No way. That would only give him more time to remember. “I couldn’t bother you with that. No thanks. You’ve done enough.”
“You have someone picking you up then?”
“No, but maybe I could call a cab.”
One eyebrow rose. “Have you ever been to Starlight Hill before? Because we don’t have cabs.”
Right. The town wasn’t exactly a metropolis. “I’ll figure something out.”
He lifted a shoulder. “I’m here.”
No one else had offered, and she literally had no one else to call. “Sure. Let me change.” He didn’t move so she brought up the blanket to her chin as a hint. “I’m not going to do it in front of you.”
“Didn’t think so.” He stepped behind the curtain, swishing it closed. “So how have you been, Diana?”
Oh God. Diana slapped her forehead and shut her eyes. He did remember her. Of course he would, because this was going right along with the kind of spectacular year she’d been enjoying. “Um, fine? Except for the fire.”
Liar. You’re running, and that’s never a good way to start over.
The jeans were a size eight, the size she used to wear before she’d gained five pounds in the last month, worrying about her life and eating way too many tortilla chips. Not that a man who looked like he bench pressed in his sleep would know what it was like to be addicted to chips. Diana groaned.
“Is everything okay in there? Do you need help?” How nice. Sounded like he was chuckling.
“No!” She sucked in a big breath and closed the top button. Thought maybe she felt her kidney quiver in pain. Then she struggled to snap on the one size too small bra, and put on the t-shirt he’d brought. She wiped her lenses clean with the edge of the t-shirt, slipped them back on and opened the curtain. Damn. This was an old prescription, but he was still as good looking. Sun-kissed brown hair, intent deep green eyes. Strong jawline, chiseled chest by every indication of the way he filled out that SHFD t-shirt.
The boy had grown up well.
“If you can just take me back to the motel, I’ll get my car and drive over to my grandmother’s.”
He rocked back on his heels. “Mrs. Paulsen.”
“Yes.” It was a small town, and what she remembered about Starlight Hill during the long summers she’d visited Gran was one big nosy group of people all up in everyone’s business. She’d been mostly left out of all that because as a summer visitor she never fit in with the rest of the kids, Scott included.
“My sister-in-law used to live next door to her. She still drops by once or twice a week to check up on her.”
Aw, that was nice. “I should thank her.”
“Gen doesn’t need any thanks. She just does it because she’s—Gen.” He smiled bigger this time, revealing a single dimple. “Listen, I only need a minute to check on a couple of the other tenants anyway, so I’ll go see how much longer on your paper work.”
He turned to go, giving Diana a chance to check out his backside. He looked just as good from the back as from the front.
The nurse might have caught Diana staring, because she smiled knowingly and nodded. “That’s our Scott, the last of the Turlock boys. Single. Plus he’s not dating anyone if you’re interested.”
“No, no, I’m not. But I would like to know—is it safe to go home with him?” The sixteen-year-old boy she remembered was wild and dangerous. Two of the most attractive qualities to her sixteen-year-old idiot self. But that was a long time ago and she wanted to believe that wild and dangerous no longer held the same attraction.
“You’re going home with him?” The nurse gave a big smile.
“I mean, he’s giving me a ride back to my car. He seems okay to me. Harmless. Right?”
The formerly friendly nurse took on a snooty look and pursed her lips. “He’s only a war hero. I do believe you can trust him for a ride.”
Scott. A war hero? What else had she missed in the last twelve years?
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Forever with You (Starlight Hill Series Book 5) Page 29