Chapter Eight
Emergency Exits are to Your Left
The following days passed faster than I would have liked. My mornings revolved around Hale. We made love as the sun came up, played with Elara, visited the hotel restaurant for breakfast with Naomi and Barrett, and then I was off to see Elle followed by a quick trip back to the hotel, a short frolic in the sheets, and off to work I went.
I excused Hale from joining me at the hospital because I needed to talk to my best friend. I told her about his proposal that we all live together and I wished more than anything that she could give me some sort of sign to help me figure out what to do. All of my life I’d depended on Elle’s support for the big decisions. What Hale was asking was huge and it didn’t just affect me. It concerned Elle, too.
It had been over a month since her accident, which meant bills were due. On Thursday, I gathered my courage and drove to her house.
As I waited in the car, staring up at her home, I wondered who I could ask to cut her grass. Tyler had emotionally withdrawn. I was pretty sure he hadn’t gone to the hospital in almost a week and I couldn’t push him. It was damn hard seeing her so unchanged. But maybe he could help out in other ways.
Making my way up the path, I lifted the flowerpot and found the hidden key. As expected, mail littered the floor on the other side of the door. I gathered up the numerous envelopes and left them on the hall table with my purse.
The house smelled unlived in, but there were signs of her everywhere. Her shoes sat in the hall where she’d kicked them off after her last run. The afghan was still unfolded on the couch. And her bread on the counter had grown fur.
The trash reeked in the kitchen, so I bagged up what rotten food I could find and tied it off, leaving it by the door to go outside. I gathered the few dishes that had been sitting around and took them to the kitchen.
She was almost out of dish soap. Maybe I should start a list. Turning to find a notepad, I—“Jabberwocky!”
“Calamity. Rayne. I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”
“Jesus Christ, Chris! You scared the shit out of me. What are you doing here?”
He shrugged, drawing my attention to the scars on his arm. Were they tracks? His beard was full and his hair looked dirty, in some sort of dreadlock mess. “I came to check on the house.”
I frowned. Last time he’d checked on it he’d robbed the place. “Have you been to see Elle?”
He leaned against the fridge. “I stopped by. She’s a vegetable.”
My mouth compressed as my eyes narrowed. I fucking hated him. I’d stopped liking him a long time ago for all the stress he’d caused Elle, but over the past few years that dislike corroded into utter loathing.
He was an unredeemable piece of shit and he had no business being in her home. “Are you staying here?”
“It’s my house.”
“It’s your sister’s house.”
He glanced around, exploiting the vacantness. “I don’t see her. And I’m pretty sure she’s not coming back.”
“You don’t know that,” I snapped.
He gave a gruff laugh. “Come on, Calamity. Grow up.”
My anger seethed as my breath labored in and out of my chest. “You can’t afford to stay here. She has bills.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. I could go nine months without paying the mortgage before anyone stepped in.”
I didn’t know if that was true. I’d heard Remington talk about the corruption of banks in this country, something about loans defaulting faster than the economy could handle and some sort of housing bubble. But I didn’t know what that meant. All I knew was Elle had good credit and she’d worked hard to keep her score.
I’d been working under the subconscious assumption that I could ask Hale to help keep her in the black, but … there was no way I could do that with Chris here. So I lied. “We’re renting the house out.”
“Who is?”
“Me and Tyler. It’s what Elle would have wanted.”
“Going to be awfully cramped here, with me, the new tenants, and all my sister’s shit. Unless you meant you were renting the place. You and I could probably figure out a way to share.”
I was going to vomit. “Chris, you can’t stay here. Last time you were here you stole the stove.”
He shrugged again. “It was my stove.”
I wondered if I could call the police. There had to be some sort of squatter’s law he was violating. I went back to my lie because it actually made a little sense.
“We need to rent out the house to pay the hospital.” Or maybe it didn’t make sense. Someone still had to pay the mortgage and that would be the point of the rent. “She needs income right now and this house is more hers than yours.”
“That may be true, but I’m certain it’s more mine than yours, Calamity.”
“She needs money. Her medical bills alone will be—”
“I’m not paying them a penny. Let the guy who hit her take responsibility.”
