Still Go Crazy (Swoon Series Book 5)

by J. H. Croix

  For some reason, his answer shocked me. I supposed it was the old grooves of thought, so well-established and based on shaky foundations, that Boone had thoroughly moved on. In all that time, it had never once occurred to me to consider he hadn’t.

  “It was no big thing,” I finally said. John, the only guy I’d gotten somewhat serious with, had turned out to be an epic asshole, trying to play me against a woman who was in my graduate program. My pride had suffered, but that was about it.

  I elected not to go into all that with Boone. It was a cliché, and I had moved on from that. John had been my rebound, but he wasn’t even a fun rebound.

  “I figured that out,” Boone said softly.

  “Were you keeping tabs on me all that time?”

  His gaze was somber as he lifted a shoulder in a small shrug. “I tried not to after a while. At first, I just tried to block the whole mess out.”

  “I know all about denial. You might call me an expert.”

  He chuckled. “So, no, I didn’t start keeping tabs until I had a shot of coming home. That was only about a year and a half ago. My mom didn’t know what happened with you, but she knew you weren’t dating anybody. I always planned to come home anyway. After my dad died, I didn’t have anything holding me down there. I stayed at my job until something opened up here. Enough about me, tell me about you. I know you’re working on your doctorate.”

  “Yeah, it’s in data analysis. You know how much I love that kind of thing.” At his nod, I delved a bit deeper into the details, relishing the chance to just talk about normal stuff with him.

  “Why’d you wait so long to try to talk to me?” I asked after we had covered the mundane details of our lives. This question had been hovering in my thoughts for days.

  Boone’s fingers were still stroking through the ends of my hair, and his hand ceased its movement at my question. After a moment, he shrugged. “I’m not totally sure. I think you might agree you were pretty pissed off and didn’t want to talk to me. I guess I thought maybe if I gave you some time, you’d cool down. I know you don’t appreciate pressure.”

  “Yeah, but if I’d known the whole story, well, maybe I might not have been so pissed off,” I said, a little sheepishly.

  “Right, but I still fucked up. I thought maybe you’d come around. It took rescuing Wayne. Guess I should thank him.” His shoulders shook slightly with his laugh.

  I giggled. “He won’t even appreciate it.”

  An insistent, buzzing from the nightstand broke into the moment. Boone shifted sideways quickly, his abs rippling as he reached for the phone. Glancing at the screen, he looked up after a second. “Gotta go, baby.”

  I climbed out of bed with him, snagging my robe off the hook on the bathroom door as he hurried in.

  “Damn,” he muttered. “I need to run over to my place and grab some clean clothes.”

  Peering into the bathroom, I saw his still-damp work pants and T-shirt draped over the edge over the tub. “I’ll make coffee.” When he looked up, I added, “I’ll unlock the door upstairs.”

  Boone looked slightly confused. I grinned. “There’s a door at the back of the closet in your entryway upstairs. It connects to my side.”

  A slow grin unfurled. “Damn, I know I’m getting somewhere if you gave that up,” he teased as he followed me out into the living room.

  Striding to the junk drawer at the end of the kitchen island, I fished out the key and stepped out into the entryway. “Got anything in your closet?” I asked as I fit the key in the lock.

  “Not a damn thing, actually. In case you missed it, I only moved in a few weeks ago.”

  “Well, that’s convenient. Otherwise, you’d be climbing through it.”

  When I opened the door, Boone looked through. “Smart,” he said, scanning both sides of the divider door. Back when my parents decided to keep this duplex to use for extra income, my father put drywall up and painted each side of the door so it matched the inside of the closets. It was a handy option, but the tenants didn’t know about it unless he chose to tell them.

  “You got time for coffee?” I asked as Boone stepped through, wearing nothing more than his boxers. I couldn’t help but admire his muscled back as he rested a hand on the door frame and glanced back to me.

  “It’ll have to be quick, but if you can have it ready in a few minutes, I would love some.”

  “On it.”

