by Nina Crespo
“Can you hand me that?” He pointed with his left hand at the plastic cup of water on the nightstand.
Owen gave it to him. “Need anything else?”
“Where’s Rina?” Scott took a long swallow from the cup. “Is she on her way?”
“She’s here but...”
“But what?” The pain in Scott’s head started to leak past the numbness as he waited for an answer.
“I just saw her down the hall. But she’s really shook up.”
“Rina’s upset and you left her alone?” The instinctual need to get up and find her made Scott sit up, tensing the muscles in his leg. The pain that radiated through his right side kept him in place. He sank back against the pillows. “Did you tell her that I’m okay?”
“Of course I told her. And she’s not alone. Her sister is here.” Owen’s conflicted expression revealed there was more to say.
“Will you please stop going around in circles and just tell me what’s going on with her.”
Owen’s gaze dropped and then he looked at Scott. “I think she’s not here with you now because of something that happened to someone else.”
“Who?”
“Some guy named Xavier. I heard her telling her sister that she almost lost you like she’d lost him. That’s all I’m saying.”
Xavier? Why was Rina crying and talking about her ex with her sister?
A quiet knock at the door drew their attention.
For a brief moment, as he navigated through his fogged-up brain, Scott thought he saw Rina walking into his room, but it was Zurie.
“Hi, sorry to interrupt.” She smiled politely at Owen then focused on Scott. “I just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing.”
“I’m a little banged up, but the doctors say I’ll survive.” He couldn’t stop himself from glancing behind her at the door. “Is Rina with you?”
“Yes, she’s...”
“Right here.” Rina came into the room and dropped her beige purse in a chair near the side of the bed.
Owen’s gaze skirted over the two women before he looked to Scott. “I’m going to grab some coffee and update Kyle. I’ll check on you later.”
“I’m going to step out, too.” Zurie looked to Scott. “I hope you start feeling better soon.” Her gaze shifted to Rina. “I’ll be downstairs in the lobby.”
“Thanks.” Rina gave Zurie a small smile and looked to Scott. “How are you?” Owen had been telling the truth about her crying. Her eyes were slightly puffy and a little red.
“I’ve had a rough day.”
“Were you playing with sharp objects again?”
He reached out to her with his left hand. She took it and came to the bed.
Her fingers were ice cold as he tightened his grasp.
“Yeah, guilty as charged. I’d feel a lot better if you’d let me hold you.”
“Is that allowed? I don’t want to cause any more damage.”
“You won’t.”
“Are you sure?”
“Positive.” It would hurt like hell to hold her, even on his non-injured side, but having her next to him would be worth the pain.
Rina slipped off her tennis shoes. She went to the left side of the bed and sat beside him.
The dipping of the mattress caused twinges, but as she studied his face, he smiled through the discomfort. She leaned in, and he cupped her cheek urging her closer for a kiss. As soon as her lips pressed to his, relief poured through him. She was the only drug he needed. As he deepened the kiss, she laid her hand on his right side along his ribcage and fiery pain spread underneath his hospital gown.
He sucked in a breath.
Rina snatched back her hand. “Oh.”
“I’m fine.” He laid his forehead to hers for a moment. “I’m just a little tender.”
Her bottom lip trembled slightly as her hand hovered above him as if she was unsure where to touch him. “Owen said you were in some type of an explosion. What happened?”
Owen said she was already upset. Would knowing the details make it worse or better for her? But Owen had mentioned one of the outlets that thrived on salacious news had initially reported that he and Nash were dead. All kinds of rumors were probably floating around by now. She needed to hear the truth from him.
Scott sank back more on the pillows and took her with him. She lay her head on his shoulder. “We were filming at a secondary set today. During rehearsal, it was decided that one of the devices for an explosion sequence needed to be moved a couple of yards over, but it wasn’t.”
The memory formed in his mind of running past a large tree, anticipating the charge to go off on the left and all of sudden seeing the flash on his right. If he would have hit a tree instead of landing in the underbrush, a mild concussion and bruised ribs wouldn’t have been the worst of his injuries.
“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Rina’s voice cracked as she whispered to him. Her hand drifted right on his chest and he flinched. “I’m sorry.”
“Relax. It’s just a twinge.”
“Are you sure being next to you like this is safe?”
Safe. Scott knew what Rina meant, but as her unsteady exhale vibrated into him, it resonated in a different way.
If he hadn’t gotten injured, right now, he’d be at Rina’s place, asking her to be his girlfriend, and to take the limits off their relationship to see where it led. On the van ride over to the set that morning, he’d envisioned her saying yes. He’d also imagined waking up next to her in his bed in California. Of walking through the doors of Brewed Haven in the future after finishing a job someplace and seeing Rina’s face light up when she spotted him and hearing her happy laugh. He’d never had the experience of someone special waiting for him to come home. And he easily saw Rina as the one.
Scott tipped up Rina’s chin with his fingers. Concern, relief and caring—he saw it all in her sepia-brown eyes, but the one thing he’d never wanted to see in them was sadness or pain that he’d caused. And he’d done that today. He pressed his lips to her forehead. “Yes. It’s safe.”