Like that was going to happen. Irritated, I snapped, “You have to leave. This isn’t your house anymore.”
He laughed and sighed. “She’s gone, Rayne. Don’t you get it? She’s fucking dead. I could walk in and tell them to shut off all the machines and they’d have no choice, because like it or not, I’m her family. You’re nothing. The house is in my name and I’m not leaving. It’s only a matter of time before my fifty percent becomes one hundred.”
She wasn’t on a breathing machine, which showed how out of touch and what an asshole he was. “You stay the fuck away from her!”
Pushing past him, I gathered my purse and the mail on the way out. I shivered with rage as I raced to my car, determined to get to the hospital and tell the doctors never to listen to him. I was so upset I couldn’t catch my breath.
Once I drove to the next street I had to pull over around the corner to calm down. Tears of fear blurred my vision. My hands gripped the wheel as I glared out the window and ground my teeth.
Not knowing what to do, I called Tyler. I could have called Hale, but I knew he’d tell me to go with his plan and move in with him. Right now we needed to focus on getting Chris away from Elle.
“Hello?”
“Ty, it’s me. Chris is at her house.”
“Fuck.” He sighed into the phone. “How long’s he been there?”
“I don’t know, but he’s not leaving.”
“Goddamn it. By the sound of your voice, I’m guessing he’s not clean.”
A derisive laugh barked out of me. “Not at all. His eyes were wrecked and his stink is still in my nose. Who can we call?”
“No one. The house is as much his as it is Elle’s.”
“We have to be able to call someone.” I tilted my phone as my call waiting beeped. Not recognizing the number, I ignored it. “He’s not going to pay the bills and she’ll lose everything.”
Tyler sighed. “With everything else, Ray, she might not be able to afford to keep the house anyway. Hold on. I have a weird number calling me.”
“But—” He put me on hold and I waited. Maybe Hale could make him leave. The line clicked and I jumped right back into the conversation. “We need to talk to someone, Tyler. I might be able to get a lawyer.”
He was quiet.
“Ty?” Maybe he was still on the other line.
“She’s awake.”
My entire body went cold as I tried to fathom his words. “What?”
“That was the hospital. She opened her eyes about ten minutes ago. I’ll meet you there.”
“I’m on my way.”
I drove faster than I’d ever pushed my little car. Thank God for Seri, because I needed my eyes to get through traffic. “Call Hale.”
“There is no hail in the forecast today. Currently, it’s partly cloudy with a high of ninety-one—”
“Seri, shut up! Call Hale.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t have anyone in your contacts under that name,” the robotic voice responded.
“Damn it.” I shook my head. “Seri, call Big Dick Davenport.”
“Calling Big Dick Davenport,” the voice politely replied as the phone began to ring.
“Hey, baby.”
“She’s awake! She opened her eyes a few minutes ago. I’m heading to the hospital now.”
“Drive carefully. You sound like you’re rushing.”
I eyed the speedometer and dropped it back from seventy, to a safe sixty-five.
“I can be there in twenty minutes.”
My heart was beating a mile a minute. “Okay. I’ll see you when you get there. I love you.”
“I love you, too. And Rayne, don’t speed.”
I nodded and ended the call. When I pulled into the hospital parking lot I didn’t bother to read any of the signs and took the closest spot to the entrance. I darted through the automatic doors and raced to the elevators, jamming my finger into the button like a woodpecker going at a tree.
As soon as I was inside the lift, I pushed the button for the doors to close. “Come on,” I growled as they slowly came together.
When they opened at Elle’s floor I ran as fast as I could to her room and stumbled through the door, gasping for breath. I looked at my best friend, sitting up as a nurse did something with her IV. And then I burst into tears.
“You’re awake,” I sobbed. “I can’t believe you’re awake.” I rushed to the bed and grabbed her hand, touching her legs and arms as I stared into her wide blue eyes. “I was so scared, Elle. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Wiping my eyes, I drew in a shaky breath and smiled at her, waiting for her to say something. She frowned and pink stole over the whites of her eyes as she started to tremble.
In a voice so raw and unused, she whispered, “Why are you here?”
