Chapter Thirty-Seven

Jonas

“Right, that’s all of it.” I stuffed the last of my clothes into the backpack Beth had brought to the hospital a few days ago. “Let’s get out of here.” I wanted to get home already, where I might finally have a chance to talk to Cora alone. Texting was better than nothing, but what I had to say needed to be said face-to-face.

She’d come to see me every day that week, but each time her father stuck to her like gum to a shoe. Suppose I couldn’t blame him; his only daughter had been attacked—not once, but twice—in the space of a week. What kind of father would he be if he didn’t tighten the reins and go all hyper protective on her for a while? The man had to do what he had to do. Problem was, it made what I had to do near impossible. But I had a plan…

Aunt Helena snapped her laptop shut and looked up at me. “Have you signed your discharge papers?”

I shook my head. “I’ve asked for them twice, but no one’s come back with the goods.” Which surprised me. The nurses had been super attentive all week. Why stop now?

Aunt Helena huffed and pushed herself out of her chair. “Let me see what I can do.”

As she walked out, Beth walked into the room. My stomach growled when I spied her juggling two takeaway cups of coffee and a bag of what I hoped were some of those fruit muffins from the café down the road. The collapsed lung had been dangerous, but another week of hospital food, and the swamp water they called coffee, would have been lethal.

I pounced on her before she was fully through the door and relieved her of the paper bag.

She grinned at me over her coffee cup. “So what was it this morning? Soggy scrambled eggs or cardboard pancakes?”

“Egth,” I mumbled around a mouthful of muffin and shuddered at the memory of the pseudo food I’d been served that morning.

The blueberry pastry was gone in under three bites, and I was fishing out the second serving. Apple cinnamon. I sighed. It couldn’t get much better; I was alive, Love’s Mortal Coil was a thing of the past, I was going home, and my sister brought me apple cinnamon muffins.

I pulled Beth into a hug and planted a kiss on her cheek. “You’re the best sister ever. I love you.”

When I released her, she gave me a weird look.

“What?”

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?”

“Telling you you’re the best sister ever? You’re the only one I’ve got so don’t go getting a big head.” I mussed her hair, knowing full well she hated that, and bit into apple cinnamon heaven.

Beth shook me off. “I meant saying those three little words, you moron.”

I swallowed and glared at her. Time alone with Cora may not have happened this past week, but I’d got plenty of time alone with Beth—during which she’d grilled me mercilessly about my feelings for her best friend. There was only so much a guy trapped in a hospital bed could take. Even the strongest would have caved. So I spilled. But not before I made her swear not to say anything to Cora. Besides, I needed Beth’s help to pull off my plan.

“Wipe that stupid smirk off your face and tell me you went shopping yesterday.”

“I went shopping yesterday,” she said, smirk remaining firmly in place.

“And did you find it?”

“Yes.” She stretched out on the unmade bed, one hand behind her head, the other toying with the pendant at her throat. “Is that the same place you had my necklace made?”

“Yeah.” Although Beth’s necklace had been a no-brainer. Cora, on the other hand, wasn’t really the jewelry-wearing kind so this could all blow up in my face. Didn’t matter. It was too late to do anything else; her birthday was tomorrow.

“She’ll love it, Jonas.” Beth’s words reassured me for all of two seconds, then, as though remembering her loyalty to her best friend, she added, “But if you hurt her I’ll feed your balls to that vicious fish of hers.”

She softened the threat with a smile. Still, I had no doubt she’d make good on her threat if I screwed up.

I popped the last of the apple cinnamon muffin into my mouth and chewed, a smile of my own pulling at the corners of my lips. “Are you kidding? You’ll have to beat Cora to it.”