Page 73 of Whisper of Surrender (Whisper Lake 2)

“It’s not a problem,” she chirped in as cheery a voice as she could manage.

He survived a traumatic event.

He lost his partner.

He was in pain, even though he wouldn’t admit it.

He was shot.

Twice.

He had broken bones.

He had a swollen brain.

These were all things she’d been repeating to herself the entire week. Her mantras of patience, if you will. This caretaker thing was still new for her, but she was doing the best she could. He certainly wasn’t making things any easier for her.

“I didn’t need you to pick me up, either.”

“Well, you couldn’t drive yourself home so you needed someone to pick you up.” The happy was slipping and she could feel herself about to get real if he didn’t change his tune.

“I could’ve gotten another ride.”

“Or you could just say thank you and appreciate all the nice things I’m doing for you.”

She kept reminding herself not to take his mood personally. She wasn’t the only one he was being cranky with. He’d been short with the doctors, nurses, and most of his visitors, with a few exceptions.

He inhaled deeply before he said, “Or you could also just leave me alone when I ask you to.”

Her fingers gripped tightly around the steering wheel and she jerked the car to the right, pulling off to the side of the highway. Ethan reached out and braced his hand on the dashboard, looking over at her like she was crazy. And she was…crazy done with his bad mood.

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“I’m facilitating your come to Jesus moment.” She put her car in park and turned toward him, looked him directly in the eye, and said, “Listen, I get that you’re going through a lot right now. And I understand your instinct to push people away. I did the same thing…when I was five.” It was more like up until her mid-twenties but five sounded better. “If I was the only one you were pulling this shit on, fine, I would take it. I have thick skin. But you’ve been snapping at the hospital staff and barely congenial to the people that have visited you this week. The only people you’ve been even close to civil with is Daisy, your captain, Lori and my parents.” Which she appreciated.

Ethan was staring at Jess with his jaw tensed and his nostrils flaring. He was seething. It was obvious that nothing she was saying was getting through to him.

So she pulled a move that her mom had done to her when she was around twelve and giving her all kinds of preteen attitude. Reaching across the console, she flipped down the sun visor, exposing the mirror that was on the backside.

“Look at yourself.”

He continued to stare at her.

“I’m serious, look.” She pointed to the small, rectangular mirror.

He turned his head slightly, and she saw his eyes raise so that he could see his reflection.

Feeling filled with righteous indignation, she repeated, verbatim, the speech that her mom had once given her. “That is the look that you’re giving someone that is trying to take care of you. Someone that only wants the best for you. Someone that loves you.”

The final sentence was out of her mouth before she even realized she’d said it. She may not have meant to say it but it certainly did get his attention.

His eyes flew to hers and although she couldn’t quite put her finger on the expression that he now had on his face, it wasn’t the anger that had been there moments ago. Maybe confusion mixed with some fear? Yep, that was it. That’s what her declaration had just inspired.

A small voice in the back of her head asked, What if Ali is wrong and he really did ask you to pretend to be his girlfriend because he knew that you wouldn’t get attached?

And to that voice, she answered, well…tough shit.

If that were the case then his plan backfired. And, this may not have been exactly the way she would’ve wanted to tell him how she felt, but it was the truth and she wasn’t about to apologize for it.

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