Hating that she had to ask for help, Lacey decided she wouldn’t tell Amber what had happened until she got back. She knew her. If she found out about what had happened, she would cut her trip short. Lacey wasn’t going to do that to her.
Later, Lacey heard a knock on her door. She had drifted off to sleep on the couch, and as she forced her eyes open, the thought of Jake standing on the other side of her door woke her fully. Using her elbows to push herself into a sitting position, she hoped her visitor wouldn’t leave before she’d gotten herself off of the couch. Once she’d managed to stand, she hurried to the door.
“Just a sec,” she called out, then she stood there a moment, baffled at how she would open the door. That’s when she realized she hadn’t locked the door when she’d come home. Not exactly the safest thing, but at least it gave her options.
Hoping it wasn’t an ax murderer standing on the other side of the door as she would be helpless to prevent him from entering, she called out, “Who is it?”
“It’s Caty.”
Relieved it wasn’t anyone dangerous, but disappointed it wasn’t Jake, she said, “Come in.” But why would it be Jake? He didn’t even know where she lived.
The door swung open, and her boss walked in carrying a large bag in one hand. “I brought you some food.”
“Oh. Thank you.”
Caty closed the door and turned to Lacey. “How are you feeling?”
Lacey tried flexing her fingers, but when she felt a sharp stinging sensation, she stopped. “I’ve been better.”
Caty set the food on the kitchen table, then turned to Lacey, a concerned look on her face. “What you did was very brave, but I’m so sorry you got hurt.”
Why did people keep saying she was brave? She had been stupid. She hadn’t thought things through. “Thanks.”
“I don’t want you to have to worry about anything while you’re recovering.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean,” she said, “I’ll make sure you have enough money to get by until you can come back to work.”
Lacey was about to say you don’t have to do that, then she realized that would be foolish. “Are you sure?” she said instead.
“Absolutely.”
“That’s very generous of you.” Then, realizing Caty might be making that offer out of fear that Lacey was going to sue her or something, she said, “This isn’t your fault. I want you to know I don’t blame you or the restaurant for what happened.”
Caty waved her hand in the air. “I’m not worried about that. That’s why I have insurance.” The corners of her mouth turned up. “I just know you’re new to Park City, and I get the feeling you don’t have a lot of…people you can turn to.”
“I have my roommate. Amber.”
Caty glanced around the small space. “Is she here?”
“Well, no. She’s in Vegas.” At the look on Caty’s face, Lacey quickly added, “But she’ll be back on Sunday.”
“So you’re on your own until then?”
The reminder that she was completely alone made Lacey sad. Besides Amber, she had no one to turn to. She wasn’t on speaking terms with her mother, her father was out of the picture, and her younger brother was away at college. “Yeah.” Her voice was soft and tinged with sadness.
Caty stepped towards Lacey and placed her hand on her forearm. “Well,” she said, her tone no-nonsense. “I’m here for you.”
Gratitude to her employer rushed through her, and unexpected tears filled her eyes. “Thank you.”
Caty went to the table and began setting out the food she had brought over—a bowl of stew, a slice of soft bread, and a smoothie. “I tried to choose things that would be easy for you to pick up. Nothing that needs cutting.” She threw a smile over her shoulder. “Just so you know, I’ll be bringing food over every day.” She finished setting the food out, then she faced Lacey. “You’re skinny enough, girl. I can’t have you wasting away to nothing.”
Overwhelmed, it was almost too much for Lacey. “You don’t have to do that. I can…I can take care of myself until Amber gets back.”
Tilting her head, Caty looked at Lacey with obvious doubt. “Well. Nevertheless, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Wanting to protest, Lacey opened her mouth to speak, but Caty held up her hand.
“Don’t argue with me,” she said. “The food will be coming. You don’t have to eat it, but that would be a waste.” Her lips twisted into a small smirk, like she knew Lacey wasn’t the type to waste things.
Knowing she had lost this argument, and knowing Caty’s generosity would be a great help, Lacey nodded. “Okay.”
Caty smiled in triumph. “Good.” She gazed at Lacey a moment. “Now, what else do you need?”
“Nothing,” Lacey quickly said. “I’ll be fine.”
Caty nodded. “Okay. I’ll come back tomorrow and we’ll see how things are going.” She took a step away from the kitchen counter and toward the door.
“Wait,” Lacey said.
Caty stopped and turned.
“Thank you,” Lacey said, then she put her arms around Caty and gave her a careful squeeze. “This means a lot to me.” Lacey let go of her boss and stepped back.
“I’m happy to do it.” With a final smile, Caty left.
Realizing how hungry she was, Lacey sat at the table, ready to dig in to the delicious food Caty had brought, but as she struggled to pick up her fork and failed, she ended up just drinking the smoothie through the straw Caty had stuck through the lid of the cup. She put the stew in the fridge to have some other time. Like when she had figured out how to use her hands.
“I’m sorry, but I won’t give out contact information for my employees,” Caty said.
