5. Elias
Chapter Five
ELIAS
Four months later - March
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, I muttered, as one of my crutches dropped to the ground when I lost my grip.
Diego materialized at my side. “Got it.” He lifted it from the ground and handed it to me.
“Thanks, man.”
I hitched the crutch back under my arm. After adjusting my balance, I crutched along beside him as we got in line at Red Truck Coffee. The moment I looked up and saw Cammi moving swiftly as she took cash in one hand and turned to pull another shot of espresso with the other, my heart gave a swift kick. Something about her coming to visit me in the hospital had knocked me off balance a little. I didn’t like to admit it, definitely not, but she’d feathered along in the edges of my thoughts ever since.
She’d been so sweet to bring me coffee. Not once, but twice. But then, Cammi was sweet.
Right. Exactly why she’ll never give you a real chance. Not if she knows you were hooked on pills once.
I kicked that train of thought to the curb fast. It didn’t matter that my addiction had been short-lived. I couldn’t shake the nagging guilt. Plus, the list of reasons why someone who reminded me of sunshine and flowers wasn’t suited for me was a hell of a lot longer than that.
“Bet you’re itching to fly again,” Diego commented from my side.
“Course I am. I fucking hate being grounded. I thought I was in the clear, but then they had to fix the pin,” I replied. My healing had been dragged beyond the initial eight weeks after the pin didn’t stay in place in my repaired ankle. Now, I was looking ahead and hoping I’d finally get my freedom back.
I crutched my way forward when the line moved, thinking I had a doctor’s appointment soon and wondering when I’d get my cast off. A gust of salty air blew across the parking area, sending a stack of napkins in a swirl through the air. I started to move reflexively and came up short right before I landed the heel of my supportive cast on the ground.
Diego was already ahead of me. In two quick strides, he caught most of the napkins, with only one or two blowing loose. A seagull swept by, actually catching one of the loose napkins in its beak before shaking it free as soon as it discovered the napkin definitely wasn’t food.
Diego held the napkins in his hand when he returned by my side. “Cammi’s opened early this year,” he commented.
“It’s March,” I replied.
“Yeah, but it’s still cold. Climate change may be coming, but we still have some cold days in March in Alaska.” He chuckled when he cast me a quick look.
It was chilly, and I found myself wondering if Cammi was cold. Her red baker’s truck had the name Red Truck Coffee painted on it in a whimsical script. You couldn’t miss her truck when you were turning down the road to Otter Cove Harbor.
When we got to the front of the line, Cammi’s blue eyes twinkled as she cast a quick smile between us. “Hey, boys. Good to see you.” Her eyes lingered on me. “How are you doing, Elias? You better be following doctor’s orders. I’m counting on a personal scenic flight from you when you can fly again.”
“I promise I’m following doctor’s orders,” I said, lifting my hand and crossing it over my heart.
Cammi’s smile felt like a ray of sun beaming inside my heart.
Diego chimed in. “He is, but he’s working on getting a medal for being a grump about it.”
“I imagine it’s not fun being laid up,” Cammi replied.
“I’ve got Daphne feeding me, which makes it easier. If I don’t gain fifty pounds before this is over, it’ll be a miracle.”
Diego laughed. “True story. Your coffee is better than Daphne’s though,” Diego said, as if he needed to reassure her.
Cammi laughed. “I know Daphne’s an amazing cook. If her coffee is as good as mine, I won’t take it personally. Will it be the usual for both of you?”
“Yup,” Diego replied quickly, his eyes flicking to mine.
I nodded. “Of course.”
Cammi had our coffees ready in a jiffy. Diego didn’t even give me a chance to pay. I nudged him with my elbow, commenting, “My treat next time.”
I took a swallow and closed my eyes. “Amazing,” I said as I opened them to find Cammi’s pretty eyes waiting.
Her smile unfurled slowly, and my heart gave another kick to my ribs. There was a line behind us, so much as I wanted to linger, we couldn’t. “Come back soon,” she called as we turned away.
“Always,” Diego replied in return as he took my coffee from me.
“I can carry it,” I protested.
Diego stopped, his brows hitching up. “Do you want to spill it? Because I couldn’t carry it if I was trying to walk with crutches. Not worth trying to be a man about that.”
I grumbled something in return before nodding. Because it wasn’t worth spilling my coffee. “One more week,” I said as I eased my legs into Diego’s truck.
After we got my crutches put away, he handed me my coffee and started the engine. “Are you sure about that?”
