When he’d first returned to town, his goal had simply been to give her time to come to grips with the fact that he was back. But now… He grinned. Now he would press the pedal to the metal and show her with everything in him just how invested he was in putting their relationship back together.
He could do this.
The nurse called his name and he practically leaped from his seat.
Her brows lifted. “Hello, Landon. You’re looking quite pleased with yourself today.”
He grinned at her as he passed through into the back of the facility, glancing at her name tag. “Life is good, Jan. Life is good.”
The nurse had finally responded to the press of Zaire’s call button and promised to alert Micha that Zaire was anxious to be dismissed. But it was nearly three by the time he came by, and another forty minutes before the nurses had come to escort her to the front. She was more than a little irritated that they wouldn’t let her walk out of the place on her own two feet. But no. They had forced her to ride in a wheelchair, like an invalid. Even if she’d been awake since the nurse had come in to check on her at five that morning and was feeling exhaustion begin to creep in, she still could have made the three floors and one hallway on her own. But whatever. Freedom loomed with the approaching doors.
And she could see through the sliders that, as planned, Salem was waiting for her under the portico. She’d actually called and asked Landon if he could pick her up, but he’d said he had an appointment in Wenatchee this morning but he would find someone. He’d called back only a few minutes later to tell her Salem had been happy to do it.
“Alrighty. Here we are.” The elderly nurse’s voice was too cheerful by half.
“Thank you.” Zaire hoped her forced smile didn’t look as grumpy as it felt.
Clutching her pain pill prescription in one hand and her purse in the other, she sank into the passenger side of Salem’s little Honda while the nurse returned inside with the chair of shame. “So how did dress shopping go on Saturday?”
“Click it or ticket.” Salem ignored her question for a moment and eyed the seatbelt Zaire still hadn’t touched.
Zaire glanced over at her. “Are you mad at me?”
“What? No! But Officer Reardon doesn’t give out warnings.”
Zai rolled her eyes and winced as she gingerly pulled the seatbelt around herself, careful not to bump her bandaged arm, or move too quickly. “That new cop has everyone in Riversong terrified.”
“You can say that again.” Salem put the car into gear and pulled forward, weaving her way through the parking lot toward the street.
“He came to my room to ask me questions yesterday afternoon. His first name is Phoenix and from the lack of a ring on his left hand, I’m thinking we need to find someone to set him up with.”
Salem looked over at her. “You interested?”
Zaire snorted. “No. He’s hot, but he sort of has a lofty aloofish air that seems like it would be really hard to break through. And even if he was…well…he’s just not for me. The good news is, he said he’s ruling my fall an accident.”
“That’s good. We’ll have to put our heads together on who to set him up with. Any ideas?”
In her current want-only-a-shower-and-a-nap state of mind, Zaire lacked the mental energy to even go there. She only shook her head and let her eyes fall closed.
Seeming to take her cue that this thread of conversation was over, Salem offered. “Anyhow, dress shopping was amazing! I’m so sorry you had to miss it. And I’m sorry that I didn’t make it by to see you yesterday, by the way. I actually came by after church, but I could hear your parents and Landon, and it seemed like things were a bit”—she dragged out the word like an overdramatic teenager— “tense. So then, I was going to come back, but Jett wanted to go fishing and then evening service went late and we had to get back to relieve Shi, who was watching Gran. And…those are all my excuses why I didn’t get by to see you yesterday.”
Zaire smiled tiredly. “You’re forgiven. But if you’d come in during the argument between Mom and me, you might have saved her from making an—idiot—of herself.”
Salem pulled from the lot and turned right onto Main. “Are we going to the pharmacy?”
Zaire wrinkled her nose and crumpled the prescription. “No. From what Landon said, I made a pretty big idiot of myself when you and Shiloh came by Saturday morning? Maybe I come by it naturally,” she added ironically, then tried to change the subject. “How is Gran?”
Salem spared her a quick glance that said she wasn’t letting her avert this subject. “You didn’t say anything that any of us didn’t already know. You were pretty down on marriage and up on Landon.”
Zaire groaned. “What did I say?”
Salem chuckled. “We weren’t there yet, but from what Micha told me at church yesterday… Just how hot Landon was and how you were glad he’d come back home.”
“I. Did. Not.”
Salem nodded. “I’m afraid you did.”
Zaire scooped her hand back into her hair and propped her elbow on the window frame. She couldn’t believe she’d actually said she was happy Landon was home. Was she really happy he was home? Because in her current, very un-high, state-of-mind, she would have sworn that she’d be just fine if he would pack up and move back to whatever place he lived before moving home last summer.
Salem cleared her throat. “You also basically said that Jett’s and my marriage wasn’t going to last.” She ended the words with a little laugh, but Zaire heard the hurt contained in them.
“I did?” She felt tears well up in her eyes. “I don’t really believe that. You two are great together and if anyone can make it work, you can.” She hesitated, but she and Salem were close enough friends that she knew she could say her next words without fear of losing the friendship. “I do confess that I get cynical when I think of marriage, now. I was so sure that nothing could rock my marriage, and then, bam, it fell apart at my feet. I was also confident that I knew Landon, and it turned out that I didn’t really know him at all. So yeah, maybe some part of my subconscious worries about you and Jett, but that has nothing to do with the two of you and everything to do with what happened to me.”
