Sweat (Sweetbriar Lake #1)

by Rebecca Jenshak

  When Elle woke again, it was daytime, and the sun was shining in through the windows that were no longer covered with the hideous floral curtains. Several people were crowded in the small hospital room, an older woman with short gray hair, presumably her nurse, was checking her vitals. Claire was standing in the corner looking out the window, talking on her cell phone, and, much to Elle’s happiness, both her mom and dad were sitting in chairs watching the small, wall-mounted television.

  “Good morning, Elle.” A young woman with long black hair walked into the room and met her gaze. “I’m Dr. Lawrence. Do you know where you are?”

  Elle’s parents were on their feet at the side of the bed now that they realized she was awake, and Claire, although still on the phone, turned and stopped talking.

  Elle nodded, afraid to try her voice again.

  “Good. Well, you gave us all quite a scare last night.” She leaned against the bed railing and peered down at Elle with a friendly smile. “The bullet only grazed your abdomen, so we cleaned and bandaged it last night, but you suffered a nasty concussion when you fell. We’d like to keep you here another night for observation, but if all the tests come back okay tomorrow morning, then you can go home. You’re going to be sore for a while, and you’ll need to take it easy for several weeks — nothing physically or mentally strenuous.” She flipped open a chart attached to Elle’s bed and scribbled as she continued. “The best thing you can do is rest as much as possible. That will help your body heal,” Dr. Lawrence said.

  “Do any of you have any questions?” The young doctor shut the chart and placed it back in the holder then looked around the room.

  Elle shook her head gently, still processing all that she had learned. A bullet wound? I was shot? By whom?

  Her mother came forward with tears in her eyes. Dad was asking the doctor something, and Claire had gone back to her phone call, but Elle couldn’t process any of it, and soon she was drifting back to sleep.

  RYAN HAD RACED back to the hospital as soon as Claire called to say Elle was waking up again. He had left early that morning, planning to be away just long enough to shower and change clothes. He’d been on the phone with Claire when the doctor had told Elle she would make a full recovery and said a silent thank you to God. He still couldn’t shake the feeling that this whole thing was his fault for running out on her. As he came off the elevator, his cell buzzed.

  “Hey, it’s Jake. How’s Elle?” Ryan was happy that his friend seemed to be genuinely concerned first and foremost with Elle but was impatient to know what the police had found out.

  “She’s going to be okay. What’s the latest? Did you find out who shot her?” Ryan asked as he hurried down the hospital corridor.

  “Yeah, we matched the plates from the security footage. He isn’t talking, and the plates were stolen. I don’t have a name yet, but I’ll text you a picture to see if you recognize him. So far, no one seems to know him or why he was in town,” Jake said.

  “Claire and I will take a look. She’s up at the hospital now.” Ryan rounded another corner.

  “Great. I’ll be up to the hospital to see Elle and her parents later this afternoon. I need to get Elle’s statement and see what, if anything, she remembers.”

  Ryan nodded to himself and hung up the phone. He didn’t like the idea of her being questioned while she was recovering but wanted to get to the bottom of the whole ordeal so he would know she was safe.

  He could hear voices coming from her room as he strode near. He paused at the door and took in the scene. Elle was sleeping. Her face was bruised on the right side, and her hair was matted down around her face. She looked younger and more fragile. So damn fragile. Ryan yearned to go to her, but Elle’s parents were in, what appeared to be, a private conversation with Brock.

  “It’s a miracle you were there to save her.” Elle’s mom was looking up at Brock like he was a hero. “We’ll get our girl out of this place and get her healed up and ready to take on the world again in no time.”

  Brock looked as if he wanted to say something, but Elle’s mom cut him off before he had the chance.

  “I know you two have been taking a break while you got your careers going, but there’s nothing like a traumatic experience to make you realize what’s important. Elle loves you, and you love her.”

