nine
ROBIN BROUGHT HER red Jeep Compass to a screeching halt in front of the hospital.
Sophie jumped out of the front passenger side and rushed to the entrance. In his voice message, Aiden had asked her to meet him at the hospital. She’d tried calling him back, but he hadn’t picked up. In his message, he’d said he was already on his way to King. She should have answered her phone the first time. Guilt and panic swelled in Sophie’s chest. Was King okay?
She hurried down a wide corridor. Years after losing her mom, the clean, sterile smell of disinfectant still reminded her of sickness and mortality. She scooted around a pale, middle-aged woman with a purple knit cap in a wheelchair. More images from the past arose. Her throat tightened.
Upstairs in the fifth-floor waiting room, she spotted Aiden speaking to two doctors in lab coats down the hall. He raked back his dark hair with both hands and his expression turned grim.
Not a good sign. Her knees weakened. She made her way to an empty row of brown vinyl seats and sank into one.
Moments later, Aiden walked toward her.
Concern drove Sophie to her feet. “Where’s King? Is he all right? What did the doctors say?”
“They just completed a CT scan.”
She followed his lead and sat next to him. “And?”
“He was unconscious when they brought him in, but he woke up an hour ago. His right side is banged up and bruised. Mainly, they’re concerned about the head injury. They’re keeping him overnight.” Aiden scrubbed his hand down his face. “I still can’t believe it. He and the crew were damn lucky.”
“What caused the crash?”
“The landing gear malfunctioned during takeoff. Fortunately, the flight crew’s skill saved them from total disaster.” His cell buzzed. He lifted the edge of his navy button-down and removed the phone from the pocket of his jeans. “It’s the pilot’s husband. I told him to contact me when she was discharged. Would you check on King? His room is second from the end on the right.” Aiden stood and took the call.
Anxiety built with each step Sophie took. She froze at the door of the private hospital room.
Inside, King lay in bed wearing a light blue hospital gown. His eyes were closed. A small bandage was over his temple. Another, larger one was near the back of his head. He’d never looked so weak.
His eyes fluttered open. Moaning, he struggled with his right arm, which was immobilized by a sling, and tried to sit up.
“No. King, wait.” She rushed to his bed and laid her hand on his good shoulder. “You shouldn’t move.”
“Where am I?”
“Your hospital room.” It took all of her will not to smooth the hair from his forehead.
He winced as he sank back. “They’re keeping me?”
“Just for observation. You’re going to be okay.” At least she assumed he was. “I’ll get Aiden.”
“I’m here.” Aiden came in and hastened to the other side of the bed.
The seriousness shadowing Aiden’s face made him look older, but he was younger than King by almost two years. He was also leaner and had dark brown hair instead of black, but side by side, the family resemblance was evident.
King squinted as if he had trouble focusing. “Tell them to give me some painkillers and discharge me. I can’t stay. I have to fly to New York this weekend to straighten out that mess at the Autumn Star.”
Sophie met Aiden’s gaze. From his worried expression, she knew they were thinking the same thing. King had already flown to New York and helped handle the pool-renovation problem at that hotel.
“I also told Jenna I’d escort her to her sister’s wedding.” King closed his eyes. “The way I feel right now, I can tough it out for the meeting, but hanging with her, not so much.”
Aiden smiled, but concern flashed in his hazel eyes. “Your job is to follow the doctor’s orders and get better. Sophie and I will take care of everything else.” He nodded at her, as if she should agree.
“Yes.” She squeezed King’s hand. “You just rest and don’t worry about any of it.”
“Thanks.” King stroked his thumb over her knuckles, an intimate gesture he’d never done in the past. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“It’s all right.” She tried to pull away.
His grip tightened, and he opened his eyes. The intensity of his eyes, a captivating silvery gray more than blue, held her in place. “I can’t lose you. Ever.”
Her heart stuttered.
Aiden looked between her and King. “It’s all good. She isn’t going anywhere. Are you?”
The two men stared at her, both oblivious in their own way about what happened since last night.
She forced a smile. “I’m here.”
“See? Nothing to worry about.” Aiden patted King’s shoulder. “Get some rest.” He looked at her and tipped his head toward the door.
She followed Aiden down the hall and to the waiting room. “He’s really confused.”
“Yeah. He is. The doctors mentioned he might not recall the accident or the days leading up to it.”
“But the things he was talking about happened weeks ago.”
“From what they told me, head injuries are tricky. We’ll know more as he recovers.” Aiden’s expression turned grim. “You can’t discuss his prognosis with anyone. Do you understand?”
His curt tone made her rear back. “Of course I wouldn’t.”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to sound harsh.” He released a breath. “Unfortunately, there are people who’d like to exploit this situation as a weakness. Don’t get me wrong. King’s health is the priority, but we have a lot at stake, especially with us looking to close a deal on the Ivy Gate Hotel in a month. I also just found out we’re dealing with a data breach. I’m trusting you to help me protect him and KP International.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“First, we have to iron out his weekend. He was meeting with a couple in Georgia to discuss buying their property. I got the impression he wasn’t spending the weekend alone. Do you know who she is?”
Sophie shoved her own hurt aside. “Her name is Tina. She’s arriving at his hotel tomorrow afternoon.”
“Do you have her number?”
“She called the office. I can track it down. Would you like me to call her?”
“No. I’ll do it. Until further notice, route his calls and his correspondence directly to me. Anything else I should know about?”
Now wasn’t the time to mention her rift with King. Her resignation could wait. “No.”
