Quincy snuck in and knocked softly. “Sun,” he said.
She sat up and waved him in.
He seemed upset and she almost didn’t want to hear what he had to say.
“Cruz is out of surgery.”
She stood expectantly. “And?”
“It looks good. They think they got everything patched and cleaned out, so hopefully no infection. And he’s strong. That’ll help.”
She put a hand over her heart. “Thank God.”
“Sun, there’s more.”
Her brows slid together. “What?” It wasn’t until that moment that she noticed the wetness shimmering in his eyes. “Quince?”
“Apparently,” he said, his voice cracking, his expression full of sorrow, “his father had a stroke when they were camping near Angel Fire during spring break.”
“What?” She thought back. “That was weeks ago. Is he okay?”
Sun knew Chris De los Santos, but Quincy had been friends with him. He covered his eyes and his breath hitched in his chest.
“Quincy, no.”
“Cruz carried him more than two miles to their truck and took him to a hospital in Taos, but it was too late. He died before they got there.”
“No.”
Quincy broke. A sob escaped and his shoulders shook. He had to turn away. “They said it took them four hours to get Cruz to let go of him.”
“No.” The floodgates opened. “No wonder he wouldn’t let Auri go,” she said, covering her face with her hands. How much more could that kid take?
“He has no one,” Quincy said.
“No, he has a grandfather, right? In Riley’s Switch? He works construction with him in the summers.”
Quincy shook his head. “That’s who I’ve been talking to. When I couldn’t get a hold of Chris, I called Philip, but Philip isn’t his biological grandfather. He was Chris’s foster dad.” His voice cracked and Sun rubbed his back. “He helped with the cremation and asked Cruz to live with him, but Cruz said he wanted to stay with some friends until school let out. He told him he was staying with Chris’s best friend.”
“Who is that?”
“Me, apparently,” he said right before he broke completely. He walked out, struggling to breathe.
Sun turned to Levi. He looked as astonished and heartbroken and crushed as Sun felt. She didn’t know how close he and Chris had been, but they’d been friends. She knew that much, because Levi was friends with all the cool people in town, and Chris De los Santos was one of the coolest.
He stood as though his body would no longer allow him to sit. She took one look at him, at the devastation etched into his face, and wanted nothing more than to console him. To make all of this go away. Instead, he strode past her as though worried he would break completely.
A nurse came in before she could go after him. Though he was Auri’s critical-care nurse, Sun had asked him to find out what he could about Mrs. Fairborn. “They admitted Mrs. Fairborn for observation,” he said, checking Auri’s IV and taking some readings.
“Are you going to be right here for the next little bit?” she asked him.
“Absolutely. I won’t leave this station if you need to grab something to eat.”
“Actually, is there some place I could take a shower?”
“Sure thing, Sheriff.”
Fifteen minutes later, Sun set her emergency bag on the closed toilet seat and combed through it until she found her toothbrush. The nurse found her a shower she could use down the hall from ICU, God bless him. The fragile threads holding her together were starting to fray. The seams ripping apart. The worn edges starting to show.
She brushed her teeth, then stepped into a shower so hot it would blister her skin. Why didn’t Cruz say anything? How could the father of a minor in her town die and she not know about it? Shouldn’t someone have let her know?
Cruz must have felt so alone. In turmoil and agony. And he had no one. The image of him refusing to let Auri go after having to let go of his father forever almost broke her. It stung her eyes and burned her throat.
The totality of the last several days hit her at once. She sank to the floor, as the scalding water rushed over her, and pressed both hands to her mouth to silence the sobs racking her body. And then she cried. Until her eyes swelled. Until her muscles ached. Until her stomach heaved. She cried until someone knocked on the door, the sound so soft she almost didn’t hear it.
“I’ll be out in a minute,” she said a microsecond before she realized it could be someone with news of Auri.
She grabbed the towel they’d loaned her, wrapped it loosely around her body, then went to the door. Levi stood on the other side.
