Page 13 of Christmas Home

I heard Corey asking about me through the thin walls of the clinic, and I smiled at the doctor. “Speaking of friends, I thinkmy ride just arrived. Is there anything else I need to know?” I asked, and he looked at me funny.

“About the foot,” I quickly added.

Dr. Ash laughed. “No, just what I’ve already told you. Clara Sue will check you out, and you can take regular acetaminophen or ibuprofen for the pain. As long as you don’t put weight on it, it shouldn’t hurt you much.”

I nodded and stood to follow him out. He helped me hobble into the waiting room, where Corey had clearly already given my insurance information to the receptionist. By the time I reached them, the woman smiled and said we were all set.

Corey didn’t say anything. He just slipped his arm around me and let me lean on him as we walked outside to our rental car.

“Don’t start,” I said when he climbed into the driver’s seat.

He pursed his lips and started the engine. “You get one day’s pass. Then you’re going to tell me what’s going on in that scheming mind of yours.”

“Might I remind you that you work for me?” I said, teasing him like I always did.

“You might provide the paychecks, but I do the work, and you had no excuse crawling around the woods of this backwater town without someone knowing where you’d gone. You didn’t even take your phone!” He shook his head. “Now, see, you’ve got me arguing with you, and I promised myself I would give you time to heal before I did.”

I chuckled and put my hand on his shoulder. “Thanks, Corey. I’ve got some ideas, but I wanted to see if it was worth the effort before I got you involved.”

“More like you wanted to scheme behind my back,” he said, sounding annoyed, “but your business is your own. I will remind you, though, thatmybusiness is to keep an eye on yours.”

I smiled but didn’t respond. I’d been thoroughly chastised, and, honestly, Corey had let me off the hook easily. Had Inot been injured, he would’ve come down on me like the overprotective diva he was. Not that he still wouldn’t, but ultimately, I’d dodged a bullet this time.

On the short drive to the condo, we stopped at the drugstore and Corey ran in to buy me crutches and over-the-counter pain medicine. Given stairs were no longer an option, we rode the elevator to our second-story accommodations. Corey helped get me situated in bed, checked the bandaging, and gave me the pain meds before retiring to his own room.

The last image that came to my mind before I fell asleep was that of my very handsome rescuer.Clyde. What an old-fashioned name for such a young man. It didn’t match his persona. He looked more like a Kyle or Drew to me.

A smile curled my lips as sleep began to take me. Leave it to me to feel entitled enough to change someone’s name. Must be the Crawford blood running through my veins.

twelve

Clyde

By the time Ileft the clinic, it was after lunchtime. I wondered if it’d be too much for me to go to the café for my lunch after having already visited that morning. I thought it probably would be, at least for eating in, so I decided to get takeout.

I didn’t mind takeout, really. Fried chicken, for example, was just as good to me cold as it was hot. Today, though, I had a hankering for a hamburger. Mrs. Cole saw me come in and immediately asked about Ruther.

“You found him in the woods?” she asked, and I noticed all the interested faces around me.

“Yes, I think he was out for a walk. It’s easy to trip over things while exploring. I think he’s going to be okay.”

“Well, you did good. I’m glad you found him before he had to linger out there. So, what can I get for you?” she asked.

I forced myself not to look around at the eavesdroppers. “I think I’d like a burger to go, and I’m gonna grab some sides too.I’m up for a night at home watchin’ TV,” I announced, knowing the gossip would have me and Ruther in the throes of some torrid love affair if I didn’t put them off the subject now while I could.

“Well, nothing like a nightalone,” Mrs. Cole emphasized before winking at me, “to put the body right. Especially after the week of work you put in.”

I smiled and nodded. She left to get my burger started while I filled one of the to-go containers with goodies for tonight’s supper. I loved fried chicken, and Lord knows I’d worked hard enough and got enough steps in this week that I could eat it without guilt, not that I gained much weight anyway. No, I was born skinny, and unless my very obvious genetics wore off, I’d die that way.

Despite that, I knew I needed more nutrition than greasy chicken provided, so I dished up some turnip greens, green beans, and sweet potatoes to go with it.

I looked at the desserts and moaned happily as I saw the homemade chocolate meringue. I hadn’t had that yet, but Mrs. Cole made all the desserts herself, and I’d yet to eat anything she made that didn’t make me want to cry with joy. Nutritional value be damned.

I grabbed another to-go container and dished a big slice of pie into it. By the time I got to the checkout counter, Mrs. Cole came up with my burger, also packed to go. She’d also included some plastic cutlery and heaps of napkins, which was kind of her.

I walked from the café, happy until I got to the motel and surveyed the unsavory crowd that’d already begun to gather in the parking lot. It’s unlikely they were from Crawford City. Of course, I didn’t know for sure, but I did know that it didn’t matter where you were, whether in a big city or a small town, these old motels seemed to attract the same type of people.

I mean, I had to stay in them too, but the addicts seemed to flow from one seedy motel to the next, always leaving havoc in their wake. Staying off their radar, if at all possible, was how to survive.

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