by B. A. Wolfe
Oh shit!
I forgot about her bleeding. “No, no, no. Don’t close your eyes. You need to stay awake. You hit your head pretty hard. In fact, here.” Her lids popped open as I yanked a handkerchief from my pocket and set it on her lap. “Press that firmly against your forehead. It’ll help stop the bleeding.”
She glanced down at the handkerchief and made a face.
I snickered. “It’s clean, Cassandra. I promise.”
She laughed under her breath. “No, it’s not that. I’ve just never met someone so helpful to a complete stranger before.”
What? How could someone not want to help her?
“I don’t know where you’re from, but that’s how we do things around here. But, it’s not every day that I get to help out a pretty girl like you.” The words just skated from my mouth and I wasn’t sure what spell she had over me. Never in my life had I ever said anything like that before. Never in my life had I met such a beautiful girl before either.
“Does the town pay you to say that?” Her tone was cute, half teasing and yet somewhat serious. As if she didn’t believe someone would say something like that to her.
I lowered my lips to her ear and whispered, “I wouldn’t need to be paid to tell you that.” And it was the truth. I pulled back and smiled inwardly at her blushed cheeks.
“Thanks.” Her gaze skirted away, her face turning a deeper shade of red as if she were fighting the same attraction I was.
The ambulance sirens blared in the distance and my chest caved a little. I wasn’t sure I was ready to surrender this girl just yet.
***
After they closed the ambulance doors, something in me couldn’t drive anywhere but here. I parked my truck and sprinted toward the entrance of the emergency room. Maybe it was how she looked so distraught when she waved goodbye or maybe it was that our brief encounter just wasn’t enough. So, I came here without a clue what to say or do, just hoping she would be okay with me being here. I was about to find out.
I wandered through the hospital, frantically looking for her. My mom stopped short as she came down the hallway, a panicked look crossing her face.
“What are you doing here?” Her fingers gripped my shoulders as she searched my body. “You okay?”
“Mom, I’m fine.” I grasped her hands. Of course she’d freak seeing me in the hospital. She knew it wasn’t a dialysis day. “I actually came to make sure . . .” I paused. Was it creepy to tell your mom you came to make sure a girl you’d never met before was okay? Too late now, I wasn’t leaving. “I came to see the girl from the accident. Is she all right?”
“She’s shaken up but she’ll be fine. Thank gosh you were there.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed the back of my neck. But was I crazy to be here? I think I had passed crazy and headed straight for lunatic. I released my neck and pointed down the hall. “Would it be okay . . . I mean, can I go see her?”
My mom looked at my finger then back at me. “I’ve never seen you like this before, Jason.”
“She looked so scared.” My mind went back to her terrified expression and I shook my head in short movements. “If only you’d have been there. I feel bad. I don’t want her to have to be alone in a hospital, ya know?” I knew what it was like to be afraid and want your family by your side.
“Of course, sweetie. I get it.” She pushed a curl from my forehead like she always did. I really needed a haircut. “You can go see her.”
My chest pulled tight. What would she think when she saw me? Would she be happy? God, I hoped so.
“You’re a good kid, you know that?” Mom stopped before she went the opposite direction.
“Learned from the best.” I’d meant from my brother, but I’m sure my mom took it as her doing. Which reminded me. “Hey, Mom?”
“Yeah, sweetie.” She spun on her heels and met my stare.
“Dan’s not coming down this weekend.”
She closed her eyes for a second, and when they reopened, a world of hurt could have been visible from a mile away on her face.
I knew how she felt. I missed him too. Not to mention, he missed a whole helluva lot of action this morning. Maybe it was all some master plan that he couldn’t make it down and this poor girl crashed in front of me. Who knew where I’d be had he come down. I owed him a thanks for bailing on me.
I laughed as I walked. That was a comical thought.
