Falling Fast

  I start the engine and pull out of the lot before heading to the grocery store, where I buy chocolate, lots of it, along with corn tortillas and a few other things for dinner before driving home. Once there, I spend the evening with Grandma working on the puzzle and watching some old black-and-white movie she picked out before getting her ready for bed and doing the same with myself.

  “Hello?” I answer my phone sleepily.

  “Gia.”

  “Colton?” I sit up, sleep completely forgotten about. Looking at the clock next to my bed, I see it’s 11:30 p.m.

  “Were you sleeping?” he asks, and I blink into the dark.

  “It’s after eleven,” I reply. Then ask, “Is everything okay?”

  “Everything’s okay. I just pulled into your driveway.”

  “What?” I utter, wondering if I heard him correctly.

  “You’ve still got the key for my Suburban,” he says, and instantly I feel like an idiot.

  “I’m so sorry. I totally spaced giving it back to you. I’ll be out in a minute.” I hang up. Throwing the covers back, I get out of bed then walk across the room to flip on the light. I grab my bag and dig through for his key then pull out a sweater from the dresser that Ned brought over. I put it on over my tank top and sleep shorts as I head toward the front door, unlocking the deadbolt and knob when I get there, and pull the door open.

  Seeing Colton standing on the front porch with his leather jacket soaked from the rain that is steadily falling and his cheeks pink from the cold, I look over his shoulder and see a motorcycle parked behind my Jeep in the driveway. “I’m so sorry.” I hand him his key. “I would have dropped it off to you.”

  “I wouldn’t ask you to leave your grandma to do that.” He shoves it into his pocket. “I would have left you with the key until tomorrow, but I need the Suburban to move some shit from storage first thing in the morning.”

  “Is that safe to ride when it’s raining?” I ask him, and he smiles.

  “You worried about me?”

  “No,” I lie, and his smile turns into a grin that makes my stomach flutter.

  “We’ll get there, Dimples,” he retorts, and my stomach dances again as he reaches out, touching my chin before turning on his boots and heading down the steps, calling “go back to bed, Gia” over his shoulder.

  “Don’t call me Dimples and don’t tell me what to do, Colton,” I tell his back as he walks across the yard to his bike. Leaning against the doorjamb with my arms crossed over my chest, I watch him put on his helmet then straddle the seat before he starts up the engine.

  “Inside, Gia. Get out of the cold,” he yells over the rumble of his bike.

  Rolling my eyes, I pull myself off the door and go inside, closing it behind me only to lift up on my tiptoes and watch him take off through the peephole wishing I had a better view. Once he’s out of sight, I go back to my bedroom, turn off the light, take off my sweater, and lie back down. Looking at the ceiling, I wonder if it’s safe for him to ride in the rain. Then I wonder if he might get pneumonia from riding in the rain. Then wonder again if it’s safe for him to be on his bike when the roads are wet.

  Grabbing my cell phone, I type up a quick text message then let my fingers hover over the send key before deciding I won’t be able to sleep unless I know he got home okay. Hearing my cell phone beep twenty minutes later, I pick it up and stare at the screen and his message.

  Home safe. Glad to see you’re still thinking about me.

  “So arrogant,” I growl, dropping the phone to my stomach only to pick it up a second later just to type, Whatever. Goodnight. Turning off the ringer so I’m not tempted to look at it if it beeps again, I set the phone on my nightstand then roll to my side. Pulling the covers up over my shoulder, I eventually fall asleep, but when I do, I dream about a gorgeous guy with dark hair and eyes, whisking me away on his motorcycle.

  ~**~

  The next morning I watch Grandma lying on her back with her head disappearing into the CAT scan machine. I hold my breath when she starts to lift her hand, but then relax when she rests it back at her side. She didn’t want to do this test. She was adamant about not doing it, but the doctor, Nina, and I eventually got her to agree that she needed it done.

  During our appointment with the doctor, she looked Grandma over then listened as Nina and I told her about what’s been going on about her being more confused lately and her thinking I’m my mom, her daughter who passed away years ago. I could tell the doctor was concerned, but knew that even more when she told us she was ordering a CAT scan.

