Unbearable

  “So she’ll be completely out of it?” Garen asked, as I fluttered my eyes shut.

  “Yes. It’s twice as strong as her regular pain med, and you know how drowsy that makes her,” Lian said. “She won’t even know you’re here.”

  She must be trying to get him to leave. Now if Garen would take the bait. I had my doubts.

  “She’ll be that out of it, for sure?” He sounded intrigued. “So I could go shower and she’d never know I was gone? I mean, after what happened to her, I haven’t dared to leave her alone. You know, I don’t want her to be scared.”

  “The staff is right, you’re a wonderful husband,” Lian cooed. “And yes, you can go home and shower, even take a nap if you’d like. She’s not going to wake up. And judging by the way you are scratching that stubble, I’ll bet you’d enjoy a good shave right about now.”

  The next thing I knew, Garen grabbed my hand and lifted up, then let go. I let it fall lifelessly to the mattress.

  “She’s out cold,” Garen said. “Maybe I’ll go shower.” I heard his shoes tapping on the linoleum floor as he walked away from me, then the sound stopped. “I don’t know.” He sounded hesitant. “I’d hate for her to wake up and find herself alone.”

  “Mr. Johnson, I’ve been a nurse for over ten years. I guarantee she’ll not wake up. You deserve some down time. You’re wearing yourself ragged. Now go,” Lian insisted, reiterating, “She’s lucky to have such a devoted man in her life.”

  It was silent for a moment. “One hour. That’s all I need.” He opened the door and left. I struggled to sit up, my incision pulling.

  “Don’t move.” Lian put her hand on my shoulder and gently pressed me back to the bed. “Close your eyes. Let’s make sure he leaves.” I heard her feet pad to the window. “There he is. He’s running toward a blue car, a Fusion.” A few moments later she added, “and his Fusion has left the parking lot.”

  I slowly sat up again. “Thank you,” I said, feeling as if the world had been lifted from my shoulders. I could almost dance. Tears welled in my eyes. “I don’t even feel drowsy. What did you give me?”

  “Saline.” She shrugged. “Please tell me I understood you right. He did this to you?”

  “Yes. He tried to kill me.” As I blurted out what had happened, Lian removed my IV after calling security, who called the police. Two officers showed up, as did the doctor from earlier.

  “Mrs. Johnson, I wish I’d known,” Dr. Moore said soberly after I answered Officer Clark and Thomas’s questions, recounting what had happened. “I’m so sorry. He was so attentive.” He handed me a fresh tissue. “He’s a good actor, I’ll give him that.”

  “I’d like to call my family.” I blew my nose for the hundredth time as Lian handed me her cell phone.

  “Thank you.” With shaky hands, I took it and punched in the number to my dad’s phone.

  Garen burst into the room before my dad answered. I snapped the phone shut and scooted carefully off the bed, ducking behind Officer Clark. Officer Thomas, a large brute of a man, stepped up to Garen.

  “I demand to know what’s going on.” Garen had the audacity to look confused. “Did she steal drugs from one of the nurses? She has a huge drug problem.”

  “That’s a lie,” I said, still safely hidden behind Officer Clark.

  “A lie?” He laughed a short hard laugh. “I have it on tape. She’s an addict and her brother’s her supplier.”

  “No, that’s not true.” I shook my head.

  “Turn around, Mr. Johnson, and put your hands against the wall,” demanded Officer Thomas.

  “For what? Loving my wife? For staying by her side through her addiction?”

  “You’re being charged with several things, one being attempted murder.” Thomas spun Garen to the wall and cuffed him after frisking him.

  “You’ll be sorry,” Garen screamed as they hauled him out.

  Chills racked my battered body. The relief I felt just moments ago evaporated.

  Chapter 19

  Present Day

  Seth stopped by the office after lunch and persuaded Booker to go with him to a restaurant supply store. My afternoon dragged on without Booker around. Since sharing the story of his tragic loss of his mom and sister with me, we’d grown close. We had an unspoken bond. A deep trust. I found myself even more drawn to him, and it grew difficult to not take our relationship to the next level.

