Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71303 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 357(@200wpm)___ 285(@250wpm)___ 238(@300wpm)
I hadn’t noticed Cam, but he comes in from behind Wyatt and speaks up. “She fell off of her playset. We jumped over the fence when we heard her scream.”
“It hurts, Mommy!” She holds her bloodied arm out to me, and I take her from Wyatt and head to the bathroom.
“This is probably going to hurt, too, but I need to get you cleaned up,” I warn her. While I gently clean her injury, I ask her about what happened, using yes or no questions. She continues crying, but nods and shakes her head to answer me.
I find out she fell from the top deck of her playset, which luckily isn’t too high, but is nearly as tall as the fence, which is about six feet. She says her head doesn’t hurt, but she cries harder when I gently touch her wrist, which is starting to swell. Her bleeding stops after some compression, but there’s a nasty scrape on her arm.
“What can we do?” Wyatt asks. He, Cam, and Marissa are all gathered in the doorway.
“I’m going to take her to urgent care to have her checked out. Her wrist might be sprained or broken.”
“We’ll drive you,” Cam says immediately.
“No. That’s not necess—”
“Yes, can Cam and Wyatt drive us?” Jessie asks, her eyes still sparkling with tears.
They swooped in to help my daughter, and I’m grateful, but I don’t want to be in a car with them. I also don’t want to make a stink about it, if it’s something that will make Jessie feel better. Most of all, I just want to get her seen by a doctor as soon as possible.
“Okay, fine. Let’s go. Right away.”
“We’ll be back in your driveway in two minutes,” Cam says. He and Wyatt both wave and smile at Jessie, and then they’re gone.
“Want me to come, too?” Marissa asks, and I appreciate the offer, and the sympathy in her eyes, but I tell her no.
Now that the crowd has cleared, Goldfish rushes in and licks Jessie’s knee, making her giggle. Her laughter goes a long way toward easing my worry, but I won’t be able to relax until she’s checked for serious injury.
I grab my purse, Jessie’s jacket, and her favorite stuffed toy, and we go out front, where the men arrive as promised. They question me about what type of medical facility I want to go to, but that’s the end of their conversation with me, and I’m grateful.
The ride reminds me of the Goldfish-marshmallow incident, and I vow that we need to stop meeting like this.
CHAPTER 59
STELLA
Though they don’t talk to me, Cam and Wyatt chat with Jessie for most of the ride, and it’s clear they’re trying to distract her from her pain and keep her entertained. They even sing silly songs, reprising the funny voices they used when we played Clue.
I’m grateful to them for keeping my daughter in good spirits, but I also wish they weren’t so damn charming and likeable.
At the urgent care center, they wait in the lobby while Jessie and I go into the exam room. After x-rays and various other tests, including checking for a head injury, which is my biggest worry even though I haven’t seen any signs that concern me, the physician determines that her wrist is sprained. It’s the best outcome, though the injury will require some care, including ice and a brace.
I make the mistake of looking at the men’s faces when we return to the lobby. Their eyes are filled with genuine concern, and something twists in the center of my chest.
How can they be so nice and caring toward my daughter, while also being so deceitful and careless with my feelings?
When Jessie skips over to them and shows them her new brace, their smiles are full of relief, and now that I’m not consumed by worry, my heart is raw again, burning like the scrape on Jessie’s arm.
The ride home is torture, and I’m filled with emotions that don’t fit together, like anger, regret, and longing. Part of me wants to curse at them, part of me aches to touch them—and for them to touch me.
I tell myself I’ll only have to see them for a few more minutes, because we’ll soon be home, but then Cam asks, “Did you have dinner yet?”
“No, and I’m starving!” Jessie cries.
“We could stop at the chicken place you like,” Cam suggests, and how can I possibly deny my starving daughter, even when it means spending more time with these men?
With a sigh, I agree, and the next thing I know, the four of us are seated around a table, sharing food.
Can I somehow go back to a time when these men were simply our neighbors? Can I pretend or maybe forget that anything else happened between us? For now, the answer is no.