Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
DANA
The crack of Emily’s head hitting the ice sent my stomach in free fall.
I skated over to her as fast as possible. “Are you okay?”
“I think so…” Emily tried to push herself up. “Ow!” Her gloved hand reached for the back of her head.
“Let me help you.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and carefully raised her into a seated position.
Emily gave me a wan smile. “It’s just a bit of a headache. I’m sure it will go away soon, but I think I’m done for the night.”
“Of course,” I said. “Do you think you’re okay to get off the ice, though?”
“I’m fine.” She winced.
I rose and offered Emily my hand. Wobbly, she stood. I gripped her hand and guided her to the exit.
Once we were on dry, non-slippery land, I exhaled and ushered Emily to a bench. “Would you like me to get you anything? Water? Another hot chocolate?”
Emily shook her head and winced again at the motion. “I’m fine, thank you. I think I’ll just sit for a few minutes, if that’s okay.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said, taking a seat next to Emily on the bench.
“You were doing such a great job and then that idiot cut in front of you. And he didn’t even stop to help.
What a dick!” I surveyed the rink for the offender, but he’d disappeared.
I hoped Emily hadn’t lost all the confidence she’d built up tonight as a result of his actions.
“At least when we’re filming there won’t be any out-of-control assholes.”
I wouldn’t put it past Austin to be a dick on the ice, but now was not the time to make disparaging remarks about Emily’s costar.
Beneath the soft glow of the twinkle lights, I studied Emily to check she really was okay. Her cheeks and nose were pink, her green beanie tugged over her dark hair that fell in waves underneath. She was so beautiful. Then she winced again, breaking me out of my trance.
Shit. Should we go to the hospital? If only Blake were here.
Actually… I glanced at my watch. 8 pm.
I turned back to Emily. “Hey. I was thinking… My friend who is a doctor should be at the pub just up the street tonight, with a few of my friends. I think we should get her to check that you’re okay. I can drive you up there.”
Emily opened her mouth as if she was about to protest, but then her forehead creased and her hand shot to her head again. “Thank you. That would be good. I’m sure it’s nothing, but it wouldn’t hurt to check.”
She bent down to undo her skates and flinched again.
“Hey, let me do that for you,” I said, kneeling at Emily’s feet, proposal-style yet again, as I undid her laces and carefully removed her skates.
I grabbed Emily’s shoes from the wooden cubbyhole and helped her into them, then we made our way slowly to my truck.
—
Loud voices and the smell of pub food hit us as we entered Builders Arms.
I scanned the crowd—Builders Arms was always packed on Saturday night—and smiled as I spotted George and Hannah standing at the bar, chatting to the owner, Dan.
George leaned against the counter, her dimple on her right cheek on full display, while Hannah laughed, pushing her glasses back up her nose with a finger.
I exhaled as my eyes fell on Blake’s short, dark-brown hair next to Jenny’s long blonde waves. Roz and Olivia sat opposite them at a long wooden table near the old grandfather clock.
I turned to Emily just in time to see another wince of pain cross her face. Shit. “They’re just over there.” I nodded my head in my friends’ direction.
We wove through the crowd of locals until we reached the table. Olivia, dressed in a cozy-looking purple sweater covered in yellow flowers, was the first to spot us, her eyes lighting up.
“What a nice surprise! What are you two doing here?” Her gaze turned to Emily. “Sorry, I should introduce myself. I’m Olivia.”
Whoops. I’d forgotten that only Roz had met Emily properly.
“I’m Emily. It’s so nice to meet you. I’m staying in your Airbnb. It’s gorgeous.”
“Oh! I knew one of the cast members was staying there, but I didn’t realize it was you. I’m so glad you like it. Some people think the floral decorations are a little much.” Olivia shot an affectionate glance at Roz.
Roz chuckled. “I came around to them pretty quickly.”
Olivia had brought out a more caring, less abrupt, side of Roz, which still caught me by surprise on occasion.
I gestured to my left. “And this is Blake and Jenny.”
Blake grinned, raising a hand in greeting.
“Lovely to meet you,” Jenny said. “We were extras this morning at the café. It was so much fun. You were great!”
Of all my friends, Jenny was the most outgoing and social—which wasn’t surprising given she was an influencer-turned-event planner.
Emily’s cheeks tinged pink. “Oh, thank you! I’m glad you didn’t find it too boring.”
“Not at all,” Jenny said. “Would you like to join us? We just ordered dinner.”
“We were actually hoping to get Blake’s medical opinion on something, if that’s okay,” I said, taking a step forward.
Blake’s eyes widened. “That’s fine, of course. What’s wrong?”
