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“Eli has been nothing but a good host to me, and you two should thank her for that.”

“She hasstrangersin here all the time,” Sharon hissed the word as though no one could hear her except the two of them.

Bridget nodded. “Yeah, that’s kind of the point of running a bed-and-breakfast. But if you’re uncomfortable with it, don’t turn your house into one.”

“We came here to check in and see how you were healing.”

“I’m healing well, thank you,” Bridget quipped. “The doctors think everything is going like it should, and my bones are healing. I should be able to start walking with crutches soon.”

“That’s good, I suppose.” Sharon glanced down at Bridget’s leg. “I still don’t like you being here.”

“I know you don’t, Mom. But this is where I want to be, and I’m a grown woman. You can’t tell me what I can and can’t do anymore.”

Sharon’s lips thinned, nearly disappearing as she held in her discomfort. Bridget could see it from a mile away, and as much as she wanted to poke the bear, she equally wanted to keep the calm they had seemed to achieve.

“I wanted to tell you that I’m dating someone.”

Edward gave her a blank stare, but Sharon narrowed her eyes. “Why?”

“A nurse that I met while I was in the hospital.”

“A nurse?” Sharon screeched. “What kind of man would be a nurse?”

Bridget raised a single eyebrow at her mother, daring her to ask the next question or to make the damn connection, but her mother either couldn’t or didn’t want to fathom Bridget dating a woman. They’d already accused Eli of trying something, so she didn’t think it would be that big of a leap for them to make. Apparently she was wrong.

“How can you be dating a nurse? Isn’t that a violation of some ethics or something?”

“It’s not. We weren’t dating when I was a patient.” She had to curse herself as she naturally avoided any mention of Jerica’s gender identity in the conversation. She was too damn good at that over the years, and the habit so deeply ingrained in her that she couldn’t stop herself.

“I don’t understand. You met him at the hospital and it’s not a violation—”

“No, Mom. We just started dating. We weren’t dating while I was in the hospital. There is no violation.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good I suppose.” They fell into an awkward silence.

Bridget’s stomach swirled with nausea as she tried to convince herself to try again, if only to get the fucking words out this time. One glance at her father told her that he had a pretty good idea what she was trying to say, but he wasn’t any help in pulling it out of her.

Eli stepped into the room, catching Bridget’s attention. “Just wanted to let you know that dinner is going to be ready in ten minutes. You’re welcome to stay.” She directed that comment at Sharon and Edward. “But you’ll be eating with the guests like the rest of us.”

Sharon gritted her teeth. Edward stayed absolutely silent as Bridget eyed him. Sharon stood up first. “We’ll be leaving. We just wanted to check in on Bridget and see how she was healing.”

“As you can see, and I think so too, she’s healing rather well.”

“Yes,” Sharon agreed, much to Bridget’s surprise.

After a slight shuffle, an awkward hug from her mother, and stern nod from her father, her parents left the house, shutting the door after them. Bridget glanced at the clock on the far wall and looked at Eli in confusion. “Dinner isn’t for another hour.”

Eli shrugged. “I just don’t like them. Sue me.”

Laughing, Bridget shook her head. “I suppose I should, but then you’d have to sue me for not accepting the helping hand when it came.”

Eli burst out in a chuckle, her deep voice carrying through the room as she waited for Bridget to make her way out of the den. “And what if I did?”

“Then you’d be on your own. I don’t have shit for money.”

“Jesus, you’re an idiot sometimes. What were you trying to do in there? Come out to them?”

“Yeah.”