by Caroline Lee
“Marley, huh? Caroline’s talked about you, but she didn’t say—”
He bit off his words before he could go all open-mouth-insert-foot again, but it didn’t help. Her light eyes twinkled with laughter as she took his hand.
“That I was in a wheelchair? Paraplegic, T11 fracture, eight years ago. You’re a chiropractor, right? I should’ve known you were a Quinn once I saw that dimple.”
All he managed to respond was “Gwaaa,” because Dustin was so busy staring at the twinkle in her eyes. Or maybe it was the way her handshake was as strong as his. Or maybe it was the way he’d felt like a complete fool more than a few times in this woman’s company, and he’d only just met her!
Caroline was trying not-very-successfully to hide her smile as she turned to Jerm. “And this is Jeremiah, Dustin’s nephew. His parents are on their honeymoon.”
One side of her lips quirked up as Marley—who Dustin remembered was going to be Caroline’s maid-of-honor—held her fist out towards Jerm.
“Blow it up, little dude.”
The six-year-old’s ice-blue eyes lit up as he touched his fist to hers. They both then made explosion noises and flicked their hands open like fireworks.
“Hi, Marley! Why are you sitting down?”
Dustin winced, not sure if he should apologize for his nephew’s bluntness, or be glad about it. But Marley didn’t seem to mind.
“I hurt my back surfing, and now my legs don’t work. My wheelchair gets me where I need to go.” She leaned over and thumped her fist against the door of the van. “Well, my chair and this baby.”
Jerm’s eyes were wide as he stared up at her. “Why don’t your legs work?”
Years of chiropractic school had prepared Dustin for this answer, at least. “Your back contains your spinal cord, Jerm. It comes out of your brain and controls your whole body. If you hurt it in just the right way, it can damage all sorts of things.”
The boy frowned. “That stinks.”
Instead of being offended, Marley chuckled. “Cha, little dude. But I didn’t let it slow me down.”
Jerm nodded and cocked his head as he took in the mural on the side of her van. “That’s a pretty cool car.”
She nodded proudly. “I can drive it with my hands, instead of my feet. It’s been all over the country.”
“What’s that?”
The boy pointed to one image in particular, and Dustin cocked his head as he attempted to see what his nephew was looking at.
The van’s base coat was black, and someone had painted it with beautiful swirls of white and greens, which he now saw resembled waves or water, along with stylized sea grasses and fish. But one fish in particular also had splashes of blues and oranges, so Dustin—who’d done his share of tempera painting—knew it was important to her.
Marley was grinning. “That, little dude, is a parrot fish. Wanna know something cool about him?”
Jerm’s eyes sparkled as he nodded excitedly. “Yeah!”
Her purple-leather-encased palm rested gently against the painting on the door. “They poop sand,” she whispered.
“No way!” the six-year-old exclaimed, as he jerked backwards, his expression a mixture of both disgust and joy.
She nodded. “Way.”
“That’s disgusting!” Jerm sounded thrilled.
“It’s awesome,” she said with a chuckle. “Sixty percent of the sand in the Florida Keys is made up of parrot fish poop.”
“Oh man.” Jerm whirled on Dustin, his tone almost accusatory, when he said, “And all we’ve got around here is stupid rock sand.”
Hiding his smile at the kid’s irritation about the sand, Dustin shrugged. “You could always ask your parents to take you to play in fish poop sand.”
“Yeah! I wanna go to Florida now!”
Marley chuckled again. “You bet you do, little dude. That place is righteous.”
“Righteous!” Jerm repeated emphatically.
They were both beaming when he held out his fist for her to bump again.
At that moment, Dustin’s stomach growled, embarrassingly loud. When Marley turned her sparkling eyes on him, he had to grin in apology. “Jerm and I are headed out for burgers. Travis said you ladies were doing sushi, but I invited him to join us too.”
