Page 10

Chloe

I continue to call him Aiden the rest of breakfast, much to his chagrin.

I can’t help it; it makes me laugh every single time.

“Were the eggs not good?” he asks pointing to my plate.

I ate the gluten free toast, some of the potatoes, and the ham but left the eggs.

“I don’t eat eggs.”

“Allergic?” he asks.

“No, I just don’t like them.”

“Ever?” he asks, looking offended for the eggs.

I smirk.

“Nope. I mean I can eat them in baked goods, but I just can’t stand the taste, smell, texture...pretty much everything about eggs.” I take a drink of my decaf coffee.

“You want them?” I ask, motioning to my eggs.

He nods, and I slide the plate his way.

“Eat whatever you want; I’m done.”

“You’re gluten free?” he asks.

I shrug.

“Sometimes.”

He frowns.

“Sometimes?”

I sit against the seat and cross my arms across my chest.

“Don’t even try to figure out my eating; I can’t figure it out most of the time.”

He finishes my eggs in three large bites.

“Try me.”

“Okay, let’s see. I can’t eat much wheat or it makes me sick. I don’t eat eggs unless they’re in baked goods that don’t taste too eggy. I can’t eat nuts, broccoli, beans, sauerkraut, gluten, and spicy foods because they all make me sick. What else? Oh, I have to watch my caffeine intake, or I get headaches. Oh, and I think I can’t do dairy anymore either. So, there you go.”

His frown deepens.

“What do you eat?”

I laugh.

“It’s tricky; I’ll say that much.”

“I’m sorry. We could have gone somewhere else.”

“And not check out this spectacular diner?” I ask without a smile.

He huffs out a laugh.

“Next time, you can pick the restaurant.”

"Oh, next time, huh, Big Guy?” I smirk.

He grabs the receipt and slides out of the booth. “Come on, Miss PR.” I grab my purse and phone and slide out of the booth, grabbing his sweatshirt as I do.

“I don’t like that nickname,” I say, catching up to him. He stops suddenly, and I crash right into his back. He takes a step backwards, and I squeak. He turns quickly and wraps an arm around my back, keeping me on my feet.

“Sorry,” he says right next to my ear. “She came out of nowhere.” I watch the waitress with the huge tray on her arm walk past us and into the dining room.

I step away from him, trying to steady my pace. “How’d she not see you, Aiden? You’re huge?”

He scowls down at me, and I give him a cheeky grin. His scowl disappears, and he stares at me a moment too long to not feel self-conscious. I pat my face. “What? Do I have food on my face?”

“You should smile more.”

“What?”

He seems to shake himself out of it. “I’m going to pay the bill; you can go out to the car if you want.”

He hands me the keys, surprising me. I keep them in hand as I walk outside. I check my phone and realize I missed a call from the nursing home where Grandma May lives. My heartbeat kicks up a notch, and I quickly check to see if they left a message. Because I’m not looking where I’m going, I plow right into somebody. I stumble back as hands wrap around my upper arms, steadying me. “I’m so sorry,” I say.

A guy I don’t know stands in front of me. “No worries. It’s not every day a beautiful woman nearly runs me over.”

I blink at him, not reacting as quickly as I should because my mind is still racing with the missed phone call. “Well, I’m sorry I ran into you,” I say with absolutely no emotion. I step back, and he drops his arms.

“I’m not,” he says with a grin. His eyes look over my shoulder, and I’m not surprised when he takes a step back. I feel a presence behind me and know with one hundred percent certainty that Gunner is behind me. The guy is a whole lot less friendly now. He makes a beeline for the door.

“Who was that?” Gunner asks, watching the man go inside.

I shrug. “I have no idea. I accidentally ran into him,” I say absently as I check my phone messages.

“No, you didn’t,” he says in a low voice. I lift my head at his tone. “He set himself right in your path while you were looking down.”

“Oh. Well, thanks for scaring him off, Aiden,” I say, patting his arm.

He scowls. “Stop calling me that.”

“But it’s so fun when you scowl like that,” I say as I climb into the truck after he opens the door for me. The smile slides from my face when I see that it’s Susan that called. She’s Grandma May’s favorite nurse. I call the number before Gunner gets in the car. “I have to make a call,” I tell him as he climbs inside. He nods and starts the car. I stare out the window and wait for Susan to pick up.

“Hey, Chloe,” she says after the third ring.

“Susan, what’s wrong?” I demand.

“Everything’s okay. She took a small fall this morning getting out of the shower.”

I make a small sound. “Is she okay?”

“She’s okay. We called an ambulance so the EMTs could check her out.” I squeeze my eyes shut, refusing to think about how much that’s going to cost. It doesn’t matter. “She refused to go to the hospital.” A small amount of relief fills me. If she’s refusing to go, then she’s being stubborn, which means she’s okay.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I tell her.

“Okay, Dear. We’ll see you soon.”

