Page 8 of Love in the Storm

“Lyric.” She extended a slim hand to him.

“Asa.” He looked at the dried blood on his palm and lifted it to show her. “Um, I’ll take a rain check on the handshake.”

Her dark eyes widened. “Oh, you need to get cleaned up. Let me show you to the bathroom.”

4

LYRIC

Lyric paced outside the bathroom, listening in case Asa needed help. He hadn’t been too steady on his feet, and the last thing they needed was another head injury if he passed out.

She swung her arms around, hoping to generate some heat, but her wet clothes made getting comfortable impossible. She’d been so worried about the gaping hole in Asa’s head that she’d ignored her freezing bones.

Of course, they needed to get into dry clothes. She jogged into the master bedroom and retrieved the robe hanging on the closet door.

Back outside the bathroom, she knocked. Asa opened the door, and the words she’d been about to say turned to lead in her throat. He’d washed awaythe blood, and she could clearly see his face–one she’d seen before and would never forget.

Breathe. Just breathe.

“Um, you need to get out of those wet clothes. If you’ll put this on, I’ll throw them in the dryer.” She shoved the robe at him and kept her gaze on her feet.

“Thanks.” He took the robe and disappeared back into the bathroom.

Lyric resumed her pacing, but her steps were quicker now. No, no, no. She was not stranded in a snowstorm with Officer Asa Scott. She should have known that name.

Slamming the palm of her hand into her forehead, she chanted, “Stupid, stupid, stupid.”

It didn’t seem like he’d recognized her yet, so there was a chance she could get out of this without him realizing they’d met before.

Who was she kidding? With an unusual name like Lyric and a charge of public intoxication and vandalism, she wasn’t getting out of this without bringing the past into the present.

To be fair, she hadn’t recognized him the second time they’d met. She’d been too drunk to remember the night he arrested her, but she’d never forget the way he’d stood up for her in court. The better parts of that speech he gave the judge were seared into her memory. He’d pleaded with the judge to give her another chance, since it was her first offense.

At the time, his request had seemed like a lucky second chance. She’d since figured out it was the Lord’s intervention. There hadn’t been a single good reason for him to plead on her behalf the way he did that day.

Lyric cupped her frozen hands around her mouth and tried to calm her breathing. That would have made for a heroic story…ifit had been her last offense.

Could she make it through just one day without the past coming back to bite her? This time was exceptionally painful, mostly because her shame and embarrassment were about to be on full display. She regretted everything she’d done back when alcohol and drugs ruled her life, but few believed her. Once an addict, always paying for it.

If AA had taught her one thing, it was that she’d better get used to making amends. She’d been sober for five years, but she couldn’t shake those old crimes. They hung around like a leech, sucking the life out of her little by little.

The bathroom door opened, and Asa stepped out wearing the robe and holding his wet clothes. “Please tell me this is a nightmare. I feel ridiculous.”

“I’ll take those.” Lyric grabbed them and rushed off to the laundry room. If he didn’t recognize her soon, he’d at least get a good look at her blush. Heat was searing through the cold on her neck and face.

By the time she started the load and rushedback to help Asa, he was already halfway to the living room. Under normal circumstances, she’d be chuckling at the broad-shouldered man in a fuzzy white robe. Today, she couldn’t find the humor in it.

She rushed ahead of him. “Here, let me set up a spot for you.” She tossed the decorative pillows and scooted the coffee table out of the way. He didn’t need anything around that he could easily trip on.

“Thanks. You don’t have to do that.”

Lyric didn’t look up at him as he neared the couch. “Jameson said you need to rest.”

Asa lowered himself onto the couch and settled back into a relaxed position. “He was being overly cautious. I don’t think I have a concussion, but I’ll be feeling a headache for a while.”

Lyric tossed a blanket over his legs, itching for more things to keep her occupied. “What can I do for you?”

“Nothing, but you need to get out of those wet clothes. You’re shivering.”

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