***
Her face had lit up when I walked into her room. Her reaction had me more than happy I followed my gut and came to see her. Unfortunately, Cassandra had been at the hospital for hours. I tried to keep her as much company as I was allowed. I even got the low down on where she had been headed: Alamosa. That city was hours from Keaton and in the opposite direction. I teased her about it and right as we were getting somewhere, Mom came into her room and discharged her. My heart sank deep into my stomach. What hurt the most wasn’t the fact that she was leaving . . . it was that Mom told her she was good to go.
Hesitantly, I followed my mom out of Cassandra’s room and closed the curtain before I scrubbed my hands down my face. Where was that girl supposed to go? She didn’t have a car. She didn’t seem to have any family around. God, was this girl all alone? Driving to a city she’d never been to, luggage now in the back of my truck.
My stomach was in knots.
I knew what I had to do and it was crazy. Absurd even. Cassandra didn’t know me from freaking Adam.
“You okay, Jason?” Mom placed a gentle hand on my upper arm.
I dropped my fists to my sides and gulped, preparing myself to ask her my big question. “Yeah, I’m okay, but Mom,” I paused and looked back at the closed curtain to her room for a quick second, “it’s Cassandra.”
Mom’s hand retreated and her eyes grew wide. It was almost as if she knew something about her that I didn’t. “What’s wrong, sweetie?”
“Aside from her being in the emergency room?” I asked before I sucked in a nervous breath. “By the time she gets out, it’ll be late. She has no car, no family here. She has nowhere to go, Mom.” I hoped my jumbled words made sense to her, because I wasn’t even sure they made sense to me. I buried my clammy fists in my pockets and continued, “This is crazy, but how would you feel about letting her stay with us? In the spare room? Just until she can figure out the situation with her car?”
My heart pounded so hard that I was actually grateful I was in a hospital. I was about to collapse on the cold floor. Why was I so nervous? Because I’d never done anything like this before . . . truth was though, it could’ve been anyone and I’d still want to help them. But I couldn’t deny the draw I had to this girl, or the way it was constantly pulling me toward her, like I needed her, like she saw something in me so I was helping her too.
Mom finally smiled and rubbed my arm. “I’d hate for her not have anywhere to stay. Of course she can, sweetie. Put her in Dan’s old room, okay?”
I sighed in relief and wrapped my arms around my mom, knowing exactly where I got this need to help people. “Thanks. I just want to make sure she doesn’t feel alone.”
She pulled from my hold and nodded. “She might not be comfortable staying at our house though, so make sure she knows there is a motel.”
“Yeah, I’ll see what she says. Can I wheel her out?”
“Playing Dr. Bradley like the old days, huh? You must really like her,” she teased and I grinned shamelessly. “I’ll bring a wheelchair over. See you tonight.”
I waved to my mom and then sprinted outside and fetched Cassandra’s purse from my truck. I had grabbed it before they towed her car off. She’d probably wonder where in the hell it was, so I figured it was best to bring it in. I headed back inside and tiptoed to her room, and was still behind the curtain when I heard her yell, “Damn it!”
“Everything okay in there, Cassandra?” I hung the bag on my shoulder and tightened my grip on the wheelchair handles.
“No. I can’t find my purse. I think it’s still in my car. I need my phone to
call my friend,” she explained with a shaky voice.
Grinning, I looked down at her purse dangling from my arm. Knight in shining armor strikes again. “Are you dressed yet?”
“Yes,” she mumbled in defeat.
With a steady grip, I wheeled the chair into her room. Her eyes immediately widened as I got closer, ping-ponging from the chair to the purse. She shot me a grin and my heart raced. There was something special about this girl, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I just hoped she agreed to stay so I could get the chance to find out.
Two
“GOODNIGHT, CASSANDRA,” I MUTTERED, closing the door to her motel room. On a deep exhale, I glanced down at my hand still tight around the knob. Ignoring the strong urge to stay, I released the handle. She made her choice. That’s what I told myself anyway as I shuffled down the walkway and headed toward my truck.
But I wasn’t convinced.
