by CM Foss
“Sorry. I thought that was on silent.” I went to decline the call, but Mr. Donovan stopped me.
“No problem. Go ahead and take it while I fill out this paperwork so we can get started.”
I nodded and looked at the caller ID to see Lawrence’s name flashing. He never called, especially when he knew I was working. I had a gnawing feeling start up in my gut as I answered, turning my back to my client.
“This is Jace.”
He didn’t answer immediately, and my stomach twisted sharply as I waited. “Tessa had a wreck on the track. She’s gonna be okay, but I thought you’d want to know.”
“What do you mean ‘she’s gonna be okay’? Where is she?”
“She’s at the hospital. She hasn’t woken up yet, but…”
“She hasn’t woken up yet? What the…?” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Never mind. I’m on my way.”
I hung up on him and shoved my phone in my pocket. Asshole wasn’t speaking quickly enough anyway. I made my excuses to Mr. Donovan and promised to be in touch to set up another appointment. Hopefully this didn’t negate my statement about customer service.
I jumped in my car and drove the half hour to the hospital, cursing at other drivers, stoplights, birds, the road. Pretty much anything that had the potential to slow me down.
The emergency room parking lot was packed and the only free spot was in the very back, so I cursed that too.
Lawrence was flipping through a magazine in the waiting room when I skidded in.
“How is she?”
He set it aside and stood, shaking my hand. “She’s okay. She’s awake now. Mom and Dad are in with her. My sisters just left to go get lunch. She’ll be here for a day or two. I guess whatever she was riding flipped its head while she was galloping and knocked her out cold. She got banged up when she fell, but considering all that, she’s damn lucky.”
“Is anything broken?”
“Collarbone. Cracked ribs. Nothing major.”
I rubbed my hands through my hair and over my face. “You people are so weird. How is that not major?”
He met my eyes. “She’s awake, isn’t she?”
Well, he had me there. “Can I go see her?”
He nodded. “They just admitted her and moved her to a room for the night. I’ll take you up. Maybe you can sit with her and I’ll take my parents out? They could use a break.”
“Of course.”
We rode the elevator in silence and made our way down the sterile hall. Well, it smelled sterile, but Lord only knew what was on that floor. I was actually glad for my shoes.
Lawrence tapped lightly on the door before pushing it open. Mr. and Mrs. Brooks were fussing over a pale and bruised Tessa. She looked small and fragile and like what little patience she possessed was worn thin. Lawrence saved the day by herding his parents out the door in the not-so-gentle manner of telling them they were driving everyone crazy, leaving me alone with a tiny, irritated person.
“Hey, Midge.” I sat down in the chair by her bedside, staring at her hand and wondering if I should take it or not.
She licked her lips and swallowed with effort. “Hey.”
I reached over and grabbed her plastic cup of water, holding it up to her lips.
Her face pinched in annoyance. “I can drink my own water.”
I raised my eyebrows and waited. She closed her eyes, breathing slowly and purposefully, and pressed the button on the side of the bed to raise up the back so she was nearly upright. Then she reached with her right hand to grasp the cup, tilting it to her lips and sipping. I watched her throat work, up and down, as the liquid soothed her.
She handed the cup back to me to put away.
“That was a production.”
“Yeah. It’s gonna be for a little while.”
“Do you hurt?”
“Only when I breathe.”
I let out a breath of laughter.
“Or laugh. Don’t make me laugh.”
“I won’t. Nothing’s funny.”
She groaned and her eyes fell shut.
“They give you good drugs?”
“Not really. Everything still hurts and I’m not asleep.”
“How’s your head?” I traced my fingertips across her brow and around the deep purple bruise around her eye and down her cheek. She reflexively licked the corner of her mouth where there was a small split. I drew my hand away like it’d been stung.
“I’m fine, Jace. It happens.”
“What did happen?”
“I don’t remember much. Just the initial smack in the face. I think he just got me in the right place. I’ve never been knocked out before. I got lucky.”
“Oh yeah.” I scoffed. “Real lucky.”
She opened her eyes and rolled her head toward me. “I fell off clean. No one else was around. If I’d held on to the reins or got hooked in my stirrups… different story. I’m just a little banged up.”
I blew out a long breath and took her hand in mine, trying not to overthink it. Her hands were rough and strong, not the same as most women I knew. But that was fitting because she was nothing like any other woman I’d ever known. I brushed my thumb over her callused knuckles, and she pulled away.
“They’re gross.”
I took her hand back in mine. “Are not.”
“Are too.” The beat-up corner of her mouth rose a bit, causing her to hiss in a breath, which caused me to wince.
“Why don’t you rest? I’ll stand guard and make sure no one wakes you up.”
She gave a barely perceptible nod and her lashes shut with a flutter.
I watched her fall asleep, her chest rising and falling, the lines of pain and tension in her face smoothing out, her lips parting slightly as she relaxed. I rested my elbows on the edge of the bed and kept both hands wrapped around hers. My eyes followed the tubes of the IV up to bags of fluids, pausing when I saw several of them already empty. I didn’t have extensive medical knowledge, but I did know she’d only been in the hospital for a couple of hours.