I shut my eyes and wept, lowering my head as her words washed over me with such reassurance. I’d been terrified she might die in this room or wake up as someone else.
“Ty?” she whispered and I turned as our friend, wearing a mask of utter shock, staggered to her side. He glanced at me and then gently pulled Elle into a hug.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you awake,” he rasped. As he eased back, I noted the tracks of tears on his face.
Elle, still frowning, looked over his shoulder. “Hello.”
Relief punched me in the gut as I saw Hale and Barrett standing in the doorway. With trembling fingers, I caught her hand and squeezed. “That’s Hale.”
She continued to stare over Tyler’s shoulder. “The Hot One’s here. Am I high?” she whispered and I laughed.
The moment was interrupted as the doctors came in and we all had to exit in order for them to speak privately to their patient and run some tests.
“We’ll be right out here, Elle. Don’t shut your eyes,” I insisted as Hale pulled me with the others into the hall.
She just woke up and I was already leaving. I wanted to stay, but the hospital staff insisted and Elle, who seemed to choose her words with extra care, didn’t object.
We went to a family waiting room and sat in silence. Hale stoically kept to my side as I continued to weep tears of joy, relief too intense to keep bottled up. I’d never been so happy in all of my life.
There were no words for those long minutes we waited, no accurate description for the uplifting emotions I felt. Tyler was there, equally moved. Together, we stared at the door wiping our eyes.
“Rayne Meyers?”
“That’s me!” I stood and faced the nurse.
“Elle’s asking to see you.”
I nodded and glanced to Tyler, feeling guilty he wasn’t asked. Maybe there was a one person at a time rule. “As soon as I figure out what’s going on I’ll send for you.”
He nodded and I left him in the waiting room with Hale and Barrett. An unexpected fear took hold of me as I approached her room. What did she think of all this? What did she remember about the accident? How would she be different? I gently knocked on the door and stepped inside the hospital room.
She sat in an upright position holding a cup in her hand. Such a simple thing, but so monumental. I went to the chair beside her bed and slowly sat. “I can’t believe you’re awake.”
“I was hit by a drunk driver,” she said, her face telling me she had no recollection of the accident.
“He’s in jail.”
She frowned. “Who was he?”
“A guy named Buck Malhorne. He has a wife and two sons.” I hated that he had a family because it filled me with guilt every time I hoped he’d rot in prison.
Elle slowly nodded, her brow tight. “You’re not in Florida.”
I shook my head. “I came home the minute I heard.”
“Where’s my car?”
It seemed strange that these were her worries, but I guessed there was so much confusion in her head there was no time to prioritize her questions into any sort of order. “It was totaled.”
She tilted her cup to her mouth and ice crunched between her teeth. Her hand brushed over her ear. “My hair…”
“It’ll grow back.”
She continued to frown, two divots forming between her eyebrows. “They showed me a…” The little grooves of confusion deepened. “Thing.”
“Mirror?”
She nodded. Her fingers slowly lifted to her face and traced over her eyebrows where little rogue spikes had grown. She glanced at her nails. “Did you do this?”
I nodded. “Could you hear me talking to you?”
Her head shook slowly. “What color is this?”
I smiled because Elle always appreciated clever makeup names. “Teal the Cows Come Home.”
“No… What … color?”
“It’s blue.”
“Right. Blue.” She wiped her nose and sniffled. “What color?”
My worry doubled. “Blue. Well, bluish green. It’s teal.”
“Blue.” She looked at me and her anxiety became a tangible thing between us. “Blue?”
I nodded. “It’s only been an hour,” I said, assuring both of us that she needed time to adjust. Swallowing, I confessed, “I have so much to tell you.”
“Where’s my mom?”
Oh, my God. My chest tightened.
“Elle, your mom and dad passed away.”
Her gaze skittered to the side of the room as a tear slowly trailed down her cheek. “That’s right. I knew that.”
I hated saying it, but I wanted her to have everything she needed. “Your brother’s at your house.”
She looked at me and I recognized true uncertainty in her eyes. “My brother?”
“Chris.”
Her breathing turned labored and the monitors chirped faster. A nurse came in and checked the machines. “We’re going to need some privacy for a few minutes.”