  I couldn’t help but smile to myself as I hurried to start the coffee. There was something way too good about the mundane task. It was all because it was for Boone.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Boone

  I trudged through the automatic doors at the grocery store, weary and cold to my bones. The call this morning had resulted in a long and grueling day for our team. Because the Blue Ridge Mountains weren’t crazy cold, sometimes fools decided to go hiking when the weather wasn’t ideal. We were hovering in the confusing time of late winter and almost spring when some days were warm, while others were cool. Nights often dipped below freezing at higher elevations during this time of year, and snow and ice still covered the higher peaks.

  What some people didn’t quite realize was that, in some ways, the more even tempered climate of the mountains down South could make it dangerous especially when spring was teasing its arrival. Add in precipitation, and the risks increased. It wasn’t unusual for abundant rains to overlap with the last gasps of winter as spring approached.

  Hypothermia could occur at less brutally cold temperatures precisely because people were tricked into thinking it was safer. Thus, our crew was called out frequently to rescue hikers who weren’t prepared. Today, we had fanned out over the mountain to find the couple who needed help. They had made a distress call and proceeded to lose their phone after that. It had taken hours to locate them.

  The guy had broken his ankle, and his girlfriend hadn’t been able to support him walking out. We finally located them and spent the rest of the day in the miserable damp weather getting them safely out. I was cold to the bone, tired as hell, and starving.

  I knew I didn’t have much of anything in my fridge at home. I was also in desperate need of a hot shower and some clean clothes.

  Snagging a basket, I barely looked up as I aimed straight for the deli at the back of the store. They had damn good pizza there. I also snagged some ham and cheese rolls to heat up in the morning for breakfast. Just as I was turning away to walk toward the registers, I heard my name.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I found Grace’s mother standing there. “Oh hi, Colleen. Just grabbing some dinner.”

  She smiled. “Are you having dinner with Grace?”

  I bit back a laugh, smiling slightly as I shook my head. “No, ma’am. Good to see you though.”

  Her wide smile faded, and she stepped a little closer. “Can you do me a favor?”

  “Of course,” I replied automatically, not even considering what she might ask me.

  “Keep an eye on Grace. She gets these headaches, and they’ve been getting worse. She doesn’t like me to worry, so I know she won’t tell me a darn thing.”

  A light-hearted moment had gotten serious awful quick. I hadn’t forgotten about Grace’s upcoming doctor’s appointment. In fact, I knew it was tomorrow and planned to try to sweet-talk her into letting me go with her. I wasn’t about to let that slip to her mother, not without knowing what Grace had told her.

  “Grace mentioned she’s had some issues with migraines. Is it anything serious?” I figured I might as well prod for some info while I had the chance.

  Colleen shrugged, the concern on her face evident. “She doesn’t like to talk about it. I told her she should see a doctor because her father had a mild seizure disorder and sometimes got migraines.”

  “Is that something she needs to worry about?” I asked in return, concern tightening its screws inside.

  “It’s perfectly manageable. If that’s what it is. With you next door, I figured I might as well ask you to keep an eye on her.�
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  “Of course I will.”

  As I spoke, I internally cringed. Grace would be furious if she thought her mother was having me check up on her and report back.

  Colleen pursed her lips. “You know how private Grace is, Boone. You don’t need to snoop for me. Just make sure she’s okay.”

  Uncertain what else to say, I simply nodded. “Of course. If you don’t mind, I need to get going. It’s been a long day, and I could seriously use a hot shower about now.”

  Colleen smiled softly, reaching out to squeeze my shoulder. “You hurry along. I’m so glad you came back to Stolen Hearts Valley.”

  At that, she winked and walked down the next aisle. After I checked out and returned to the duplex, a shaft of disappointment struck me when Grace’s car wasn’t there. Although I had definitely broken through some of her defenses—what with her letting me know how to cross from my place to hers upstairs—it wasn’t as if I was privy to her work schedule just yet. I told myself I wouldn’t have been great company tonight anyway.

