Stoplight Magic

by Jo Barrett

  She shivered as she turned to see the blood on her blouse. Dustin was right, she could’ve been killed.

  But he would have.

  “Do you want to walk out or ride out,” the nurse asked, pulling her from that horrid thought.

  “Oh, walk. Thank you. I was afraid you wouldn’t give me a choice.”

  They both chuckled, and the nurse pulled back the curtain. She found Dustin leaning against the wall next to the door leading out of emergency, his hands in his pockets. The minute he looked up, the mixed spring flowers he’d brought her trembled in her grasp. She hoped she didn’t spoil what seemed to be a fairly nice beginning, considering the accident and all, with her nervousness.

  He pushed away from the wall and crossed to her. “Ready to go?”

  “Yes.” He took her by the elbow and escorted her across the small lobby, him on one side the nurse on the other. Once they got to the outside door, it occurred to her that she couldn’t possibly ride his motorcycle in her current condition, nor was she all that keen on the idea after the images of what would’ve happened had she not hit the truck first flew through her mind.

  She stopped him on the sidewalk, just outside the automatic doors. “I just realized, I can’t ride on your bike. Not yet anyway.” She looked down at the lovely flowers in her hands, hating that this could be the moment he walked away and never looked back. After all, she wasn’t a heroine in a fairytale. A sad and pathetic ending was just as possible as a good one.

  “Not to worry,” he said. “I drove my truck. Now wait here a moment, and I’ll bring it around.”

  The nurse moved closer to steady her as he let go then dashed across the parking lot. Watching his long powerful legs eat up the pavement, pulled her from the sad thought, and gave strength to the fantasies she’d had about him.

  He pulled the truck around within moments, then hopped out and ran around to open the door for her. The nurse and he helped her up into the truck. Her heart skipped a beat as he reached across to buckle her seat belt.

  “I hope you feel better soon,” the nurse said.

  Eleanor thanked her, and they were on their way.

  “I’m—I’m glad you came in your truck,” she said.

  “So am I.” He smiled at her then looked back at the road. “I’ll be the first to admit that this morning’s scare has me feeling a little leery myself right now.”

  “It does?” she asked, stunned he’d admit such a thing.

  “Yeah, but it’ll pass. How would it look if I didn’t ride again?”

  She shook her head. “I don’t understand.”

  “I make custom motorcycles for a living. It would be bad for business,” he said with that delicious wink, then stopped to pay the parking attendant.

  After giving him her address, which he punched into his navigator and saved as a favorite, they were on their way.

  She almost giggled at the silly feeling bubbling in her chest. She was somebody’s favorite.

  “That’s a sunny smile for someone who just got out of the hospital,” he said.

  “Out, being the operative word,” she said, not about to disclose her real thought.

  He grinned with a nod. “Point taken. I’ve had my share of scrapes and been there myself.”

  “Nothing too serious, I hope.”

  “Appendix, broken finger, broken arm, a nasty cut or two, but that’s been about it.”

  She nodded and tried to stop herself, but she had to know. “Have you—have you ever been in a motorcycle accident?”

  “Nothing bad enough to go to the hospital, but I’ve had to ditch my bike a time or two.”

  “Other drivers,” she said with a nod.

  “Yeah. We’re hard to see, I know, but sometimes they’re just not paying attention.”

  “The truck today, he didn’t know what to do, they said. His breaks didn’t work or something.”

  “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he said, then took her hand and squeezed.

  She flushed and had to look away before he saw how much she relished his attention. No one had ever been so sweet to her. Not even her one-time sexual encounter had her feeling quite like this. She wasn’t naïve, she’d just never had the opportunity to experiment, accept for the one time.

  And that one time had been a disaster, but what had she expected? At nineteen, she knew very little, and didn’t think the boy had any more experience than she did.

  It happened at one of her brother’s parties for a few of his old friends from college. One of his buddies had brought along his little brother. They’d been about the same age and had hit it off rather well.

  Deciding to sneak away for a little while had been an escape from her brother’s over-protectiveness. She just wanted to be like everyone else. But the sex had been fast, clumsy, and it had hurt. Afterward, she’d decided to wait until she truly cared for her partner before she’d do it again.

  Since then, she’d had a few interesting moments on dates her brother had fixed her up with, but they never made her feel this alive. And she was never interested enough to even think about sex with any of them.

  Now, the idea didn’t seem to want to go away.

  “Tell me about yourself,” Dustin said, with another gentle squeeze of her hand.

  She cleared the nervousness from her throat, not wanting him to know how his touch sent delicious tingles racing up and down her spine, for fear it would scare him off.

  “I’m twenty-eight years old. You already know I live with my brother and his family. And I think I told you I’m a data entry operator, didn’t I? I’m a little fuzzy about the minutes after the accident.”

  “I wanted to keep you awake, what with your head injury, but yeah, you told me about your work.”

  “Tell me more about you,” she said.

  “Well, I’m single, thirty-two years old, and as I said earlier, own my own business. I’ve been pretty lucky. It’s been successful and is still growing. But there are days when I wish I didn’t have to be the boss.”