Elle suddenly resembled a frightened version of her younger self. I took her hand and squeezed. “I’m not going far. Let them help you. I’ll be right down the hall with Tyler.”
She nodded, but nothing would ever erase the memory of that uncertain look in her eyes. That wasn’t the Elle I knew.
We were in the waiting room for almost an hour. I told the others that she was still a little confused. Hale and Barrett, the least attached, assured us that was probably typical in these sorts of situation.
I’d expected a nurse to send for me when they were done, but a doctor showed up. We all stared at him as he explained that Elle requested he speak with us. She was resting, which terrified me. She’d slept for weeks and I worried if she shut her eyes they might never open again.
“We believe Elle is suffering from slight retrograde amnesia. While she’s able to tell us the year and her address, she gets very distressed when asked to recite the alphabet. Over the next few days, we’d like to run some more tests as she acclimates.”
“Will she get those memories back?” Tyler asked.
“This isn’t a loss of memories, per se, but a loss of information. It’s better explained as a disconnect. Think of it as little files she’s temporarily misplaced. Her retention should rebuild over time.”
Was that why she kept asking about colors? “But she remembered us,” I said, trying to recall her exact words when we arrived. “She remembered that I was supposed to be in Florida.”
“Yes. She knows who she is and what her life was like, but her information is scattered at the moment. While she might remember how to make a bag of popcorn, she might struggle with using a microwave. It’s a matter of reacquainting her brain with what it’s misplaced.”
“But she can relearn those things,” Barrett said, surprising me with his attentiveness.
“Absolutely.”
“Will she be able to return to her daily life?” Hale asked and the doctor hesitated.
“In time. I can’t ethically grant her permission to operate a vehicle at this stage, but as she returns to her life and adapts, her skills will increase.”
Everyone was silent so I finally asked, “Can we see her?”
“I think it’s best she rests for a bit. We’ve removed her catheter and a physical therapist is helping her, but she’s very weak and struggling to move around. She’s disoriented and understandably confused. You’re welcome to stay, but if she’s sleeping I wouldn’t suggest waking her.”
I nodded and once he left I sank into my seat.
“You said she forgot about her parents?” Tyler asked.
“Yeah, but she remembered as soon as I told her.”
“Are her parents gone?” Barrett asked and Tyler and I nodded.
Hale took my hand and squeezed. “We’ll stay.”
I blinked up at him and smiled, relief tunneling through me. “Thank you.”
I called out of work and Tyler did the same. Barrett went on a mission to find food and returned with boxes of local dishes. It seemed the Davenport way to not just survive when visiting a hospital, but also feed the doctors and nurses. It made us very popular among the staff.
Elle woke up a few hours later and Tyler and I went to speak to her. I felt guilty that Barrett and Hale were stuck in the waiting room even when Elle was awake, but they never complained.
I was amazed at how resilient Elle appeared, although obviously still weak. She ate food, albeit with trembling fingers, and drank pop and even made a few jokes, but there were moments in between when I recognized her internal struggle. Sometimes she couldn’t remember basic words, and she’d totally forgotten Tyler was no longer engaged. She knew I’d gone to Florida to work for Remington Davenport, but didn’t recall any of our conversations about Hale.
“But you recognized them,” Tyler said.
“Well, more like I noticed them. And I know who the Davenports are.”
She’d always called Barrett The Hot One and Hale The Other One whenever the Davenports showed up in the tabloids. I no longer agreed with those labels, but that was how she’d referred to them whenever they appeared in the public eye, which was quite often.
Her hand lifted to her shorn hair. “I can’t believe they saw me like this. I look like Frankenstein.”
“You do not look like Frankenstein.”
Elle sighed. “I feel gross.”
“You were in a coma,” Tyler reminded.
“You’re a guy. You wouldn’t understand. Ray, can you bring me some stuff from home?”
“Whatever you need.”
I’d make Hale go with me because I wasn’t dealing with Chris again. God, going to her house meant her brother would find out she woke up. Maybe that would get him out of there. He was worse than a termite infestation.
“I need clothes and some toiletries. Grab my…” She pointed to her eyebrows.
“Tweezers?”
“Yes.”
