Page 54 of Through the Water

My shoulders sagged, and I released a harsh breath.

“Knew it!” Bailey punched the air with a victorious growl.

I put my head in my hands and stared blankly at the table while my brain played a riveting game of emotional pinball. Ari didn’t know who I was, which should have been good news, but it only made her even more off-limits.

Like red tape and orange cones off-limits.

The girl was trying to recover from an injury. The last thing she needed was the press ripping her to shreds for dating a celebrity. That wasn’t even getting into her innocent nature, something other women would no doubt exploit as a way of getting closer to me.

I cut my eyes over to the empty doorway before turning back to Bailey.

“Dude, she’s not coming back,” he remarked as he unfolded himself from the chair. “I say we go ahead and order hers to-go. And, unless you want to eat alone, you should consider doing the same. I’d love to stay and watch you mope, but I just remembered I have a prior engagement.”

* * *

“This is just to be polite,” I noted as I limped along just behind Bailey, nearly colliding with the tray in his hands when he came to a sudden stop.

He jerked his head toward me with a patronizing nod. “Yep. You mentioned that already. It must be such a hardship, taking food to a gorgeous woman. Now, which room is hers?”

“Just up here,” I conceded in a gruff tone. “Across the hall from mine.”

“Just across the hall from you,” he repeated, his eyebrows rising. “Okay, I believe you now.”

I straightened. “What the hell does that mean? Why would I lie about where her room is?”

“Oh no,” he chuckled, shaking his head. “I believe you about that. I was actually referring to your denial over wanting to bone your mute lady friend. You’ve been in the desert for so long that you can’t see the forest for the trees.”

“Wait—what? Was that supposed to be an analogy? It makes no fucking sense.” I clenched my jaw and hobbled around the roadblock he’d created before looking back over my shoulder. “By the way, I thought we agreed you were going to drop it.”

“I just want to live long enough to see my baby boy find happiness,” Bailey explained as he speed-walked past me. “C’mon, old chap. Keep up—wait, maybe you should sit this one out. Can’t have you falling off your crutches and breaking a hip, can we? Nope, best to leave it to the professionals. And with her mouth full, I doubt your girl will even know you’re not there.”

“You son-of-a-bitch,” I growled, the rubber tips on my crutches all but squealing against the linoleum in my attempt to overtake him.

He snorted. “What? I’m obviously talking about the delicious food I’m bringing her. Get your mind out of the gutter. Seriously, you kiss your mother with that mouth, Reed?

“Nah,” I panted as I broke even with him. “Just yours.”

We weren’t exactly approaching in stealth-mode, so it was no surprise when Ari’s door opened. In fact, I was almost shocked we hadn’t drawn an entire crowd with our antics.

“Oh, good.” The old woman clapped her hands, beaming from ear to ear. “The cavalry has come to the rescue. You boys read my mind. Come on in.”

I stopped just outside the door. “Actually, we were just going to drop this and go—”

She pointed up at the tray with a frown. “But there are two boxes of food on that tray, are there not? No sense in either of you eating alone.”

“Yeah,” Bailey said under his breath, nudging me with his elbow. “No sense in either of you eating alone. Seems like someone else said that—oh, I remember now. It was me. You’re welcome.”

I caught a glimpse of Ari through the open door and stilled. Her long hair was down, trailing in loose, uneven waves down her back. My heart slammed against my ribs, causing the smart-assed reply on my tongue to come out sounding more like a rough exhale.

The outdated dress and apron were gone, along with the clownish makeup. Someone had done a hell of a job scrubbing it off her face too, her cheeks were still tinged pink.

My eyes flickered over the black sweatpants and oversized pink t-shirt featuring two cats fighting over a ball of yarn. It was by far the most normal thing I’d ever seen her wear.

Maybe I’d been a bit too hasty in my decision to write off a romance between the two of us. I could tuck Ari away, somewhere no one could get to her. It wasn’t like before with my mama. This time, I wouldn’t fail.

Ari lifted an eyebrow, scrutinizing me with a small frown.

We could have been in a stadium filled with women, and I wouldn’t have been able to take my eyes off her.

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