  I continue to watch through the glass, my eyes going from Grandma to the clock on the wall. The doctor said the whole thing would take less than ten minutes, and thankfully, she didn’t lie. Getting a thumbs-up from the technician letting me know he’s done, I head back into the room alone, since Nina stepped out to call Ned.

  “You can go ahead and help her get dressed. The doctor will be calling you with the results within the next couple of days.”

  “Thank you,” I tell him, taking Grandma’s clothes over to where she’s now sitting wearing nothing but a hospital gown.

  “That wasn’t so bad, was it, Grandma?” I ask her as I help her out of the gown.

  “I guess not,” she says, and I notice her hands are shaking again like they always do when she’s freaked about something that is happening.

  “Do you feel like stopping to get lunch on the way home?” I ask wanting to distract her.

  “Sure.”

  “What do you feel like eating?”

  “Cake,” she answers, then adds, “Chocolate cake.”

  “You want to have cake for lunch?” I smile, helping her with her bra and sweater.

  “Why not?”

  “You’re right. Why not?” I reply quietly, helping her sit again so I can get on her shoes. Once she’s dressed, I take her hand and walk her over to the door.

  “How did it go?” Nina asks as soon as we step into the hallway.

  “Good. We should hear from the doctor in a couple days,” I tell her, and she looks relieved. “Thanks again for coming with us.”

  “Anytime, dear’.” She reaches toward me, taking my hand and giving it a squeeze before letting it go. That small gesture makes me love her all the more.

  “Grandma wants chocolate cake for lunch,” I inform her as we exit the hospital.

  “I know just the spot. And while we’re eating, you can tell me why when I got up to make myself some tea last night that I saw Colton Allyster standing on your doorstep.”

  “I forgot I had his key, so he came to pick it up,” I explain, not wanting her to jump to any kind of conclusion.

  “That’s it?” she prompts as we make it to her car and get in.

  “Yeah.”

  “Bummer,” she mutters, catching me off guard.

  “Bummer?”

  “Yeah, bummer. I thought you’d give me something juicy to tell the girls at book club. All of them think Colton is handsome, and since they saw you the other day, they thought you two would be perfect together. They were thrilled when I told them you started working at the Rusty Rose, which meant you’d be working with him, which also meant that maybe they’d get to experience a real life romance, like in the books we read.”

  “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but there is nothing going on between us,” I laugh, picturing her book club friends, who are all older women, sitting around not talking about books at all, but gossiping.

  “That’s why it’s a bummer, dear’.” She smiles, pulling out of the parking lot. “It’s an even bigger bummer, since his ex did what she did to him,” she adds as we drive through town.

  “What she did?” I ask as we pull into a small parking lot with a brick building and pink awning over the door, with Afternoon Tea scrolled across the pink surface in swirly white writing.

  “She broke up with him when he was in the hospital after he was shot,” she says, and my heart drops into my stomach. There was a lot ther
e to digest, so much so that I still hadn’t had a chance to wrap my mind around it all when we were seated at a small round table inside the restaurant.

  “She did that?” I ask, needing to know the answer to that question first before I ask anymore.

  “She did, and they were engaged when she did it.”

  “Holy cow,” I whisper.

  “He was also fighting for our country when he was shot, so as you can imagine, not too many people around here are big fans of hers.”

  “I bet not.” I clear my throat that has suddenly gone dry and tight. I can’t believe Colton went through that, and I can’t believe the bitch did that to him.

  “Hi, ladies. Welcome to Afternoon Tea. Have you been here before?” the waitress asks, breaking into the moment, and I shake my head, because I know I need a second before I try to talk. “Well then, you are in for a real treat.” She smiles at me, then Grandma and Nina. “Are you ready to order?”

  I start to say no, but Nina answers before I can. “We’ll take the full service.”

  “Good, I’ll be right back with your drinks,” the waitress replies before leaving.

  “We didn’t give her a drink order,” I point out, and Nina smiles.

