Exposed: New Adult Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 5) (26 page)

It comes, but my slumber is restless, and I rise before the sun. I usually drink tea in the morning, but I’m craving caffeine and will probably need it to get through the hell my day is going to be.

I find Garrett’s stash, and grounds swish into a filter as I scoop it out. I flick the machine on and glance at my phone. I should at least read the messages to make sure that my store hasn’t burned down overnight. While the chances of that are slim, I can’t stomach what else I’ll find just yet. I decide on a shower first.

I emerge with a cloud of steam and pour myself a cup of coffee. The bitter liquid needs milk I don’t have, so I stir in sugar, but no matter how much I add, the flavor is harsh on my tongue. Sighing, I brace myself for what I need to do.

White flashes on the phone screen as I wait for it to power up. Glancing at my texts I see Nika’s name and open hers first. They’re in reverse order, but my stomach drops when I read the first words. “Where are u, please b ok.”

I flick my finger to scroll down to the first one she sent at three am.

“Neal in accident. St Anthony.”

My scalp tingles, and sudden dizziness makes me slump to the floor in case I faint. Neal.

I read more and discover he has a concussion and was admitted for observation. Horrible scenarios of swelling brains and famous people dying from a concussion have me near panic, but at least he’s not in the ICU. I breathe a little easier as I text Nika back. “So sorry, I turned off my phone and am just seeing this. On my way.”

I throw on jeans, a tank, and a ratty hoodie and am in my car within minutes. St. Anthony’s is in Frisco and only a couple miles from my house. Turning my head to check for cars at the stop sign, my hair rustles from being frozen. The irony of racing to see Neal with wet hair doesn’t escape me.

My phone rings as I’m parking, and the screen says the call is from Nika.

“Hi.”

“Ruby, where are you?”

“In the hospital parking lot. What happened?” I slam my door and walk briskly toward the entrance.

“I don’t know for sure. Neal was really confused and not making sense. From what I gather he was on his way to see you, and a drunk driver hit him. He kept saying he had to talk to you and tell you something important, but wouldn’t say what.”

“Okay. I’m inside. I’ll call you later.” I click off my phone and approach the front desk.

An older woman in a poor excuse for a uniform shirt is behind it, reading an electronic device. “Hi, my boyfriend was in a car accident and brought here. I just found out. Neal Morgan. Can I see him?”

A keyboard clicks as she says, “Hang on, let me find him in the system.” She stands and says, “Let me go get a nurse. I’ll be right back.”

Now that I’m here, I want to leave. I can’t sit, so I start to pace the waiting room. Carpet designed for heavy traffic is hard under my feet as I pass the burnt orange, brown, and olive upholstered chairs. Who picks these colors? Could they be any more depressing?

The reality is Neal will probably be just fine, and all I’ve done is force myself to deal with his cheating. Anger begins to boil in me as the half a cup of coffee in my stomach sloshes around as if it’s acid. I pull out my phone and open up his texts. I scroll down to the first one.

“Please let me explain why Bianca was in my shower.”

“I don’t know what you think you saw, but Bianca was only borrowing my shower because hers is broken.”

“Love, please talk to me.”

There’s more, but I’m interrupted by a hand on my shoulder. It’s the woman from the front desk. “What’s your name?”

“Ruby.”

“You can see him now. He’s been asking anyone who’ll listen to make sure they let you in.” She smiles and adds, “He seems quite smitten.”

A glimmer of hope flashes in my mind. Bianca’s shower was broken? I definitely didn’t go there with my thoughts. But that doesn’t explain why Neal took one, too. We push through two doors to enter a vinyl-floored hallway. Fluorescent lights throw color off and add to the surreal sensation I’m experiencing.

Was I really an emotional girlfriend last night with an ego as fragile as thin ice? My self-berating thoughts vanish when we enter a room and Neal’s mouth turns up in a small smile. He holds his hand out to me. “Ruby.”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Neal, what happened?”

Warm fingers grasp my hand, and I place the other on a cold metal rail as he speaks. “Bianca was changing a keg and couldn’t get the seal right.”

