Falling Fast

“She’ll be safe there.”

She would be safe there with constant care and security. All the windows had locks on them, and the doors had coded locks, making it impossible to leave without someone with a badge letting you out.

“It is nice, and it’s safe,” I agree, running a hand through my tangled hair.

“When we get to the house, you can shower. I’ll call Tide and have him help me get your Jeep,” he says, reminding me of the fact I will be staying with him—something I have been trying to forget about all day.

“I don’t have the key for my Jeep.”

“Don’t worry about that,” he says, and I frown but ignore his statement.

“What time did they say I could go back to the hospital tomorrow?” I ask as he pulls up to a stop sign.

“Visiting hours start at ten and end at eight.”

I wanted to stay with Grandma tonight, but Rose and Nina both refused to let me. They told me that I needed to get a shower, something to eat, and some rest before I went back, because I looked like I was about to—in their words—fall over. Even the nurses were on board with kicking me out, which is an ode to exactly how horrible I must look.

“Do you want me to stop and pick you up something to eat?”

“I’m not hungry,” I reply, leaning my head back and closing my tired eyes.

“Gia, you need to eat something. You haven’t eaten all day.”

“I had crackers,” I remind him, opening my eyes back up and turning my head toward him.

“You had crackers that Nina had in the bottom of her bag for God knows how long. That does not count as a meal,” he grumbles, turning then turning again before pulling into the parking lot for Panera Bread. Moving into the drive-thru line, he looks at me. “Now, what do you want to eat?”

“You’re annoying.”

“I’m not sure that’s on the menu, but I guess I could ask,” he retorts, and I let out an aggravated huff then look at the menu board, because I want to get this over with.

“I’ll have a cup of broccoli cheddar soup and half of an avocado BLT sandwich, and I don’t have money, so you should probably ask them if they need someone to wash dishes,” I snap the end part, and he smiles. He fricking smiles at me, like he thinks I’m funny.

Gaaah!

Pulling up to the window, he orders me a bowl, not a cup, of soup, and a whole, not a half, of a sandwich. Then he pulls up to the window and pays, handing me the bag to put at my feet after they give it to him.

“Thank you,” I tell him, only because it would be rude to open the bowl of soup and pour it on his head.

“You’re welcome,” he laughs.

“Whatever.” I point my eyes out the window and keep them there the rest of the drive, only to have my breath catch when we pull up to his house. No, not house, a cabin in the middle of the woods with the lake so close you can actually walk there in just a few steps.

“This is it,” he tells me, parking and opening his door. Getting out with him, I grab the bag of food then head toward the front of the cabin, trying to take it all in. It’s not a huge structure, but it doesn’t need to be. The covered porch on the front with two rocking chairs side-by-side looking out over the lake is enough of a reason to want to live here.

Stopping when he pulls a key out of his pocket to open the door, I look behind me when I hear a loud woof then freeze as a big black dog with a long furry coat bounds toward us at a full run.

“Loki, heel,” Colton orders, but the dog doesn’t heel. He keeps coming until he’s up the steps. Taking a step back, I bump into Colton then let out the breath I was holding when the dog sits on his bottom a few feet away and his tongue lolls out the side of his mouth as he looks between Colton and me. “Gia, this is Loki,” Colton introduces, and I study the dog, which is bigger than any I have ever seen before. “He’s friendly.” He takes the bag from me while ordering, “Hold out your hand to him.”

Looking from him to the dog, I reluctantly stick out my hand, and Loki scoots forward on his bottom, pressing his nose to my palm before licking it. Laughing when he licks it again, I run my hand over his fur-covered head and scratch behind his ears. “Good boy,” I whisper, and he scoots closer then gets up on all fours, shoving his head into my stomach.