“I’m pretty good,” I reply, happy that I can say that now and be totally honest.
“Are you sure?” She looks around then leans in. “Judy’s very concerned about you.”
Judy? I blink, mind racing as I try to process what the hell Mrs. Matthews is talking about. Son of a bitch. Judy Henson is Josh’s mother, and she works at the school with Mrs. Matthews.
“Yes, I’m sure. And you can tell Judy she has nothing to worry about. Chase and I are happy together.”
“She says he’s nothing but trouble. And after what he did to Josh—” Mrs. Matthews cuts off with a huff. Her blonde hair is curled and teased several inches above her head.
“What did he supposedly do to Josh?” I cross my arms, feeling the angry Southern woman in me start to come out.
“He up and left him to work the bar after his twins were born.”
I imagine myself stomping my foot and yelling about what a fucking liar Judy is. Instead, I keep my cool, narrowing my eyes every so slightly. “Chase has been in the hospital the last week. He had surgery, and we just got back today. I’m here to drop off prescriptions for him. He actually wants to get back to the bar tomorrow but Josh won’t let him.” I shake my head, fighting the urge to break things.
“You can’t believe everything you read on the internet, and you can’t take all gossip as the truth,” I say and storm away. I’m never catty, but right now, I’m pissed. I pull Chase’s insurance card and prescriptions from my purse and give them to the pharmacist, more thankful than ever for HIPPA. At least she won’t get into personal details with anyone else.
Still seething, I head for my car instead of The Book Bag. Mrs. Williams is going into the store just as I cross the street, and she catches my eye and waves. Now I have to go in, and I internally grumble the entire way. As soon as I step foot inside, all my negative emotions melt away. The scent of ink and paper, the familiar rows of books…even the creaking of the floorboards beneath my feet is comforting. I pause in the threshold and inhale, feeling loads better in just seconds.
“Sierra, dear,” Mrs. Williams says warmly. “How are you, darling?”
“I’m good,” I tell her. “Tired, that’s for sure, but glad to be home. How are you? And the store.”
“We’re both the same: old but still standing.”
“I’ll be in tomorrow morning.”
Mrs. Williams waves her hand in the air. “Take another day. Spend time taking care of that handsome man of yours.”
“You know you’re probably the only person in the town besides Josh Henson who hasn’t told me to stay away from Chase.”
“Why would I?”
“You haven’t heard the rumors about him?”
“Oh, I have. Let me ask you this: do you feel you should stay away?”
“No,” I say with no hesitation. “And if people got to know him, they’d know he’s one of the good guys, which are hard to find nowadays, I hear.” I sigh. “Chase might be a bit complicated, but he’s not dangerous. He loves me. He’d never hurt me.”
“There’s a thrill to loving a complicated man. Thrill…and danger. And that danger can be just as addictive.” Mrs. Williams smiles. “I know because I loved one too. The world has a never-ending supply of opinions and advice on what you should do. Don’t listen to them. We’re all complicated in the end.”
“We are.”
“Now, go on and get out of here,” she orders, eyes twinkling. “That handsome man is waiting for you.”
Chapter 26
Chase
The book in Sierra’s hand slips from her grasp and onto the bed. Her head is to the side, and her eyes are closed. Careful not to wake her, I move the book aside and pull the blanket up to her shoulder. I’ve been home from the hospital for two days now and am feeling a whole fucking lot better. Being confined to the house is starting to get to me though, and I’m actually looking forward to going back to work.
Jax filled in for me a few nights since I got sick, enabling Josh to go home after opening, which makes me not feel as shitty. The whole reason I said I’d stay here was to help him run the bar after his twins were born, and literally days after they make their arrival, I’m out of commission. Though I won’t be for long since I don’t plan on listening to the doctor’s recommendations on when to return to normal activity.
Having sex is number one on my list, but so far Sierra has been serious about following the doctor’s orders. It won’t take long before she caves though. I know she wants it just as much as I do. I was hoping to try to break her walls tonight and have her give me a very thorough checkup, but she fell asleep just minutes of opening her book once we were in bed. She’s still catching up on the sleep she lost last week, and she has to work in the morning.
I put an arm around her and kiss the back of her neck. Having laid around doing nothing all day, I’m not tired. It’s only ten o’clock, hours before my normal bedtime. I hold onto Sierra a bit longer then sit up, getting a book from the nightstand.
I think back to the day I rolled into Summer Hill for my father’s funeral. If someone had told me this is the way things would unfold, I’d laugh right in their face.
In bed by ten, reading to help myself fall asleep. Next to the most beautiful woman in the world.
It’s the last thing I thought would happen. And sometimes the least expected things are the most needed.
“Babe, your alarm is going off.”
“One more minute?” Sierra grumbles.
“You already hit the snooze. Twice.” I reach over and get her phone from the nightstand. It’s nine o’clock, and Sierra slept for almost twelve hours. I don’t know how she’s still so tired. Hopefully she’s not coming down with something.
With a groan, she gets out of bed and starts getting dressed. She still looks rundown when she comes into the kitchen.
“Thanks,” she says, taking the mug of coffee I made her. “What are you gonna do today?” She sips her coffee and starts looking for something for breakfast. I’ve noticed Sierra tends to follow her habits, and in the morning, she goes straight for yogurt and granola and some sort of fruit. She moves the bananas aside and goes for cookies instead.
“I’m going to my place. Not to work,” I add. “But to make sure Jax hasn’t burned the place down.”
“I thought you weren’t supposed to drive yet.”
“I’m not, and I won’t be. Jax has my car.”
“Right. I forgot about that. Can I ask you something?”
“Always.”
“How did you and Jax meet?”
“We worked together,” I tell her.
“You have a degree in psychology, right?”
I shake my head.
“But you said you went to the University of Chicago.”
“I did,” I explain. “And I did study psych. But I left before I graduated.”
Sierra finishes her cookie and takes another drink of coffee. “Smooth with your wording.”