by Kim Law
“Staying here is out of the question,” Dani stated.
“I know. I pointed that out to him.”
“So he has to come home,” Nate announced.
“He . . . uhmmm”—she glanced from sibling to sibling—“and Megan . . .” She really didn’t want to be the one to share that he and Megan had broken up if they didn’t already know. That didn’t feel her place.
At the same time, if Megan was still at the house . . .
“We know about the breakup.” Dani came around to stand beside her. She touched a hand to Arsula’s arm. “She filled us in yesterday. And though she’s going to keep helping out at the store until we can find a new manager, she’s already looking for another place to live.”
Good. Arsula didn’t voice her thought, but she was glad Megan would be leaving the house. It would be healthiest for both of them.
“The thing is, though,” Arsula continued out loud, “I don’t think that Megan being there is Jaden’s only issue.”
“Is that so?” Nate’s voice remained unemotional. “And how long is it that you’ve known our brother?”
Embarrassment once again heated Arsula’s cheeks, because he was spot-on. She hadn’t known Jaden long enough to be speaking for him. That wouldn’t stop her, though.
She turned to Dani. “I know it seems weird, but do you remember what I told you when I first moved here? About knowing that Birch Bay was where I needed to be?”
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Nate crossing his arms over his chest. Dani nodded. Dani had become a friend as well as a boss, and though she might not fully believe in Arsula’s gift, she did seem to entertain the idea that Arsula carried a deep ability to understand people.
“What about it?” Dani cautiously asked.
“He’s”—Arsula nodded toward Jaden without looking at him—“the reason.”
She wished they weren’t having this conversation in front of two of Jaden’s brothers, but given that she’d already plunged in headfirst, she might as well finish. “I might have only met him a couple of days ago, but I get that I can help him.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Nate bit out. Irritation rolled off him, while Nick exhibited more interest than confusion. Arsula attributed Nick’s reaction to the fact that she’d spent several evenings working on very personal issues with his own wife.
“It’s not exactly explainable”—she tried to explain anyway—“but I knew at the reception that I could help him in some way. Emotionally.”
“This is ridiculous.” Nate began to move in the small space. “As is the idea of Jaden going anywhere but to our home when he’s discharged. I’m staying at the house as well, and I can stick around however long he needs me.” He skewered Arsula with a look. “And you’re going to stay away from him. Because what he doesn’t need in his life right now is a full-fledged wacko.”
“Stop it, Nate,” Dani chastised her brother, but Arsula just ignored the wacko comment. She’d heard it before.
“I can’t stay away,” she informed him. “Whether I want to or not, our paths will cross.” And the sooner she allowed that to happen, the sooner she could ease whatever hurts Jaden held inside. She turned back to Dani. “He said he doesn’t like it at the house. He doesn’t want to go there.”
“He’s going to be laid up for weeks.” Nate hadn’t lowered his arms. “Did he happen to mention that? Unable to put weight on his foot and looking at months of physical therapy. And we haven’t even talked about how he’ll get around until he can drive again.”
“He’s not going to be able to return to Seattle,” Nick added. “At least, no time soon.”
“He mentioned that, too. Would it be possible for him to finish his degree from here, do you think?” Arsula wasn’t certain how much he had to finish up.
“He’s in the middle of his practicum,” Dani explained. “It’s similar to an internship, but it’s only a few hours each week. He has to observe individual and group counseling sessions, as well as occasionally work directly with clients.”
“And if he doesn’t finish this semester,” Nick continued, “he doesn’t receive his degree.”
Arsula studied Jaden again. She felt bad for him. She could understand how upsetting it would be to be this close and not to be able to finish on schedule. If only she hadn’t thrown that lamp.
But then, maybe that had been part of their paths crossing. She’d been meant to throw the lamp.
She considered the thought. She’d heard crazier.
