Page 72 of Give Me a Reason

“But lots of sugar,” she finished for him. “I know how you drink your coffee.”

His lips quirked into a ghost of a smile. “And I’m guessing hot chocolate for you since it’s past ten.”

“God, I was already an old lady at twenty-one.” She wrinkled her nose.

“Not everyone can drink coffee like water,” he said with a shrug.

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s a very diplomatic way of agreeing with me.”

He gave her another barely there smile and tipped his chin toward Tessa, Coraline, and Joe. “I’ll go ask them what they want.”

Anne watched Frederick walk away with helpless frustration. The stubborn man was torturing himself with guilt. It was an accident. No one was to blame. But she had no way of convincing him of something he wasn’t ready to accept.

“How are you guys holding up?” Anne asked Pete, Katie, and Aiden. “I’m going to the cafeteria to grab something to drink. Do you need anything?”

“I’m okay,” Pete said. “But Katie wouldn’t mind some cocoa. Right, honey?”

“Right.” She covered a yawn with her hand.

Anne cocked her head at Aiden. “Do you mind giving me a hand with the drinks?”

“No, not at all.” Aiden promptly hopped to his feet, showing no signs of fatigue. As a medical student, he must have been used to worse hours than these.

“Anne.” Frederick joined them, lightly placing his hand at her lower back. She resisted the urge to lean into his touch. “Another hot chocolate and a black coffee.”

“Got it.” As soon as she answered, he promptly dropped his hand and lumbered over to the far end of the waiting room. She sighed, missing the warmth of his touch. “Aiden? Bethany will be okay, right?”

“With proper care and rest, she’ll be as good as new,” he said without hesitation. “The doctor wasn’t sugarcoating things. I promise.”

Anne nodded with a grateful smile at the soon-to-be doctor, but her gaze drifted toward Frederick’s hunched form again. She hoped he believed Bethany would be okay and stopped beating himself up over the accident. A sudden thought pulled her brows low. Could his distress be over something more than guilt? Didseeing Bethany hurt make him realize the depth of his feelings for her?

“Shall we?” Aiden said from beside her.

“Of course.” Anne had promised hot drinks to some tired folks. She could go on a jealous spiral another time.

Around midnight, Coraline and Joe were finally allowed to see Bethany. They returned with news that Bethany seemed drained but otherwise herself. Anne sagged in her chair as relief washed through her. For some reason, Coraline’s report on Bethany reassured her more than the doctor’s.

“Did they put her on the good stuff?” Katie asked, smothering a huge yawn behind her hand.

“Pete,” Anne said quietly. It was time to wrangle everyone home. “Don’t you think you need to get your wife to bed? She looks exhausted.”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to leave… that guy.” His eyes shot to Frederick, who sat alone in the corner, staring down at the paper cup in his hands. He hadn’t moved from his lonely spot since Anne had brought him his coffee.

“Don’t worry.” She patted Pete’s arm even as her heart ached for Frederick. She’d wanted to stay by his side and pull him out of his dark thoughts, but Tessa needed looking after when Coraline and Joe left to see Bethany. “I’ll go talk to him.”

Anne walked over and sat down next to Frederick. “How are you doing?”

“How amIdoing?” He straightened in his seat and wiped a weary hand across his eyes. “Better than Bethany.”

“Bethany will be fine,” she reminded him. “You heard Coraline.”

“She shouldn’t have been hurt in the first place.” A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I should never have agreed to take a walk with her when it was getting dark.”

“Soshe’sthe one who suggested the evening stroll?” Anne arched an eyebrow.

“Yes.” Frederick huffed a wry laugh, immediately catching her drift. “But that’s not the point. I shouldn’t have agreed to it. And I should’ve… Never mind.”

“We’ll agree to disagree for now. Either way, sitting here brooding isn’t going to change anything.” She stood up and tugged on his arm. “Let’s get you back to the villa. Coraline won’t leave Bethany here alone, which means Joe will also stay the night…”

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