He worked in one of the twenty-five most dangerous professions. This wasn’t the first time he’d gotten hurt and it wouldn’t be the last. She’d already been through too much with Xavier. Rina deserved to live a quiet peaceful life with someone who’d be there for her 24-7 in Bolan, repairing leaks and fixing broken things in her cafe. Not someone who would break her heart like he would...if he stayed in her life.
His physical and mental pain melded together. Was this the crucial moment where his father had always failed in his past relationships by deluding himself into believing that he could make something work when he couldn’t?
Resolve rose from Scott’s heartache. He wouldn’t make the same mistake with Rina.
Chapter Thirty
Zurie brought her gray two-door Mercedes to a halt in front of Brewed Haven.
At almost nine thirty, the cafe, along with the rest of the businesses on Main Street, was closed for the night.
Rina unbuckled her belt in the front passenger seat. The weariness inside of her made her feel as if she’d been gone for days not hours, but she was too wired for sleep. “Thanks for staying with me at the hospital. I know it took a chunk out of your day.”
“It was important.” Zurie glanced over at her. “Tristan and I weren’t going to let you go through this alone. He would have come to the hospital but the false story about Nash Moreland dying in an accident at Tillbridge caused a big headache.”
“What happened?”
“You have enough to worry about.” She glanced to the left at Brewed Haven. “And Philippa’s waiting for you.”
“She is?” From where Rina sat she couldn’t see her, but she did recognize her red compact parked along the curb farther up.
Zurie gave her a ghost of a smile that seemed a little sad. “
Talking to Philippa is what you need right now. I’ll call you later.”
“Okay.” Rina got out, and as Zurie drove off, she walked to the side of Brewed Haven. Philippa sat at one of their usual talking spots when she came to visit—the landing in front of the door.
A street light illuminated the steps.
As Rina climbed up, Philippa stood and silently waited for her to get to the top. Philippa’s casual black sleeveless jumpsuit and matching jeweled flip-flops made Rina long to change out of the Brewed Haven shirt and jeans she’d had on since six that morning.
Her big hug caused Rina to release a long breath as she hugged her back. “How long have you been here?”
“Not long. Zurie called me before you two left the hospital, so I timed it.”
A twinge of guilt hit Rina. “I’m sorry. I should have called you.”
“That’s okay.”
She really had meant to reach out to Philippa, but at the hospital, her attention had been fully on Scott.
He’d finally reached out to his family, and he’d convinced them not to fly to Maryland. She’d assured them she’d be there for whatever Scott needed. After dinner with him at the hospital, she’d climbed back in bed with him like he’d insisted and ended up dozing off until visiting hours ended.
Philippa laid a hand on Rina’s shoulder. “I’m here for you. What do you need me to do?”
Rina glanced down at the half-full wineglass off to the side on the step. “Can you pour me one of those while I change?”
A quick shower later, Rina sat in the corner of the landing near the door in yoga pants and a loose shirt. She nibbled a saltine from the small plate of crackers, sliced apples and cheddar cheese Philippa had brought her with the promised glass of red wine. She was worried about her drinking on a near-empty stomach after all she’d been through.
Philippa sat on the first step turned partially toward Rina, leaning back against the grill-style metal railing as she sipped wine. Rina had just finished telling her how Scott was injured. “I’m glad he’s okay. How long does he have to stay in the hospital?”
“If he doesn’t develop any complications, just a couple of days.” The relief from that sent a small shiver through Rina causing her hand to slightly tremble as she took a sip of wine.
“How are you holding up?”
From the look on Philippa’s face, she already had an idea. “Zurie told you about my outburst, didn’t she?”
“She mentioned you had a small one.”
“I really should have done a better job of holding it together.”
“A better job? Remaining calm isn’t exactly the go-to emotion when you find out your boyfriend was in an explosion.”
“I kind of freaked out.”
“And?”
“I mentioned Xavier.”
Philippa’s brow crinkled in the silence. “What were you thinking about when you mentioned him?”
During the thirty-minute ride back to her apartment from the hospital, Rina had let herself work through it. “I realized that I could have lost Scott.” She took a sip of wine and it melted the remnants of that fear. “I also realized I could have missed another chance to resolve things before the relationship ended like it had with Xavier. My last memory of Xavier is us arguing with each other. Even though I was disappointed in him and I was planning to leave, I didn’t see anger in the way we’d end things. I cared about him. I really hope he knew that.”
Philippa dabbed away a few tears with her fingers and sniffed. “You’ve never mentioned that before. I’m sorry that’s been haunting you all this time.”
Rina sipped more wine. “I never realized it until now.” She also hadn’t realized just how much it meant to have Scott in her life. Or how deeply she was in love with him.
Philippa topped off her own glass.
“So how do you want to resolve things with Scott?”
* * *
Rina walked through the lobby of Tillbridge Guesthouse, carrying a canvas bag with two takeout boxes inside of it.
