Page 17 of Wicked Healing

Chapter 5

Erin grabbedtwo cups of coffee for the Carmichaels, then headed back toward the entrance. She’d gotten herself a sweet tea, sucking it down greedily. She’d stopped a couple of times on the way out and she knew to always hydrate, but she was still thirsty. Or maybe she was just a little defensive and nervous and needed something to do with her hands.

The relationship between Luca and his mother had issues. Understatement of the year… duh. Luca didn’t seem the type to roll over and take her abuse though, so it was a little curious.

In person, the guy was heartbreakingly handsome, with thick black hair and sooty-lashed eyes almost as dark. He was one of those guys that you could almost envision the little boy he’d been, grinning and dirty, full of spunk. Life had been hard on him recently though. There were lines on his face and down his cheeks, visible even through the scars. Thick black beard stubble covered the lower left half of his face, although there were a few spots where bare, angry red skin peeked through the stubble. The right side of his jaw was bright red, with no stubble. Healing burns, it looked like. His right eyebrow looked like it had been chopped in half by injury. There were more burns down into the collar of his soft t-shirt, and obviously the leg amputation. She couldn’t see the prosthetic beneath his sweatpants but she could tell which leg it was by the way he walked and stood. Plus, it was the same side as Wicked.

Physically, though, he looked strong. Not too tall but nice and broad, once muscular. He was a little gaunt, and she could tell he’d been injured, but that he was also recovering. His forearms were corded with muscle and skin tanned. If his family was from the west coast it stood to reason that he would have good color. And he seemed to have that laid-back vibe, a little. Just not right now because his mother was here.

When she walked out to the bench, the two of them were sitting together but they weren’t really talking. The tension was so thick she could almost see it shimmering between them.

Luca met her eyes and her heart ached for him. She didn’t know whether to stay or go.

Erin held the cupholder out, allowing them to take the coffee from her. She almost turned to leave but Luca met her gaze again.

“Any issues driving out?”

Erin thought he’d already asked her that but she didn’t correct him. “Not really. A rainstorm through the mountains.”

“At least it wasn’t snow.”

“True,” she agreed, cocking a hip out. “It was worth it to get here, though,” she said, tipping her head up to the breezy sky.

Luca looked around, taking notice of the area. “Yes, it is pretty. I haven’t been out much.”

“And who’s fault is that?” his mother groused.

Ugh…

Erin watched as Luca turned to his mother, a curiously distant expression on his face. “What’s your issue, Mom? Why are you behaving this way?”

The woman’s lips clamped shut and Erin felt bad for her. If she thought she could escape she would, but Luca obviously wanted her to stay. In desperation she drew out her phone and turned away just a little to give them privacy as she surfed through her notifications. Mom had texted her so she responded to her, then scrolled through Instagram a bit. Anything to not participate in the drama going on behind her.

“This is a private conversation between you and I,” Leona hissed.

“Mom,” he said, sighing. “I’ve spoken to Erin exactly three times, and exchanged a handful of emails, but in that time I can tell you that she has shown me more true care and concern for Wicked than I can ever remember seeing from you.”

Oh, damn. That was going to hurt.

Leona gasped and went silent.

Luca was agitated, and she honestly didn’t blame him. Yes, he’d been hurt, but his mother acted like he was on death’s door or something. She would be chafing as well. When she started speaking again it sounded like his mother expected him to come to her house when he got out of the rehab facility. Luca was definitely not feeling it.

“There’s no fucking way,” he growled.

“There’s no need to curse at me, Luca.”

“Mom,” he sighed. “I love you.”

Then her name was called.

Luca was pushing to his feet. “It’s time to go, Erin. Boss, k noze.”

Then he was striding down the sidewalk, the dog at his heels. With a final glance at his glowering mother, Erin followed along behind. She hadn’t known the guy long, but she could totally understand why he was so pissed.

She wanted to reach out and wrap her arm through his in solidarity, which was a bit of an odd reaction for her. Normally she was happy as a clam in her single life, relying on her dogs and horses and family for companionship. Other than school friends she didn’t have a lot of interaction with the public, in spite of a couple of diehard girlfriends that demanded she go out every once in a while. When she’d taken this job she’d had sympathy for the dog and handler, but now that she’d met Luca she felt it even more sharply. As well as a strong protective instinct.

They walked into the facility and Luca led her to an elevator. They received a few glances but overall no one cared that there was a leashed dog in the hallway. She had called ahead of time and received approval from the hospital director to bring Wicked in. Even he’d been surprised to learn that the animal was alive and he’d been more than happy to accommodate them.

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