A nurse bustled in, smiling at me and nodding at my hands. “Are you the boyfriend?”
I let go and sat back, staring at Tessa’s sleeping form. “Ah, no. Family friend.”
The nurse checked Tessa’s pulse and her IV lines and fiddled with the buttons on the machine.
“She’s… is she almost done with fluids?”
“She’ll have them overnight and then we’ll recheck her. But don’t worry. We’ll have her good as new in that department before she leaves.”
My mind raced as she patted my shoulder and left.
Drew walked in just as the nurse walked out. I stood and shook his hand, my grip a little tighter than usual.
“How’s she doing?” he asked.
I narrowed my eyes. “Fine.”
He bent over and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “She’s tough.”
“I know she’s tough. I’ve always known she’s tough. It only takes you so far.”
He stilled over her, then straightened slowly. “Listen, Jace… I know you care about her. I know you’ve watched her grow up. She’s told me.”
I tried not to let my hackles go up over that, but really I wanted to punch him in the face.
“But she’s grown up now. She makes her own decisions, and right now, that’s to race. She’s good. Better than good. And it is dangerous. She will get hurt. It’s not if, it’s when. Today was her day, and I’m sorry to say it’s gonna happen again. But she’s also going to keep racing, and I’ll bet it’s sooner than you think. If you can’t handle that, and all that comes with it, then you need to stay out of her way.”
I clenched my teeth together as I watched him speak so rationally to me. “Why are they pumping her full of fluids right now?”
He leveled me with a stare, hands on his hips. “As I said, if you can’t handle everything that comes with it, then stay out of her way.”
Chapter 10
2013
“I cannot believe wh
at I’m seeing.” I gritted my teeth and slammed down the book I’d been reading.
Tessa stopped short in the doorway of Lawrence’s house, guilt written all over her face. She was dirty and sweaty with a faded black handkerchief tied around her head, the sweat ring from her helmet still visible. Her right hip was crusted in mud that went down her thigh. There was a scrape on her elbow and a faint bruise on her cheek.
“What are you doing here?”
“Waiting on your brother. He gets back from Virginia today. What are you doing here?”
She opened her mouth and closed it again like a damn fish.
“Lemme guess. Your parents didn’t know you were back on a horse.”
She squared her shoulders even though she winced when she did it. I could still see the misshapen form of her collarbone where it wasn’t quite right. Probably because it wasn’t healed yet.
“I’m nineteen years old. They don’t have much of a say.”
“You live under their roof. Pretty sure they can say what they want.”
She deflated, blowing out a breath and pushing the rag off her head, letting it drop to the floor. Then she toed off her boots and kicked them to the wall, settling her back against the door. “I’ve been back riding for over a week now. I can’t drop off now.”
I nodded at the extra dirt. “And what’s that?”
She looked down, fingering the pocket of her jeans. “Just a little real estate. I’m fine.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, I hope you got a good deal on it.”
She snorted and looked right at me, eyes pleading and unfair. “Don’t tell. Please? I’m really fine, and I just took a silly tumble today. I was barely out of the barn and it wasn’t a big deal.”
“Maybe if you weren’t only halfway healed from your last fall, it wouldn’t be a big deal. But given your condition, I’d say it’s up there.”
She pulled out the rubber band from where her ponytail was knotted at the back of her head and shook her hair out, groaning in relief. “You know what? This is none of your business.” She started walking up the stairs without a backward glance. “All I came here for was a shower and a change of clothes. I don’t need a lecture from you.”
I watched her disappear as her words sank in. As soon as they did, my irritation skyrocketed and I jogged up the steps two at a time. “You mean Lawrence knows about…” I stopped short when I nearly ran her down in the hallway, her shirt long gone, leaving her in nothing but a sports bra and a pair of fitted jeans unbuttoned and gaping at the top. I swallowed hard, trying not to stare, trying not to look at the skin and the curves. She shouldn’t have so many curves, tiny as she was, but they were there and on display, along with a big ol’ Do Not Touch sign. At least in my mind.
The heat that was building, however unwanted, through me was doused when she turned enough for me to see the angry, red scrape gracing her hip as it disappeared beneath the waistband of her jeans.
“Fuck, Midge,” I whispered harshly as I took another step closer, studying her injury. She hissed as my fingertips brushed it, and I realized there was gravel embedded in the flesh.
The reality of our nearness hit me with a force that almost knocked me over but also kept me firmly planted, unable to move anything except my thumb, which kept tracing the outline of her injury. Then it moved up to her collarbone and ran along that, then her cheek. I told myself I was just checking on her, making sure she was truly all right, but the truth was that my eyes could clearly do that job on their own. Shoot, they were already seeing more than they should.
Her eyes were as blue as a white-beach sea, with just as many facets, and they were searching mine, wide-eyed and questioning.
I’m sure mine reflected the same. So many questions, zero answers.
The spell was broken by the opening and slamming of the front door, followed by Lawrence’s holler in greeting. I jumped back like we’d been caught doing… something, when maybe the problem was that we weren’t. Anything inappropriate that swarmed around was entirely hidden, trapped inside my own body, making me think that maybe I just needed to go get laid. By someone else.