“I—” I try to interrupt and say I was asking about the accident, but he keeps talking.

“It was spraying everywhere, and I went to help. By the time I fixed things both of us were soaked in beer. We went home to shower and change, only when Bianca tried to turn on her shower, the handle snapped off. She came over to use mine.”

“I’m an idiot. I thought that—”

“I know.” He squeezes my hand. “I understand how it looked that way. I also understand we act based on past experiences. Love, I’m not Trevor.”

I nod and whisper, “I’m sorry.” Did I assume he was just like Trevor? I did, and my heart aches that I didn’t trust the man who has never given me a reason not to.

Oh, no. I touch my lips at a realization. “You got in the accident because you were coming to see me.” Oh, God. What if he had died? What if things were so much worse than a concussion?

Neal shakes his head. “No. Don’t go there. What happened isn’t your fault.”

“But it is. I was being a stupid girl and throwing a hissy fit when I should have let you explain.” I squeeze his hand. “How could I have been so stupid? I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.” My cheeks heat up with embarrassment.

“I’ve had time to think about this, and I don’t think you were being a stupid girl.”

“No?” I furrow my brow. Because I’m horrified at the way I acted. I’m not the type to do drama, and that’s exactly what I created.

“Ruby, stop. Stop thinking you’re an awful person. If I saw Trevor come out of your apartment in just a towel and then you came out of your bedroom getting dressed, I might have jumped to the same conclusions.”

I’m not convinced that’s true, but I do know this man wants to ease my shame. I step closer to stroke the stubble on his cheek. “I’m not sure what you see in me. You’ve never given me a reason not to trust you, and yet it took me seconds to believe the worst. I know you wouldn’t have done the same thing. You would have let me explain.”

“And if something like this happens again, you will, too. We old guys just have more experience.” He pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses my palm.

“Oh, Neal.” I trace the cheekbone I love to sketch. “When do I get to spring you from this place?”

“I’m not sure. They gave me a CAT scan and said they wanted to keep me for observation.”

I scan his body but don’t find any visible injuries. “Does anything hurt?”

“My head and my chest where the seat belt was. I’ve got a red welt that will probably be a bruise.”

“What happened?”

He explains how a drunk driver came into his lane and he tried to swerve out of the way but because of the speed he couldn’t in time. We have air bags and German engineering to thank for his minimal damage.

“How long do you have to stay?”

“I’m not sure but at least through the day. Want to keep me company?”

“I’m not going anywhere.” Neal hasn’t let go of my hand, and his thumb is rubbing the back of it. I say, “I’m not sure how you came into my life, but I can’t believe I’m this lucky.”

He pulls my hand to lay it over his heart. “It’s more than luck. Believe in us, Ruby.”

“I do.” I lean down and kiss him.

Chapter 39

Ne
al isn’t going anywhere today, but unfortunately I have to. The concussion has made him confused, and the doctor said he shouldn’t be making any important decisions for a few days. I’m stepping in to do the necessary things Neal does every day for his businesses.

My first task is to make the cash deposits. It’s not going as quickly as I had hoped because everyone wants to hear what happened and how Neal is doing. Plus, I have to make sure the managers know to call me if there’s an issue that needs attention. I’m crossing my fingers there isn’t, because the idea of making big decisions in Neal’s absence terrifies me.

My last stop before the bank is Stone Soup. They don’t serve lunch, and I park in a nearly empty lot. A large ring of keys jingles as I search for the right one to let myself in. A cleaning crew is here, and a vacuum roars as I make my way to the small back room where the bartenders cash out at the end of their shift.

A utilitarian desk is in the middle of the closet-sized space, and a large safe is set in the corner. Getting the money has been interesting. Neal gave me a list of combinations for each business, but so far none of them have been right. The numbers seem to be correct, but they aren’t in the proper order.

The managers all have access to the safe at their establishment, and I’ve had to call each one. I don’t even bother to try at the restaurant and call Bianca as soon as I shut out the noise of the cleaning crew.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Bianca. This is Ruby.”