Aiden’s cell rang. He answered. “Yes. Mom, he’s all right. No, don’t fly out here. Mom . . . Mom, hold on.” He muted the line. “She’s not going to calm down until she hears King’s voice.”
“Of course. You should go to him.”
“Can you meet me in the morning? Nine o’clock. My office. I know it’s the weekend, but I’d like to go over his schedule and current projects.”
“Sure.”
Aiden smiled in relief. “King’s right. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”
Downstairs in the lobby, Robin rushed over to her. “How is he?”
“For the most part, he’s okay. Everyone survived, but what if things had gone a different way? He could have died.” The reality of the situation zapped the last of Sophie’s adrenaline. She sank into an orange padded bench along the wall.
Robin sat next to Sophie and held her hand. “He didn’t die. He’s alive. Do you know the extent of his injuries?”
“Bruises, a hurt shoulder. He also hit his head. He was unconscious when they brought him in, but he’s awake now. They want to monitor him. He’s confused. King was speaking about things that happened weeks ago like they’re happening today.”
“Amnesia can occur with head trauma.” Robin gave her a reassuring squeeze. “The good news is, he’s in the best place for treatment. The hospital where I work is good, but the trauma center here is excellent. With time and the right care, he’ll improve.”
“He looked so helpless.”
Robin looped her arm through Sophie’s. “It must have been a shock to see him like that. How’s Aiden handling it?”
“He’s in full crisis-management mode. He’s not only stressed over what happened, he’s also worried about people using King’s memory loss against him or the company. So don’t discuss his status with anyone. Okay?”
“I won’t. What did Aiden say about your resignation?”
“King didn’t tell him, but even if he did know about it, it wouldn’t matter. I can’t leave now. Come on. I have to go to the office and track down a number. I also need to get my resignation off of King’s desk before Aiden sees it.” She went to stand.
Robin held on to her. “What about your opportunity with Meagan Langston?”
“It was a conversation, not an offer, and it didn’t come with an expiration date. I can get back to her anytime.”
“Which makes it easy for you to forget. You have to keep your priorities straight.”
“My priorities? King was in an accident. He and Aiden need me. I can juggle what I have to do and help them at the same time.”
“I don’t doubt that you can. In my eyes, you’re like Wonder Woman and can handle almost anything. King, though, has always been the man who binds your bracelets. No pun intended. You’ve always reordered your time to accommodate him. Maybe it’s time to put yourself first for a change.”
“Hold on. Earlier today you called me a saint for keeping my perspective when it came to him.”
“You’ve slept together.”
“And?” Robin’s frank stare sent a rush of indignation through Sophie. “Oh, I get it. Now you think I’m weak because I have regrets and shed a few tears over him.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m your friend, and I’m always on your side, but you have to face the truth. You were impulsive with King because you care for him. Otherwise you wouldn’t have slept with him or risked the job you loved.”
“That has nothing to do with this.”
“You’re deluding yourself if you think it doesn’t. If you do this, you have to face the obvious. The two of you sleeping together impacted you differently than it affected King.”
“Thank you for pointing that out, but right now that doesn’t make a difference. He doesn’t remember what happened between us.”
“But you do. Pandora’s box is open, and your feelings are exposed.” Robin squeezed her arm. “I can’t let you go ahead with this unless you think it through. Can you honestly sit outside his office, pretending it doesn’t faze you when he decides to recover in Miss Weekend Fling’s arms, or some other woman’s bed? The accident hasn’t changed him. He’s still the guy that hurt you, and he’ll do it again if you let him.”
The sting of truth subdued Sophie’s pride. She’d fantasized about him being the perfect lover, not a serial hookup artist. Still, there was more to consider. “I owe Aiden. Five years ago, when my mom was sick, I couldn’t afford around-the-clock care. I had to look after her. My old job let me go because of poor attendance.” A lump formed in her throat as she recalled how hard it was to watch her mom slip away. “After she died, everyone I interviewed with, except Aiden, held my spotty work history against me. It’s only right that I help him now.”
“I’m not suggesting you leave him in the lurch. Just put a time limit on how long you’ll stay, and don’t pass up starting your own jewelry line with Meagan.”
“Why is it that every time you mention my bracelets and Meagan’s name in the same sentence, your expectations grow larger and larger? No one said anything about a line of jewelry.”
“You won’t know what the possibilities are unless you try.” Robin gave her a small, almost sad, smile. “Maybe the best part in this is the possibility of you leaving your job. You’ve put yourself in second place for a long time. With your mom, it made sense, but now?” She shrugged. “After all that’s happened, don’t you deserve happiness?”
Creativity always took her to a good place. She would need a refuge from the awkwardness of working with King. What could it hurt talking to Meagan? “Okay.”
“Okay, you’ll leave once King is out of the hospital, or okay that you’ll talk to Meagan?”
“With King out of the picture for a few weeks, Aiden will have to shoulder the workload. I wouldn’t feel right leaving before King is at least back in the office.”
Robin held up her pinkie. “Pinkie swear.”
“A pinkie swear? Really?”
“I’m not joking. Where I’m from, it’s as binding as a signed contract. What’s the cutoff for you giving him your notice again—three weeks?”
“I can’t lose you. Ever.” His declaration from earlier loomed.
The place where King had stroked over her other hand tingled as if he were there, pulling her in the opposite direction. She couldn’t stay.
“I’ll give him my two weeks’ notice in four weeks, but that’s it. Promise.” Sophie linked her finger with Robin’s. And with any luck, if King did start to remember the night of gala, she’d be long gone.