  I locked the office door and headed to my car. Booker’s poor car sat next to mine, with its now duct taped bumper. The trunk was permanently stuck shut. The shiny new muffler looked out of place on the pathetic thing. I couldn’t help but smile at the POC as I scraped the snow off my windshield.

  Nikkolynn pulled in next to Booker’s car. I groaned silently. She’d been a thorn in my side these past couple months. She learned my first name was Terese from my email signature and now insisted on calling me that, when she wasn’t using more cheerful names for me, like home-wrecker. She reminded me of Garen with her mind games, only she was nowhere as good as him. I’d decided not to show the emails to Booker, hoping to avoid any more trouble with the girl. If she got the internship in New York she’d be leaving soon and would be out of our hair. Booker laid it on pretty thick in his recommendation letter.

  “You do realize with a letter this nice, she’d be accepted into a convent,” I commented after proofreading it for him.

  “Exactly.” He smiled broadly. Loved that smile.

  Unfortunately, this afternoon Booker saw the latest smack down letter she sent me before I could delete it. He asked how long she’d been doing it. His cheeks flushed with anger when I told him.

  “I’ll talk to her tomorrow. This won’t happen again,” he vowed on his way out with Seth.

  “Good. You’re leaving, Terese. Booker and I can be alone.” Nikkolynn strutted passed me. I didn’t acknowledge her. The snow crunched under her feet as she made her way toward the building.

  “Booker’s gone for the day,” I said quietly, after she went inside.

  I jumped in my car, cranked up the heat, and left before Nik came back out, driving straight to Maggie’s. Lilah eagerly agreed to meet me there to help me in my quest to reclaim at least part of my life.

  I sat in the driveway debating for a solid two minutes before Maggie stepped out on the porch and waved me in.

  “Are you excited?” She took my coat and hung it on a hook by the door.

  “Sure.” I chewed at my lower lip. She laughed and led me to the kitchen. I couldn’t help but admire the beautiful cherry cabinetry.

  “Booker built those.” Maggie pointed to the cabinets. “Talented, don’t you think?”

  “Very.” And sexy and funny and . . . Yeah, I need a life.

  “Lilah’s upstairs getting everything ready.” As we climbed the grand staircase, which, she pointed out, Booker also built, I noticed how her shirt practically hung on her. She’d grown so thin over the past few weeks, and I wondered if she’d been sick again. Not wanting to sound rude, as in, “Hey, Mags, you look like crap. Are you sick?” I kept my opinion to myself.

  Before we entered the room she turned to me. “Lilah’s a little down. They thought she was pregnant this month, but she’s not. She’s trying to act as if it’s no big deal, but . . .”

  I nodded as she opened the door. We went into the master bathroom, my eyes landing on the grand tub in the center of the room.

  “Wow,” I said.

  “I know, right?” Lilah said with a smile that didn’t touch her eyes.

  “Hi, Tess.” Sofia stood next to her mom, applying a wide ring of lipstick to her lips.

  “Don’t you look lovely?” I sat in the stool in front of an oak vanity, almost eye to eye with the child now. I could see that she had at least three other colors of lipstick on already.

  “Do you want some?” Sofia held the tube up to me. Maggie and Lilah smiled.

  “Maybe later,” I said as Lilah picked up a red brush and began pulling it through my hair.

&nb
sp; “Are you sure about this?” she asked my reflection in the mirror.

  I nodded weakly. “No . . . but yes.”

  “That’s what I like. A woman who knows her own mind,” Lilah said with a smile.

  “I’m ready. But let’s hurry before I change my mind.”

  Maggie snorted a laugh. “It’ll be okay. Lilah’s great with hair. You should’ve seen how pathetic mine was before she rescued it from certain death.” Maggie fingered her pretty brown hair. I had a hard time imagining it looking anything but great.

  “Let’s get started.” Lilah took a cup and a long paintbrush-looking tool and started painting whatever was in the cup onto my hair. “Oh, yeah. I forgot to warn you. This stuff stinks,” she said as Maggie gagged and opened a window.

  Lilah worked quickly, covering my hair with the stinky solution. Maggie stayed rooted at the windowsill, frequently sticking her head out for fresh air. The smell was ten times worse than the bottled hair color I normally used. Halfway through, Mags excused herself, claiming she needed to check on dinner. Lucky girl.