“Auri?”
He shook his head. “She’s still asleep. You’ve been in here a while. I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“Of course,” she said between hiccups. She averted her face, suddenly self-conscious. She was a sheriff. She needed to start acting like one. “I’m almost done if you want the shower. You can use my emergency kit, though I don’t have any clothes that will fit you.”
He pushed his way in and closed the door behind them. “I’ll wait in here.”
“Oh. Okay. I’m almost finished.” She stepped back into the shower and closed the curtain, realizing she hadn’t even shampooed her hair yet. She held her breath while she lathered and rinsed to keep another sob from escaping, only allowing small gasps of air to enter her burning lungs.
He opened the curtain and, without hesitation, pulled her into his arms soaking wet. She didn’t feel too bad about having a total meltdown in his arms. He cried, too. He held her tight enough for her to melt into him. And so she did.
24
Sunday’s service will discuss which page of the
Bible explains how to turn water into wine.
Come early. Full house expected.
—SIGN AT DEL SOL CHURCH ON THE ROCKS
While Levi took his turn in the shower, Sun found a change of clothes for him thanks to a sympathetic admin and her magic key to a sparkling land called the gift shop. She worried he wouldn’t want to wear what she got him, but he didn’t really have a choice since his clothes were now soaking wet.
She always kept two different outfits in the back of her cruiser, business and super casual—a.k.a., comfy sweats and a tee—which was all they had in Levi’s size as well: a pair of sweats and a T-shirt with a UNM Lobos emblem.
And thanks to Auri’s ICU nurse, she also found him a clean pair of boxers and socks. She snuck them in while he showered, thought about peeking, then went back to ICU.
When she woke up in the wee hours of dawn two hours later, she found Levi’s powerful frame slouched in the chair next to Auri’s bed, his wide shoulders and long legs filling up half the room as the nurse worked around him.
The nurse smiled at her. “She’s doing great, Sheriff,” he said even though her uniform was in her duffel bag. “They’re going to move her out of ICU in a bit.”
Relief washed over her like cool water. “How about Cruz De los Santos?”
“He’s two doors down if you want to see him. Though getting past his guardian angel might be difficult.” He grinned at Levi. “Kind of like this one.”
“Thank you.”
“Any time. My shift ends in a few. It was really nice to meet you.”
“You, too. Thank you so much for taking care of my kids.”
He rewarded her with a bashful smile.
Sun stood and held Auri’s hand for a while. Brushed her hair from her forehead. Marveled at the surreal creature she’d been given. Her face, though still pale, had a little more color. A soft blush blossomed over her lips and cheeks.
Sun glanced over at Levi. The man of her dreams was down for the count, his breathing soft and deep, his startlingly handsome face serene in slumber, so Sun peppered Auri’s forehead with kisses then went to check on Cruz.
Sure enough, a guardian angel the size of an eighteen-wheeler sat between the door and Cruz’s be
d. His long legs were stretched out before him and one arm lay draped over Cruz’s mattress. Still in his uniform, Quincy snored softly.
Sun eased around him to get to Cruz’s side and for the second time that morning, relief washed over her. He looked much better as well.
He was such a handsome kid. Strong jaw. Full mouth. And the most perfectly shaped nose she’d ever seen. Sun knew exactly what Auri saw in him. But the thought of him all alone in the world once again threatened to shatter her. She fought off a crushing wave of emotion, leaned over, and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.
He stirred and his lashes fluttered. He opened his eyes to slits, as though that was all the energy he could muster. He was such a fighter for even trying.
She leaned close. “Hey, handsome. Thank you for saving my daughter’s life.”
One corner of his mouth rose weakly as his lids drifted shut again. He raised a hand toward her and she took it into both of hers. “Is she okay?”
“Thanks to you, yes.”
