Page 69 of Break My Fall

“I didn’t go into the river.”

He ignored her and spoke into his phone. “She’s fine.”

“Who is that?”

In answer, he handed her the phone.

She took it. “Hello?”

“Meredith? Your phone sent me an alert that you’d fallen. Then you wouldn’t answer. I didn’t know what to think.” Mo’s terror-tinged relief siphoned all her anger away. Well, most of it.

“You told me that fall detection app you installed probably wouldn’t work, and now you’ve gone and gotten everyone all hot and bothered over nothing.”

“I’d say it worked even better than expected. It sent out the alert.”

“Yeah, and then it died before I could tell everyone what had happened.” She spared a glance at Gray. “I think you nearly gave the police chief a heart attack.”

“He’ll live.” Mo paused. “So the phone is toast but you’re good?”

“The phone is ruined. And I’m fine.”

“What happened?” His voice was settling into its normal range.

“The paperbushes are in bloom. And they’re so beautiful. I thought I’d snap a few pictures and see if there’s any way I can recreate them. But I leaned too far over the bank.”

At her words, Gray pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

Mo huffed. “You fell down the bank?”

“I dropped my phone. I tried to catch it and lost my balance.”

“So, you fell down the bank.”

“Technically, it was more of a slide. The phone, though. The phone definitely fell.”

“And you didn’t think to, oh, I don’t know, go home?” His volume and pitch went up quite a bit on those last few words.

“Iamhome, you moron. I’m on my own property. I’m as safe as can be. If I want to lie here and contemplate the sunset, I don’t need to ask you”—she cut her eyes toward Gray—“or anyone else for permission.”

“I know that, Meredith. I also know there’s every reason for us to be concerned about you. You’re being targeted by people who do not have your best interests at heart. Or have you forgotten that someone tried to run over you?”

“I have not forgotten. I can’t forget. I think about it all the time. But was it necessary to call the chief of police to come look for me?” She could hear the embarrassment and near-hysteria in her voice and tried to pull it back down to its normal register. “There are about a hundred Quinns in spitting distance. I don’t think my dropped phone requires law enforcement—”

“He volunteered.”

Now it was Meredith’s turn to pinch the bridge of her nose. “Excuse me?”

“I tried Cal. I tried Dad. I tried Chad. I tried Connor. No one was nearby. In the midst of my calls, Gray had called Cal, who told him what was going on. Gray was nearby and he volunteered. I realize he isn’t your favorite person right now, but I was fairly certain you wouldn’t shoot him on sight. And if you had been in trouble, he has the skill set to help.”

Gray watched as Meredith took three slow breaths. When she spoke, her voice had lost the edge of outrage it held earlier. “Okay. Given that I have no phone, it’s up to you and Cal to let the family know that I’m not dead in the river. You created this situation. You fix it. I don’t want to be deluged with concerned family members.”

She looked to the sky. Gray got a definite, “Why me, Lord?” vibe from her as she shook her head, nodded, and finally said, “Fine.”

No man alive had ever heard the wordfinespoken in that tone and believed that everything was, in fact, fine. Gray had a moment to be thankful that her ire was directed toward Mo, but then she focused in his direction and said, “He’s leaving.” And she waved him away, then turned her back on him.

If she thought her dismissive gesture would work, she had a lot to learn. He waited as she continued to listen to Mo. What was he saying to her now? Mo wasn’t known for being talkative. Maybe he was talkative, but only with a very select few? And, of course, Meredith would be one of the few. She adored her brother. Anyone could see it.

The old pain pierced through him. He’d been adored that way. Once. And he’d given up on having anyone care about him with that kind of loyalty and devotion ever again.

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