  Sofia set the makeup down and followed Maggie. “You stink,” she said to me, plugging her nose.

  “Sorry. I need to strip out all this nasty box color,” Lilah said as she dabbed on more solution.

  After letting the stuff sit on my hair for thirty minutes, I knelt over the tub so she could rinse it out. It took all I had not to freak out as Lilah held my head under the water spout to rinse it. I concentrated on the trail of dark water running from my hair, down the drain, and out of my life. Goodbye bad memories.

  “Okay,” Lilah said when the water ran clear. She wrapped a towel around my hair and led me back to the vanity. “If the stinky stuff did its job you should be back to your true color. If not, we may have to dye it your natural color for a bit.” She combed through my hair, added some kind of yellow creamy stuff “for volume,” she said, before blowing it dry.

  Maggie and Sofia came back as Lilah finished. Mags propped the door open and stood there to avoid the fumes still hanging in the air.

  “What do you think?” Lilah held her hands out as if presenting me. Maggie smiled broadly. Sofia stomped her foot and fisted her hands at her side.

  “What’s wrong? Don’t you like it?” I asked her.

  “Now Booker will love you and not me,” she declared, a pout on her cherub face.

  “Sofia, please be nice,” her mother said firmly, to which Sofia folded her arms and knit her brow in silent protest.

  “Ready to see it?” Lilah asked. I nodded as she turned my stool around to face the mirror.

  I gazed into mirror, taken back at seeing my natural red hair color again. I ran my fingers through a few strands, twisting my head from side to side. “Something seems off.” I didn’t quite look like the old me. I leaned in closer before realizing what it was. The contacts. They were dark brown, and my eyes were a blue-green.

  I removed them, placing them in a small paper cup Lilah handed to me. “Perfect.” Now I looked like me. I smiled at my reflection, before turning to Lilah. “Thank you. This looks better than I’d hoped.”

  She stared back at me, her mouth hanging open. “What?” I turned back to the mirror.

  “Booker’s a dead man,” she said, looking at Maggie.

  “Lilah, give Booker some credit. He doesn’t just like a woman because she’s pretty,” Maggie defended, pinching her nose against the smell.

  “I know. But I think we can all agree that he is already attracted to her,” she said. “All he ever talks about is Tess this and Tess that. I’m just saying.”

  With her nose still plugged, Maggie came next to me. Both her hand and her mouth dropped. “Booker’s a dead man.”

  “See!” Lilah grinned triumphantly.

  I looked back in the mirror. I knew I was pretty. I’d heard it most of my life, but I had no idea my disguise hid that much. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.” My heart raced in my chest. Garen would spot me for sure now. I grabbed the cup with my contacts.

  “Tess,” Lilah placed both hands on my shoulders. “Why don’t you give it a couple days? If you still feel this way, I’ll recolor it for you.” I looked at her reflection in the mirror. “It’s a big change. It probably feels overwhelming right now.”

  I nodded. Of course she was right. Besides, what were the chances of Garen showing up in Port Fare, New York? He worked for a Texas state senator. He’d have no reason to come here.

  “Seth’s made eggplant parmesan for dinner. It’s a new recipe he wants to try out for the restaurant. Please stay and have some,” Maggie insisted.

  “Thank you.” I loved eggplant Parmesan, despite Garen. I steadied my nerves and pushed away the fearful thoughts.

  “Goodie. I can’t wait to see Booker’s face when he sees you.” Maggie all but skipped out of the bathroom.

  “Booker’s coming?” I stood and slid the stool under the vanity.

  “Yup. And I’m with Maggie. I can’t wait until he sees you.” Lilah hurried out the door.

  “But . . .” I said to no one. Even Sofia had stomped away. “Positive thoughts, Tess. Only positive thoughts.”

  Chapter 20

  As I finished setting the table, the guys showed up. I stepped off to the side hoping to avoid being the center of attention. Maggie came up behind and nudged me out front. “Nice try,” she giggled.

  “I just don’t want everyone to make a big deal is all,” I explained.

