19. She Saw His Protective Side
She Saw His Protective Side
Lola
A stapler whizzed past my open door.
I rocked back in my chair as the red menace crashed to a stop in the corridor. Edith glanced up from her magazine, a white eyebrow arching before she decided the latest celebrity divorce was more interesting than Brooke’s tantrum.
I sighed. The growing list of blood results I needed to review would have to wait. Again.
It wasn’t my first trip into the lion’s den for the day, and if I was lucky enough to make it out alive, I could almost guarantee it wouldn’t be my last. After I grabbed the stapler off the floor and took in a big breath— you’ve got this, Lola —I headed into battle.
Brooke was in a frenzy.
The reception desk was buried under a mountain of patient files that she absolutely, positively had to reorganise in the Monday-morning rush.
Colourful sticky notes were plastered over every other spare inch of the desk.
None of the mess bothered Brooke. Her fingers cracked down on her keyboard at a furious speed, and her eyes glared straight ahead at the monitors.
I plonked the stapler onto the reception desk. “Lose something?” I teased.
Nothing was going to interrupt Brooke. She only paused her typing to jam her hand into the half-empty bag of jelly beans on her lap. She popped a fistful into her mouth.
“That stupid old thing was out of stupid staples,” she muttered, the jelly beans jumbling her words.
I bit back a grin. “Throwing it down the corridor does seem the logical way to fix that.”
“You being funny with me, Lolly?”
I sighed. “Not working, huh?”
She glowered at me.
I crouched beside her chair. “Brooke, I’m worried about you. If this is about Harry—”
“You just stop right there!” At least, I thought that was what she said because she’d stuffed another handful of jelly beans into her mouth. “We don’t mention his name in this clinic. He is dead to me.”
Yikes.
This was a new development.
I frantically searched my brain for solutions, words of encouragement—anything that would help. But what did I know about men? The situation with Aiden suggested I had no clue. My history before him proved I knew even less. I forced a smile and patted her knee.
Brooke pouted. “Do I look cute today?”
“You look cute every day.” Her bottom lip wobbled, so I quickly added, “But you look extra cute today.”
“Then why is he avoiding me?” she wailed. “It’s been three days! Three whole days!”
Brooke didn’t need to tell me how many days it’d been. I’d spent all weekend camped out on her couch. I’d relived and analysed Harry’s drunken confession more times than a sports commentator had recapped the slow-motion replay of the greatest touchdown of all time.
I forced another smile. “I’m sure Harry’s not avoiding you—”
“He is! This morning, you wouldn’t believe it if I told you.
” More jelly beans went into her mouth. “I stopped by the store to grab a few things for the break room. That ginger hunk took one look at me and was out the door. He left a whole bag of groceries behind. Ashley had to chase him down the street!”
I hid my grimace. As tough as Brooke acted, she was a marshmallow of self-doubt on the inside. Harry’s actions shook her confidence. Being stuck behind her desk of chaos, overanalysing the universe, probably wasn’t helping, either.
I popped back up. “Come on, let’s take a break. You’ve been so busy all morning. It’s after ten, and I’ve got a gap in my appointments. Let’s head to the coffee shop early today. Anything you want. My treat.”
Brooke folded her arms. “Nope. No way. I’m not going.” She shook her head furiously. “ He’ll be there.”
That was kind of the point… “Don’t you want to see Harry?”
Brooke scoffed like I’d said the dumbest thing in the world.
“I’ve been chasing that man since I moved here a year ago.
If he wants me, he knows where to find me.
” She stuck her nose in the air. “But when you get to the coffee shop, you march right up to him, and you tell him that, okay? And if you’re really my friend, you can kick him in the nuts while you’re at it. ”
No amount of coaxing or bribery moved Brooke’s bottom off the chair. When she tipped the last of the jelly beans into her mouth before going back to her very important typing that looked suspiciously like she was booking a singles cruise, I admitted defeat and headed out.
But I was determined to brighten Brooke’s day—somehow .
Kicking Harry in the nuts probably wasn’t going to happen, but I could pick out a sticky treat for her at the coffee shop. I’d snag a bunch of flowers on the walk back, too. She’d love a gift like that.