Jake frowned at her answer. It was Saturday, the day after the fire, and he had finished his forty-eight hour shift at the fire station that morning. Now, as he stood in an alcove of the restaurant early that afternoon trying to convince Lacey’s boss to give him her phone number or some other way to contact her, he said, “I just want to know how she’s doing. I haven’t seen her since I left her at the hospital.”
He knew he could get her contact information from the police report, but that was unethical, which is why he’d decided to talk to Caty. He could have asked Lacey for her number while he’d been with her at the hospital. But besides the fact that that would have been unprofessional, he didn’t think she had been in the right state of mind to know if she even wanted to give it to him.
“I’ve seen her,” Caty said. “And I can tell you that she’s getting by.”
Glad to hear that, Jake still wanted to see for himself how she was doing. Then he asked himself if that was the only reason he wanted to see her. Knowing it was more than that, he nodded. “Thanks.”
He would just have to wait until she came back to work and try to catch her there. That was assuming she came back at all.
“I’ve got to get back to work,” Caty said with a smile that seemed to hold an apology.
“Right.” Jake turned and walked toward the front door, but just as he was about to step through, someone grabbed his arm. He turned and saw a woman who was wearing the same uniform he had seen on Lacey.
“Excuse me,” she said with a conspiratorial grin.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
She chuckled. “Actually, I might be able to help you.” Her smile grew. “My name’s Ellen and I overheard your conversation with Caty.” Her eyes twinkled with mischief. “I know where Lacey lives.”
Seven
Hardly seeing what she was watching, Lacey stared at the TV. It had only been twenty-four hours since the accident, but already she felt herself falling into a deep funk. The food Caty had brought over had been delicious, but eating it with bandaged hands had been a struggle.
Her hands would be back to normal soon. She just had to remember that. Still, at that moment, life was a challenge. She needed something to take her mind off of this. But what?
With the TV
remote on the couch beside her, she stabbed at the buttons with her bandaged fingers to find a show to watch. Settling on a show she had been meaning to binge watch, she tried to get involved in the story, but as she stared at the couple on the screen, she found her mind going to Jake. What was he doing right then? Was he thinking about her? Because she was thinking about him.
She pictured his handsome face as he had sat beside her in the hospital the day before. He seemed like such a sweet guy. But was he really?
She thought about the early days of her relationship with Eric. He had seemed like a nice guy at first too.
Frowning, Lacey pushed aside unpleasant memories and focused on the program.
Jake turned off his truck and looked at the apartment that matched the address Ellen had given him. Excited to see Lacey under circumstances that weren’t dire for a change, his happiness was tempered with the knowledge that she was recovering from a serious injury. An injury that would perhaps mean she didn’t want visitors, that she was resting and wouldn’t appreciate him dropping by.
The blinds were down and closed tight, a large planter filled with dirt sat near the front door, and a single empty chair was placed beside the planter.
Did she ever sit out there? Was she planning on putting some flowers in the planter now that the weather was warming up? More curious than ever about the beautiful woman with the long brown hair and haunting blue eyes, Jake drew in a deep breath before opening his door and climbing out of his truck. If she didn’t want him there, he would leave. Simple as that.
But he really hoped that wouldn’t happen.
Beyond bored, Lacey leaned her head against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. What she wouldn’t give to be able to pick up her sketchpad and draw.
She thought about the way she had given up drawing for the last two years. Just to make someone else happy. She would never do that again. She would never give up something she loved to make someone else happy.
A knock sounded at the door. Lacey’s gaze went to the clock. Was that Caty already?
At the thought of the delicious food Caty had brought the day before, Lacey’s stomach growled. Suddenly ravenous, she turned off the TV, then stood and walked to the door. Using the sides of her hands, she tried to unlock the deadbolt, but it wouldn’t budge.
“Hang on,” she called out, then after several more tries she managed to turn the lock.
Frustrated that something so simple was now so difficult, she forgot to ask who it was before saying, “Come in.”
Expecting it to be Caty, when she saw Jake standing there, her eyes widened.
“Hi,” Jake said. He held a small bouquet of bright yellow roses in one hand.
“Jake. Hi.” The first thing Lacey noticed was that Jake was dressed in business casual—dress slacks and a button-up shirt with the top button undone.
He looked good. And she hadn’t even combed her hair.
In an automatic gesture, she lifted one bandaged hand to her hair, but the moment she realized she couldn’t run her fingers through the strands, her hand dropped uselessly to her side.
“These are for you,” Jake said as he held out the flowers.
Lacey’s gaze went from his face to the bouquet in his hand. “Thank you.” She lifted her right hand to take the flowers, then sighed in exasperation. “Can you put them in water for me?”
Feeling kind of foolish for bringing her something that she couldn’t even hold, his face reddened slightly. “Sure.”
“They’re beautiful,” she said. “I love roses.”
Okay. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea.
He came inside, then stopped and faced her. “Where do you keep your vases?”
One side of her mouth turned up in a half-smile. “I don’t actually have a vase. But I do have a pitcher. It’s in the cabinet above the sink.”
He would have to give her flowers another time. With a vase.