“Oh, hey, I heard about Neal. Is he okay?”

I stifle a sigh of annoyance at having to relay the story one more time. “He’s fine. But he’s got a concussion, and the combination to the safe he gave me is wrong. I need to make the deposits, could you give it to me?”

She chuckles, and for a moment my insecurities make me think she’s laughing at me. “You’ll be able to remember this one. It’s your name if you assigned a number to each letter of the alphabet. That’s how I memorized it. 18-21-2-25.”

The combination to Stone Soup’s safe is my name? “That’s kind of sweet.”

“Kind of? It’s freaking adorable. He’s so into you, it’s not funny.”

I squash my knee-jerk reaction to say it isn’t so and reply, “What a nice thing to tell me, thank you. As you can imagine, Neal won’t be working for a couple days. You can call me if you need anything.”

“Will do. And Ruby?”

“Yeah?” I twirl a pencil with my fingers, and it rasps against the fake wood desktop.

“Thanks for making Neal happy. He’s a lot more fun to work for these days.”

Wow. “He makes me happy, too. Thanks.”

Driving to the bank night deposit box, I’m feeling accomplished when my phone rings. “Hello.”

“Ruby, it’s Lisa. The goat cheese guy is here with a delivery, and I don’t have a check to pay him. Can you come do it?”

A check? Crap, I don’t have it. “Be right there.”

I make a U-turn and call Neal. It’s New Year’s Day. Who delivers on a holiday?

“Hey, love.”

“Hi. I need to get a check for the goat cheese guy. Where do I find one?”

Neal answers, “In my desk in the Wine and Cheese Shop office. The key for it is next to the front door one for that business.”

I cross my fingers he’s right. “Great, thanks. Gotta go.” I know I’m being short, but I bet Neal understands.

As I drive downtown, my phone rings again. “Ruby, it’s Jed.” Jed is the manager at Down Under. “The dishwasher is on the fritz again, and Neal usually can fix it. What should we do?”

Great. Like I have a clue how to fix a dishwasher. “Do you have a plumber or a repair guy that you call?”

“Yeah, but Neal hates how much they cost and won’t do it unless he has to. Especially on a holiday. “

I sigh. “I know, but unless your dishwasher can keep up cleaning things by hand, I think you have to.”

Jed says, “Okay. I’m on it. Thanks.”

“You got it.” I’m beginning to see why Neal is on the phone all the time.

I pull into my parking spot and almost swear when my cell rings again. This time it’s a tenant with a broken window who got my number from Jed. I tell her to board it up with cardboard for now, and I’ll call when I have an appointment with a glass guy to fix it.

After I pay for the cheese I’m finally on my way to the bank again when my phone rings and makes me wonder how quickly I can get a headset for calls.

It’s Neal. “Hey, love. How’s it going?”

“Oh, my God, is it always like this? I’m running around like a crazy woman.”

“Yeah, sometimes it can be. What’s going on?”

I give him the Cliff Notes, and he assures me I’m making good decisions. It could be the head injury talking, but I pretend he’s right. I say, “By the way, I love the combination for Stone Soup.”

“Oh, right. Yeah, I changed it the day after we had dinner and I drove you home.”

I snort as I park in the bank lot. “I guess the drunk me made quite an impression.”

“No, that’s the day I realized I was in love with you.”

Oh, my God. My phone beeps with another call. “You’re making me blush, but I’ve got to go. It’s Bianca.”

I don’t wait for his reply and switch over to her.

“Hey, Ruby. Mathias, the chef, thought Neal might like a decent meal. He says he’ll make a picnic for you two if you want to stop by and get it on your way back to the hospital.”

I hold back the manic laugh that threatens to come out, and say, “That’s a lovely idea. Tell him thanks, and I’ll be by when I can.”

Once I hang up, I decide I can run triage just as easily over the phone driving to Frisco as I can in Breck and everything will be fine. I’m not sure I’m cut out for this and think it’s going to be a long few days covering for Neal.