I made a list and promised to have everything back in an hour. Tyler stayed with Elle and Barrett stayed with the food. It was a strange comfort having Hale’s brother there. Sweet that he didn’t mind keeping Hale company when Tyler and I were with Elle. Plus, he could call if anything changed.
The day felt a hundred years long and it was only seven o’clock. As Hale drove, I rested my eyes.
“You okay?” he asked, taking my hand in his.
I nodded and turned my cheek to face him. “Never in a million years would I guess this was how the day would go.”
He smiled. “It’s a great day.”
Yes, it was. The GPS directed him toward Elle’s. “You know how I told you about Elle’s brother?”
“Yes.”
“Well, he’s back. I saw him this morning when I went to check on her house.”
“Why wasn’t he at the hospital?”
“Because he’s Chris. They don’t talk.”
It was no wonder Elle had a difficult time remembering him. Chris had segmented personas we all recalled. The man he’d become was totally different from the person he was as a child.
I watched Hale’s face carefully as I explained more. “He’s staying at her house and he doesn’t plan to leave.”
Hale was a problem solver, very solution oriented. He’d know how to get Chris out.
His face remained blank as he focused on the road. “Does he have a legal right to be there?”
“It’s fifty percent his, but Elle threw him out years ago.”
Chris had wanted his share of the property, but she was in no position to buy him out. That was part of the reason he felt entitled to take whatever he wanted and why no charges had ever been filed when he robbed the place.
“There’s nothing we can do tonight, but tomorrow I’ll give her bank a call and see what’s what. She has no authority over him so long as his name’s on the deed.”
“I just wanted to give you a heads up that he might be there. I don’t expect you to get involved.” That was sort of a lie. I didn’t want to involve him, but I hoped he’d tell me how to fix this.
He gave me a sidelong glance. “She’s your friend, Rayne. It’s no problem for me to help.”
But to what degree? I couldn’t keep leaning on him to fix all my problems, let alone my friend’s. I’d much rather he guide me in the right direction because right now I felt like a clueless child doing very grown-up things.
I wondered if this changed his offer about living together. Now that Elle was awake, she’d likely have something to say about it. Her life was here in Oregon. Mine was divided. I’d have to talk to Tyler about helping her out because she was definitely not her usual self. Either way, I wasn’t ready to leave.
When we entered Elle’s house it was quiet. I didn’t announce myself because part of me hoped no one was home. But life didn’t work that way. Chris was sleeping on the couch, an overflowing ashtray wedged between cups and plates on the coffee table. Hale arched a brow and stepped closer.
“Don’t wake him up,” I whispered. “It’s better if he’s unconscious.”
He reached over the table and lifted a little baggie full of what looked like meth. Great. Hale tossed it back into the mess and quietly followed me up the stairs. “He looks like a real winner.”
“He’s the best of the best when it comes to bleeding people dry.” That applied to both emotional and financial bleeding.
I opened the closet and picked out a few of Elle’s favorite clothes. Then I went to her vanity and filled a shoebox with personal items. I didn’t wear makeup or know how to coordinate colors, so I grabbed a little bit of everything.
Chris never moved while we were there and we left the house as we found it. When I returned to the hospital a nurse was helping Elle in the bathroom. She emerged dressed in a fresh hospital gown, her hair slicked to one side.
“Look at you walking around,” I said, chest tight with pride.
“I’m so weak.” She eased into the bed and the nurse left us. Once she was situated, she studied me. “I’m sorry, Ray. I can’t imagine what this must have done to you.”
“Please don’t apologize.”
She gave a sad smile. “I’m so foggy. What’s going on at my job? Have any of my co-workers been by?”
“Cassandra visited a few times.” That was her boss. “And the other girls sent flowers.”
She frowned. “My clients probably went to someone else.”
“I’m sure they’ll come back to you when you’re ready to return.”
She folded her legs and I sat across from her on the bed.
“Elle, you can talk to me about what you’re feeling. I’m here.”
Her lashes spikes as her eyes glazed with tears. “Talking’s hard.” She reached for my foot, which was under my knee. “Like these…”
“Shoelaces?”