Caroline was nodding. “I figured it was something like that when he texted a bit ago and said he’d pass.” She shrugged. “That’s okay, it’ll give me and Marley a chance to catch up. I talked her into sticking around town a while, but only if the practice pool was up to her standards. So she had to come check this place out, before even hanging out with me, her bestie best bestie.”
Caroline said this last part with a teasing grin as she punched Marley gently on the knee. The darker woman’s legs waggled, and she used her free hand to set them back into place as she stuck her tongue out at her friend.
“I had my priorities right, Caro,”
“Sushi, Marley,” Caroline reminded her friend, with a grin.
Marley chuckled and jerked her thumb towards the passenger seat. “Then get your butt in here, and we’ll go try Idaho’s sashimi.”
Dustin pulled Jerm out of the way as the ladies got ready to head out. Caroline waved goodbye to him, but he was a little disconcerted to realize Marley hadn’t even bothered glancing his way. She’d dismissed him once the topic of dinner came up, and that was…weird.
Dustin wasn’t used to being ignored by a woman.
Mentally, he shrugged, determined to put Marley Santana out of his mind and focus on dinner with his nephew and partner instead.
It didn’t quite work.
CHAPTER TWO
“Oh my gosh, you have to try this!” Caroline stabbed at one of the rolls with her chopsticks as she moaned in pleasure. “What is this? It’s so good!”
Marley leaned over the platter sitting between them. Most of the rolls were unidentified, but she’d done the ordering and knew more than a little about sushi. Fish in general, really.
“Looks like a Philly Roll. You like the cream cheese?” she asked, as she snagged one of the pieces for herself.
“So good,” her best friend gushed, picking up another piece. “And the barbecued eel with avocado is amazing too.”
Marley nodded as she chewed and swallowed. “Yeah, I’m pretty impressed with this place. Still not one-hundred-percent on the freshness, way out here in the middle of the mountains, but I guess that’s why they charge more. So far, everything’s really good.”
“Well, if we get gastroenterintestinal-dohicky-sickness, we’ll know where it came from.”
Snorting, Marley used her chopsticks to point to the health department ranking by the front door. “You don’t get that high of a score if your customers regularly come down with gastroenteritis.”
“Hey, I have an idea!” Caroline said brightly, as she reached for another roll. “Let’s talk about something—anything—other than how sick we could get from bad fish!”
“Man, fish isn’t bad—” Marley began. But as her friend glared at her, she broke into chuckles. “Okay, okay. What do you want to talk about?”
Caroline stared at the ceiling as she chewed and thought. “Well, let’s see… You’ve told me all about your training schedule, and we discussed the facilities here. And you told me about the drive up from Texas.” That’s where Marley had been most recently. “And we’ve covered what your parents are up to—”
“Jeez, alright!” Marley rolled her eyes. “What kinda friend shows up and just talks about herself? A real jerk, that’s who.” She planted one elbow on the table and leaned over to pick another roll off the platter. “So, update me on the wedding planning.”
The two friends had known one another since childhood and had pulled some strings to become roommates their freshmen year of college. From the time they were kids, they’d been best friends, even as life pulled them in different directions. They’d swam together, ridden together, studied together, fallen in and out of love with half a dozen guys together
, and when Marley had fractured her spine during their junior year, Caroline had been right there to help support her.
Of course, Marley’s life had slowed way down after that. Caroline had finished college on time, but it’d taken Marley an extra two years, since she had to take off so much time for recovery. Studying from her hospital bed hadn’t been easy, but her parents had made sure she had all the encouragement and accommodations she could get.
Marley’s memory of those first few months after the accident—thanks to the pain meds—were hazy, but she remembered Caroline being at her bedside as often as her parents and brother had been.
So yeah, despite the different directions life had taken them in, Caroline was still her best friend. And no matter where Marley traveled, seeing the country and finding new places to train, she and Caroline Skyped at least once a week and texted throughout. So she knew about her best friend’s relationship with Travis, and knew exactly how the planning was going.