“I’ve spoken with a local psychologist who practices here in town,” Dani told her. “A friend of mine. Jaden had already arranged to spend a year practicing under her, starting in May. That would allow him to earn his license. Since this has happened, though, Janette’s open to the idea of him finishing out his practicum with her first. Assuming we can get everything sorted out with the head of his degree program.”
“I can get him back and forth to her office,” Nate said. “That won’t be a problem.”
“But I still don’t want to stay at the house.”
All eyes turned when Jaden spoke. And seeing his clear gaze, Arsula wondered how long he’d been awake.
“Jaden.” Dani moved to his side. “It’s just not practical for you to be on your own right now. And where would you go, anyway?”
“I’ll go back to Seattle as soon as I can.”
She gave him the kind of look that only an older sibling can pull off with the baby of the family. A look Arsula had witnessed more times than she wanted to count. “You’ll need help getting around. At least for several weeks.” Outwardly, Dani remained patient, but her voice changed to an I’m-the-oldest-so-I’m-in-charge tone. “So you can’t go back to Seattle. Not for a while. It’s simply implausible.”
A muscle twitched in Jaden’s jaw.
“And you have plenty of people right here willing to help you out,” Nick added.
Jaden didn’t so much as glance at his brother. “I have school to finish.”
“I think we can make that happen from here, too. I’ve already talked to Janette, and she’s on board to help you out. The thought is that you can log your remaining hours with her.”
Again, a muscle twitched. “I also have my thesis, a class to finish up—”
“I know all of that, Jaden, but we can work it out. I promise.” Frustration slipped into Dani’s voice, along with a stiffness to her shoulders. “I’ll make some calls to the school tomorrow. I’ll—”
“I’ll make the calls.”
Dani gripped her hands in front of her. “Fine. You make the calls.”
“Because I can handle my own life.”
“Of course you can. No one doubts that.”
Arsula snuck a glance at Jaden’s brothers, wondering if they were growing as concerned as she. Jaden seemed so different now than before his family had come in. So much more distant.
“That’s enough.” Nate nudged Dani to the side and took her place next to Jaden. Because, clearly, he remained clueless to his brother’s distress. “This isn’t an argument worth having. You’ll be discharged today, and you have to go somewhere. We’re taking you to the house.”
Arsula whipped her gaze back to Jaden’s.
“I am not staying at the house,” he repeated. He’d gritted his teeth, and his lips barely moved as he spoke. He then sought out his sister. “No.”
The word came out deadly quiet.
Dani elbowed Nate and once again took pole position at her youngest brother’s side, then she leaned in and took his hand. “It’s not the same anymore. Gloria has changed a lot. She—”
“And Gloria doesn’t need me underfoot.”
“Jaden,” Dani pleaded. Her gaze clung to his. “Be reasonable. If not there, then—”
“Enough.” Nate let out a long sigh. “Listen to what I’ve been trying to tell you all this time, idiot. You won’t have to be a bother to Gloria. I can stay. I’ll help you out.”
Jaden smirked. �
��What? Are you looking to take on a charity case these days? Trying to make up for past sins?”
“For the love of—”
“Just shut up,” Jaden told him. “You have your own life. You don’t even want to be here. Go back to wherever that life is.” He turned to Dani. “And I won’t stay with any of the rest of you, either, so don’t bring it up again. You have a new baby. A whole world you’ve worked hard for and created for yourself. Gabe has a new wife and a daughter who needs him to concentrate on her. And he certainly doesn’t need me there in the way. And Nick . . .”
He turned to his other brother, and Nick straightened where he stood.
“What about me?” Nick had remained quiet throughout the exchange. “I have two spare bedrooms, and like I told you already, you’re welcome to either or both. Whatever you need.”
“While lying there listening to you trying to get your own wife pregnant?”
Nick jolted. “What makes you say that?”
Jaden made a face. “Are you saying that’s not what you’re doing most nights?”
“Well, no.” A hint of embarrassment passed over his brother’s face. “I am doing that. But we can be discreet about it.”
“You won’t have to be discreet, because I won’t be there.”