  She nodded. “I guess we all have days where we wish we didn’t have to be who we are.”

  He gave her a curious glance, and she wished she could pull back the comment, it said too much about her and her life. But before he could ask any uncomfortable questions, they were pulling up in front of her brother’s house.

  He helped her out of the truck, and with one hand in his and his arm around her waist, he escorted her up the walk.

  The minute the front door opened, Dustin knew this was not a good idea, although he’d had his suspicions after her odd comment. She wasn’t a happy person, or her life wasn’t a happy situation. He’d seen firsthand how her brother ruled over her, but how could anyone recover with three young boys running like wild heathens through the house screaming at the top of their lungs?

  “Darren called and said you were coming home,” the woman said, then cast him a snooty look. “With a friend.”

  “Yes, this is Dustin Bass. Dustin, this is my sister-in-law, Margaret,” she said, her voice soft and sweet. A direct contrast to the abrasive woman taking a step back to allow them inside.

  “Nice to meet you,” she said, although it was obvious she thought otherwise.

  He gave her a nod, then looked back at Eleanor. “Do you need me to run any errands for you or anything?”

  “No, but thank you,” she said, ending on a wince as one of the boys hit a super shrill note.

  “Stephen, stop pulling George’s hair!” Margaret’s shout seemed to send a quiver through Eleanor, as she shut her eyes.

  “You need to lie down before you fall down,” he said, pulling her against his side to steady her. He attempted to ignore the warmth spreading over him at how good it felt to have her body touching his, or how well they fit together, because this was not the time or place.

  “No, I’m fine. Really,” she said, but her voice was weaker than before.

  “Where’s her room?” he asked Margaret.

  “Last door on the r
ight, but you can’t—”

  “Thanks,” he said, and quickly maneuvered Eleanor around the woman and her sputtered protests.

  “You’re not staying,” Margaret said, then hurried to follow. “And I need Ellie to watch the boys while I’m out. So you may as well turn around and head straight for the living room. They won’t be any trouble, and since you’ll be here, you may as well make yourself useful.”

  Dustin continued down the hall but couldn’t remain quite on the subject. It looked as if Eleanor was about to give in, which he suspected she always did. She was so soft-spoken. Sweetness seemed to fill the very air around her, and anyone with an agenda could and likely did walk over her or ignore her when it suited them.

  Well, not today.

  “Actually, neither of us is staying,” he said. “We just came to pick up a few of her things. Now if you’ll excuse us?” He ushered Eleanor into her room and promptly shut and locked the door in her sister-in-law’s face.

  He eased Eleanor down to the edge of the bed, then dropped to his knees in front of her. Taking her hands in his, he looked up into her tired, confused gaze.

  “I know I shouldn’t have stepped in, and you have every right to tell me to mind my own business, but I couldn’t stand there and listen to her another minute. You need your rest, not babysitting duty,” he said, rubbing her small soft hands between his rough ones. “But if you want, I’ll step out there and tell her you’ve decided to stay. I’ll tell her anything you like, but I really think that you should come home with me.”

  Her eyes widened and he rushed on.

  “I know you don’t know me,” he said. “That it’s a lot to ask, but I don’t see how you’re going to recuperate under conditions like these. If you want, I’ll give you my mother’s number so you can call her. She lives in Florida, now that my dad’s gone, but she’d tell you anything you want to know about her only son. You’ll have your own room, and I swear not to invade your space.”

  He couldn’t contain his grin. “Unless you invite me to, that is.”

  “But you don’t even know me,” she said, with a faint shake of her head.

  “But I want to know you. Very much.” He smiled and lifted her hands and kissed the back of her fingers, never taking his gaze from hers. “From the moment I caught you checking me out on my bike, I’ve wanted to get to know you. There was just something about the way you blushed, and how you tried to pretend I hadn’t caught you looking.”

  Her sister-in-law knocked firmly on the door. “Ellie, I demand you open this door. This is my house, and I won’t tolerate this sort of thing.”

  He blew out a long breath and lowered his forehead to rest against their clasped hands. “Can I at least tell her what she can do with herself and her ideas about you babysitting?”

  He knew his suggestion that she stay with him was really out of line, but he couldn’t help himself. This was no way to recuperate from such a frightening experience. And he really did want to get to know her better—in every possible way.

  Her prolonged silence had him lifting his head. “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, you just say the word. Even leave, if that’s what you want.”

  The corner of her lips turned up into a small smile. “Why don’t you help me pack instead,” she said, her voice soft with a faint quiver.

  His heart stammered in his chest. “Are you sure? I mean, I swear I won’t pressure you into anything—between us, I mean. But I just want you to be positive this is something you want to do. We’re practically strangers, and I don’t want you to feel—”

  She touched his lips with the tips of her fingers. “I’m positive.”

  He smiled beneath her touch.

  “But it’s only for a few days,” she said. “Until I can handle things here with a clear head. Agreed?”

  He climbed to his feet with a nod. “Agreed. Now, where is your bag so we can get you packed and out of here? That woman and her screaming rug rats are giving me a headache, so I can only imagine what they’re doing to you.”

  “They can be migraine makers,” she said, rising then crossing to the closet.