  Ryan retreated from the door unable to hear more. So it was true? She had used him to get Brock back. Why had she run after him? Elle must have wanted to break things off officially with him. He had been such a fool sitting by her side all night, eagerly waiting for her to wake up so they could reconcile. Well, he wouldn’t regret making sure she was okay. She might have chosen Brock, but there was nowhere else he would have rather been last night than with her. Numb, he backtracked to his car. There was only one thing left to do, but leaving Elle wasn’t going to be easy.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  ELLE FLIPPED THROUGH the channels bored with daytime television. She had been forced to lie in bed or on the couch for a week now and it was becoming more than she could bear. Claire had been staying with her since she returned from the hospital, but she’d left for a few hours to run errands and to go by her place. She was probably glad to be away from Elle’s depressing mood, too.

  Brock had taken time off work to stay in Sweetbriar and between his frequent visits and her mother calling every hour, she had grown tired of being helpless. It had also been a constant reminder that Ryan wasn’t going to show up to check on her. It had been a week since the incident, and she hadn’t heard a word from him. She had gone from irritated to totally pissed off that he hadn’t bothered to call. A knock at the door was a welcome intrusion to the infomercials and soap operas Elle had been flipping between.

  “Just a minute!” she yelled as she gingerly got herself off the couch and hobbled to the door. Through the peephole, she saw Clive and Amanda. She opened the door cheerfully, glad for new visitors. Even with her many guests, she’d had too many hours in the day left to occupy herself or fend off Brock and her mother.

  “Hi. What a welcome surprise. Come in.”

  Clive ushered a timid-looking Amanda in the door. She carried a bouquet of colorful flowers and handed them to Elle.

  Elle took the flowers and thanked them, looking over her guests. Her boss seemed tired and much older-looking than she last remembered.

  “How are you?” Clive inquired about Elle while he motioned for them all to sit in the cozy living room.

  “Pretty sore still. I’m going a little stir-crazy though, if I’m honest. I’m eager to get back to work,” Elle said.

  “No rush. I’ve also made a few calls and found a few firms that are searching for a good attorney — one in Carroll and one in Kansas City. When you’re feeling up to it, they’re both looking forward to talking to you.”

  Elle bit the inside of her mouth nervously. “Actually, I’d like to stay. I want to continue working for you, if you’ll still have me.”

  She looked from Clive to Amanda as the two exchanged a silent conversation of sorts.

  Clive looked at Amanda, who nodded in encouragement.

  “First, I think I better tell you the real reason we stopped by,” Clive said. “We have some information about the shooting.

  Elle’s lip trembled. When she’d talked with Jake yesterday, there’d been no new updates. How did Clive have information?

  Clive continued. “Amanda tells me she has told you the story of how the two of us met.” He looked to Elle for confirmation.

  Elle nodded, remembering the conversation about Clive stealing her away from her last boss.

  “Well, since Amanda has been in Sweetbriar, John has been stalking her here. At first Amanda thought she was seeing things, but lately he has been bolder, sending her texts and showing up while the two of us are out. That’s why Amanda has been at the office so much.” He glanced protectively at Amanda. “I’ve been keeping a close eye on her, unsure of what he would do to get her attention.”

  “I don’t u
nderstand. How does that relate to me?” Elle found she was having a hard time following all of it, and her head was getting clouded the more she tried to concentrate.

  “The best we can piece together, John got you two confused. Seeing as how you’re living in Amanda’s old condo, and you were driving her car the night of the ball. He must have mistaken you for her.”

  She had been targeted — or rather, Amanda had. The premeditation gave Elle a chill; somehow, she preferred the thought of it having been random.

  Elle responded with the only thing she was comfortable asking. “Do the police know all this?”

  “Yes. I told them everything last night. Honestly, I never thought he would hurt me. I’m so sorry. I should have told you everything. I should have warned you, especially after you received the flowers. I’m pretty sure those were from him.” Tears had formed in Amanda’s eyes. “I’m so sorry, Elle. It should have been me.”

  Clive took Amanda in his arms while she sobbed quietly for a few moments.