Salem reached over and squeezed her forearm gently. “Thanks. It means a lot that you trust me enough to open up like that.”
Zaire nodded, but her heart was heavy—because much as it might be tempting to think that she and Landon could maybe work things out, she suddenly realized that she would never be able to trust him again. There was no repairing the damage he’d done when he walked away from her.
“You need to pick up anything at your house before I take you out to your parents’?”
Rubbing at the headache suddenly pulsing in her temples, Zaire tried to think. “Did Micha really say that I couldn’t stay at my own place? Not even if I promise not to take any pain pills?”
Salem lifted her hands from the wheel briefly. “I’m just following your mother’s orders.”
“Yeah, well… Mom does like to get pushy, but I’ll be fine. Just take me home please. Crazy as it is since all I’ve done is lounge in the hospital for days, I need a nap.”
Salem looked over at her. “You sure?”
Zaire nodded. “They just released me and they didn’t say anything about me needing to be watched twenty-four seven by a hovering nursemaid.”
“You’re sure?”
“You just asked that.”
Salem didn’t look convinced.
Zaire jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “My house is that way.”
“Alright.” There was a distinct ring of resignation in Salem’s tone.
“I’m a big girl. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
Salem pulled into the Grocery and Gas parking lot and looped through, pulling out to head the other direction. “Your mom is going to kill me.”
“She’ll get over it. You always were her favorite.”
Salem snorted. “You’re too hard on her. She loves you a
nd that’s more than a lot of women can say about their mothers. And at least you have yours.”
Zaire felt the prick of guilt at the reminder that Salem and Shiloh had lost both their parents in a car crash just a few years ago.
Salem flicked her a glance. “Sorry about that.”
“No. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring up something painful.”
“It’s not that. It’s just. I wish you would give her a bit of a break, you know? She really does love you.”
Zaire pondered for a moment. “I guess that’s true. I do know she loves me. But the thought of living at her place for two weeks… Not even comprehensible.”
Salem made no comment to that, but she did pull out her phone and send a quick text, presumably to Mom to let her know she was taking Zaire to her own place. Mom would go through the roof. But she would live.
They were just leaving the outskirts of town when from behind them came the quick squawk of a police siren, giving one attention-getting blast. Salem looked into the rearview mirror, and Zaire turned to look through the back window. Riversong’s newest officer had pulled in behind Salem with his lights on.
Salem pounded the steering wheel. “Un-be-liev-able! What do I have to do to keep the cops in this town from pulling me over?” Even as she uttered the complaint, she was already pulling to the side of the pine-needle-brown roadway and pressing the button to roll down her window. “Hand me my registration stuff from the glove box, would you?”
“Maybe if you weren’t so cute…” Zaire teased as she pulled out the paperwork.
“Well I’m taken, so he can just get his thrills by pulling over some other cute—Hi, Officer! I hope you are having a better day than I am?” Salem smiled sweetly up at the man who had stepped up by her window.
When he didn’t respond, but merely returned her greeting with an inscrutable expression, Salem turned to take her paperwork from Zaire, giving her a little wide-eyed look as she did so.
Had the man overheard her words? Zaire could only grin at the thought.
Salem held the registration out the window. “Can you tell me what I did wrong?”
Officer Reardon bent down and this time his expression clearly said he didn’t believe that Salem didn’t know why she’d been pulled over. When Salem only pressed her lips together and arched her brows to indicate she was waiting, his gaze flicked to Zaire. His expression changed subtly and a small smile barely touched one corner of his mouth. On your way home from the hospital, are you? Hope you are doing okay?”
Zaire nodded and smiled, hoping that would soften the man to Salem somewhat. “I am, thanks. Salem was just driving me home.”
“Driving and texting.” His gaze turned hard again as it settled on Salem once more.
“What? I sent one very short—”
Officer Reardon tapped her license and registration against her car door, cutting her off. “I’ll be back in just a minute. Sit tight and don’t get out of the vehicle, please.”
Salem’s jaw actually dropped. She waited until they saw him sit down in his own vehicle before she hissed. “Of all the rude and insufferable—Gah. I have no words. Merle needs to seriously reconsider the criteria he’s using to hire younger officers!”
Despite the fact that she truly was sorry that Salem was likely getting a ticket, Zaire couldn’t help but smirk. “Merle wants his biggest worry to be where to find his next fishing hole. And you have to admit that this guy is an improvement in looks over Dale. Besides, he has really cleaned up the town. I mean, we haven’t had a jay-walker one since his arrival.” A pain throbbed through her arm that she did her best to ignore.
Salem rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue.
“Who were you texting?”
Salem looked guilty. And didn’t respond.
Zai glowered as a sneaking suspicion stole over her. “Salem?”
Salem studied the cruiser in her side mirror. “Landon made me promise to text him if you refused to go to your mom’s.”
