I am. I don’t know what came over Edith. I had the car keys in my hand. See?” She held them up for Blythe’s inspection. "How Edith’s engine could have started up on her own that way is beyond me.”
"Do you always refer to your car as Edith?” Blythe made the practice sound juvenile and silly.
"She’s like a friend, you see.”
"Friend or not, you’re going have to pay for this,” Blythe insisted, her voice high and hysterical.
"Of course. There was never any question of that,” Joy was quick to assure her. She didn’t want to think what this small accident would do to her insurance premiums, but she had no choice. Edith was responsible.
"That was my car you slammed into.”
"Blythe,” Ted said, his voice calm and reasonable, "settle down. The important thing is that no one was injured.”
"What about my car?” Blythe screeched in a most unladylike fashion. "It’s only been out of the showroom two months. I knew we should have taken your car.”
Ted pinched his lips together. "I’ll check the damage myself.”
"I’m going with you,” Joy said, and followed Ted, unwilling to be left alone with Blythe, who no doubt would find more reasons to lambaste her.
Outside, the two vehicles were parked perpendicular to each other. Edith’s nose rested gently against the driver’s side, as lightly as if she were giving the highly polished red door a peck on the cheek. Joy noticed her car’s engine had stopped as mysteriously as it had started.
"I’ll back Edith away from your vehicle,” she volunteered, "but she wouldn’t start earlier. That’s why I was headed back to my office. I’m terribly sorry, but I can’t explain what happened.”
"Don’t worry about it. These crazy things sometimes happen.”
Joy hopped inside her car and inserted the key in the ignition. To her complete and utter puzzlement, the engine purred to life like a spoiled, cream-fed kitten.
As soon as she’d pulled away and parked her antique car, she hurried over to view the extent of the damage. Her chest was tight with anticipation.
Ted knelt in front of the driver’s door and ran his fingertips over the sports car’s slick finish. From what Joy could see, there didn’t seem to be so much as a single scratch.
"That’s amazing,” she whispered, so relieved it took restraint not to leap off the ground and cheer. "I don’t see any damage. Of course, you’ll want to check it again when the light’s better.” She wrote down the pertinent information regarding her insurance company, plus her name and address, and gave these to Ted.
"I’ll have my mechanic look at it as well,” Blythe announced sternly from the sidewalk. "As well as a friend who owns a body shop.”
"Of course,” Joy said. "Please do. As I said earlier, I fully intend to pay for your trouble.”
"You’re damn right you will.”
"Blythe,” Ted said softly, "I know you’re upset, but there’s nothing to worry about. The car doesn’t even seem scratched. Let it go for now, and I’ll take care of everything in the morning.”
Blythe nodded and sagged as though the weight of the world were pressed upon her delicate shoulders. "The crazy thing is I found my handbag. The trip back wasn’t even necessary. It was in the backseat, but I was sure I left it in your grandmother’s apartment.”
"It doesn’t matter.” Ted placed his arm protectively around her shoulders and led her around to the passenger side of the car. He held the door open for her and helped her inside.
"You’ll get back to me about any damage?” Joy asked.
Ted nodded. "You might have your car checked out as well. Clearly something’s wrong for it to take off on its own like that.”
Joy folded her arms. "Thank you for your help.”
Ted hesitated. "Do I know you?”
"I don’t believe we’ve formally met. I’m Joy Palmer, the resident service director.”
"Joy Palmer.” He repeated the name as if that would jar his memory.
"I know your grandmother quite well. She might have mentioned me.”
"Ted,” Blythe called from inside the car, "are we going to dinner or not?”
Ted rubbed his hand along the side of his jaw, as if he would have liked nothing better than to forget the whole thing. "It’s nice to meet you, Joy. I’m sorry it had to be under these circumstances.”
"I’m sorry, too.”
"Ted!”
"I’ll let you know about the car as soon as possible.”