Chapter Twenty-Five

The closer Shay got to her house, the more nervous and twitchier she became. She’d gotten up early, dropped Aden at physical therapy, and stopped at the paint store before heading over. Once she pulled the van up to the curb, she sat staring at the front door. Maybe coming alone wasn’t such a good idea. She hadn’t been home since the break-in, and it rattled her nerves.

You couldn’t be an EMT and not be bold. Yeah, spiders freaked her out, but somehow the thought of walking over the threshold of her own house made her freeze. A cold sweat broke out, and her heart thumped like it was trying to escape. She forced herself to park in the driveway, get out of the van, and walk up the path to the front door.

“What’s wrong with you, McDowell? You’re no wuss.” She tried to bolster her nerves while reaching for the doorknob. Nope, she couldn’t open it. Instead, she turned away from the door and sat on the stoop, rocking back and forth, trying to pull herself together.

No one is in there, she reasoned. The cleaning company had come and gone—hauled away all the garbage and scoured the mess. With a little paint and some furniture replaced, it would soon be ready to move back in. The house had been locked up tight since the security company left, after installing a home security system.

When logic and reasoning didn’t work, she pulled out her phone. She needed Joanna’s common sense.

—Hey, what’s up?— She tapped out.

—Not much, how are you doing? Are you back Monday?—Joanna answered.

Shay’d taken some time off from volunteering.—Yep, I’ll be there—

—Where are you? Is everything okay?—

—Yes and no. I’m at my house and never mind. I’m good—

The phone rang. She jumped and nearly dropped it.

“Liar, what’s wrong?”

Joanna’s steady voice calmed her racing heart. “Nothing.” Shay gave a halfhearted laugh. “I’m just nervous about going into the house after what happened.”

“You should be. I know I would.” Joanna commiserated with her. “You hang outside. I’ll be there in a few.”

“No. You don’t have to drop what you’re doing,”

“Too late, I’m already on my way.” The hardest-headed best friend in the world disconnected.

A few minutes later, Joanna’s pickup pulled into the driveway behind the van. She hopped out and walked over to Shay. “You’re freezing. Come on, let’s get inside.”

As they made their way through the house, Joanna cursed under her breath.

Her friend didn’t swear. She had a cuss jar at the squad building and was adamant about people paying up.

“Potty mouth,” Shay teased.

“So, I’ll put ten bucks in the jar.” Joanna stared at the nasty words sprayed on the walls. “Shay, I’m so sorry. Come on. We’ll get started painting. Did you get primer?”

“Yeah, it’s in the van with the other stuff.” Shay turned her back on the graffiti. Even if she hated someone, she would never call them the terms the hateful vandal called her.

They worked side by side for a couple of hours and put a big dent in the painting before stopping for a cup of coffee. Luckily, she had an extra carafe under the counter, since the vandal had smashed the other.

“Have they gotten anywhere with the investigation?” Joanna blew on her coffee before taking a sip.

“Nothing yet.” Shay wrapped her hands around her mug, still trying to shake the chill from earlier. “You know Michael? The cop? He’s checking into things. Detective Brandt is still trying to blame me.”

“What a jerk.” Then, peering over the top of her cup, Joanna blinked innocent owl eyes and asked, “What about Mr. Gorgeous, TV star, and Chef? How’s he doing?”

No longer chilled as the blush heated her cheeks, Shay opened and closed her mouth like a town gossip with laryngitis.

“That good, huh?” Joanna laughed. “Okay, spill. I want to know everything.”

“I’ll talk, but only if you’re holding a paintbrush.”

“Back to work then.”

Shay spilled her guts. “Even though I’m cleared of Nick’s assault, Brenda is still missing, still out there causing trouble. I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop. Who’ll be hurt next?”

The week had flown by. Things were going well at the restaurant, despite not knowing who had set the bin of linens on fire. Liv’s keys never turned up, so they’d changed the locks.

“Olivia is almost recovered from her injuries. She’s coming home tomorrow. I’ve been staying with Aden. We’re getting to know each other.”

“So, you’re living together.”

“Yes, no, sort of.” Shay’s cheeks flushed even hotter. She didn’t look up from spot painting the baseboard. “We haven’t been intimate. His legs are still healing.”

“And?”

“He says he loves me.”

Joanna squatted down in front of her. “And?”

“I love him too.”

Joanna held her paintbrush out to the side and grabbed Shay in a one-armed hug. “I’m so happy for you. You deserve it.”

“We’re going slow.” She couldn’t help the toothy grin breaking across her face. “But I think this could be something. Something wonderful.”

Joanna stood. “Well, let’s get this done so you can get back to your man.”

“Sounds good.”

****

Aden groaned as Max bent and stretched his legs like a piece of taffy. He couldn’t wait for therapy to be over, and his days his own. He glanced at the clock. Margaret would be there soon to pick him up and take him to the Grill. He also couldn’t wait to be self-sufficient.

“That’s what I like to hear. No pain, no gain.” David entered the therapy room, strolled over, and grinned down at Aden’s scowl. “How’s it going?”

“Good,” Aden grunted and narrowed his eyes. His brotherly duty required he not make it too easy for David. “How’s Liv today?”

“Nearly a hundred percent. I dropped her off at Jazz House.”

“By herself?” Aden sat up and glared at the doctor.

“Of course not. Eli was meeting her. They have some costs to go over.”

“Sorry. I’m still kind of touchy about things.” Aden rubbed a hand over his goatee. He and Shay had their first argument that morning. “Shay won’t listen to me and insisted on going over to her house alone. Of course, she waited until I was out of the car to tell me.”

“Yeah.” David, unsuccessful at hiding his smile, scratched his forehead. “Your sister has been working me over too.”

“Women, right? Even so, you’re lucky. I’ve seen both your girls.” Max winked. Finished with his hands-on therapy, he wiped them on the ever-present towel and walked away, calling over his shoulder, “You can run through the drills now.”

“Have you heard anything new?” Aden lay back. Right leg up, bend, straighten, and down.

“My friend is a doctor here in the ICU.” David sat on the chair next to the PT table. “Brandt visited the floor last night, then another named cop named Michael Machau stopped by. I thought Nick cleared Shay of any wrongdoing.”

“It’s good she’s cleared, but the bad news is someone is still out there.” Knee up, twist out, back to center and down. The repetition went smoothly, and though exhausting, with little pain. “I’ve met Michael. He was worried enough to approach me and tell me to watch out for Shay.”

“Okay, Aden.” Max returned. “You’re set for today. We’re down to three days next week, right?”

“Great. Yes, I’ll see you next week.”

The two men left through the double doors, stepping back to allow a man in a wheelchair through. Aden stared for a minute then turned to David. He jerked his chin toward the man now on the other side of the closed door. “You know, I never thanked you for all you did and keep doing. When I first woke up after the accident and found out about my legs, I thought that would be me.”

“You’re young, and in good shape. Stubborn too.” David shook Aden’s extended hand. “Those things helped, along with the support of your sister and friends. It’s my pleasure to be part of your healing.”

They continued down the hallway toward the exit. “Not to mention I got Olivia as part of the deal.”

Aden punched him in the shoulder, not too hard—well, pretty hard.