But she figured Caroline wouldn’t mind the chance to gush, and she was right.
“Oh my gosh! I’m getting married, Marley. To a man I love!”
Pointing at her friend with her chopsticks, Marley grinned. “And the dude loves you back. That’s important.” She hadn’t yet met Travis in person—she’d only just arrived in town earlier that day—but she’d talked to him over Skype with Caroline numerous times. “I wouldn’t let you marry him if he didn’t. He’s way better for you than that loser Lawrence.”
Caroline snorted at the reminder of her past relationship troubles, but didn’t deny the dig. Instead, she was grinning as she linked her fingers and rested her chin on them. “Let’s see, what else…” Pursing her lips in thought, she stared up at the ceiling. “Okay, I told you about the church, right? It’s Travis’s family church, and it is just adorable. There’s a new pastor, who just got married to one of Travis’s cousins last week. He’s really nice.”
Her friend continued, but Marley got distracted by the mention of Travis’s cousins. Caroline had told her about how the town of Quinn Valley was populated by Quinns and Quinn relatives all over the place. And she’d certainly shared stories about Travis’s cousins. Heck, Caroline had even spoken about Dusty, Travis’s best friend and business partner.
But she’d failed to mention just how smokin’ hot the guy was.
And Marley was going to have to work with the dude, since he was Travis’s best man. She forced herself to shake away her distraction—hottie or not, Dustin McIver wasn’t for her—and focus on her friend’s words.
“And Travis’s grandmother will do a pre-wedding celebration at her house on Labor Day. It’s the week before the wedding, and the whole family always gets together anyhow, so we’re calling it a rehearsal dinner sorta thing, so we can celebrate there. I know my dad and brother will be coming in for the actual wedding, but all of his dad’s family will be at Grandma Gertie’s place that day.”
Marley struggled to catch up as she shoveled a few more rolls onto her plate. “Okay. And did you make a call on the dress?”
Her friend rolled her eyes. “Without my bestie? Are you kidding?” As she reached for her water glass, her eyes sparkled teasingly. “I’m dragging your muscular, wheeled butt into the city this weekend with me. We’re going dress shopping!”
Marley groaned theatrically, knowing it would make Caroline laugh, which it did. Her friend had always teased her about her clothing style, which had rarely altered, even before the accident. Only difference now, was the brightly patterned board shorts she’d favored had been exchanged for the more feminine skirts, since they were easier to manage in her condition.
Vaguely, Marley wondered what she’d wear if she found herself in Idaho in the middle of winter…but then pushed the thought aside. One of the benefits of her lifestyle was she could go where she wanted, and she tended to follow the warm weather and warm waters around.
Still, she was in Idaho for now, and she’d do whatever her bestie wanted. “Okay, so this weekend is wedding dresses. Please tell me I don’t have to try on a bunch of bridesmaid things?”
Caroline shook her head, still grinning softly. “You’re my only attendant. So all you have to do is choose a dress in light blue. Any design, any shape.”
Thank goodness. “Did you choose blue just for me?”
“I knew it was your favorite, and I knew it’d look great on you.” Caroline’s expression turned serious. “It means a lot to me to have you there beside me, Marley.”
Swallowing past her emotions, Marley tried for a grin. “Hey, I promised I’d be here. I wouldn’t miss it for the world, and I’m honored to be part of it.”
“You promised it was a reason to try walking, so you could stand up beside me at the altar as my maid-of-honor.”
Her friend’s sly look wasn’t lost on Marley. “And as soon as you told me he’d popped the question, I got my butt in gear to start the trip up here, didn’t I?”
“And the walking part?”
Caroline had always been Marley’s biggest cheerleader. She knew there was no cure for Marley’s particular spinal injury, knew she wasn’t going to just one day “get better.” But she also stayed up-to-date on all the latest technologies.
So Marley rolled her eyes. “I’ve contacted the makers of the ReWalk exoskeleton, and the Phoenix suit. Phoenix is a lot cheaper—”
“Which isn’t an issue, right?”