I hang up and try to take a full breath. “Everything okay?” Gunner asks.

I take another breath and try to slow my racing heart. She’s okay. “ That was my Grandma May’s nurse. She took a fall, but she’s okay.”

“Where is she? I’ll drive you there.”

“No. No way. This is your day off, and she’s a distance from here.”

“Where, Chloe? Don’t be stubborn; just tell me where to go.”

I open my mouth to argue with him and then decide against it and give him directions instead. “Thank you.” Neither of us say anything for the thirty minutes it takes us to get there. I bounce my leg, trying to make the time pass faster. When we get there, Gunner pulls right up to the front door. “Thank you. I’ll get a ride home.” I slam the door and head inside. “Hey, Renee,” I manage to call out as I walk past the front desk. By the time I make it to her room, I'm out of breath. I make myself take a calming breath before I open the door.

“I’m here,” I call out, shutting the door behind me. There’s nobody in the front living area, so I veer towards the bedroom where I hear voices. I enter the room and put my hand to my mouth, allowing myself just a moment to react. Then I drop my hand and walk over to her. “If you wanted some attention, you could have just said so,” I say dryly. “You didn’t have to pull this stunt.”

Grandma May lifts a bruised face to mine. “If I wanted attention, it wouldn’t have been yours I was asking for.”

I smile and sit down next to her gently on the bed. “What happened?” I ask quietly.

“The floor attacked me,” she says with a frown.

“Right. Bad floor.”

Susan comes into the room. “Here are pain pills, May.”

“I don’t need those,” Grandma says, pushing her hand away.

“Do it for the rest of us, so we don’t have to put up with your cranky self,” I tell her. After hemming and hawing, she finally takes them.

Susan pulls her phone out. “I have to go check on somebody. Are you good here?”

I wave her off. “Yes. Go.” I turn to Grandma May. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“Where am I going to go?” she asks as I follow Susan out into the hallway. I’m shocked to see Gunner standing right outside the door.

Susan’s in a hurry, so I turn to her first. “Anything I need to know?”

Her eyebrows knit together. “It was a pretty good fall, Chloe. That was her second in six months. They’re probably going to label her as a fall risk soon. You need to be prepared for the probability that she’s going to have to move to the full-time care side soon.”

I nod, even as my stomach tightens. “Okay. Thank you...for everything, Susan.” She gives me a quick hug before walking away quickly. I stare after her a moment, giving myself just a few seconds to process all this.

A heavy hand lands on my shoulder. “You okay?”

I take breath and turn around. “Yeah. How’d you get in?”

He shrugs. “I just told them I was a friend of yours.”

“Of course you did,” I mutter because seriously, who’s going to deny him access? I mean...look at him. “Okay. I have to go help her. You don’t have to stay. I can get a ride home. You don’t need to—”

“Hey,” he interrupts softly. “It’s fine. Let me help.”

I finally nod. “Okay, but don’t take anything she says to heart. And...” I shake my head. “I apologize in advance for anything she says or does.”

“Noted.”

I open the door and lead Gunner into her small apartment. “Grandma May, you decent? I’m bringing somebody in.”

“Well, I’m not sitting here naked, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I shake my head and walk into her room. “Grandma May—”

“Big C!” she calls out before I can say another word.

He turns to me with a raised eyebrow. I shrug hopelessly. “Because of the C on your uniform,” I say softly to him. He nods like that totally makes sense.

“Hey, Grandma May,” he says, like he's always known her.

I walk over to the bed. “Okay, let’s get you settled in bed.”

“I don’t want to go to bed,” she says, but I can see that weariness is starting to set in. I’m sure it’s the aftermath of her fall.

“You don’t have to sleep; just rest for a little bit. We’ll keep you company.” I glance over at Gunner; I probably should have checked with him first before committing us. He nods at me, and I turn back to Grandma May. “Okay, let’s get your legs on the bed.” This is always the hard part. Her legs are so heavy and often swollen and painful. I hate having to move them because I know it causes her pain. I bend over and pick up the first leg. It’s difficult to maneuver. I feel a hand at my back.

“Chloe, let me just pick her up and put her against the headboard,” he says in a low voice.

I turn to Gunner. “You don’t have to.”

He looks into my eyes. “Let me,” he urges softly.

I step back. “Grandma May, Gunner’s going to lift you into the bed.”

“Oh, my. Well, be still my heart. I might just swoon.”

I roll my eyes. “You do that.”

I step out of the way, and Gunner takes my spot. He reaches down and so very carefully lifts her off the side of the bed. “No looking up my nightdress now,” she tells him.

“Grandma May!”

Gunner positions her carefully against the headboard. Then before I can do it, he pulls the blankets up and over her legs. I stare at him without saying a word. I swallow hard and put a hand on his arm. “Thank you.” I don’t look at him because I’m feeling all sorts of unsettled right now.

“So, when are you two lovebirds having a baby?”