Page 122 of Mine For The Winter

Ignoring her, Lyle looked at Cole and asked him, “Who do you want to take you?”

And Kris knew that couldn’t happen. There was no way Cole should be made to choose between them. “It’s fine,” he told Kelly. “I’ll follow.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Lyle asked him.

“Not really.” Kris shrugged.

The nurse arrived with a wheelchair, and Cole grimaced when she insisted on him sitting in it until they got to the car.

“It’s cool,” Kelly promised. “Not everybody gets to ride in a wheelchair. You can tell your friends all about it when you see them.”

The nurse wheeled him down to the elevator, Kelly walking beside her, and Kris found himself walking next to Lyle. His ex-friend looked so much better than Kris remembered, even though he was a decade older than the last time they’d seen one another. He was freshly shaven, his hair was cut. His cheeks still had that hollow look but he didn’t look wasted on drugs anymore.

He looked like any other man their age.

There were already people in the elevator when it arrived, and it was a squeeze to get the nurse, Kelly, and Cole in his wheelchair inside.

“Are you all right to take the stairs?” the nurse asked Kris and Lyle. “The elevators are always busy at this time of day. We have a lot of discharges.”

“Sure.” Kris nodded. The two of them walked through the door next to the bank of elevators into the stairwell.

Neither of them spoke as their footsteps echoed in the stairwell. And for a minute it reminded Kris of the year they both bought Doc Marten boots and stomped everywhere they could. Eventually they’d been pulled into the principal’s office, and told they couldn’t wear them again.

Lyle’s shoulder brushed his and he pulled it away again, as though Kris had cooties or something. He started walking faster, as though it was a race to be the first one down.

Kris let him. This was childish. Didn’t Lyle know he’d already won? Back when it mattered.

And he’d walked away, the same way Kris had. But instead of one broken heart behind he’d left two.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and Lyle slammed the door to the parking lot open, then strode over to where Kelly, Cole, and the nurse were waiting.

“Are you okay getting Cole into the car, or do you need some help?” Kris asked Kelly.

“I can do it,” Lyle muttered. “You’re not needed.”

Ignoring him, Kris walked over to Kelly. “What do you want me to do?” he asked, his voice low. Because he wasn’t going to make this harder on her or Cole. He’d do whatever was needed to make sure they were okay.

“Let him take Cole and me home. I’ll call you later when he’s gone.” Her eyes met his and he could see the love in them. It made every part of him warm. She’d told him she loved him on the phone and it was all he’d wanted.

But he also needed to hear it again. When they were together. Alone.

“Okay.” He reached for her hand and squeezed it, all too aware that Cole was here and they hadn’t had a chance to speak to him about their relationship yet. “I’ll head over to the tavern to help out. Call me if you need anything.”

“Thank you,” Kelly whispered. “For everything.”

“Always.” He brushed his lips against her temple. “I’ll call you later.”

* * *

They’d gotten Cole comfortable on the sofa. His head was resting on the pillows she’d brought in from his bedroom, his body covered with a blanket she’d crocheted when he was a baby. There was a Christmas movie on the television that Cole and her dad were half watching between dozes.

She wished Kris was here. They could have had a giggle about how her dad and Cole were turning into old men.

Instead Lyle was hovering about, looking uncomfortable, mostly scrolling through his phone. She’d never seen a man so attached to a screen. It was like he’d exchanged one addiction for another.

Cole let out a snore and she bit down a smile.

“I’m going to make some coffee,” she whispered to Lyle. “Would you like one?”

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