“Come on, Jaden.” Nick held his hands out to his sides. “Quit being a child about this. You’re just making excuses. We all have space. We’re all willing to help you out.”
When the argument had first started, Arsula had considered slipping into the hall to give them privacy. It hadn’t seemed like a scene she needed to be involved in. Now, however, she was glad she’d stayed. Because now she felt that if she weren’t there, Jaden would have no one on his side. Even though she’d yet to figure out why they needed sides.
“I’ll go to a hotel,” Jaden announced. “And I’ll call Uber to take me to appointments.”
All three of his siblings began to argue, so Arsula stepped forward. “I have a suggestion,” she offered, lifting her voice to be heard above theirs.
The arguing stopped.
“You?” Nate shook his head with derision. “You don’t have a dog in this race.”
“What is it?” Dani ignored her brother.
Jaden didn’t say anything. He just watched her, his gaze steady.
“The sitting area in Dani’s office,” she began slowly. The idea had come to her a few minutes earlier, but she’d initially tossed it aside. “It’s large enough for Jaden to be comfortable in, and it’s rarely used. There’s even a full bathroom right outside the room.”
“Are you kidding me?” Nate raised his voice. “In an office?”
She turned to Dani. “I could keep an eye on him during the days. Maybe transfer the office phone to my cell whenever he needs to go to the doctor.”
“I’m taking him to his doctor’s appointments,” Nate roared.
“Or when I need to observe a therapy session,” Jaden added, ignoring his brother, and Arsula glanced back at him. They exchanged an almost imperceptible smile. “It wouldn’t have to be for forever,” he went on. “Just until I can get back to Seattle.”
Nate sighed as if the entire idea were ludicrous, but Nick spoke up, his attention on Arsula. “Why would you offer to do that?”
She gave a small shrug. “I did throw a lamp at him.”
“That’s right,” Jaden crowed. He grinned as if his point had just been made. “It was her fault that I broke my ankle.”
“Partially my fault.”
“Therefore, she should be the one to take care of me.” This time it was Jaden crossing his arms over his chest, and when he caught Arsula looking at him, he winked. As if the two of them had just shared a secret.
The vibe of the room suddenly righted itself, the tension of the prior moments all but gone, and she knew she’d done the right thing.
“In the office,” Dani mused.
“I’ll be right upstairs in the evenings.” Only one other person worked out of the office. Tim had been hired as point man for a number of their clients, as well as to bring in new accounts. He only spent a couple of days a week there, however, because he had a similar setup at home. “I can leave the door to the inside stairs open, so I’ll know if he needs me. And I’ll give him a bell. Just in case I don’t hear if he calls out.”
Nate grunted, but Dani studied her youngest brother.
Arsula could see her considering it. “I really don’t mind,” she assured the group of them. “In fact, I’d like to do it.”
She hadn’t come to Birch Bay to help Jaden physically heal, she knew, but what better way to help him get to the bottom of his issues than having him living below her?
Nate gave another grunt, Nick tilted his head as he watched Dani work through the idea from every angle, and Jaden didn’t take his eyes off Arsula.
Finally, Dani gave a nod. “I’ll talk to Tim. He can work at home if Jaden’s being there proves too disruptive. But I’m okay with it if Jaden is.”
Jaden grinned, and suddenly, it wasn’t his mental well-being Arsula was thinking about. Instead, she was remembering how he’d grinned exactly like that just before he leaned in and put his mouth to hers.
Chapter Seven
The car hit another pothole, and Jaden gritted his teeth. “Please . . . avoid . . . the potholes,” he said for the third time. He stared at the roof of the car from his horizontal position in the back seat as his pain level inched another notch higher.
“He’s trying, Uncle Jaden.” Jenna peered at him from the front passenger seat, her eyes heavy with concern. “I promise. I’m watching him to be sure. But he’s being super careful.”
“There’s just holes all over the place,” Haley added from beside Jenna. The two girls were buckled in together in the front seat since Jaden took up the full length of the back.