  “I promise you’ll enjoy what she brings,” she tells me.

  I do enjoy it, all of it. And even though I want to ask Nina a million more questions about Colton, I don’t. Instead, I enjoy sitting there with Grandma and Nina drinking tea out of fancy teacups and eating small sandwiches and cakes.

  ~**~

  Hearing an alarm going off somewhere in the distance, I pull my pillow over my head then shoot up, feeling my heart lodged in my throat when the sound registers as a smoke alarm. I roll off the bed then grab my sweater and move to the door as I put it on. As soon as I open the door, the alarm is so loud that it’s almost painful to hear. Seeing heavy dark smoke pooling out of the kitchen into the living room, I yell, “Grandma!” at the top of my lungs, coughing when I pull in a lungful of the smoke that is filling the room.

  Covering my mouth with the sleeve of my sweater, I duck, trying to get under the dark smoke. I scan the kitchen, seeing fire has already engulfed half the room. Then I spot Grandma, lying in the middle of the kitchen on her back with dark liquid pooling around her head.

  “Oh, God.” I stumble across the room toward her. “Grandma!” I lift her head, feeling wetness against my fingers. Hearing a hiss and cracking sound, I know I don’t have time to check her over; I need to get us out of here. With my hands under her arms, I drag her limp body with me. It seems to take forever to clear the doorway to the kitchen. My eyes burn, and every breath I take is painful, making me cough and grow lightheaded.

  When I finally make it to the front door, I barely have the energy to open it but I do, and by some miracle, I get us both outside, down the steps, and on the grass that is wet and cold from the early morning dew that has settled on its surface. Torn between staying with Grandma and getting help, tears run down my cheeks.

  “I’ll be right back,” I tell her. Standing on shaking legs, I rush as fast as I can to Ned and Nina’s house, the light of the early morning sun helping me see even though my vision is blurry. Stumbling up their steps, I pound on the door and ring the bell.

  “Gia, what on earth?” Ned answers, looking disheveled, then his eyes get big.

  “Fire,” I choke out, and his eyes widen. “Police, and an ambulance. Grandma’s hurt.” I blink, seeing stars.

  “Ned?” I hear Nina call, but I don’t see her when she comes to the door, because everything turns black.

  CHAPTER 5

  I’ve Got You

  Gia

  STUDYING GRANDMA AND THE machine she’s hooked up to, tears blur my vision. When I woke up in the back of the ambulance, my first thought was getting to her to make sure she was all right. The EMTs told me then that she was okay and she was in another ambulance on the way to the hospital. They couldn’t give me any more than that at the time. I didn’t find out until I got here that she had a substantial laceration on the back of her head, and she had taken in a lot of smoke. She had woken up for a short time, but fell back asleep. The doctors said this was perfectly normal, but I still didn’t like it.

  Resting my forehead on top of my hand on the bedrail, I pull in a breath then regret it when all I smell is the smoke that is clinging to my hair, clothes, and skin. Nina, who was here when I finally made it to Grandma, left about a half hour ago to go see about finding me something to wear, but she hasn’t come back yet. It probably means the house is gone, which will only add to how shitty this situation is. Then again, Grandma and I could both be dead, so it could definitely be worse.

  “Calm down,” I hear a man say, and I look up just in time to see Colton, Rose, and Kirk—Colton’s dad—coming toward where I’m sitting next to Grandma’s bed in the emergency room.

  “Honey,” Rose says as soon as she’s close, and then she pulls me up out of the chair and into a tight embrace. “Nina called us. Are you okay?”

  “I’m okay,” I whisper, because that’s all I can do with how sore my throat is. Looking up at Colton when Rose lets me go, I’m surprised by the amount of fear I see in his eyes, and even more surprised when he pulls me into his big body.

  “Jesus,” he says gruffly, resting his head on top of mine and holding me tighter.

  My arms go around his back and my eyes slide closed as something I probably shouldn’t be feeling, settles over me.

  “What are the doctors saying?” Rose asks as Colton lets me go for his dad to give me a hug.