Salazar got as much as she could from Mrs. Fairborn before they transported her to Albuquerque, so Sun knew the basics of what happened. Just not the hows or whys. She would need Cruz and Auri to fill in those blanks, though she had a pretty good idea.
“Cruz,” she said, squeezing his hand, “I am so, so sorry about your dad.”
Despite his eyes being closed, a tear pushed past his thick lashes moments before he slid back into oblivion.
Sun looked over. Quincy was watching her, his heavy-lidded gaze full of sorrow.
“Why don’t you go home and get some rest,” she said to him. “I’ll keep an eye on this guy.”
“It’s okay, boss.” He sat up in the chair and stretched. “I just need a toothbrush and I’m good to go.”
“I think that can be arranged. I know where you can shower, too, if you want.”
“I want.”
She walked around to him and brushed a finger over his scruff.
He took her hand into his. “Is it that bad?”
“You’re pretty wonderful, Quincy Lynn.”
The look he gave her was full of suspicion. “All right. What’d I do?”
She chuckled softly and bent to kiss his cheek as well.
“Damn it. Am I fired? You’re firing me, aren’t you?”
“No,” she said with a soft chuckle. “It’s what you’re about to do.”
“Uh-oh.”
“How would you like a roommate?”
An emotion born of panic and something akin to gut-wrenching terror flashed across his face, then he looked over at the unconscious kid beside him and calmed. “Will I get to order him around? Make him rake leaves and shit?”
“Of course.”
“Then I’m in.”
Sun knew it would be no walk in the park, unless it was one of those parks where all the kids hang out drinking beer they stole from their dad and smoking pot they stole from their mom, but she had faith in her BFF. He was amazing with Auri and Sun would be right there if he needed advice. Or a shoulder to cry on when he realized teens had their own form of logic that defied the conventions of all things in the known universe.
He’d be fine.
* * *
The staff managed to get Auri and Cruz assigned to rooms across the hall from one another once they got out of ICU. Auri would get transferred first, even though they probably wouldn’t release Cruz until later that evening or possibly the next day.
But they were both still in ICU at seven that morning when Hailey walked in. She stopped short when she saw Levi, and her jaw fell open. She looked at Sun in a panic.
Thankfully, Hailey’s brother was still asleep as she tiptoed backwards. Sun eased around him and took Hailey to the nurse’s break room where the Jell-O was cheap and the coffee flowed free. She should know. She was on her eighth cup. In her defense, they were tiny cups.
Once they were out of Levi’s line of sight, Hailey threw her arms around Sun. “I’m so sorry, honey,” she said.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Sun said, thrilled to see her.
“I had to lie and say that I was Auri’s aunt. Oh, my God, Sunshine. This is crazy. What happened?”
“I wish I knew. I have an idea, but I can’t be certain until I interrogate the redhead. Under a thousand-watt lightbulb.”
Hailey grinned sadly. “I’m just glad she and Cruz are okay. Is it true?”
“About his dad? Yes.”
She covered her mouth with a hand. “That poor baby.”
“Wait, how did you know?”
Hailey deadpanned her.
“Right. Small town.” Sun couldn’t let the depths of her sorrow take hold again. She was barely keeping her shit together as it was. “I was going to call you this morning so you could tell Jimmy.”
She nodded. “I’ll tell him later. He’ll want to come up.”
“Of course. They’re moving her to a room in a little while. She would love to see him.”
“And Levi?” Hailey wriggled her brows. “I notice he hasn’t left your side.”
A sheepish grin spread despite herself. “He hasn’t left Auri’s side.”
“Auri’s too. I just think he feels very differently about the two of you.”
They giggled softly.
“Okay,” Hailey said, “I’m going to head out before my brother wakes up and busts us.”
“Oh, any news on the Clay Ravinder front?”
“No. There’s another meeting soon, though. I’m sure of it.”
“Be careful.”
