Chapter 38
Daisy
“I’m glad you’re okay,” my sister says. “Your company’s been all over TikTok—like nonstop. Well, it was. You don’t happen to have any video of that place, do you?”
She doesn’t give me a chance to answer, and that’s fine. It’ll be a few minutes before she says something that actually requires a response.
I’m kicked back, still in scrubs, feet propped on another chair. They wheeled Jake and his bed off for testing almost forty-five minutes ago. I hadn’t planned to pick up, but she wouldn’t stop calling—and of course, she wouldn’t text what she needed—so I finally caved.
“Mom was really freaked out. You need to call her.”
Hearing Mom worried about me shouldn’t give me the smiles, but it does.
“She thought she’d need bail money for you. Thought for sure you’d had a part in the scam and that’s why you scored a fat salary.”
Figures. “Glad to hear she thinks so much of me.”
“Oh, she’s not mad.”
“You don’t believe I’d do something like that, do you?”
“No! You haven’t been there long enough.”
Fantastic.
“And besides, an online snoop uncovered the deaths. There was a photo of Alvin Reed, that old guy you used to hang out with. You’re there ’cause you went all Buffy the Vampire Slayer, huh? My sister, the PI.”
She sounds proud. I’ll take it.
“Alright, sis. Let me go.”
“Wait, wait! One more thing. Mom wants to know if you’re dating anyone. She said you sounded different when you called last week. Happy different.”
I can feel heat creeping up my neck. “Tell Mom I’ll call her tomorrow.”
“So that’s a yes on the dating front?”
I picture the bearded grump, and grin. “Yes, I’m dating someone.”
She squeals. “What’s his name? Did you meet him out there? Is he the one who gave you the fat salary?” I almost tell her about Jake getting hurt because of me, but the words stick in my throat. Some things are too fresh, too raw to share with someone who wasn’t there.
The hospital room door opens and Jake, still in his hospital bed on wheels, gets pushed in.
“Gotta run. Bye, Claire.” I end the call and ask, “What’d they say?”
“I should be released as soon as they get the paperwork done. There’s no need for surgery but they want me to meet with my cardiologist and discuss a treatment plan.” The nurse’s brow crinkles with her frown. “And that plan may include surgery,” he amends.
“Where’s your cardiologist?”
He shrugs. “Last one I saw was back on base.”
“We’ll find one in Chicago,” I say, pulling out my phone to send Rhodes a message. I could search for a top-rated doctor, but Rhodes has connections. He’ll find the best, and with his referral, Jake won’t have any problem getting seen.
Jake leans back against the pillow, eyes half-lidded. The chaos, the gunfire, the fear—it all feels distant now, like a nightmare fading with the new day. My phone buzzes again, but I ignore it. For once, the world can wait.
Jake scratches at his jaw. His facial hair grows in remarkably fast–the goatee has morphed back into a beard. “Gonna need your trimmer again.”
“Nah, I like the beard.”
An eye pops open. “You do?”
“Yeah…I do. But I like the shorter hairstyle, I think.” I sit up on the edge of the bed, tousling his hair because I can. He captures my hand and presses his lips to my palm.
“You gonna miss that fat salary?”
“Not at all,” I answer honestly. “It never felt right. Are you going to miss your double salary?”
“Nope. I’ve got more than enough.”
I watch him settle back against the pillows, his eyelids heavy but his smile lazy and sure. For once, there’s nothing left to fix, nothing left to run from. Just us—and the promise of whatever comes next.