Page 26 of As They Are (Strawberry Springs #2)

HENRY

Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch

Kerry Winsor: The first episode of Renovating with Love was so good! I kinda feel bad for Jude, though.

Comments:

Jade Clark: He can have the heiress he kissed then. Friendly reminder that Henry is in the group and can see everything you say.

Nicole Rudder: What streaming service is it on? I swear there’s like a million of them.

Mollie Wilson: It’s mainly on live TV right now.

Nicole Rudder: Who has cable anymore???

Henry Connor: Not me. You’ll have to keep me posted on how I’m doing on camera.

Kerry Winsor: You’re not even watching the show you’re in??? I’d never be able to look away from myself.

Hu Gh: Hey, has anyone noticed that the new girl looks kind of like the girl in the show?

Jade Clark: You’re kidding, right? Please tell me you’re kidding.

I felt Wren before I saw her. Instead of giving me my usual wave, she crashed into me the second she saw me. I had to keep what was in my hand pulled away so it wouldn’t get crushed.

“Hey, buttercup.” The pet name slipped out, but I told myself it was because I was wearing the mic. “What’s going on?”

“I just need this,” she said, her face pressed into my shirt.

I stayed still, letting her have whatever time she needed. I looked around and saw Jude watching us, and I hoped for his sake that he hadn’t been the one to do this.

“Okay,” she said, pulling back. “I’m good.”

“Are you sure?”

“Good enough. I can’t really talk about it under the best friend code, so don’t ask too many questions, but I just got a shock. That’s all. What’s in your hand?”

I was content to figure out what had upset her, but she was already trying to peer behind me to see what I was hiding.

“This is a morning glory. They just started blooming.” I delicately put it in her hair. “I thought you might like it.”

“Is there a florist in town that I don’t know about?” she asked. “You always find the best flowers.”

“No florist. I grow them myself.”

I tilted her head to kiss her. I wanted to talk to her all day, but she pulled away and turned. “They told me to keep it short today since we have a load of work to do. At least I can keep you with me.” She gestured to her hair.

“I understand,” I said. “Have fun and don’t work yourself too hard.”

“No promises,” she said before she walked over to Jude to do whatever she had to for the day. After checking my watch, I needed to get to the clinic.

But as I turned, I saw Jude reach out to touch Wren’s shoulder. She moved away, eyes narrowed at him, but the action alone made my fists tighten. As far as I knew, she wanted nothing to do with him.

Why was he trying it now?

I was tempted to stay and make sure he didn’t try anything like that again, but work called.

The sight weighed heavily on my mind until eight, when the door opened, and I was shocked to see Hugh walking in.

Hugh was one of the oldest people in town, and he avoided me like the plague. He didn’t need to, considering all of the things I knew about him.

“Tammy won’t give me any coffee until I come in here,” he grumbled. “Damn woman always getting in my business.”

I crossed my arms. “Does she have a reason to be worried?”

“I stepped on a rusty nail a week ago.”

“Wha— Hugh! You have to come in when things like this happen, especially considering your age. Come to the back right now. We’ll check it out.”

“Can I get coffee first?”

“Will it make you let me do my job without complaining?”

“Maybe.”

I let out a sigh. “Get a cup, but then we’re talking about this rusty nail and why you’re avoiding coming to get treatment.”

It was lunch before I got a breather. Hugh’s unscheduled appointment put me behind for the day and I had to rush through every visit to stay on time.

I was tempted to close the clinic, but as I walked up to the door, I saw one of the PAs running to me.

“The ladder . . .” she panted. “It . . . She fell.”

My heart jumped in my throat. “Who fell?”

“Wren.”

My heart dropped. Wren fell? My Wren?

I tore out of the clinic without another thought. It was rare that I dealt with an emergency, but I was trained for it.

But in this emergency, I couldn’t think of anything else but getting to her .

I loved the people I shared the town with, but I was able to put up a professional wall to do my job when I needed to. This time, my mind was filled with all the things that could have happened, and I’d never moved faster in my life.

I found her on the ground, thankfully in a grassy area. She was slowly sitting up, eyes on her arm that dripped blood.

Most importantly, she was conscious.

“Wren,” I said, skidding to a stop in front of her. She looked up at me, and her eyes seemed clear. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

I put my hands on her cheeks to get a closer look at her eyes. They were clear and alert.

The cut on her arm was more than likely going to need stitches, and I trailed my gaze over every inch of her to check that it was the only injury.

“What happened?”