Just as she’d suspected. “Well then, this ticket is his fault and he can pay for it!” She winced. She shouldn’t talk so loudly. It did nothing to help the throbbing in her skull. The headrest was uncomfortable and also did nothing to alleviate her discomfort when she dropped her head against it and closed her eyes.
Salem’s voice was still distracted. “I could have texted him once we got to your place.”
Speaking of her place… She could almost feel the inviting spray of hot water and the silky comfort of her sheets. Hopefully, Officer Personality would hurry so they could be on their way.
Salem suddenly snapped her fingers. “I know who would be perfect for him!”
Zaire angled her friend a one-eyed look. “Seriously? He’s back there writing you a ticket and you are sitting here conspiring who you might set him up with?”
Salem shrugged and offered a quick wink. “Don’t pay back wrong for wrong, and all that.”
A smile tugged at her lips. “Alright, I give. Who are you thinking off?”
“Kacy!” Salem smiled as though her plan was brilliant.
But Zaire wasn’t seeing it. “Kacy? She’s bubbly and vivacious and doesn’t know a stranger.”
“Exactly.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that.”
Behind them, the cruiser door slammed. They fell silent as they waited for Officer Reardon to reach Salem’s window.
He paused there for a moment and then held Salem’s license and registration back to her. “Just going to give you a warning this time since no one else was on the road with you. But please don’t text and drive. It really does take lives.”
From her vantage point, Zaire couldn’t see his eyes, but she saw his Adam’s apple bob with the last words.
He didn’t offer anything else. Just gave the sill of Salem’s door a bump with this fist. “Have a good day now.” He started back the way he’d just come.
Salem and Zaire looked at each other in surprise. All the stories around town were of what a hard-nosed unmoving man he was.
“Wait!” Salem scrambled out of her seatbelt and then pushed open her door, hurrying after him.
Zaire smirked. Salem would have the poor guy married off before even she and Jett walked down the aisle.
The officer stopped by the back door of Salem’s sedan and through the open driver window, Zaire could clearly hear the conversation above the melody of birds twittering in the evergreens along the road.
“So, I’m getting married soon. In six weeks, four days, and a couple of hours to be exact. Which doesn’t really have anything to do with this except that I don’t want you to think I’m hitting on you when I ask you to dinner at my house on Saturday evening at six?”
Zaire heard the man’s boots shuffle against the ground. She glanced back and could see enough of him to tell that he’d plunked his hands on his duty-belt.
Salem hurried on. “It’s not dinner with just me. I’m having a bunch of friends over, and well, with you being new in town, I thought…”
Salem left the sentence hanging, obviously waiting for a response, but the man held his silence.
“So?” Salem prodded him.
“Yeah. I guess that sounds alright.”
Zaire bit her lip. Oh, Salem was going to be thrilled with that exuberant reply.
“Perfect. Okay, we’ll see you then!” Salem turned toward her door, but then spun back. “Oh, I live at—”
“The Riversong Bed and Breakfast down by the river?”
“Yes.”
The man actually stretched his hand out to offer Salem a handshake. “I’ll be there. Thanks.”
“Yes. Of course. Anytime,” Salem said. But when she sank back into her seat and got her window rolled up she whispered, “He didn’t have to sound so thrilled about it.”
Zaire chuckled, then wished she hadn’t when it shot shards of agony through her skull. “He’s a cop. He probably can smell a set-up from a mile away.”
Salem started her car. �
��We need to get you home. I’m sorry. You look white as a sheet.”
Zaire tilted her head back once more. “Yeah, home sounds good. And we should plan your little impromptu gathering while you drive.”
“Right.” Salem signaled and eased back onto the road. “You’ll come won’t you?”
“Sure.”
“And I’ll invite Shiloh. She’s always up for a home-cooked meal. And maybe she’ll let me invite Micha and Quinten. I can’t believe how big that kid has gotten since the last time I saw him.”
Zaire closed her eyes, just wanting the trip to be over. “Sounds good.”
“And can I invite Landon?”
“Sure.” She responded automatically. “Wait. What? Why Landon?”
“Because I can still see that you love him by the way you look at him.”
Zaire groaned audibly. “Life is so unfair. I don’t want to love him.”
Salem held her silence for a beat, and then said softly. “I read a quote in a devotional the other day that made me think of you and Landon.”
Oh boy. Can’t we get back to setting up the new cop?
“It was a quote by David Wilkerson and it said something along the lines of ‘Love isn’t just something you feel. Love is something you do.’ And I thought about how Landon gave up his show to come home and be with you and—”
“Wait. What do you mean he gave up his show?”
Salem’s lips rounded into a soft ‘oh.’ “He didn’t tell you?”
“No. He hasn’t told me anything about his business since he got back.”
A swallow bobbed Salem’s throat. “Well, maybe I’m speaking out of turn. I guess he’ll get around to telling you in his own time.”
“How did you find out?”
“Listen, I probably wasn’t supposed to tell you, so just…pretend I never said anything, okay?”
Zaire wasn’t letting her off the hook that easily, though. “How did you find out?”
“Landon told Jett, that he felt God leading him to give up his show in California and come home to pursue you again.”
Soft Kisses and Birdsong (Riversong Book 2) Page 11