  After a blessedly hot shower and some food, I crashed. Grace still hadn’t returned, and I told myself it was ridiculous to try to wait up for her. Weary, I fell into a deep sleep, only waking the following morning when sunlight splashed across the foot of my bed.

  I rolled up quickly, suddenly remembering today was the day for Grace’s follow up appointment. Glancing at the clock on my phone, I saw it was only seven-thirty a.m. I knew her appointment was in three hours and hoped she was home. Standing, I walked to the window in my bedroom, which looked out over the driveway. Grace’s small hybrid hatchback was parked beside my truck.

  After a shower to wake me up, I contemplated whether I should knock on her door or wait. Patience wasn’t always one of my virtues. I quickly made coffee and filled two mugs. I added a dash of cream to hers because I knew she liked it that way.

  Slipping through the door between the two landings upstairs, I knocked on Grace’s door. I heard a meow and smiled to myself, figuring Wayne had heard my knock. Just when I was beginning to wonder if I’d been presumptuous in thinking Grace was awake because she’d always been a morning person, I heard the sound of footsteps.

  The door swung open. My heart gave a resounding kick at the sight of Grace. Her hair fell in a messy tousle around her shoulders, and her gray eyes flashed silver with her smile. “Oh. I thought you were my mom,” she explained. Her eyes fell to the two mugs of coffee in my hands. “Is one of those for me?”

  “Sure is,” I drawled, holding one out.

  I could see her considering and didn’t realize I’d been holding my breath until she reached her hand forward to accept the mug. My breath came out in a relieved sigh. Her fingers brushed mine, sending a little jolt of electricity spinning through me.

  “Come on in,” she said as Wayne meowed again and approached me, his tail wrapping around my calves as I stepped inside.

  “Hey, buddy,” I said, leaning over to rub my knuckles under his chin.

  Grace was wearing a faded T-shirt over a pair of sweatpants that hung low on her hips. She didn’t have a lick of make-up on and had clearly only gotten out of bed a few minutes ago. She was beautiful and everything I wanted.

  “I was just about to start coffee,” she said with a glance over her shoulder as she walked toward the kitchen island. “Your timing was perfect.”

  “I was awake, so I figured I’d stop by.” When she paused beside the kitchen counter, turning and resting her hip against it, I stepped closer, giving in to the urge to kiss her.

  Her lips were warm and soft. I let my tongue tease with hers for a moment before drawing back. “Good mornin’,” I murmured.

  Grace’s eyes searched my face, a slight smile curling her lips. “Good morning, Boone. Should I make some breakfast?”

  “That’s not why I came over. I just wanted to see you.”

  Her cheeks stained pink, and she lifted her coffee to take a sip. “Okay, but I can still make breakfast.”

  “You know I’ll never say no to food,” I replied with a chuckle.

  Grace stepped back to round the island and set her coffee on the counter. “Scrambled eggs?” she asked over her shoulder as she opened the refrigerator to peer inside.

  “Whatever you make will be delicious.”

  She shooed me away from helping much, although she did let me shred the cheese. Once we were cleaning up, I decided I’d better broach the topic about her appointment, or I’d lose my chance.

  “Let me drive you to your appointment today.”

  I was rinsing plates and handing them to Grace as she put them in the dishwasher. Her eyes whipped up to mine, widening slightly. “How did you know I had an appointment today?”

  “I heard you schedule it because I was right beside you when I was checking out.”

  Grace closed the dishwasher, the little click of the latch loud in the small kitchen. She caught the hem of her T-shirt, rubbing the fabric back and forth between her fingers. I waited quietly. Pressure was not a good move at the moment. As it was, I had overstepped my bounds to begin with.

  “If you want to. But you’re not coming in,” Grace said pointedly as she narrowed her eyes at me.

  “Understood.” I was going to take this as the win it was.

  Grace and I had a brief stare down when we walked out to our vehicles, after Grace showered and got ready to go. She had her keys in hand and stopped in front of her car as I walked past it, pausing beside my truck. Cocking her head to the side, one brow flew up. “Did you think you were driving?”