  “I understand.” She patted my shoulder. “In the family room there’s a cabinet along the far wall. We keep our nice glasses in there. Do you want to get them? It will buy you a couple minutes.”

  “Thanks.”

  I hurried out of the room as Seth and Booker’s voices filled the kitchen.

  “I think you’re going to want the bigger fridge,” Booker said.

  “Yeah, you’re right,” Seth answered. “Mags, how’s the eggplant coming along?” Soon everyone chattered way. The sounds of laughter and lighthearted teasing filled the air. They sounded like a family.

  I gathered seven glasses and carried them quietly into the kitchen, setting one at each place setting. The voices quieted as I set the last glass down.

  A whistle cut the silence and I looked up at Seth. He whistled again. “Like the red hair.” He nudged Booker.

  “Hello, Tess.” Booker’s smile was one of pride. Not at all what I expected. He gave me a hug, saying softly in my ear, “Congratulations on taking the first step to reclaiming your life.” Of course he’d know how hard this would be for me and do what he could to minimize my fears.

  “Not a very big step,” I whispered.

  “It’s a step forward, Tess.” I nodded. “Now, you do realize we’re going to be under the spotlight for the next hour or so? These clowns are going to scrutinize every little thing we do and say.”

  “You should see them gawking at us now,” I said, frowning.

  “I should just kiss you and really give them a show,” he said with a wink. He turned to everyone. “Okay, show’s over. Let’s eat.” And the awkwardness ended that quickly.

  “You outdid yourself, my friend,” Cole said to Seth after he served up a flaming dessert that was out of this world. Sofia, who was planted on his lap, yawned. “And I believe it’s someone’s bedtime.” Sofia gave her mother a drowsy kiss, and Cole placed her on his shoulder. “Spare room okay, Mags?”

  “Yes.” She raced up the stairs after him, opening the bedroom door.

  “I can’t wait for Christmas.” Lilah cleared the plates as I cleared the glasses. “It’ll be our first one together. She’s going to be one spoiled little girl.”

  “Wait ’til you see what I got her,” Booker said, a gleam in his eye.

  “It had better not be a gun, Crookshanks,” Maggie said as she came down the steps.

  “What about water pistols?” he asked, straight-faced.

  “You’re impossible.” Maggie slumped into a chair.

  “What? You can never have t
oo many guns.” He shrugged a shoulder. “In fact, I just bought myself a new one for Christmas.”

  “Did you get the Glock with the laser we were looking at last week?” Seth straightened, all but drooling now.

  “Maybe. You’ll have to wait and see what Santa brings next week,” Book teased.

  “You two are obsessed with guns.” Maggie wiped the table as Seth finished wrapping up the leftovers. “Have you seen all the guns he has?” she asked me.

  “No. Just the Glock he keeps in the calf holster.” I pointed to his right leg.

  “The Glock.” Lilah’s eyes fixed on me. “You know what a Glock looks like?”

  “My dad used to take me and my brother and sister shooting all the time. I’m a good shot. I can outshoot my brother, but not my dad. He’s the best.” I bragged a little. “In fact, I’ve been eyeing a new gun myself. The Gen four. Small, but powerful.” And easier to hide in my purse than the one I now carried.

  “Are you talking about the Glock Nineteen Generation Four?” Booker asked, his face lighting up.

  “You’re an expert with a gun.” Maggie’s comment sounded more like a statement than a question. “Booker, did you hear that?”

  “Yes, Magpie. I’m right here.”

  Maggie began rattling off a list. “Red hair. Tall. Can shoot.”

  “Anyone care for some strawberry-limeade?” Booker asked, pouring himself a glass and taking a sip. “It’s very good.”

  “What’s your blood type, Tess?” Lilah asked.

  “My . . . um, AB negative. Why?”

  Booker choked on his drink, Maggie and Lilah both laughed.

  “Did I miss something?” Cole said, stumbling down a couple steps.

  “Careful,” Lilah said. “We just learned that Tess has AB negative blood.”

  “Hmm. Booker does, too.” Cole pounded on Booker’s back. “In fact, only one percent of the population has AB negative blood. Small world, right, Book?”