I turned the corner to the coffee shop.
“Mornin’, four-eyes.”
Evan stood slouched against the chipped white paint, tapping on his phone. He pushed off the brick wall. My heart hammered faster with each plod of his heavy footsteps.
He shoved his phone into the back pocket of his jeans. “Are doctors too important to say hello?”
“H-hello.”
Evan’s eyes glued to my loafers when I stumbled backwards. His eyes slid back to mine, a smirk tugging the corner of his lips. He liked intimidating me.
“You city girls. One ain’t no different from the other,” he said. “You think you should get treated special . My missus was from the mainland. When times got tough, she fucked off back there.” His footsteps pounded closer. “Good riddance to her.”
My head sank low, but my eyes darted everywhere. I needed an escape. The coffee shop wasn’t far. “I’m s-sorry to hear about your w-wife, Mr. Barnes.” The alley was closer. I could run. I could squeeze through. The dumpster with the big red lid was there. I could hide.
He lunged at me, laughing when I cowered into the wall. “Not so brave without your blonde pit bull—”
Evan’s words choked to silence. The whites of his eyes bugged so wide they looked like they were about to burst like an overblown balloon. A protective wall of red flannel stood between us.
Aiden’s voice was a low growl. “I warned you.”
Evan shoved him away. “You think payin’ a visit to my garage matters?” He spat out every word as he pushed his T-shirt back into his jeans. “You actually think she’s stayin’? She ain’t.”
“She’s staying.”
“You hopin’ for a turn once Hollyoak is through with her? Is that why you keep stickin’ your nose in?” Evan cocked his chin. “What happened to Ruth Wilks? The cripple not good enough for you no more?”
Aiden didn’t say a word, but his fist clenched by his side, his knuckles turning white. I dared to peer around his back, desperate to catch a glimpse of his face to make sure he was okay, but I never got the chance.
Evan’s beady black eyes locked on me. He lunged forward. His grease-covered fingers snatched my arm, twisted, and a short, sharp scream escaped my mouth. I scurried back, diving through the gap to the alley and scrambling to safety wedged beside the dumpster.
The scuffle between the two men swirled like a dance across the parking lot.
Evan reared back his fist and launched blow after blow. Every one missed. Aiden’s eyes narrowed, calculating and timing every move, and at just the right moment, his hand clamped roughly around Evan’s collar.
“You don’t talk to Lola again. You hear me?
” Aiden dragged the flailing man closer.
“I know where you work. I know where you live. No more warnings.” He shoved Evan hard enough for the mechanic’s body to hit the concrete with a heavy thud.
“If I hear you’re still bothering Lola, I’ll be paying you one final visit. Understand?”
Tremors ricocheted through me like bullets bouncing off every muscle. When Evan slunk away, the shaking hadn’t stopped. I squeezed my eyes shut and curled myself into a tiny ball next to the brick wall. The stench of damp water didn’t even bother me. It was still safer there.
Boots approached on the concrete. Aiden was close. “Lola?”
“I d-don’t want a c-coffee any-anymore.”
“I know.” He crouched on the dusty ground behind me. “Can I…” He scooted a little closer. “Can I touch you?”
My chin trembled as I managed a nod.
Gentle fingers stroked my arm. “It’s okay. See?” Aiden’s body shielded my humiliation from the eyes of anyone passing, and his big arms wrapped around my shoulders and knees. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Evan scares me,” I admitted in a whisper.
“I’m going to take care of him.” The tickly bristles of Aiden’s beard rested against my hair as he sheltered me close to his side. “I promise.”
“Are you going to hurt him?”
The only sound was the steady thump of his heart under my ear.
“Aiden?”
“It goes against everything I believe in, but…” He sighed. “Yes. I am.”
My heart twisted in my chest. After everything I’d been through, I couldn’t let that happen. I’d be a hypocrite—as bad as the person who’d turned his fists on me. Violence was never the answer, was it?
“Please, Aiden. Don’t.”