At six thirty in the morning, a few early risers headed to the gym while staff cleaned and straightened the area.
Were the waffles and bacon still warm enough? Maybe she should swing by Pasture Lane and heat them up again? No. She’d do it after she delivered the good news to Scott.
He’d been discharged from the hospital two days ago. Taking him to her place hadn’t been the best option because of the stairs so he’d gone back to his room at Tillbridge. But he’d been so quiet and distant lately. Being in pain probably had a lot to do with it. And being cramped into a one-room space probably wasn’t helping his morale, but she’d come up with the perfect solution. Or at least Tristan had.
Late yesterday afternoon, after Scott had encouraged her to go home rather than watching him sleep, she’d gone by the stable to ride Showdown. Afterward, while she’d been brushing him down in the grooming stall, Tristan had stopped to talk to her and the topic of Scott had come up. He’d offered his cottage as a place for Scott to stay since he and Chloe were spending more time at the house, and she’d gladly accepted.
The guest room bed was larger and there was a sectional for Scott to lounge on in the living room. Having access to a kitchen and a washer and dryer would also make things easier for him while he recovered, and he could have a bit of a social life, too. Owen and other members of the cast and crew could stop by as a group and see him when they weren’t working. It was also the perfect relaxed space for she and Scott to talk about their future as a couple. The other night, Philippa had asked how she wanted to resolve things with Scott—the answer was easy now that she realized she was in love with him.
Giddiness made her heart pound just as hard now as it did when she’d admitted it to Philippa. It scared her a little. What if he didn’t feel the same way? But when she’d rewatched the video he’d sent her before the accident, his expression, the way he’d said he needed to talk to her face-to-face, maybe he felt the same way about her too?
They’d have to make some compromises and juggle their schedules to keep growing their relationship. They could do it if he was willing to come see her in between jobs and she made time to see him in California. With prior planning, she could also visit him wherever he was. She wouldn’t mind putting her passport to work, flying to some exotic locale to be with him.
At the door to Scott’s room, Rina took the paper sleeve with the keycard from the back pocket of her jeans. She knocked before running the card through the reader and opening the door. He wasn’t expecting her until later that afternoon and was probably sleeping or just waking up.
But Scott was already up, dressed in jeans and a pullover shirt. A surprised expression crossed his face along with something she couldn’t quite place.
His suitcase and a stack of folded shirts sat on the made bed. Did he already know about the cottage? No, Tristan wouldn’t have told him before she had. Would he? “You’re packing. Are you going somewhere?”
Scott rolled up a shirt and tucked it in the corner of his bag. “Yes. I have to. Kyle’s already found a guy to take my place. He’s picking him up from the airport when he drops me off there this afternoon.”
“You’re leaving?”
“I found out the production company was flying me home today late last night. I was going to call you this morning.” He limped over to her, slipped the canvas bag from her slack fingers, and guided her farther into the room. After setting the bag down beneath the television, he leaned against the edge of the dresser. “I know it’s sudden. But now that I don’t have a job, it doesn’t make sense for me to be here anymore.”
Didn’t make sense? Shock and uncertainty kept her silent as he took her hand.
“I enjoyed our time together, but I have to heal up so I can get back to work. The place for me to do that is home, not here. I know we’re ending things sooner than planne
d, but me being laid up with an injury and you waiting on me—” He offered up a shrug with a nonchalant smile she’d never received from him before. “That’ll get old soon for both of us. It’s best that I leave now.”
She searched his face, but none of the humor, warmth or caring that she’d witnessed in the video he’d sent her before the accident or at his father’s wedding or even before they’d gone to Florida was there. The key that Tristan had given her to his cottage grew heavy in her front pocket as her heart sank deeper inside of her, shrinking away from the pain.
Rina forced a smile. “You’re right. That all makes complete sense. You should focus on what’s important. We both should.” Rina slipped her hand from his and turned toward the bed. “Do you need a ride to the airport? Wait no. You said Kyle was taking you.”
Scott walked up behind her, and she closed her eyes willing herself not to fall apart. He didn’t feel the same way about her as she did about him. Falling in love hard and fast. Once again, she’d let her emotions steer her in the wrong direction.
“I really thought we had more time.” He cleared his throat. “But...” He didn’t finish during the pause.
“But we don’t. I have to get back to the cafe.” Rina faced him. As she went to lay her palm to his chest, he grasped her fingers and both of their hands rested there together, but he blocked her from feeling the beat of his heart.
Scott looked down at her and his jawline ticked as if he was holding back from saying something. He slowly shook his head and their hands rose and fell on his chest with a deep breath. “I’ll miss you, Rina.”
Rina took her hand from Scott for the last time and stepped away from him. “I’ll miss you, too.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Rina lay in bed in the middle of the night, eyes wide open. Her heart beating in the strangely vacant hollow in her chest that had formed four days ago when Scott left. That’s what she got for letting her heart take the lead instead of staying focused on reality—the temporary part of their relationship. Tears started to prick in her eyes. Rina flung back the covers. She had to stop crying over him and move on with her life.