I cleared my throat and turned away, leaving her standing there with confusion all over her face. “You should get cleaned up. I’ll tell Lawrence you’re here.”
I found my friend in the kitchen, leaning against the counter with a half-empty beer in his hands.
“That was fast.” I nodded at the bottle.
“Not fast enough.” He took a long drag, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth.
“You okay?” My concern over Tessa was not forgotten, but I was more than happy to delay the conversation.
He slowly shook his head, picking at the label on the longneck. “I got woman problems, man. Bad ones.”
I reached into the fridge and grabbed my own brew, taking a healthy swig. “Tell me about it.”
Chapter 11
2014
“Jace! We’re so glad you made it.” Mrs. Brooks stood on her toes to wrap her arms around me in a familiar embrace.
“Wouldn’t miss it, Mrs. Brooks.”
She pursed her lips at me. “Once you’re closer to thirty than you are twenty, I think you can start calling me by my first name, don’t you?”
“Not really.”
She swatted my head, making me jump back and laugh. Actually it hurt like a bitch.
“Yes ma’am, Melody.” Mrs. Brooks.
She linked arms with me and walked toward the living room. “We do appreciate your being here. Lawrence is over in Virginia doing Lord knows what, and we needed as much family as we could get to send off our girl for the summer.” She cut her eyes sideways at me. “And it’s been too long.”
Probably the longest I’d ever gone without a Brooks Sunday supper.
“How are your parents?”
“They’re good, thanks. I think they’re in… Bangalore, maybe? It’s hard to keep track.”
“It’s good they’re getting to travel now.” She patted my arm. “But you need family around. I’ve heard your business is doing very well.”
I smiled. Mrs. Brooks always had her ear to the ground. “It is. I have people now. They have to do what I tell them.”
“That’s always fun. I think that’s why I had so many kids. No one told me they wouldn’t actually listen or do what I tell them. It was good in theory though.”
I let out a bark of laughter as we crossed the threshold. Everyone in the room paused and turned around. Now that’s an entrance.
The girls all gathered around me, and Jeanine’s kids attacked my knees. I greeted all the spouses and soon-to-be spouses. Tessa hung back and sipped from a champagne flute. I’d only seen her up close a handful of times in the past several months. And every time it felt… too close. I watched her race though, all too often, but she hadn’t known I was there. I wanted to see she was safe with my own eyes, even if it was only through the television screen or from the grandstand. She’d been dominating over the past year, getting stronger and smarter and faster. Cooler.
Standing a little aside from the rest, she was lithe, strong, more fit. Still small. Wearing a pair of tailored shorts and high heels that showed off her toned legs, along with a loose blouse that was just sheer enough. For fuck’s sake.
The sea parted and I made my way over to her with a smirk. “Hey, Midge. You still growing?”
She swatted my chest with the back of her hand. “Shut up.”
I bent to press a kiss to her cheek, brushing my lips across the softness. “How are you?”
“I’m good. I’ve had a couple of weeks off to relax before I go to New York. It’s been blissful.” She winked and took a long sip of champagne.
“Is that code for partying the entire time?”
She shook her head, her blond waves catching the overhead lights. “No. Eating. Well, yeah. And drinking. I’ll regret it in a few days. But not yet.”
“You excited?”
She shrugged her small shoulders. “Ye
s and no. It’s hard being away from home. But it’s fun. Kind of like camp.”
“I hated camp.”
She grinned up at me. “I remember. Did you ever make it through a whole week?”
“No. I never did. It was horrible.”
“Pussy.”
“Damn straight.”
She led me over to the bar where she poured me a glass of champagne and we clinked our glasses together.
“When did you turn twenty-one?” I asked over the rim of my flute.
“Years ago.” She winked.
I laughed. “Yeah, I think I remember that too.” I took another sip. “So where’s Drew? I assumed he’d be here.”
She waved a hand around. “He’s out pimping and schmoozing.”
“You mean he has other clients than you? The nerve.”
“I know, right?” She scoffed. “Apparently I don’t make him enough money.”
“Are you guys still…”
“Nooo. No no no.”
Unwarranted relief flooded me, and I raised an eyebrow. “Really? Why all that?”
“He’s really not my type. And we were never really… a thing. It just seemed that way. We’re friends. And he’s been really good to me.”
“That’s good.” I nodded while she looked at me curiously.
“What about you? Are you seeing anyone?” She fiddled with her champagne glass, twirling it slowly right and left.
“No. I’m not.”
“Not that you’ve been one to bring a bunch of girls around.” She laughed, a bit more high-pitched than her usual husky tone.
“No.” I shook my head. “I haven’t.”
The stilted conversation had taken an awkward turn I wasn’t ready for and was seemingly unable to navigate. But we were saved by Mrs. Brooks calling us in for dinner.
Tessa grinned at me. “Ready for the name search?”
I snorted. “It’s my favorite part.”
I was surprised to see all the couples were seated side by side, leaving Tessa and me together as well. Clearly, by the looks being exchanged, the entire family was surprised.