“That’s what the doctor said. I’m going to hold him to it.”
Diego began driving, heading out to the harbor. He was picking up something for Flynn from Nathan Winters. Nathan Winters and his two brothers ran a fishing charter business. They often routed customers our way, and we did the same in return for them.
I looked out the window, taking in the view. It was only March, and the mountains across the bay were still covered in snow, the peaks jagged and tipped with white against the bright blue sky. The wind was up, ruffling the surface of the water. An eagle was flying nearby, coasting on the gusts of wind. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to seeing eagles as much as I did here. They were massive, majestic birds and mighty fierce. Every time I got a close look at their fierce eyes, all I could think was I would not want to be a field mouse, or a salmon in the water when an eagle came at me with that look.
“So, when you finally gonna crack and ask Cammi out?” Diego asked conversationally.
My head whipped in his direction. “What are you talking about?”
He turned the steering wheel with one hand into the harbor parking lot as he replied, “Dude, you’ve had a crush on her forever. I think she likes you too. Might cheer you up.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I muttered.
Diego simply chuckled. He put his truck in park. “I’m gonna leave it running, so you don’t freeze. Be right back.”
He jogged off, and I shifted my shoulders. I took another swallow of coffee, and immediately thought of Cammi. I liked to think I wasn’t too easy to read. For the most part, I wasn’t. Except for my friends. Diego was right about me having the hots for her, but he didn’t have enough sense to know I wasn’t cut out for a girl like her.
* * *
A few hours later
“Be right back,” Diego said as he climbed out of his truck—again.
I was discovering hitching a ride while Diego did errands wasn’t turning out to be my best choice. It was nice to get out of the house, but I wanted to be able to move around more.
Of course, staying back home had me feeling more helpless. I wasn’t going to feel better about my situation until I had my cast off and could at least get out and about on my own. I was beyond relieved that I was dealing with a broken left ankle. At least I’d be able to drive as soon as I had the cast off.
I drained the coffee, tracing my thumb over the label—Red Truck Coffee. Why did I have to go and have a crush on the girl who made the best coffee in town? It was inconvenient.
As if I conjured her by thought alone, when I glanced out the passenger side window, I saw Cammi coming out of the grocery store. Her arms were overloaded with bags. She was aiming in my direction, and I presumed she was parked nearby. Although her coffee truck was distinct, I didn’t actually know what she drove personally.
In another moment, she was stopping at the small SUV parked beside us. She hadn’t even seen me yet. “Oh, shit!” she exclaimed when she dropped a bag of groceries. A cloud of white flour puffed in the air.
Without thinking, I climbed out of the truck, grabbing one of my crutches out of the back to keep my balance. “Let me help,” I commented.
Cammi looked up at me from where she’d knelt down. Her hair was dusted in white. “Oh, hey, Elias.”
I felt my lips kicking up at the corners. Cammi didn’t seem all that upset about dropping flour and getting it all over her hair. Looking down at the ground, I saw the flour was a lost cause. The paper bag had split wide open with flour spilling all over the pavement. “Let me get some of your bags,” I said.
Cammi started to protest, “Elias, I’ve got it. You’re on crutches.”
She must’ve seen the frustration on my face because she corrected quickly, “Okay, here you go.” She handed over one armload of bags.
Holding those in my free arm, I opened the back door, depositing the bags on the seat there. When I turned back, she was brushing her hand over her hair. She looked up. “How bad do I look?”
“I think it’s kind of impossible for you to look bad, Cammi,” I answered honestly.
Her cheeks went pink, and I suddenly became aware we were standing right beside each other. Electricity sizzled through me, awareness and my need for her sparking to life instantly.
I tore my eyes from hers for a moment, and they landed on the flour on the ground beside our feet. As my eyes lifted again, I realized she was still holding some grocery bags in her other hand. Without thinking, I reached for them. My fingers brushed hers, and streaks of fire chased over my skin just from that subtle touch.
“I’ve got these,” I murmured, my voice coming out gruff.
Her fingers uncurled from the handles, and I took the bags from her, putting them beside the rest in the back. When I looked back toward her, she said incongruously, “I have a dustpan in the back.”
I wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything, and I wanted to tell her I would get it, but I seemed frozen. I could see the flutter of her pulse along the side of her throat and heard the whisper-soft intake of her breath. My eyes fell to her mouth and lingered on the little dimple on her bottom lip. My need to kiss her was fierce .