  “They gave her stiches. I’m just waiting for her to wake up,” I tell her, looking at the bed and wishing Grandma would open her eyes so I can see for myself that she’s okay.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “Okay,” I lie. In all honesty, I’m exhausted, my body hurts, my chest hurts—actually, every single part of me hurts, including my heart.

  “Sit,” Colton orders, taking my elbow and moving me back to the chair I was sitting in when they arrived. I want to tell him not to boss me around, but I don’t have the energy to bicker with him right now. So instead, I sit and pick up Grandma’s hand.

  “Has she woken up yet?” Nina asks, appearing out of thin air and carrying a plastic bag with the Target logo on the front of it.

  “Not yet.”

  “It will happen,” she says quietly after giving Colton, Rose, and Kirk a hug. “I brought you some stuff. I’ll sit with Genevria while you go change.”

  “Did you see the house? Did they put out the fire?” I ask, and her eyes turn sad.

  “They were able to save the back bedrooms, but the rest of the house is gone. The fire chief told me it will be a few days before you’re allowed in to get your stuff,” she explains, and even though the information is delivered gently, I still feel every word like a stab to my gut. “It will be okay. We’ll figure something out,” she assures me, wrapping her warm hand around my cheek. “Go change, darlin’.”

  “Sure.” I nod, taking the bag from her as I stand. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Do want me to help?” Rose asks, stopping me with her hand wrapped around my bicep.

  “No, I’m okay. I’ll be right back.” I give her what I hope looks like a reassuring smile and leave. Going to the nurses’ station in the middle of the emergency room, I ask where the bathrooms are, ignoring the fact that Colton is at my side. Hurrying to the bathroom they pointed out, I go inside and close the door then move to the sink, turning it on full blast to cover the sound of my sobs.

  It takes me a few minutes to pull myself together enough to wash my face and get dressed in the sweats, T-shirt, and flip-flops Nina brought me. After dumping my clothes into the trash, I open the door to find Colton standing there waiting for me, just like I somehow knew he would be.

  “Hey.” His concerned eyes meet mine, and it takes all the strength I have left not to throw myself against his chest and cry. “Come on.” He takes my hand and leads me ba
ck to Grandma’s side. I take a seat next to her bed, and he pulls up a seat next to me, taking my hand once more, locking our fingers together in his lap. I know I should pull away, but I don’t, because it feels good being connected to him, having his support and his strength when I’m all out of those things.

  “Gia Caro?” a man wearing a doctor’s jacket asks, coming into the room and looking around at everyone.

  “That’s me.” I stand, and Colton does the same, tightening his hold on my hand when I attempt to pull away.

  “Miss Caro, do you have a minute to talk with me in my office?” he questions, and I look at the bed, feeling completely torn.

  “We’ll stay here with her, honey,” Nina says, and my eyes go to her.

  Giving her a nod, I look at the doctor once more. “Sure.”

  “Good, follow me,” he instructs, so I do, in a complete daze, not even realizing that Colton is still with me until we reach the office and step inside. “Have a seat.” He motions for the two chairs across from him. Taking a seat, my heart starts to pound so hard that I feel lightheaded. “I just got off the phone with your grandmother’s doctor. She told me that she was going to be calling you this afternoon to explain the results of the CT scan she ordered.”

  “Okay,” I whisper, and Colton’s fingers squeeze mine.

  “As you know, your grandmother was diagnosed with vascular dementia,” he begins, and I nod, even though I had no idea she had vascular dementia. I thought she just had dementia. “That diagnosis still stands, but the illness is now at a stage six, which is why she has had such a sharp decline in memory loss.”

  “What do we do?”

  “I wish I could tell you there was a cure for her illness, but unfortunately that isn’t the case, and even more unfortunately, I’m going to have to suggest she be placed in a nursing home and go on hospice care.”

  “No,” I deny, shaking my head. “No way.”

  “Miss Caro.” He drops his voice as he sits forward in his chair. “I understand this situation is a difficult one, but we have to do what’s right for your grandmother and you. She is only going to get worse, and after what happened tonight, you know what worse could mean for the two of you.”