  Eleanor hoped she was doing the right thing. They were strangers, but she couldn’t bear to listen to Margaret another minute. And somehow she knew she would be fine with Dustin. Better than fine.

  She bent down to pull out her overnight bag and teetered as a wave of dizziness swirled through her head. She quickly gripped the door frame for support.

  “Whoa there.” He snagged her around the waist and led her back to the bed. “You need to sit down.”

  “I am a little dizzy.” She closed her eyes, trying to regain her equilibrium.

  She felt him place her bag beside her.

  “Tell me what you need,” he said.

  “Um, well, I’ll need a few things from the top drawer, and a couple of shirts from the second. And I guess some lounge pants, from the bottom drawer.”

  She opened her eyes, relieved the dizziness had receded, and watched as he turned and opened the top drawer of her dresser.

  Biting her lip, she tried to hold back her blush. She had to have underwear, but for him to see it on the first-date-that-wasn’t-really-a-date was a bit much.

  He cast her a quirky grin over his shoulder. “You have any preferences? Other than you obviously like pink.”

  She couldn’t contain her giggle. “Stop looking at me like that and just grab a few things of each, okay?”

  “Yes, ma’am. But just so you know, I think pink is a good color for you,” he said, with a wink, then returned to his chore.

  By the time he had an array of things in her bag, her heated cheeks had cooled. “I’ll need some things from the bathroom across the hall.”

  “Okay, just tell me what.”

  She opened her mouth then shook her head. “On second thought, I’ll get them myself.” She grabbed a tee shirt and retrieved a pair of lounge pants from inside her bag, then gingerly got to her feet.

  He quickly stepped up beside her and supported her as they crossed to the door. The minute he opened it, Margaret was all over them. Her face was a lovely shade of red, and her scowl so deep, Eleanor was certain, or rather hoped, she’d have deep permanent wrinkles as a result. But they both ignored her ranting and fussing as if she weren’t even there.

  It took a little longer than expected to get changed without help. She kept thinking she was going to fall on her face, and the racket Margaret was making had her entire body quivering from nerves.

  She still couldn’t believe that a handsome man was standing silent on the other side of the bathroom door waiting for her, guarding her. It was almost a fairytale. All she could do was hope it wasn’t one of those awful ones that ended badly just to teach a moral.

  Looking at herself in the mirror for the first time, she shook her head. “God, you look awful,” she muttered. “I guess I don’t have to worry about being ravished.”

  She washed up as best she could, put a brush through her hair with a wince, then turned to the door and Margaret’s continued ramblings.

  Eleanor had all she could take for one day. She opened the door, looked her sister-in-law dead in the face, and said, “Margaret, shut up.”

  For the first time ever, and with a calm and clear voice, she’d said what she wanted to say to her brother’s wife. Shouting just wasn’t in Eleanor’s nature, and she was afraid if she tried now, her head might explode.

  Margaret’s stunned silence wouldn’t last for long, and her poor big brother would probably get one heck of an earful when he got home. But for the moment, however brief, Eleanor was the one in control.

  “I’ll call Darren later and let him know where I am. You’ll have to find someone else to babysit.”

  With that said, she took Dustin’s arm and walked out the front door. She hadn’t felt so liberated since she’d snuck away that one night so long ago. And with luck this adventure would have a much nicer ending.

  Once back in Dustin’s truck and blessed pe
ace, she hoped she wasn’t making a very big mistake.

  “You’re awfully quiet,” he said, his voice low.

  “It’s been an unusual day.”

  He reached over and took her hand. “For both of us,” he said, with a gentle squeeze, buoying her spirits. “Tell me more about yourself. You know, the stuff two people talk about on a first date.”

  She giggled. “Is this a date?”

  He smiled with a shrug. “It was going to be, unless you’d planned on standing me up.”

  “No. But I will admit that by the end of the day, I would likely have had second thoughts.”

  “It’s understandable. We didn’t exactly meet in the normal way. But we’re together now,” he said with another squeeze and a smile. “So tell me more about you.”

  “Um, well, there isn’t a whole lot to tell. You’ve seen how and where I live, and you know what I do for a living. What about you? Is saving damsels in distress a hobby or is this your first time?”

  A laugh burst from his lips, lips she’d been sorely tempted to sample a few minutes ago as he knelt at her feet. She’d never had anyone rescue her before; her brother taking her in when she was a kid didn’t count. This was so very different. It was as if she’d been pulled from a dark cave, out into the light.

  “Well, fair maiden, I have to admit that you are my first damsel in distress. And you left out a few things about yourself. I know you like pink,” he said, with that wonderful wink. “And that you’re probably the nicest, most caring person I have ever met.”

  “What gives you that idea? You barely know me.”

  “And yet in such a short amount of time, I’ve witnessed how you tolerate your demanding brother and his family without a single unkind word. And let’s not forget how you saved my life by putting yours in the line of fire. There aren’t many people that would do that for a stranger, much less someone they knew.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back. “Thank you again.”

  She knew her face was on fire again but couldn’t take her gaze off him. “You’re welcome.”

  “So how about telling me something I don’t know,” he said.