CHAPTER 19
Maxie
The next time I woke up in their guest room, I knew where I was and I felt mostly human again. I sat up and looked around, noting it was dark out. My stomach clenched with nerves at how much time I’d been asleep. I’d missed so much that I could feel peoples’ disappointment oozing over me. I had commitments I was blowing off and the longer I slept, the worse it was. I’d never taken so much time to just sleep. When Mom was sick, towards the end, I’d learned to operate on less than five hours of sleep a night.
I stood up on shaky legs but after a second, they were fine. I went to the bathroom and even found an extra toothbrush and toothpaste waiting on the counter for me. Looking at myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help wincing. I was a mess. My hair was matted at the back and sticking out everywhere else like I’d stuck my hand in a bathtub while holding a toaster. Despite all the sleep I still had dark circles under my eyes. I was in a t-shirt that was at least two sizes too big for me and, I nearly swallowed the toothpaste, no panties.
Where the hell were my panties?
I looked around both rooms I’d been in and found no other clothing. The t-shirt went to the middle of my thighs but I’d never been so exposed in someone else’s house. I was scared to leave my room for fear of flashing someone. Except I had to leave because my stomach felt like it was eating itself.
Slowly creeping out of the room, I tripped over Shep’s stretched out legs. I would’ve gone down hard but Shep managed to reach up and catch me. With his hands on each of my thighs, he lifted his brows at me.
“Falling for me?”
I stepped away from him, letting his hands fall back to his own legs, and tried to awkwardly stand so the shirt was covering more of me.
“I just need some food. Then I can go home and get out of your way. Why are you here anyway?”
“I was making sure I was close enough to hear if you fell. But now, I’ll switch to chef duty. What would you like?” He stood up and lightly gripped the back of my arm. “You seem a little clumsy so I’ll help you down the stairs.”
I wanted to ask for my panties. I wanted to call one of the two cabs in Devil’s Den and go home to my cabin. Mo’s Yellow Taxi was so slow I could’ve walked home faster but Rudy’s Uber had banned all Hellstone’s after a particularly drunken night shared by my older brothers, Gray, Owen, and Keaton. I thought maybe Rudy would make an exception for me but I wasn’t sure enough to risk it.
“The inside of your head has to be as loud as a tornado siren, sweetheart. What are you thinking about?”
“Leaving.” I nearly choked trying to get the word back in my mouth. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. “I mean… I’m sorry.”
He led me through the darkened house and into the kitchen where he sat me down at the table before turning the light over the oven on. It cast the kitchen in shadows and made Shep seem even larger.
“Why are you sorry?”
I sat up straighter and winced as my back ached. Just how long had I been in bed? I called on all my manners and tried my best to put some distance back between us, despite the fact that I wasn’t wearing panties.
“Y’all have been taking care of me and I’m really grateful for everything. I didn’t mean to come off as rude or unappreciative. I do need to go back home as soon as possible, though. I have to get back to work.”
Shep remained silent as he put a bowl in the microwave and waited for it to heat up. After enough time passed for me to start feeling itchy with nerves, he looked at me over his shoulder and shot me a devastating grin.
“What don’t you understand about house arrest?”
A flush worked its way up my neck.
“That was a joke, obviously. I’m a grown woman. You can’t decide to lock me away.”
He grabbed what turned out to be chicken noodle soup from the microwave and brought it over to the table with a spoon and a bottle of ginger ale. He spun a chair around and sat on it backwards, a little closer to me than necessary. Resting his forearms on the back of the chair, he nodded to the soup.
“Eat.”
I wanted to argue but the smell of the soup reached me and I decided I could argue later. After one bite I decided I wanted to sue Devil’s Diner. How Don Doler could rationalize giving the best soup I’d ever eaten away to the new guys in town after denying me, made zero sense. I inhaled it and it was only the scrape of my spoon against the bottom of the bowl that slowed me down.
“Want more?”
I thought about them seeing my bare stomach and shook my head.
“No. I don’t need it.”
Shep scowled and then went about getting me a second bowl. He put the second bowl down a little harder and pinched my chin between his fingers to lift my face towards his.
“I’m willing to bet that I wouldn’t like what’s going on in your head right now.”
I pulled away and ate the second bowl slowly, taking my time to appreciate it and enjoy the warmth it filled me with. It was safer to get lost in that rather than whatever was happening with the guys. I felt like I’d missed a lot while I’d been asleep and I wasn’t sure where to start untangling it all.
“While you’re finishing that, you can listen to me and let me explain a few things.” Shep’s tone was serious as he watched me. I’d never heard him sound as intense, as he was typically the relief between the three best friends, from what I’d always seen anyway.
“We talked about it and we’ve decided that we can decide to lock you away. You’re fucking brilliant, Maxine. You’re a hard worker, you’re a talented cook and baker, you’re kinder than anyone should ever be, but you’re shit at taking care of yourself.”
I sucked in a noodle when I gasped in indignation. I was more than a little flattered at the kind things he’d said but I chose to focus on the last part.
“I’m an adult and I’ve been taking care of myself for a very long time, Shep. I do it just fine.”
“Bullshit. You worked yourself half to death, Maxie. You were so sick that you probably don’t remember half the shit you said to us. You’ve slept on and off for three days straight. You’ve been exhausted for a long time, I’m betting. It’s not in my nature to overstep and tell someone what to do because I’ve never enjoyed having it done to me, but I’ll be damned if I sit back and watch you kill yourself for a bunch of goddamn assholes who don’t even take the time to properly thank you for all that you do.” He was breathing hard by the end of his speech, his face foreboding in the shadows of the kitchen. “Until you’re healthy, by our standards, you’re staying here. You’re not taking care of anyone else or working on a fucking thing.”
My blood ran cold.
“What did I say to you while I had a fever?”
He let out a loud sigh and looked away.
“It doesn’t matter right now, sweetheart. What matters is that you get better.”
“What did I say, Shep?” I held so many things inside that the idea of spilling any of them made me want to scream.
When he looked back at me with pity in his eyes, I knew. I knew what I’d said before he even spoke the words.
“You said your mom hit you.”
I stood up so fast that my chair tipped over.
“I was lying.”
He stood up and faced off with me.
“No, you weren’t.”
Panic clawed at my throat and stole the oxygen from the room. When I tried to dig my nails into my palms, Shep was there, stopping me. I needed the sharp bite to remember I was alive, though. I needed the pain but he wouldn’t let me have it.
“That’s done. You’re not hurting yourself anymore, Maxie. We’re taking care of you now and we’re not going to sit by and leave you in whatever pain you’re in.” He held my hands so I couldn’t get to my palms and lowered his voice. “Breathe, sweetheart. Everything’s fine. I’ve got you. I’m right here and nothing’s going to hurt you.”
“She didn’t!” I gasped the words out, more desperate to get my secrets back inside than I was for breath. “She didn’t hit me!”
“Shhh, Maxine. Just breathe for me.” Shep gripped both of my hands behind my back with one hand and held me tight with his other arm. “In and out, baby. In and out.”