That impulse still lingered as I drove off. There was no blaming the girl for not staying with me. She barely knew me, but something wasn’t right. Bottom line, I didn’t like leaving her there. It was almost as if I needed to protect her from this town, even though there was nothing for her to be afraid of here. I couldn’t believe the lie I fed her about the bugs. That motel was gross, but it wasn’t the nightmare I had made it out to be.
Blowing out a long breath, I cranked the radio up, trying to drown out my thoughts.
Jason, what is wrong with you?
“I don’t know,” I answered my inner thoughts that hadn’t tuned out like I’d hoped.
You need to go get her, man.
“No way, she didn’t want to come with me,” I responded to myself.
What if she’s hungry?
“Exactly,” I agreed.
I squeezed the life out of the steering wheel, about to make the most illegal u-turn possible, but it didn’t matter because no one was around to care. Without a second thought, I pulled the risky maneuver and started driving in the opposite direction. But, instead of smiling as I drove back to the motel, I gritted my teeth.
What in the hell was I doing?
My brain told me to be logical about this and my gut said to hell with reason. They were clearly not on the same page.
Yanking the wheel to the right, I flipped one last u-turn, and headed home.
Cassandra wasn’t hungry, she didn’t want me around, and I needed to let her be. I tried to reassure myself one last time, but something wasn’t settling right. Something told me she did need me. Maybe it was the way she stared at my number on the ripped piece of paper I’d handed her. Or how anxiety veiled her eyes as she peered around her room. Or it could’ve been the way her face slacked in sadness before I closed the door.
I shook my head. Before I pulled off anymore NASCAR moves, I parked my truck in front of our house and walked inside. I did a quick glance around the place and noticed no one was home. It was a good time to finish writing Dan’s letter. There was probably enough to fill a notebook with all that I had to tell him now.
I traipsed down the stairs and opened the door to my room. Grabbing my stuff, I plopped myself on the sofa and put pen to paper. I didn’t even know where to begin; I guessed at the beginning . . .
Dan,
I finally understand the meaning of slow motion. I saw an accident after I hung up with you. It was the craziest thing, it was so slow yet, it happened so fast. When I peeked inside the car, my heart raced. It was a girl, so beautiful, about my age if not younger. But she was scared out of her mind. The kind of scared that we know. She was alone, with luggage and the widest set of eyes I’d ever seen. She was okay, but had clear signs of a concussion so they took her to the emergency room. Then I did the craziest thing of all, I went to the hospital and kept her company. I couldn’t leave her, man.
Have you ever felt that way before? Where you met someone for the first time and felt this pull toward them? Am I insane?
Maybe I wasn’t that insane going to the hospital, but I know I was off my rocker when I asked Mom if she could stay with us. Cassandra said no, of course. Is it wrong that it made me a little sad?
That’s her name by the way. Cassandra. It’s pretty, right? I kind of want to call her Cassie. But she seems a little too formal for a nickname.
Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk about you. How’s the job going? By the way, the look on Mom’s face when I told her you weren’t coming down was awful. You gotta let me tell her all of this, it’s all my fault. She misses you. I know she does, she’s just too damn stubborn to put all her self-hatred behind her.
I dunno. Everything seems so messed up still. I guess all I do know is that you missed one hell of a crazy day here in Keaton, brother.
Jase
***
Sleep never came. My body tossed and turned, kicking the sheets off my body. My mind replayed the accident about a half-dozen times and then every second at the hospital, too. By the morning, I gave in and got dressed for the day. Uncaring that it was only seven, I went to the only place that made sense. It was time to find out what kind of damage Cassandra’s car was in.
I parked my truck on the side of the road, slid out, and strolled into the garage. Cassandra’s car was right up front with the hood open. Moose hovered over it, his arms on either side as he peered down at the engine.
I ran my fingers through my hair and stopped behind him. “Hey, Moose. How’s the car?”
He didn’t budge or look in my direction. He only shook his head. “It’s bad, man. It’s a train wreck in there.”
Good. “That’s too bad.” I tried to hide my sideways grin.