Caroline knew exactly how much the lawsuit had netted Marley, and how much the interest those investments made each year. It was how Marley could afford her free-living lifestyle.
“Not really an issue, no,” Marley said with a shrug. “But the Phoenix suit is a lot smaller and lighter. Of course, that means less functionality, but it means I could wear it in my chair too.”
Caroline’s eyes lit up, and they spent another few minutes talking back and forth about the pros and cons of both suits. Finally, Marley waved her chopsticks for a time-out.
“This might all be moot, because the Phoenix hasn’t been approved for the US market yet. It’s doing well in Europe, so I might be able to pull a few strings over there with the athletes I know, but for now, I might have to focus on the ReWalk.”
“Gotcha. Well, how about we track down a ReWalk for my wedding, and then next year, when Phoenix is available—or whenever—we get you one of those?”
Marley sighed good-naturedly. “You’re really serious about this? Strapping me into a walking exoskeleton?”
Her friend reached across the table to cover Marley’s hand with her own. “I’d never ask you to do anything you were uncomfortable with. But when we chatted about it last time, you seemed on board with it, so…”
When she trailed off, Marley forced a small smile.
Walking again.
In the months after her accident, that was all that had driven Marley. Learning how to walk again so she could surf, dive, and snorkel again. It was what had pushed her, and made her push herself, until she finally had to admit the doctors were right, and she wouldn’t be walking again.
Ever.
Maybe someday, in the future, there’d be a cure for her injury, but nothing existed now, and when she’d been twenty, that had been an incredibly bitter pill to swallow. Marley’s life had slowed down, had taken a different turn.
It had been one of her physical therapists who’d suggested swimming as a way to build muscles, and the moment Marley had climbed back in the water, she’d known she’d be okay. She might not be able to walk, might not be able to surf…but she could still swim, and that was something.
And now, technology had advanced enough she could strap herself in a super-hero suit—or at least a pair of motorized leg braces—and walk. Heck, even standing was exciting.
She’d never be the way she used to be, but Marley had accepted that. And as far as she was concerned, now she was even better.
“I’m going to try it, Caroline. But I’m not interested in suddenly running all over the place. This is who I am.” Marley
used her free hand to touch her dead left leg. “And I’m okay with this. You know that.”
Caroline smiled softly and squeezed her hand. “I do. I would be ecstatic just to have you sitting there at the altar with me, Mar. I only want you to do this if you’re okay with it.”
Marley gently exhaled. “I am. I’m going to try it at least. I don’t want to recapture what I had, but I know the world isn’t made for people in wheels, and maybe having the ability to occasionally stand up and take a few steps will…well, open more doors, I guess?”
They met each other’s eyes for a moment, then both cracked up at the dumb metaphor. The moment was broken, and Caroline sat back in her chair and reached for another roll. She was still snickering as she popped it into her mouth.
“You know,” she said, after she’d swallowed, “Travis is a darn good physical therapist. And Dusty—I mean Dustin—is a great chiropractor.”
“Which would mean something, if physical therapists or chiropractors could help me.” She’d spent a long time in PT after the accident, but these days, she tended to work with occupational therapists, since there wasn’t much PT could do for her legs she couldn’t do herself.
“Maybe.” Caroline shrugged, not meeting her eyes. “But I’ll bet Dustin could help you out with one of those exoskeletons. Or help you practice, at least.”
Marley snorted, knowing exactly what her friend was doing. “If I go through with this, I’ll find someone who’s actually been trained with them, thank you very much. And I’m sure Dustin doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
Caroline’s eyes snapped up. “That’s not true! You saw the way he was looking at you today!”
“Oh come on.” Marley rolled her eyes. “I’m a buff, biracial gal in a wheelchair. Everyone looks at me like that and wonders. Wondering what the heck happened to someone like me. His nephew was thinking it too, only difference was, the kid had the guts to ask.”