I explained what happened at the rink.
Blake grimaced. “Ouch. That sounds painful.” She shuffled down the bench. “Emily, if you want to sit here, I can take a look at you.”
“Thank you,” Emily said, lowering herself onto the bench next to Blake. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but better safe than sorry.”
I sat down next to Emily, my legs jiggling. I hope she’s okay.
After asking Emily some questions about her symptoms, Blake checked her pulse and observed Emily’s breathing.
“That’s all normal,” she said. “Now, can you follow my finger?” Blake held up her index finger and moved it.
As Emily’s eyes tracked Blake’s finger, George and Hannah arrived. George placed a round drink tray with two glasses of wine, a cider, and a beer on the table.
“Hi, I’m Emily,” Emily said, turning to them as soon as Blake lowered her hand. “You’re George and Hannah, aren’t you? From Novel Gossip? Sorry to crash your dinner, but I hit my head while ice-skating and Dana suggested it might be a good idea for Blake to take a look.”
“Ouch!” Hannah exclaimed. “I hope you’re okay.”
George picked up a glass of cider. “The ice’s loss is our gain.” Her dimple reappeared.
“I’ll be done soon.” Blake pulled out her phone and switched on the flashlight function. “Now I’ll quickly check your pupils.” She shined the light in Emily’s eyes.
“That’s all looking good,” Blake said. “Last test, I promise. Can you get up and walk in a straight line?” Blake glanced around the busy room and grimaced. “Sorry, it might be a bit tricky here.”
Emily waited for a break in foot traffic and then walked straight, only wavering once when a man with four pint glasses swerved in front of her and she jumped out of the way.
“Great reflexes!” Blake said as Emily sat down again. “Is it okay if I feel for lumps on your head?”
“Sure,” Emily said, turning her back to Blake.
Blake peered at Emily’s head and then felt around her scalp.
“There’s a nasty bump there, but that’s pretty common.
We should get some ice on it.” Blake sat back.
“At this stage, I’m not seeing anything too concerning.
You can take some Tylenol for your headache.
Will there be anyone else with you tonight?
We generally recommend people aren’t alone for the first twenty-four hours after a head injury, just in case things worsen.
If your headache escalates or you get other symptoms like vomiting, vision or balance issues, or loss of consciousness, you’ll need to go straight to the ER. ”
My chest tightened.
Emily tentatively touched her head. “I’ll be by myself, but I’m sure it’ll be fine. If I feel worse, I’ll call someone.”
I drummed my fingers on the wooden table. I didn’t like the sound of that.
Blake didn’t either, judging by her furrowed brow. “Well, if you have time, why don’t you stay with us for a while, so I can keep an eye on you? Dan, the owner, should be able to get us some ice.”
“I’ll grab it.” I jumped to my feet, pleased I was finally able to help. “Can I get you a drink or anything to eat while I’m up?”
Jenny passed Emily the menu.
“Food would be lovely.” Emily’s eyes ran across the menu. “The steak with sweet potato fries and salad sounds delicious, thank you. And I’ll just stick to water.”
I returned a few minutes later with an ice pack, a glass of water, and a non-alcoholic beer to find my friends laughing.
Emily was regaling them with the story of getting stuck up the tree. In her retelling, I was a superhero whose impressive strength and quick thinking had saved the day. Smiling, Emily caught my eye and my heart flipped like hay on a tedder.
“Wow, Dana, sounds like all that wood chopping paid off,” Blake said with a grin.
“I think Emily is overselling my skills. All I did was help her out of the tree. It was really nothing.” I handed Emily the ice pack.
“Well, I disagree. And thank you for this. There you go again, saving the day.” Emily placed the ice pack on the back of her head. Her jaw clenched slightly as the ice pack made contact.
“Did you tell them about Thursday? My act of heroism backfired.”
Emily laughed. “No, I didn’t tell them about that.”
I shared the story of me storming onto the set, sending my friends into hysterics.
By the time our food arrived, I had almost forgotten why Emily and I were here in the first place. It was only when Emily placed the ice pack on the table to eat her steak that I remembered.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“A little better, I think.”
“Oh, good. I’m glad you’re here with us and we have Blake to keep an eye on you.”
“I’m glad I’m here too.” Emily grinned. “Your friends are great.” She bit into a sweet potato fry. “And this is exactly what I need. Crunchy, greasy, sweet goodness.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks as my eyes dropped to Emily’s lips. I dragged them away to focus on the burger in front of me. She moaned. I took a huge bite of my burger to distract myself and nearly choked.
I let out a sigh of relief when Emily finished devouring her food and excused herself to go to the restroom.