Page 72 of Slash & Burn

I considered letting her take on the whole show, knowing she’d hate it, but hoping it might be a way to prove she was more capable than she thought. But when she went to pick up the book, and I saw her eyes close as she tried to take a tight breath, I crumbled.

Pulling the door open I popped up the stairs, two at a time, watching in slow motion as her head whipped my way. Confusion and then elation lit up her face, her eyes glimmering with fresh emotion.

“Hey, beautiful,” I whispered, taking her hand in mine and leading her off the other side of the stage. She followed, her gaze locked on me with so much relief it was a punch to the gut. “One second, folks,” I called out to the cheering crowd right before Jill and I were hidden in the wing.

“Grady,” she exhaled, trembling.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, closing her in my arms and clamping down like a vice, needing the comfort she brought me just as badly. I sighed into her hair, the tension from the ride slipping away as she rubbed my back.

“I heard about the accident,” she said, her voice muffled against my chest. “For a second I thought . . .”

Jesus.

“No, no. I saw it though,” I told her, pulling back to find a pair of tears streaking down her face. I cupped her cheeks, swiping them away with my thumbs as she nodded.

“I know, it was silly. But I knew you were rushing and then when you finally texted me, I . . .” she shook her head. “I almost lost it.” A gust of air blew out of her. “And then I had to get on stage and I reallydidlose it.”

I stroked her cheeks, her jaw, the need to keep touching her like it was the only way to prove to her everything was okay.

“I saw you. You were doing all right.”

“How long have you been here?” she snapped, but her eyes lit up with a spark of humor at the same time.

“About twenty seconds,” I reassured her, leaning down to kiss her lightly. “I couldn’t watch you suffer, baby.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, her throat sounding tight again.

“Let me go do this thing and then we’ll get out of here, okay?”

Her nod was enthusiastic, her smile brightening.

“Be right back.” I gave her another quick kiss, feeling her fingers tighten around my wrist before she let me go.

Jill had fully recovered herself by the time I’d finished reading and the kids were jumping out of their seats for questions. She called on each child as she sat on the edge of the stage. Something about being down at their level seemed to help her get through this part, and I loved watching her interact with them. Eventually the program ended and the kids and parents filed out.

I hit the head while Jill gathered her things, and she was waiting for me by the door by the time I came back out.

“You ready?” I asked her, reaching to slip her bag off her shoulder and hanging it off mine.

“It’s raining,” she said, frowning as she pointed out the window. We’d talked about exploring the little town we were in, but getting soaked was definitely not in the plan.

“Perfect,” I said, shifting gears. “Takeout and a movie in the hotel then.” That change-up was a welcome one as far as I was concerned. Getting Jill all to myself for a relaxing evening in sounded pretty damn good.

“I like it,” she sighed heavily.

By the time we’d gotten our food and made it back to check-in to our adjoining rooms we were ready to be wrung out and both of us were starving.

“So much for a fun summer road trip,” Jill snickered as she hastily unlocked her door.

I shook my head, fighting with the key for mine. “I don’t know. I think this is even better. Meet in my room in ten?”

She nodded, pushing her door open. “You got it.”

I set our Thai food up on the tiny table in the corner, throwing on a fresh T-shirt and a pair of gray sweats that felt a million times better than the clothes previously adhered to my body. I toweled off my hair and was just hanging it up to dry when I heard a gentle knock at the inside door.

When I opened it Jill was waiting on the other side, her damp hair pulled back into a high ponytail. She’d changed into a pair of soft-looking wide leg pajama pants and a zipped-up hoodie. It was navy blue and had an emblem over her breast of an old-style treasure chest with books overflowing from it. It was kind of perfect for her.

“Miss me?” I asked, my wide shoulders nearly blocking the door frame.

---