Given that her dad and Erica were off for a quick honeymoon, Jenna was spending a couple of nights with her grandparents, and additionally, Haley had been invited to stay over. Therefore, as Nate had left the house to shuttle Jaden from the hospital to Dani’s office building, both girls had begged to ride along. Nate remained quiet in the driver’s seat as their dad’s car took another small dip, and after Jaden grunted once again, he silently conceded that it was possible Nate was being careful. It had been a cold winter in the northwest part of the state, and the roads weren’t in the best shape.
However, that didn’t mean he had to be rational in his thinking.
“Then if you can’t avoid the potholes,” Jaden gritted out, nausea from the pain now churning inside him, “go . . . faster!”
The hospital was only fifteen minutes from the small downtown area, and Jaden was ready to be there.
“Or you could just take your pain meds,” Nate suggested, his tone mild.
“Or you could just learn to drive for once. You’ve been doing it for over a decade.”
Nate hit another pothole—one Jaden was sure had been intentional—and Jaden reached toward his ankle with a loud groan. His foot was in a splint up to his knee, propped on a pillow on the other end of the seat, and beads of sweat covered his brow. Probably he should take his pain meds, but the last time he’d seen Arsula, he’d been higher than a kite and had literally begged her to take care of him. And that made no sense.
He didn’t beg anyone to play nursemaid for him, so why would he ask a virtual stranger?
And why did the fact that he was heading her way right now not bother him?
He wanted to be lucid enough to try to figure it all out, but if the pain got much worse, he’d be looking for a white flag to wave instead.
The car slowed and made a right, and Jaden could see that they’d turned onto Main Street. He blew out a shaky breath.
“We’re almost there, Uncle Jaden,” Jenna reported from the front seat. Her brows remained drawn with worry. “And the sidewalks have all been scraped, so you don’t have to worry about falling on the ice.”
Thank heaven for small favors.<
br />
He leaned his head to the side, his cheek resting against the back of the seat, and closed his eyes. He just needed to get into the building, make it to whatever bed situation Arsula had set up for him, ask her why in the world she’d agreed to do this in the first place, and then he could medicate.
“We’re here, Uncle Jaden.” It was Haley who spoke that time. She kept her voice low, as if a quieter tone might help ease his pain. “Arsula is already waiting for you.”
He forced his eyes to open, and sure enough, standing just inside the door to his sister’s office was Arsula Moretti. She still wore the jeans and boots she’d had on at the hospital earlier, but she’d changed into an oversize sweater that hung almost to her knees. It looked to be thick, and its bulk rounded over her hips before narrowing to a few inches above her boots. The color was such a bright yellow that he squinted as if to block the shine.
“I love her clothes,” Jenna whispered to Haley as the two of them scrambled out of the car. They hit the ground, bundled in their heavy coats and hats, and made a dash toward the front door.
“And I love that I seem to be the only one in this family who has any sense at all,” Nate grumbled from where he remained in the front seat. The girls disappeared inside the building, and Nate readjusted the rearview to meet Jaden’s eyes.
“Let me guess,” Jaden cracked. “You don’t like Arsula.”
Nate’s foul mood from that morning had carried on into the afternoon, and Jaden had picked up some of it himself.
“I don’t know Arsula,” Nate corrected. “Nor do you.”
Jaden shifted his gaze to the woman at the center of their conversation. Nate was correct. He didn’t know her. Yet . . . here he was.
He took in the fact that her hair seemed to defy gravity this afternoon. It was twisted into a knot on the top of her head and stood what seemed to be six inches high. And she was gorgeous. “I don’t know,” he murmured, as much to himself as anything. There was something unique about her. Something . . . special. “A person could do worse.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
He looked back at Nate, realizing what he’d just said—and what he’d been thinking—and attempted to recover. “I’m just saying, maybe you should give her a chance.” He nodded toward the woman in question. “Look at her. I say consider it. She could be just your type.”
