Chapter Seventeen
There was a moment of silence. He looked at the screen to see if they’d been disconnected. “Cora?”
“I’m so sorry to wake you up, Grey. Someone stole my car while I was covering a shift at the hospital.” She hesitated. “Is there any way you could come and take me home? I’m kinda stuck here.”
There was no missing the weariness in her voice. He was already out of bed and reaching for a shirt from his dresser drawer. “Absolutely. You can wait inside, right?”
“Yes.”
Good. That made him feel a lot better. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thank you, Grey.”
She hung up then. He rushed to get dressed, grabbed his car keys, and began the drive to the hospital. As he drove up to the ER doors, Cora emerged with a tired wave. He reached across the cab of his car to open the door for her.
“I hate that this happened to you,” he said as she buckled her seat belt. “Do they have any leads?”
She shook her head. “Just some broken glass on the pavement. There are cameras in the parking lot, but the lighting isn’t great in that area, so I’m not sure how much they can see. Of course, they have an alert out on it. Even if they locate it, it’ll probably be stripped or wrecked.” She released a heavy sigh and rested her arm against the window before leaning her head on it. “I guess I’ll call my insurance in the morning. I’ll be able to get a rental, but really didn’t need to mess with this.”
“Of course not.” He cleared his throat. “I don’t think you ever told me your address.”
She glanced at him, a smile lifting the frown from her face. “I suppose I hadn’t.”
After she told him, he put the car in drive. They both remained silent as he maneuvered his way through the streets of Denton to her apartment complex. It wasn’t the nicest he’d seen around town. He stopped at the entrance and softly touched Cora’s shoulder. She’d been so quiet, he thought she might’ve fallen asleep.
She lifted her head and blinked. “Oh. I’m in building seven. It’s up ahead on the right.” She yawned as she leaned her head against the seat behind her.
With her direction, he found a parking spot, got out, and went around to open her door. “Come on, I’ll walk you in.” He offered a hand to help her out. When she didn’t withdraw hers after she was out of the car, he happily continued to hold it. She led the way to a door on the first floor, unlocked it, and stepped inside.
Grey followed, taking in the small space. From the entry, he could see the kitchen, tiny living room, and a door that led to what looked like a single bedroom. It couldn’t be more than six hundred square feet.
He put a hand against her back and directed her to the futon in the living room. “Why don’t you sit down and let me get you some water. Where are your glasses?”
“In the cabinet to the right of the sink.”
He waited long enough to see she took his advice before heading to the kitchen. When he returned, she took a long drink and sat the glass on the coffee table. “Thank you. Ugh, what a night.”
Grey took a seat on the other end of the futon. “I hope they consider putting more lighting in the parking lot.”
“To my knowledge, this hasn’t happened before. It was probably a fluke and certainly no fault of the hospital.” She shrugged, a defeated look on her face. “At least I don’t have a shift until eight tonight, so I should be able to get a rental before then. They can bring them to you, right?”
“Yes, they’ll bring one to you. But if they don’t for some reason, let me know, and I’ll drive you to the office to pick it up.”
She nodded. “I appreciate it. I’m really sorry for dragging you out at this hour.” She yawned again.
“Don’t be sorry, Cora. I don’t mind helping out.” That’s why he’d told her to call him if she ever needed him. “Why don’t you lie down here and try to get some sleep. I’ll get a blanket from your room.”
She nodded again and shifted to lie on her side. While she got comfortable, Grey retrieved the comforter from her bed. By the time he got back in the living room again, her eyes were half closed, and her hands clasped beneath her chin. His heart turned over in his chest as he spread the blanket over her.
He crouched in front of her. “You going to be okay?”
“Yeah. I’ll sleep for a while and then call the insurance company when I wake up. Nothing I can do about it all right now anyway.” She pointed to her cell phone on the coffee table nearby. “The police will call if they have any news.”
He really didn’t want to leave her, but he couldn’t just sit in the nearby recliner and watch her sleep like a stalker, either. “Sounds like a plan.” He started to stand and stopped himself. “Hey, Cora? Thanks for calling me.”
Her long lashes lifted, and her hazel eyes focused on him. “You were the first person I thought of.” Then they fell again as she drifted off to sleep.
Grey’s heart felt as though it might explode. He gently brushed some hair away and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She didn’t move a muscle.
“Sleep well, sweetheart.”
With that, he locked the door behind him and headed home. He probably should try to get another hour of sleep in, but there was no way this adrenaline rush was going to allow that.
“Thank you for keeping her safe tonight,” he prayed aloud as he pulled into his driveway. He didn’t get out of his car but simply stared at the side of the house illuminated by the headlights. He drank in the realization that truly mending their relationship seemed like a true possibility.
