This Is My Timing

I gave him one last smile.

“This is my timing.”

I turned and walked down the driveway. Parked at the curb, exactly as planned, was my best friend, Megan. I’d texted her strict instructions: When you see three strangers approach the porch, wait five minutes, then pull up with the engine running.

Megan threw open the passenger door as I came down the drive. She took one look at my cast, my duffel, and the chaos through the living-room windows.

“Are you ready?” she asked softly as I slid into the seat.

“No,” I admitted, letting out a long, shuddering breath as I clicked the seatbelt with my left hand. “But I’m leaving anyway. Drive.”