Chapter 20
20
M ason took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He hated this feeling of being a bit out of it. He was also hungry, as he'd missed lunch today.
Carley pulled into her garage and closed the door with the controller on her visor. She glanced at him briefly then smiled. "Hang tight."
He chuckled and watched her hurry around the front of her vehicle and open his door. He heaved himself forward from the passenger seat and set his good leg on the ground. Easing his left leg from the vehicle, he was pleased it didn't hurt that bad. He was fortunate. That bullet could have hit him in the head or the eye or other soft tissue. His leg wasn't that big of a deal.
After standing a moment to gather his stability, he put his arm around Carley's shoulders, and she led him to the door. This was the best part of being injured. Walking with his arm around her shoulders, smelling the fragrance of her hair. The feel of her body pressed tightly to his was nice, too.
She leaned forward and pushed open the door. "Okay, only two steps."
He nodded. Using his non-injured leg first, he stepped up. Then he rested his left leg on the step. He repeated that one more time, and they were inside.
She had a beautiful home. He was surprised at how elegant it was. She walked him to a stool at the counter and helped him ease onto it.
"Would you like something to drink while I make something to eat?"
"Sure. Water is good. My mouth is kind of dry."
She chuckled. "It's the pain killer."
"Yeah."
"So why didn't you go to the hospital?"
"I didn't need to go."
She turned and looked into his eyes. She stared at him for a minute then nodded. She didn't say anything. That would likely come later. He could tell she wanted to say something.
Truth be told, and only to himself, the thought of going into the hospital made his head spin. He hadn't been inside a hospital since he left his job. He wasn't ready to enter a hospital. He still had nightmares about the smell and the sounds of the machines. He just couldn't go in. He knew enough to keep his wound clean and make sure he did what it took to heal.
He watched Carley pull food from the refrigerator and set it on the counter. She pulled a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water from the door in the refrigerator.
Turning she set the glass in front of him and smiled.
"I didn't expect you to live in such a large home."
She laughed. "Neither did I." She shook her head. "Things worked out that way. This was Margo's house. When she and Logan were married, they built this house and lived here. When he died, and things came out of the woodwork about his affair, this house lost its luster for her. When she and Jace got serious, and she moved in with him, I stayed here. Then, when she and Jace married, she made me an offer I couldn't refuse to purchase the house. I took it. I was in the middle of leaving my deadbeat boyfriend, and the move to a new town seemed the best fit. Plus, I'd be close to my sister."
He nodded as he listened to her story. She smiled often and looked at him a lot. She worked on their dinner, with what seemed little effort.
"Why did you move here?" she asked.
He took a deep breath. "I'd left my job and was looking for a new place to land. My brother had been down here years ago and spoke fondly of it. So, I thought, why not? I love the weather, and I found a great job, though I'm overqualified. However, it suits me. Mixing drinks and chatting is what my wounded soul needed. The change has helped quite a bit. My PTSD attacks are fewer here."
She stopped across the counter from him and smiled brightly. "This place is healing. I'm happy for you and me too. I'm happy for both of us."
He chuckled. "Me too."
He yawned. She cocked her head to the side. "Would you like to lay down while supper is cooking?"
"No. It's..." He looked into her eyes and her smiling face. "Do you mind?"
"Of course not. Come on, I'll get you to the bedroom."
"I'm very sorry I'm not in better shape when you say things like that."
She laughed out loud. "There will be other times, I promise."
He chuckled as he stood, and he put his arm around her as she led him down the hall. They passed by other doors with beds in them, a nice bathroom, and finally, at the end of the hallway was her bedroom.
They stepped through the door, and he glanced around the large room. It was decorated smartly with clean design details. Not that he knew much about decorating. He noticed there weren't a bunch of things on the walls like he'd seen in other homes. They stopped next to the bed, and she eased him down to a sitting position. Kneeling before him, she untied his tennis shoes and set them along the wall. "Do you want to get under the covers?"
He shook his head. "No. I don't want to sleep too long."
"I'll come and get you for supper in about a half hour."
She pulled a blanket from the closet and placed it over him as he laid back. She kissed his lips lightly. Then he closed his eyes and was out.