“Yeah.” Releasing my laces she turned. “I know what they’re called, but I can’t say it or think it. I don’t know.”
“The doctor said your words might be misplaced for a while, but you’ll get them back.”
“I want to go home.”
“You will.” I hesitated, not sure if this was the time to bring up her brother, but I wanted her to be prepared. “Chris is at the house.”
“Okay.”
That wasn’t the response I expected. “I don’t think he plans to leave.”
“Ray,” she whispered. “How old is Chris?”
Worry tightened my stomach. “He’s thirty-six, I think.”
“Why can’t I remember him past high school?”
I sighed. “Because you hit your head and he’s changed a lot.”
I could tell she was trying to piece everything together by the way her gaze flicked around the room but never really focused on any specific item. “Why isn’t he here?”
“Oh, Elle.”
I spent the next hour telling her about her brother and how he’d changed. She cried but accepted the truth. There was little consolation, with a brother like that. The asshole didn’t even care she’d been in a coma, but I didn’t tell her that.
When she laid down, I lingered but knew she was emotionally exhausted, so I let her sleep. I didn’t want to leave the hospital, but Hale insisted I needed rest as well, promising we could come back first thing in the morning. It was my goal to be there before Elle awoke.
We didn’t talk much or make love that night, but he loved me in a different way. He was there, a solid wall of strength for me to lean on as I tried to sort out my thoughts and discard the worries that no longer applied in order to make room for the new ones.
The next morning I returned to the hospital and Elle was wearing regular clothes. It was so wonderful to see her walking around. Her steps were slow, but she was able to move without much assistance, which was good.
Word got out that she’d opened her eyes and people came to visit. First my mom, then her co-workers, followed by some other friends, but never her brother. I didn’t mention Chris again, because why bother? There was plenty of time to think about that later.
Over the weekend, Barrett and Hale kept the hospital staff well fed and my appetite slowly returned. The doctors ran a slew of tests and Elle continued to stress over her hair.
Every few minutes I took note of some deficient part of her mind. These weren’t things the doctors would recognize, but Tyler and I often passed worried looks. Elle was a hairdresser, but she didn’t know what a curling iron was called and despite requesting tweezers, she couldn’t figure out how to use them.
She was put on a certain medication to help with her anxiety, which stemmed from her frustration at not being able to recall simple things. Sometimes she got moody, asking where we’d been when we specifically told her we’d be back in a few minutes.
“This isn’t good,” Tyler whispered when Elle had gone to use the bathroom.
“It’ll get better with time.” That’s what the doctors had said, what I wanted to believe.
“How is she going to go back to work or take care of herself, Ray? I don’t trust her not to burn the house down.”
“It’s not that bad.” But it wasn’t that great either.
The bathroom door opened and Elle stilled. “When did you guys get back?”
Okay, it was that bad. Leaving Tyler with her for a bit, I went to find Hale who had gone to speak to the billing department about having Elle discharged. He recognized my worry as soon as I found him.
“She can’t stay alone,” I told him. “It’s not just missing words or forgetting little things. It’s like she has Alzheimer’s.”
“They said that might happen on occasion. This is overwhelming for her.”
I nodded, but deep down I knew this wouldn’t resolve any time soon.
The following day was discharge day. I rode with Elle in the back of Hale’s rental as he and Barrett took up the front. Elle kept smirking and mouthing dirty things about Hale’s brother to me. Her libido clearly wasn’t affected by the accident.
When we reached her house I unlocked the door as Hale carried in her bag. She stepped inside and stilled. “What’s that stench?”
Chris was obviously still here. “Smoke. Your brother’s here.”
“He smokes?”
“You smoke.”
She drew back. “What? No, I don’t.”
Well, there was a bonus. She’d been struggling to quit for three years. This was much easier.
She scoffed and walked into the living room, coming up short when she saw her useless pile of shit brother lounging on the couch. She staggered back a step and my hand caught her weight.
Chris watched his sister but didn’t hold enough concern to put out his cigarette or even stand up. “Holy shit. You’re alive.”
Elle continued to frown. “Chris?”
His brow lifted, mocking her inability to recognize him. “Yeah?”
“You can’t smoke in here.”
