Page 53 of Island Whispers

Now, she sat by his bedside in a private room, her head turned to watch another sunrise. He’d stirred a couple of times yesterday, but he hadn’t really come around. The nurses assured her it was normal and would improve as his system got over the shock of his wounds.

It didn’t matter how long it took, she’d be here when he woke up.

Her family and friends had dropped in regularly to check on them. Henry and other volunteers had filled the room with flowers and balloons with get-well-soon wishes. She found it strange that as sick as she’d been in recent mornings, her stomach seemed unperturbed here at the hospital. Maybe it was simply the gravity of the distraction.

“Knock, knock.”

She turned to see her brother at the door. “Come in,” she said, keeping her voice low.

“I brought you croissants from Lila.” He held out the box. “Jess is on her way up.”

“Thanks.”

“And a coffee.”

“Oh, good.” Taking off the lid, she nearly gagged at the aroma she normally craved. She wanted the tea Boone had found for her.

Nash eyed her over the rim of his to-go cup. “You okay?”

She shrugged. “Wired enough with the stress, I guess.”

“Hm.”

“What’s that mean?”

“I drove Boone’s car over here, remember?”

She shook her head. “Not really.”

“Huh.” He opened the box stamped with the Bread Basket logo and pulled out a croissant. “Well, the keys are in your purse.”

“Okay. Thanks.”

“Welcome. And what looked like a dozen pregnancy tests are still in the bag.” His eyebrows lifted. “You thinking of offering a new gift-with-purchase deal at Bloomers?”

Her stomach lurched, but she refused to run away and hide in the bathroom. No one would fault her, but who wanted to have this talk with their brother?

Boone’s sister, for one. Tears welled and she blinked them away. “Oh my God.”

“What?” Nash’s teasing turned to worry. “What’s wrong?”

“Boone’s sister! She should know what happened.” She scrambled for her phone and then froze. “I-I don’t have her number.” And why should she? Just because Boone talked about his sister all the time didn’t mean he wanted Nina in his personal world. Hell, he hadn’t even shared her name with Nina.

Because they weren’t a couple. Her heart stuttered in her chest, denying the claim. Well, sure she cared about him. And though she might be carrying his baby, at the root of it, they were just two people caught up in a situation. She’d slept with him and never thought to see him again.

What a mistake that would’ve been.

“Hey, sis.” Nash caught her shoulders, gave her a gentle squeeze. “You’re scaring me.”

“His sister should know,” Nina insisted, clinging to that point. Everything else was secondary to that. Boone had lost a lot of blood. He’d want his family close while he recovered. Not a client or even a new love interest.

“We’ll ask Jess about it,” Nash said. “Just take a breath. Eat something.”

“Okay.” She forced herself to settle down, taking the plain croissant he pushed into her hands. Walking away to the window, she stared out at the sunrise over the harbor. Nibbling small bites in deference to her unpredictable stomach.

A few minutes later, Jess was standing beside her, silently watching the view. Nina hadn’t heard her come in.

“I’ve called Boone’s sister and brought her up to speed.”

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