Page 91 of Sneak Attack

I pulled into Marley’s driveway twenty minutes after the appointment was supposed to start. By the time I’d debated whether or not to go—what choice to make—it finally became clear in a breath.

Marley.

Eden.

Family wasalwaysmore important, and I’d miss enough in the upcoming weeks I wouldn’t miss this.

An older Toyota Corolla was parked behind Eden’s 4-Runner leaving me plenty of room to park next to Eden’s SUV in the driveway. I didn’t bother knocking on the door, I knew it’d be unlocked and there was no point in interrupting, so I let myself in Marley’s front door and three heads turned in my direction from the kitchen table.

“Hey,” Eden said. She pushed off her chair and came toward me. “What are you doing here?”

“Wanted to know what was going on.”

“I would have told you later.”

“Wanted to be here, Eden.” My emotions clogged my throat and Eden nodded.

Of course she understood.

“Of course. Come meet Melanie. She’s been really sweet, explaining what might be coming for Marley and talking about how much care she really needs.”

“Great.” I cleared my throat.

Melanie was around our age, possibly a few years older, with long, platinum hair pulled back into a low ponytail. The dark purple scrubs she wore reminded me too much of Selma and my lip curled with distaste before I could hide it.

“Hi there.” She stood from her chair and held out her hand with a polite smile and a professional handshake. “I’m Melanie Buckner. Pleased to meet you.”

“Cole. Cole Buchanan.”

I shook her hand, and she retook her seat.

“I should tell you I know who you are, and I can promise you the utmost privacy with Marley since you’re obviously close.”

“Football fan?” I guessed, although I wasn’t exactly pleased to have her point it out so bluntly.

“Not really.” She shook her head. “I lived in Raleigh my entire life, went to nursing school there, and I was once hired to work with Beaux Hale’s father-in-law back before he was married to Paige. She’s still a very dear friend of mine. If you have concerns about our office, I can guarantee any nurse who’s around any of you will not divulge anything private or personal.”

Beaux Hale was the quarterback for the Raleigh Rough Riders, one of the Steel’s largest rivals primarily because we were in the same division. It didn’t matter eight hours separated us, when we played Raleigh, either at home or away, the stadiums were filled fifty-fifty with Steel and Rough Riders fans.

“I know Beaux well.” He was a few years older than me, and we not only saw each other twice a year on the field, but we’d done a celebrity golf tournament together last year. “What brought you to Nashville?”

“Change of scenery.” She said it with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes, looking so similar to Eden I took her answer as it was.

A brush-off so she didn’t have to give the real reasons and truth be told, her honesty helped settle my nerves. She didn’t have to tell us she’d worked with Beaux and Paige. I would have trusted Eden’s judgment about the nurse, regardless.

“I get that,” Eden muttered, and I chuckled, finally relaxing since I arrived.

After giving Marley a quick kiss on the top of her head and listening to her tell me I didn’t have to be here, too, I slid into the chair next to Eden.

“So, now that that’s out of the way, what’d I miss?”

Melanie gave another polite smile. “I was explaining to Ms. Bickerstaff and Miss Barclay the services our company provides and what the next few months might look like for you. Would you like me to restart at the beginning? I’m happy that everyone’s on the same page.”

“No.” There were pamphlets and papers on the table, multiple copies of the same things so I took a set for myself, and then one for Ma who was at a Marysville Beautification meeting with the city where she spent time volunteering. “I’m good.”

Eden’s hand settled on my knee, and she squeezed. I hadn’t realized I’d been bouncing my leg until she settled it, so I pulled in a breath, forced myself to get it together.

“So, as I was saying, I know you’ve mentioned you do some volunteering at the doggy daycare in town, but I’m not sure it’s wise to be leaving Marley alone for that many hours a day anymore.”

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