“I told you these were for his protection,” Dr. Taylor said sternly.
“I’m sorry,” I apologized for Xander, knowing full well that he’d been the one to undo the restraints. Most likely while I’d been with Walter.
Xander remained silent.
“Now, my shift is over and I’m going home. Do I need to worry?” Dr. Taylor asked me directly.
“No, sir.”
“I won’t ask you a third time. I’ll simply ban you.”
“You won’t have to,” I promised.
The doc stared me down pretty bravely for a guy I could end in about a heartbeat, then nodded and left, taking all but one nurse with him.
“I’m sorry,” Xander said, running his hands over his hair. “I undid them, thinking he looked so uncomfortable, and after I finished the second one, I glanced up, and his eyes were open, and he started thrashing.”
The nurse looked up from her chart but didn’t say anything.
My chest rose in even breaths, at war with the raging thoughts that circled my brain. I’d just had to hold down my dad for the very thing he’d begged me not to do. I jeopardized what truce we had, assuming he was lucid, and once again was the devil to Xander’s perfection.
“This is why he didn’t want this,” I said softly, menace bleeding into my words despite my attempts to chill. “That right there. Everything that just happened?” I put my hand on Xander’s chest and pushed lightly until he moved out of my way. “That’s on you.”
I didn’t pause to comfort him or address his ashy appearance. Nope, I let him stew in the shit he’d caused.
Never again would I be on the wrong side, no matter how legally right. Never again would I let myself get put into that kind of situation. Never again would I let Dad wake up in absolute terror and restraints.
I grabbed my duffel and headed out to the hallway, where Walt waited with tears in his eyes.
“You saw?” I asked.
He nodded.
“I’m going to need Simon’s help.”
Chapter Fourteen
Willow
“You know, you could always move back to civilization and come into the office,” Matt Wilson cajoled over FaceTime as I walked down Gold Creek Drive, headed for Charity’s.
“Yeah, I think not,” I declined with a smile. “Remember when we were at Rutgers and I told you I was going back to Alba and staying there?”
He adjusted his tie and laughed. “I remember. You know Vaughn Holdings loved the graphics for the new campaign, right?”
“I do remember hearing that. Good morning, Mrs. Dawson,” I said to Genevieve as she came down the sidewalk toward me.
“Willow,” she replied, more venom than sugar. “We’re all just so excited to see the plans this week. Would be a shame if all that hoopla with Art got in the way, wouldn’t it?”
I stilled, looking past Matt’s face to Genevieve’s… Wait, was she glowering at me? “I’m sorry, you mean his whole just-got-off-life-support hoopla?”
She rolled her eyes. “You’d better talk to your boyfriend, and that’s all I’m going to say. But if you think this town is going to sit around and watch poor Art get exploited by that boy, well, that’s not going to happen. I’ve said my piece.”
“My boyfriend? Cam?” I guessed. “Because we’re not—”
“Oh, don’t you play coy. You always were more loyal to those Daniels boys than your own family. But that’s all I’m going to say.” She disappeared into her jewelry store, leaving my mouth wide open.
“So, was that really all she was going to say, or is she coming back for an encore?” Matt asked.
“I have no idea. That’s Genevieve Dawson for you.” I noted several glares as I made my way down the street. What the hell was going on?
“And that’s the town you want to live in? Seriously. Come to Denver. You don’t get views like this.” He turned the phone, showing the skyline of downtown Denver. “Come on, you deserve to sit through the meetings where clients rave about your work.”
“This is home, Matt. Where I have my family and friends and views like this.” I turned my own camera, shooting him the snowcapped peaks against a crisp blue sky. “You take the credit. It’s never been about the applause for me.”
“Or is it about the boyfriend?”
The thought of Cam sent a rush of emotion tumbling through me like an uncoordinated circus. “No boyfriend. Look, I have to go. I just got to my sister’s place. Send me over the client’s wish list, and I’ll get started on that new design.”
“You got it. Steer clear of the big-haired lady. We need you intact.”
“Ha-ha.” I hung up with him as I walked into Mother Lode.
Charity was at the tail end of a staff meeting, so I nodded to her and sat at a table. It had been a week since Art’s accident. He was off the ventilator and recovering, but I only knew that from a few of Cam’s text messages.
I hadn’t seen him or heard his voice since he’d hopped on the snowmobile and taken off. I also hadn’t said a word about what happened between us. Not to Cam. Not to Thea. Not to Walt when he took me up to the mine, since Cam was on a weird schedule with Xander, both watching over their dad in shifts.
His words were eating me alive.
“What’s up?” Charity asked as the last of her staff filtered out.
I looked at my sister and tried to find the words, but instead, I ended up doing a weird fish-out-of-water thing where basically I just opened and shut my mouth a bunch. Finally, I uttered one word: “Milkshake.”
It was our oldest, most sacred ritual.
“Camden Daniels,” she guessed with a sigh.
“Basically.”
“Well, I have Meredith opening, so I’m free. But you’re buying.” She took her coat off the rack.
“You sure? I know how busy you get.”
“You’re my sister. I’m sure. Besides, I owe you for this weekend. Rose’s costume looks amazing for the play. Now get off your butt before I make you start scrubbing tables.” She nodded, and I moved.
We were seated in the back booth at Bigg’s, where Charity made sure no one could hear us, before I said a word.
“Okay, so—”
“Hold up.” Charity raised her finger, and sure enough, Tillie Halverson walked over to take our order.