Chapter 44

• This is excellent, she replied. "A nice surprise, but not what I expected from you." As he maneuvered through the city's traffic and merged onto the main route going north, she reclined back into the seat.
• He said, "It's Rachel Platten." "She's been on my mind a lot recently. Her music makes me think of you." As they listened to the music, he reached out and took her hand while putting the car on cruise control and unwinding in his seat. After he finished, Amanda paid closer attention to the words and was even more taken aback by the repeated line, "It's a better place since you came along."
• The woman noticed that once she started paying close attention to the song lyrics, she couldn't stop, and most of the songs that played while they were driving included her singing about enduring imperfect relationships and standing by the people she loved. The silence that had grown in the car while she listened to the music and looked out the window as Ernest drove through the traffic seemed peaceful, and he let go and grasped her hand again.