“You too. And give that beautiful girl a hug for me. And tell her I love her. And tell her Jimmy loves her. And we’ll be up later. Oh, and see if she needs anything from home. Slippers. She’ll probably need slippers. And toothpaste. Ask her if she needs toothpaste.”
“Okay,” Sun said with a soft laugh.
They hugged, and Sun reveled in the feel of it. Held it longer than she probably should have. She pulled back and noticed someone watching them from over Hailey’s shoulder. While they’d moved out of Levi’s line of sight, they’d walked directly into Quincy’s. The man sat in the same chair, legs outstretched across the same floor, arm draped over the same bed, only this time his eyes were set ablaze by the two women he watched through the glass door.
“Oh, crap,” Sun said.
Hailey spun around and gasped.
Quincy stood, checked on Cruz with a quick glance, then walked out of the main ICU area and toward them.
Sun searched her brain frantically for a logical explanation. No one knew she and Hailey were friends, and since Hailey was basically undercover, no one could know. It would be too dangerous for her. However, if she were to tell anyone, it would be the man walking toward them now. The one with the quizzical brow that framed a look of absolute astonishment.
Sun rolled her eyes. They were getting sloppy. First Auri. Now Quincy. The entire sting was crashing down around her.
Having found no explanation, her brain went into fight-or-flight mode. She turned to Hailey and railed, “And don’t let me tell you again,” she said, glaring at the blonde beside her. “You—you degenerate. You get out of here and don’t come back. I don’t want to ever—”
“Sun,” Hailey said, pointing at the other blonde, the one standing so close Sun could feel the heat radiating off him.
She turned to him. “Quincy, thank goodness. I want you to arrest this … this—”
“Degenerate?” he offered.
“Yes. For trespassing.”
“Degenerately?”
“Exactly.” She poked Hailey on the shoulder. That’d show her.
“Sunshine,” Hailey said, knowing when to give up the game long before Sun’s brain did.
Sun slammed her lids shut, drew in a deep breath, then squared her shoulders. “Okay, this isn’t what it looks like.”
“Like you two are meeting in secret?”
Her jaw came loose from its hinges. She put it back, then said, “Well, of course that�
�s what it looks like to the untrained eye.”
“My eye is very trained.”
And then, with the briefest, most ephemeral of flashes, something swept across his face. If Sun had blinked, she would have missed it. The glance. As though his pupils could not resist. The intake of breath. As though his lungs could not stop it. The softening of his features. As though his heart could not suppress its reaction.
Sun stood stunned for an eternity before she gaped at him.
“Hailey Ravinder?” she screeched, only really quietly because they were in a hospital. She stepped closer and spoke through clenched teeth. “That’s who you’ve been pining over for months?”
“What?” He snorted. “No.”
“Pining?” Hailey asked.
“After all this time, after everything we’ve been through, you think you can hide this from me?”
“Look who’s talking.” He gestured toward the two of them. “You two act like you’re plotting to take over the world.”
“We were discussing a town-wide rummage sale, for your information.” Now her brain kicks in.
“Pining?” Hailey asked again, her gaze raking over Quincy like the break room was a desert and he was a sparkling oasis complete with lounge chairs and frou-frou drinks. The kind with tiny umbrellas, only there was nothing—and she would know—tiny about her chief deputy.
He cast his gaze down. “Pining is a strong word.”
“For me?” She stepped closer.
He kicked at the floor with his boot.
Sun looked between the two, more than a little horrified. Not because they weren’t perfect for each other. They kind of were. But because she didn’t see it before.
When an electrifyingly romantic instrumental swept through the ICU over the loudspeakers—or in Sun’s mind, either way—she decided to make her exit.
She walked to Auri’s room in disbelief. Everyone was finding true love but her. Of course, she thought this as she rounded the corner and her gaze landed on the only man she’d ever really wanted. He sat with his back to her, holding Auri’s hand.
“How is she?” her mother said, walking in behind her.
A Good Day for Chardonnay Page 30