“Small towns aren’t like the city. Sometimes, you’ve got to take care of things yourself.”
“Maybe you could talk to him?”
“I already have. I stopped by his garage after what happened in the bar. Some folks will tell you he hasn’t dealt with his wife leaving him, but that doesn’t give him an excuse to throw his weight around. I think he’ll listen more to my fists than any words that come out of my mouth.”
“You said it yourself—acting like that goes against everything you believe in. It goes against what I believe in, too.”
“I’m hearing you, Lola, but you deserve to feel safe. You have the right to walk around and not get people commenting to you…or…or…” He puffed out a breath. “Coming at you.”
“Please, Aiden.”
“Okay.” He sighed. “I’ll talk to him. No fists. I promise.”
I buried my face against the soft cotton of his flannel shirt. We were still huddled in the dusty alley, hidden from the world, but the stolen, quiet moments when his thumb caressed the back of my neck were perfect.
“Aiden, what happened to Ruth? She’s your friend, isn’t she?”
“More than that. She’s like a sister to me.” He chuckled. “An annoying one who always knows best.”
“You’ve been friends a long time?”
“Yeah, forever. Since I was seven and she was five. She wanted to ride her bike with me and my friends, but I told her to buzz off and go play with her Barbie dolls. She hated that. She stormed over, punched me in the gut, and then turned around and pushed my brand-new bike into the creek.” A soft laugh rumbled against my back. “We’ve been best friends ever since.”
“She sounds tough.” Tougher than me. Ruth didn’t sound like she’d be the type to cower in an alley if someone stood over her.
“She’s as tough as they come.”
“And…what Evan said?”
“Don’t listen to Evan. The only thing coming out of his mouth is filth. But Ruth…” Aiden’s sigh was heavy. “She was in an accident about ten years ago.” His arms squeezed me tighter. “I nearly lost her.”
My heart twisted until it broke. “Oh—I’m sorry—”
“None of that. You didn’t know. Ruth’s okay. And even if she weren’t, she’d never admit it, stubborn thing that she is.”
I grinned against his chest. “Sounds like someone else I know.”
“I’m trying, Lola. I want to let you in. I’m getting closer…” Another gentle squeeze tried to convince me. “What about you? Ready to brave the world again?”
“I think so.”
Scooting back, Aiden held out his hand, and when I placed my palm in his, he carefully helped me to my feet like I was lighter than air.
He fussed, dusting the dirt from my clothes with the gentlest, most careful touches, and then, without any warning, his hands braced my shoulders.
I nibbled down on my lower lip, not ready for the faint trace of his fingers brushing my hair behind my ears.
My glasses slid off my nose and up onto my head.
“Just a couple of smudges.” Aiden’s thumb brushed under one eye and then the other. “All better.”
My feet stayed glued to the spot. The haze of the alley made his eyes impossible to read, but he dared to stroke my cheek for a second before his palm drifted away.
I should have hated that touch, but without thinking, I clapped my hand back over my flushed skin to trap the sweet, soft feeling for a second longer.
Aiden dipped his chin with a smile. “Want to try again to get that coffee?”
“Y-yes.” I could do better. I was stronger. I popped my glasses down and straightened them on my nose. “Yes! But can I treat you to say thanks?”
“You have nothing to thank me for.”
“Oh, but I will.” I wiggled my eyebrows. “I need to ask a favour.”
Aiden tilted his head, eyebrows raised. I’d intrigued him.
“If Harry’s around,” I said, “apparently, if I’m a good friend, I’m supposed to kick him in the nuts. Is it a fair trade if you do the honours? You’re the one with the fancy fighting skills, after all.”
Aiden’s chest rumbled with a deep laugh. “Is Brooke losing her mind about what happened last Friday?”
“You don’t know the half of it. What the heck is going on between those two?”
“No idea. The kid is playing his cards close to his chest on this one…”
We wandered side by side to the coffee shop, and a short time later, past the florist, and then back to the clinic with enough treats to win over a hundred jilted hearts.
We chatted and brainstormed a thousand ways to get two other people together, but we still weren’t ready to deal with the mess that had happened between us.