~*~
When Cora woke up later that morning, it took her a moment to process why she was sleeping on the couch in the living room. She remembered the situation with her car and how Grey had come to her rescue. She barely remembered him tucking her in under a blanket before falling asleep. He’d been there for her when he didn’t have to be. He’d been her hero, just like he used to be.
Cora’s heart sped up with that realization. She needed Grey, which was both exciting and scary. She told him they ought to go slow, get to know each other again. All of that made sense. She was afraid to risk her heart but knew full well it was already too late.
Two hours later, she’d taken a shower, talked to her insurance company, and signed for a rental car that was delivered to her apartment. She still hadn’t heard from the police, but at least she’d be able to get to work without a problem.
She was starting to think about lunch when her phone rang. When she saw Grey’s name, she couldn’t stop her smile. “Good afternoon.”
“Right back at ya. How are you doing? Any news?”
“Nothing from the police. But I’ve got a rental car, and they even delivered. Talk about service.” She sat down on the futon.
“That’s great. Hopefully you’ll hear about your car soon.” He spoke to someone in the background. “I’m here at a sandwich shop. I’d like to bring you some lunch if you’re up to it.”
She hadn’t thought she’d be seeing Grey again today and was happy to have the opportunity. “That would be awesome. Turkey, swiss cheese, mayo please.”
“You got it. I’ll be by in the next twenty minutes.”
They said goodbye. True to his word, there was a knock on her door not long after. She ushered him in and breathed in the amazing smell of hot sandwiches. “Aren’t you working today?”
“I took a long lunch. I’ll have to go back in about an hour.”
“Well, you are a life saver, Grey. Thank you.”
He looked pleased. “You are more than welcome.”
They put food on plates and chose to eat in the living room and use the coffee table.
Grey took a bite of his sandwich and nodded appreciatively. “Yep, that hits the spot. So, about your car, did you have anything in it?”
“A book of CDs, but that was it. It’s not like the stereo was anything to write home about.” She couldn’t imagine why someone would want to steal her beat-up car.
“They probably either did it on a dare, or for parts.”
“I’m trying to think positively. Maybe this is what I needed to finally get a new car, not that I’m looking forward to payments.” She cringed. She’d chosen the car she had now a few years ago with the express purpose of paying cash and not having to leach money from her paycheck every month. She supposed it was bound to happen eventually. “Guess who I heard from yesterday?”
His brows rose. “Who?”
“Your mom. She called to invite me to Thanksgiving dinner.” She expected him to be shocked, but he only looked mildly surprised. “Why don’t you seem surprised?”
“Because Mom mentioned she was going to and wanted to make sure I was okay with it. I told her I was.”
She looked at him curiously. “Then you want me to go?”
“Yep.”
His simple, clear answer brought a chuckle out of her. “You don’t need to think about it first?”
“Nope.” He grinned. “In case I haven’t been clear about it, I enjoy spending time with you, Cora. The more of it, the better.”
“I’ll have to see if I can get a hotel reservation.”
“I’m sure Mom would happily let you stay with her.” He was watching her with an amused smile on his face. “I know things are still up in the air with your car. You can drive down with me, so you can’t use that as an excuse.” Now he was just looking downright smug.
Cora balled up her napkin and threw it at him. “Well now, you’ve just thought of everything.” The idea of seeing Flynn and Abby again made her nervous. “I’ll talk to my boss. I’m off work for Thursday and Friday, but I’m usually on call. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Great!”
Cora’s phone rang then, and she answered. It was the police officer assigned to her case. After listening to the news, she ended the call with a heavy sigh.
“Any word?”
“Yeah, they found my car. It’s been stripped right down to the tires. I guess I’ll update my insurance and then wait to see what they’re able to do.”
“I’m sorry, Cora.”
“Thanks. Me, too.” She shrugged. “It is what it is. Besides, it’s kind of hard to feel too bad about all of the weird things that have been happening lately.”
Grey finished his sandwich and set his plate on the coffee table. “What do you mean?”
“The blizzard and getting snowed in, your leg getting infected, my car. It’s all resulted in stretching out reasons for the two of us to be around each other.” She paused. “I guess what I’m saying is that, while some of those situations were difficult to go through initially, I’m not sorry they happened.” She realized how that sounded and her face grew warm. “You know what I mean.”
He laughed. “Yes, I know what you mean. And I feel the same way.”
They talked for another twenty minutes before Grey said he needed to get back to work. Cora walked him to the door. “Thanks for bringing lunch, Grey, and for bringing me home. You went above and beyond.”
“I’m just glad you’re okay, and that you were able to get a car quickly so you aren’t stranded. But if you do need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
She took her cue from him, raised up on her tip-toes, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’ll do that.”