  Elle moved to her other side and grabbed her hands. “This is not your fault, and don’t think for a second I blame you.” Elle may have felt unlucky at the turn of events, but she certainly didn’t blame Amanda and wanted to be sure the woman left understanding that.

  Conversation was short and stiff after that, and Clive and Amanda soon left. Elle couldn’t sit still, alone in the condo. She needed to keep her hands busy to think through everything.

  First things first. She needed to talk with Brock. She had been putting off the conversation too long. She had dragged her feet because she knew his being here made her mother feel better about her staying at her own place instead of with them. She also needed to talk with her mother about her current relationship status. All the things she had been putting off suddenly seemed of the upmost priority, and Elle was ready to tackle them like her weekly checklist. She started with organizing her Tupperware cabinet while she stewed with how to approach confronting Brock and her mom.

  When Claire arrived with dinner sometime later, Elle had finished the cupboard cleaning and moved on to her closet.

  “What are you doing? Elle Hastings, aren’t you supposed to be lying down and taking it easy?”

  Elle was too worked up to be easily deterred by Claire’s stern tone and her hands on her hips. “I’m going stir-crazy here. I needed to do something. I can’t watch any more bad TV.”

  “Whoa. Sit. Explain.”

  Elle stopped and looked at her friend. Claire was not easily fooled and had obviously latched on to the fact she was upset about something. She informed Claire about Clive and Amanda’s visit and what they had told her.

  “Wow. That’s seriously messed up,” Claire conceded when she was finished.

  “You wanna know the worst part?” Elle looked down at her hands as she prepared to confide in her friend.

  “All of that doesn’t have me nearly as messed up as the fact that Ryan hasn’t called or texted once. I mean, I get that he was pissed, but what kind of asshole doesn’t even call to say ‘Hey, sorry you got shot’?” Elle finally faced her friend, hoping she had answers.

  “There’s something I need to tell you.” Claire motioned for Elle to sit before continuing. “Ryan left. He took that franchise deal.”

  Elle’s heart sank into her stomach at a possibility that she had never even considered. “What do you mean he left? When?”

  “I dunno. I talked to him the day after the shooting on the phone. He wanted to know how you were. That’s the last time I talked to him. I heard some girls talking about it at the gym today, and I asked Tori. It’s true. He’s subletting his apartment to Tori, and she’s taken over Fit Club here in Sweetbriar. He’s gone. I’m sorry.”

  Elle felt the room closing in on her. How dare he leave without even saying good-bye. It felt like a slap in the face. It trivialized all that they had shared in the past three weeks. Could it have all meant so little to him?

  “I think I’m going to be sick.” Elle managed to get out before she ran to her bathroom and emptied the contents of her stomach in the toilet.

  Claire was quick behind her, pulling her hair out of her face while Elle sobbed and puked into the toilet.

  “It’s gonna be okay. Screw him! Come on, let’s get you in bed. It’s been a long day.”

  Dazed and exhausted, Elle let Claire help her to bed without complaint. She tossed and turned, her mind racing and her heart breaking. She could hear Claire watching TV in the living room, but she couldn’t bring herself to go out there. She knew Claire would say all the right things and maybe even make her feel a little better, but she wanted to drown in her sorrows for at least tonight.

  THE SPACE LOOKED great. The gym had a similar setup to the one in Sweetbriar, but the location in Carroll was in a trendier downtown area, and the décor inside had been done to match. Ryan had thought about calling Amanda to see if she wanted the job designing the space of the new gym but ultimately had gone with a local designer.

  He desperately wanted to know how Elle was doing but refused to ask anyone. He hadn’t given anyone much chance of giving him details about anything back home. He’d been avoiding calls and texts, blaming it on the busy schedule. And it had been crazy. He’d thrown himself into the challenge of making the second location just as good as the first. That included deciding if he was going to hire a manager to oversee the place, or if he was going to fill that role himself and transfer his life to Carroll. He’d originally thought that was what he wanted when there was a possibility of Elle coming with him, but now it just didn’t sit right. His friends, his family — all of that was in Sweetbriar. The scene in Carroll was promising though. Carroll was nearly three times larger than Sweetbriar and filled with a lot more women he hadn’t known his whole life. Marie had been trying to get him to come out for drinks since his first night in town. She was pretty and fun. Hell, maybe it would help him get his mind off Elle once and for all.