He turned, wiping his hands on a dirty towel as he leaned against the front end. “I mean it’s fixable. Shouldn’t take too long, but for a small wreck she sure did do some damage.”
“Oh, really?” I asked, trying to hide my disappointment.
“You sound upset.” He cocked a brow. “In fact, a little too upset.”
I was. Which meant he’d just have to stall. I fought the smile that was ready to spread across my face. “Can you do me a favor?”
“Depends on what it is.”
On an exhale, I let the words spill from my mouth. “Take your time on her car.”
He flung the towel over his shoulder and crossed his arms, both eyebrows arching high.
“Don’t give me that look.”
“What look?” He shrugged nonchalantly. “Oh, you mean the look that says ‘don’t be stupid’? That look?”
“Yeah, that one.” Damn he was good. An unfamiliar heat started settling in my cheeks. I’d forgotten what that felt like. This girl had me flushed and she wasn’t even here.
Kicking away from the car, Moose walked to his workbench. “Listen, it’s not my place to say...” He turned, a flat expression splayed across his grease smudged face. “Just be careful. You don’t know anything about this girl. She could be trouble.”
He was wrong. So damn wrong. She wasn’t trouble, she was in trouble. And all I wanted to do was help her. It was as if everything, my body, my mind, was all being pulled toward her. I couldn’t explain it, but it was as if we were meant to meet.
“Trust me.” I lifted my arm and held out my fist in front of him. He bumped it with his, but not before a second of hesitation. “I’m just not ready for her to leave yet. There’s something about her.”
“Whatever, man. Just be careful. Chicks are dangerous.”
He had every reason to be protective, but my gut told me this time it was different. She looked at me different, like I was some sort of town hero, not like I was sick. “I know, Moose. But something tells me she’s not Anna.” I headed out of the garage, but before I left I pivoted and looked at him. “Break a gasket or something.”
He smirked. “Sure. I’ll make up some fake problems to have to work on, I guess.”
I gasped, pretending to be shocked. “I can’t believe you’d do such a thing.”
A throaty laugh barreled through him. “Get out of here. Just know,
nobody else gets this kind of special treatment. I can’t believe I’m about to lie to her.”
“Thanks, man.”
Leaving his shop, I unleashed the huge ass grin that I’d been holding back.
Ten blocks later, I pulled into the motel parking lot and killed the engine. My chest thudded. Hard. To say I was freaking out was an understatement. Stepping out of the driver’s side, I rounded my truck and eyed room number eight. Something inside told me to come here. If she didn’t want to stay with me that was fine, but I’d at least give her an update on her car, right?
Who was I fooling? My gut and my heart told me to be here. And what kind of knight in shining armor would I be if I wasn’t? Plus, I had nowhere else to be. So I crossed my arms over my white t-shirt and leaned against the door panel, playing it casual.
I was approaching the ten minute mark, and in those long excruciating minutes, I had time to process. This was not only crazy, but borderline stalker behavior. Right as I was contemplating whether or not to get the heck out of there before she saw me, the door to her room flew open.
Wearing a loose fitting t-shirt and a pair of tight black pants, and honestly, looking more beautiful than yesterday, Cassandra came rushing out mumbling a few choice phrases. Any negative thoughts I was having left me and I chuckled under my breath. God, she looked frazzled, disgusted . . . ready to leave. Perfect.
A cheese-ball grin stretched across my face, my heart racing in the best way possible. “Are you looking for a place to stay yet?”
She spun and her wide hazel eyes locked on mine, making my chest pound out of control. Her worried features smoothed away as she stared down at me from over the railing, those eyes holding mine as if she didn’t want to let them go.
“I don’t know whether to think you’re a creeper for being here or thank you for being my savior and hug you majorly,” she shouted.
Yep, she was adorable. It was official. “I’ll take being a savior and a hug,” I gloated. The hair on the back of my neck prickled at the thought of her arms wrapped around my waist. “I was driving by, heading back from checking on your car, and I thought I’d see if you were finally ready to give in and stay with me.”