He walked into the kitchen and opened the cabinet over the sink and quickly found the pitcher. After placing the flowers inside and adding some water, he turned to Lacey. “Where would you like these?”
She gestured to the kitchen counter with her bandaged hands. “Over there will work.”
He set them on the counter, then took a step in her direction, stopping several feet away. “So, how are you doing? How are your hands?”
She lifted her hands and stared at them, then she met his gaze. “They’re okay, I guess.” A tiny frown pulled her mouth downward. “It’s just kind of hard to do much of anything right now.” She sighed. “It’s super frustrating.”
“I’ll bet.” What could he do to make her life easier? “What are you doing about food? I mean, it can’t be easy to cook with your hands like that.”
Her face brightened. “Actually, Caty brought some food for me yesterday, and she said she’s going to bring food every day.”
“That’s awesome.”
“Yeah. I told her she didn’t have to. I mean, I figured I could live off of protein drinks for a while, but she insisted.”
Jake watched Lacey as she spoke, his attraction to her growing with every word. Even though she was obviously frustrated with her situation, she was still so vibrant.
“Plus my roommate can help.” She chuckled. “When she gets home on Sunday, that is.”
With Jake’s intense focus on her, Lacey tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but found his attention distracting. She told herself not to think of him like that. He had just come over to see how she was doing. That’s all. Especially since he was the one who had brought her to the hospital.
Her gaze slid to the vivid yellow roses sitting on the kitchen counter.
Then why did he bring flowers?
Pushing down thoughts of any romantic interest, Lacey faced Jake. “Do you want to sit down?”
He smiled. “Sure.”
They sat on opposite ends of the couch.
“So,” Jake began, “what have you been doing?”
Embarrassed to admit she’d been a total couch potato, she scrambled to come up with something interesting. It was no use. “To tell you the truth, not much.” Wrinkling her nose, she said, “Actually, I’ve been kind of bored and watching too much TV.”
Jake laughed. “Sounds like I arrived just in time then.”
Lacey smiled as she nodded. Yeah. Talking to him was much more interesting than watching a random TV show.
“Are you going somewhere?” she asked. “I mean, you’re kind of dressed up for someone on his day off.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I’m actually selling real estate part-time and I have an appointment in a little while. Someone who might be ready to put their house on the market.”
Impressed that he was such a hard worker— a firefighter, a paramedic, and a realtor—her eyebrows rose. “Wow. What else do you do?”
His face filled with pride. “I’m remodeling my house. It’s an older home with a lot of character, but it’s way out of date.”
A sudden sense of inadequacy swept over her. She couldn’t compare to him. She worked as a waitress and she liked to draw. A frown pushed at the corners of her mouth, because just then she couldn’t do either one of those things.
“That’s great,” she said, but her voice was subdued.
He smiled. “Enough about me. Is there anything I can do for you?”
Pushing a bright smile onto her face, Lacey shook her head. “No. But thank you for offering.”
“If you do need anything, you can…you can call me.”
His offer caught her attention, and though she appreciated it, she didn’t know him at all. Why was he saying that? Did he feel some sort of obligation because he had helped her the day before? But she knew that couldn’t be it. He helped people all the time. Surely he didn’t go around telling all of them to call him if they needed anything.
Maybe he liked her.
Not sure how she felt about that, she simply said, “Thanks.” Then, wanting to turn the subject away from he
r pathetic situation, she said, “So, Jake. Is it…normal…for you to visit the people you transport to the hospital?”
He shifted in his seat as if the question made him uncomfortable. “I wouldn’t say it’s typical. Why?” His eyebrows pulled together. “Do you want me to leave?”
“No.” Lacey realized she had answered rather quickly, so she tried to tone it down. “I mean, it’s nice to have something to break up the day. You know what I mean?”
She made it sound like any old visitor would be fine. But he didn’t take it personally. After all, she didn’t even know him. Then he got an idea how he could change that.
“So,” she said, before he could move forward with his idea. “How did you find me?”
Not sure if he should be embarrassed or proud that he’d tracked her down—and not sure if she would approve that he’d found her—he said, “I hope it’s okay that I stopped by.”
A tentative smile curved her mouth. “Yeah. It’s fine.”
Glad to hear that, he smiled in return. “Good.” Then he told her how he’d spoken to Caty, who had refused to tell him anything, but how Ellen had given him her address.
Her lips pursed.
He hoped he hadn’t gotten Ellen into trouble. “Maybe I should’ve had her call you before I came over.”
She shook her head. “No. It’s okay. It’s just…” She frowned. “Ellen keeps trying to set me up, and I’m just not interested.”
Not interested? Did that mean she wasn’t interested in the men Ellen had chosen, or was she not interested in dating at all? Then he remembered how she had turned him down when he’d asked her out on the side of the road after pouring gas into her gas tank.
Maybe he needed to rethink his strategy.
Holding back a frown, he thought about how eager Ellen had been to give him Lacey’s address, and he suddenly felt like an idiot for taking it with equal eagerness. “You know, I should probably go.”
Rescue My Heart: Park City Firefighter Romance Page 4