  He was locking up the building for the night when a familiar voice came from the shadows of the dark street. “You running from the law, boy?”

  Ryan grinned and hustled to greet the police officer leaning against his patrol car. “Jake. What are you doing here?”

  They shook hands, and Jake pulled him in for a half-hug.

  “Making sure you’re still alive. No one’s heard from you. Sign a big fancy deal and forget about your friends?” Jake asked.

  Ryan ran a hand through his hair and struggled for words to apologize for avoiding his buddies. His real beef was with Elle, and he’d let it impact his relationships with everyone else.

  “I’m sorry. Work has been keeping me busy. Wanna see the place?” Ryan motioned toward the locked building in front of him.

  “Another time. I can’t stay. I was on my way back from St. Louis, interviewing a couple of people about Elle’s case. I promised Tori I’d stop by and make sure everything was okay.”

  Ryan hesitated to ask about the progress. He’d read in the papers that they had arrested someone and that it appeared Elle had been mistaken for someone else by the shooter.

  “Look who’s the big shot now. Fancy detective solving big cases. Congratulations. Did you get everything wrapped up?”

  Jake looked at Ryan for a beat, as if he was searching for the right words.

  “You really don’t want to ask about Elle? Come on, man. I know it has to be killing you. I know how you felt about her, even if you’re too pissed off to admit it,” Jake said.

  Ryan shrugged. “Well, it doesn’t matter much anymore anyway. She made her choice.”

  Jake shook his head and headed to the driver side of his car. “If you say so, man. She’s doing well. She’s even back in the gym. Chris has been teaching her to box. She’s pretty good.” He paused, seeming to search Ryan’s face for a reaction. “Listen, I gotta get back to Sweetbriar. Take care of yourself. You look like shit.”

  Ryan watched Jake drive away and headed to his own car. Elle was still in Sweetbriar? Maybe the injury
had delayed her moving date. It didn’t much matter now. She was no longer a part of his life.

  The drive to his new place was short. He’d rented a small apartment above a bakery in the bar district. The loud nights and partygoers stumbling their way down the street made him feel less alone somehow.

  The light in the bakery was still on as Ryan approached the small building. He was fond of Karen, the owner. She had doted on him as if he were her own son, forcing him to eat or take muffins and other pastries every time she saw him. The smell of sugar and coffee greeted him as he opened the front door of the bakery. Instead of the older, plump woman he was expecting, a young girl with jet-black hair wiped down the furniture, her curvy ass on display as she leaned over to reach the far side of each table.

  “We’re closed!” she called out over her shoulder without looking at him.

  “Sorry. I live upstairs. I saw the light on and thought I’d catch Karen to thank her for the muffins she left outside my apartment this morning.” He forced his hands in his pocket and stayed just inside the door in case she wasn’t comfortable as Karen with him getting to his place through the bakery. The upstairs apartment had a side entrance that had been built to bypass the business and allow the tenant access to the apartment.

  Her demeanor softened slightly as she turned to face him, seeming to take him in. “You must be Ryan. Mom has been talking about you nonstop since I got home. I’m Brenda, Karen’s daughter.”

  “Oh good. You two have finally met.” Karen appeared from the back. She had her hair pulled up in a tidy bun and was wearing her ever-present apron.

  “Thank you for the muffins this morning,” Ryan said as he patted his stomach.

  “Honey, you are more than welcome. Really, it’s a public service. No man should walk around looking like you do. I’m gonna put some meat on those bones yet.”

  Ryan blushed and caught Brenda rolling her eyes at her mother.