  Stopping in my tracks, I turned and rested a hand on the hood of my truck. I took a beat, holding her gaze as I tried to assess just how cranky she might get about that assumption. Fuck it.

  “Yeah, sweetheart, I did.”

  Grace flipped a key back and forth in her hand, her gaze considering. Although I knew I needed to play my cards just right to earn her trust again, I wasn’t going to be anything other than the man I was. After a long moment, she huffed a laugh and rolled her eyes.

  “Of course. You’re such a man,” she said, her feet crunching on the gravel as she closed the distance between us.

  “In case you missed it, I am a man.”

  I beat her to the passenger door and opened it. She bit her lip, casting a faux glare in my direction as she climbed in. I waited until she was seated before closing the door, rounding the truck and climbing in just as she was buckling her seatbelt.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t buckle my seatbelt for me,” she murmured.

  I tapped the start button on my dash before glancing her way. “Grace, I’ve never buckled any woman’s seatbelt.”

  “But you just have to get the door.”

  Joy spread through my chest at the teasing gleam in her eyes.

  “I don’t have to get the door. I hold the door for men too. It’s called manners.”

  She laughed. “Fine. So you have manners.”

  We started the drive with mist rising above the mountains as I drove. The Blue Ridge Mountains were beautiful any time of day during any season, but mornings in late winter and early spring were particularly beautiful. While the silvery-blue mist glittered as the sun rose like gold in the sky, Grace commandeered the radio, selecting the same station she used to love back in high school—a 70’s station. When my gaze slid sideways, it snagged with hers, a shimmer of awareness and electricity passing between us.

  We were about halfway through the drive when I figured I might as well tell her about her mother’s concern. I didn’t know if it was the best idea, but one thing I did know was I didn’t want to fuck things up between us by keeping quiet over something.

  “Ran into your mom last night,” I commented just as a new song started.

  I didn’t even have to look at Grace to know she tensed immediately. “Where?” That single word question came out sharp.

  “At the grocery store. She’s worried about your headaches.”

  “I don’t get them that often,” Gr
ace protested.

  “If you don’t mind me asking –“

  Grace cut in. “What if I do mind?”

  Oh fuck. Risking a glance sideways, I saw the set of her chin and the silver flash in her eyes. I forged ahead anyway. “Grace, anyone who cares about you might worry. Maybe it’s nothing, maybe it’s just migraines. Those are something people deal with all the time.”

  Her breath was audible as she let it out. “I know. I just don’t like anyone fussing about it,” she muttered.

  Reaching across the console, I caught her hand in mine, relieved when she didn’t pull away. Her fingers laced with mine, and the tension clamped around my chest eased slightly.

  “Grace, my biggest mistake before was panicking and not letting you know what was going on, or how I really felt. I might drive you a little bit crazy because I’m damn sure not gonna let that happen again. I know you don’t like it, but I’m worried. Your mom specifically told me I didn’t need to report back.”

  “Of course she did,” Grace grumbled. “She’s so damn nosy.”

  “She is. I won’t argue that point. But I’d rather tell you she tried to talk to me than keep it a secret.”

  “I appreciate that.” Grace’s tone wasn’t too irritated, and I sensed she had decided to direct her ire at her mother rather than me.

  “So now that we got that out of the way, mind telling me when the headaches started? I can’t even remember if you ever had a single headache back when we were together before.”

  “That’s the thing, I hardly ever get headaches. I still don’t. It’s just that when I do, they are god-awful. As for when they started, I can’t remember the first one, but the first time I had to call off work was about a year and a half ago. They’re like maybe once every other month or so. Nobody would even notice if they weren’t so awful.”

  I recalled her ashen skin and the sheer exhaustion from tolerating the pain I had seen reflected on her face that night when I found her fumbling with her keys.

  “I know it pisses you off that I eavesdropped—”

  “It does,” Grace said forcefully.