“It was an accident, I swear!” Jude was the first one I heard, and I turned to him, glaring.

“What did you do?” I nearly growled.

“I was just trying to talk to her.”

“Next time, don’t use the ladder I’m using,” she snapped.

I was going to break my Hippocratic oath and murder him.

“I’m fine,” she said. “Luckily, I fell on my ass.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” I said. “You’re coming with me.”

“What? Now? But I?—”

I didn’t give her a chance to argue. I slid one of my arms behind her back and the other under her knees and hoisted her up. She yelped, arms coming to wrap around my neck.

“I’ve got you.”

“I-I can walk. I think . Seriously, I’m fine.”

“Buttercup, I’m gonna lovingly ask you to shut up and let me do my job. Adrenaline is still in your system, and you could easily have injured something.”

Her cheeks went pink, but her mouth closed.

Everyone gave me a wide berth as I took her back to the clinic. After setting her on an exam bench, I immediately locked the door.

“Henry,” she began. “I don’t need?—”

“Stitches first. Hold your arm out. Do you know what cut it?”

“A tree branch, more than likely. That was all that broke my fall.”

“Are you up to date on your vaccines?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded. At least there wasn’t a risk of tetanus.

I cleaned everything up before numbing the area and working on the stitches. I listened to every breath of hers to make sure she wasn’t in pain.

“Done,” I said. “I’ll take them out in two weeks.”

“Thanks. Listen, I?—”

“I’m not done. Can you move your wrists?”

“Of course I can.”

“Then let me see.”

She moved both wrists.

“Elbows.”

She did that too.

“Knees.”

They seemed fine.

“Ankles.”

And now she paused. “Okay, one might be hurting a little, but I can?—”

“We’re gonna skip the part where you say you’re fine and order an X-ray for you. We’ll make sure it’s not broken.”

Her cheeks were still pink, but thankfully, she didn’t argue. I was struggling to keep my anger at Jude and my worry for her in check. But right now, it only mattered that she was okay. We could deal with everything else after.

I helped her get in position for her X-ray and then double-checked the resulting image.

“You got lucky. Not broken. Just sprained. You’ll need to wrap it and keep it on ice.”

“Okay.” She blew out a breath. “I’m sorry.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“Because you’re mad.”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re acting completely different. I probably should have realized that Jude was that stupid, but you don’t have to do all of this?—”

“Stop,” I said. “Do not put this on yourself, and do not think for one second that I won’t take care of you if you’re injured.”

Wren stopped in her tracks. “Is that what this is?”

“That, and me trying not to go kick Jude’s ass for compromising your safety.” I ran a hand over my face. “When I heard it was you that fell, my heart stopped.”

“You care that much?”

“Is it not obvious?”

“All of that could have been for the cameras. And it’ll make a great scene.”

“I care about you,” I said firmly. “I care about your safety. Your happiness. If you ever fall like that again, I don’t care where you’re at, I’ll come running.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re—” The woman I wanna break rules for. The first thing I think of when I wake up. “My ... friend. One of my closest ones.” The words were so wrong, but I knew she didn’t want any of my real thoughts. She couldn’t.

“A friend, huh? You do a lot for your friends, then.”

I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s you I’d do a lot for.”

But then I remembered myself and stepped away.

“Let me take you back to the farmhouse. I’ll get you set up with ice, and you have to rest . Doctor’s orders.”

“Who can argue with orders?” The words gave me pause. Was I ordering her around? “Thank you for taking care of me. Do you have any crutches? I can try to walk.”

That made me lose my train of thought. “I’ll carry you.”

“I can just walk on my good ankle.”

“Not an option.” If it meant I got to have her in my arms again, I would do anything. “Let me go get my car and we’ll head out.”

It was only a short walk, and I avoided everything to do with the set while I was out.

Wren was still on the exam table when I got back.

I picked her up and took her to my car, helping her into the passenger seat.

I’d need to get her truck to her, but what was most important now was making sure she was taken care of.

When I got into the driver’s seat, she was looking over every inch of the interior of the car.

“It’s just a Honda. I promise there’s nothing I’m hiding in here.”

“You have CDs,” she said, pointing to where they were folded into my visor.

“Oh, yeah. Sometimes I like to completely disconnect when I’m not in the mood for a podcast. CDs are easier. I know what to expect.”

“Did Spotify shuffle play the wrong song?”

I laughed. “I like to enjoy it as the artist intended it. And not have a distraction while I do it.”

She hummed. “I bet it’s nice to slow down every once in a while.”

“It’s how I stay sane.”