He scoffed and took a long drag of his cigarette. “Really?”
Barrett stepped forward and plucked the cigarette out of his mouth and chucked it into a bottle of beer. “Have some respect,” Hale’s brother snapped and quickly returned to our side. He immediately went up ten points in my book.
“Who the fuck are these guys?”
I just stared at him, but Hale leaned close to me and whispered, “Why don’t you help Elle get settled while we have a talk with her brother?”
Unsure what they could possibly have to say to him, I nodded and shuffled Elle into the kitchen. “We can get you some food once you’re settled. I think there’s some soup in the cabinet. Are you hungry?”
When she didn’t answer I turned and found her staring at the cabinets from the doorway of the kitchen. “Who painted the walls yellow?”
“We did.”
“They’re supposed to be blue.”
I was glad to know her colors were coming back, but in the absence of one issue came another. “Why don’t we eat and then we can go to the store?” I couldn’t leave her there with Chris.
She sat at the table as I heated up soup. When Hale and Barrett came into the kitchen they looked irritated.
“Can you sit with her for a few minutes?” I quietly asked Barrett, who nodded. Taking Hale into the dining room, I whispered, “What happened?”
He grimaced. “He’s not going to leave, Rayne. And he has every right to be here. I don’t think she should stay and I don’t like the idea of you being around a guy like that.”
“I can take her to my house.”
I was sure my mom wouldn’t mind if Elle crashed for a few days. It wouldn’t be permanent. She could sleep on the couch. But who would watch her when my mom and I went to work? What if Tyler was right and she burned the place down? I couldn’t risk my mom’s home—or Elle’s safety—like that.
Hale’s eyes creased with worry. “I think you need a better plan. I think it’s time to start considering what she needs long-term—what we all need.”
There comes a moment when the road of life forks and you know you have to make a turn, but I just stood there.
Call me Cleopatra, because I was queen of d’Nile and I refused to accept we had no other choice but the two huge decisions before me.
“You want us to go back to Florida with you?”
“I honestly think it would best for everyone, baby.”
My head lowered. “I can’t make her go.”
“Ask her.”
“She won’t want to. Her life’s here.”
But where did that leave me? I was trapped between two worlds, my heart ripping in two. And no matter how much I wanted to deny this was my only option, there were no other solutions jumping out at me.
“Just ask and then we’ll see what’s best.”
Sighing, I returned to the kitchen. Elle was smiling as Barrett told her a story about sailing along the coast of Spain. It was the first time I saw her truly happy since waking up. I sat at the table and listened as Barrett finished his tale, in no rush to interrupt the moment.
Chris could be heard shuffling around the house, but he never bothered us. As I watched Elle’s captivation with Barrett, I realized I had a weapon at my disposal.
I didn’t like manipulating people, but Hale was right. Getting out of here was for the best. At least right now. When she was more equipped to deal with regular life she could come back—if Chris didn’t blow up her house in the meantime.
“Elle, how would you like to come back to Florida with us, take a little time to recuperate? Hale and Barrett will be there.”
Her lips pursed as a flush worked over her cheeks and she shyly said my name. “Ray...”
Barrett glanced at me, his expression confused. I’d explain my logic to him later. I just needed to borrow his potent sex appeal for a minute to get Elle to agree. I didn’t want him to do anything. That would be a huge mistake. Elle was fragile. I just needed him to keep her interested enough to follow us back to Florida.
“Would I stay at Remington’s?” Elle asked.
“You’d stay with me,” Hale explained.
“We all would, you, me, Hale, Elara, and Barrett.”
Barrett frowned but kept his mouth shut. He’d been staying with Remington, but now that his father was in Maine, there was no point in him being at the other house all alone. Or maybe there was. I didn’t presume to tell a man in his thirties where he had to sleep.
“For how long?” Elle asked.
“Until we’re ready to come back.” I might only be able to keep her there a few weeks, but she couldn’t return to work or stay on her own until she was back to her usual self. “It’ll be like a vacation.”
She glanced at Hale’s brother and back to me. “I might be confused, but there’s no way I’d give up that chance.” She nodded. “Show me how the rich and famous live.”
And we had lift-off.