Stone in Love (8 page)

“Do you want me to show you the other fancy feature this van has?” Charlie asked.

“It doesn’t require me moving, does it?”

“Of course not,” he said, reaching for a remote control on the sideboard. He laid his head down on the pillow next to Lindsay and aimed the remote at the ceiling. With a touch of the button, the roof rolled back displaying the starlit night above them. “Is that neat, or what?”

“That is the coolest thing ever! The night is so clear, you can see at all the stars.” Lindsay kept her gaze firmly on the sky above, counting her blessings on the largest stars.

Charlie caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “The stars in the sky are reflecting in your eyes. They’re a gorgeous shade of green.”

“Hazel,” Lindsay corrected. “That’s a nice compliment, especially when I’m without makeup.”

“You’re a natural beauty.” Charlie rested his hand on her stomach and kissed her softly. His head jerked. “What was that?”

“What?”

“Your lips were trembling.”

“I’m sorry. I guess I’m a bit anxious.”

Charlie scooted to the foot of the bed and reached underneath, pulling out a duffle bag.

Lindsay sat up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it. You’re not going anywhere, are you?”

Charlie unzipped the bag and turned around with a plush blanket. “Relax, doll, and lie back down. I thought this would make you more comfortable,” he said, covering and tucking the sides of the blanket around her.

“Don’t worry about me putting the moves on you tonight,” Charlie assured her. “You’ve had a busy day. When it’s time for us to be together, I want it to be perfect. And maybe I’m being selfish, but I want to be the only thing on your mind. Close your eyes and rest. I’ll be right beside you.”

Lindsay’s eyes were heavy. “You have a way about you,” she whispered, then fell asleep with the corners of her lips turned up. The look on her face spelled serenity in bold letters.

Lindsay awoke to a beautiful melody orchestrated by the Carolina Wrens. Lifting her head off of what she thought was her pillow, she saw a bare chest covered with dark hair. She didn’t remember falling asleep. Charlie’s stomach muscles were prominent with the daylight shining in, and she couldn’t resist tracing the ripples with her finger.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Charlie said drowsily. He stretched both his arms to the side, and then wrapped them around Lindsay. “Sleep well?”

Lindsay nodded. “I must have been tired, because I slept hard. I almost forgot where I was.” She paused. “Did anything happen between us last night?”

“No, though, I hope you don’t mind that I took off my shirt. I sleep more comfortably like that.”

“Of course I don’t mind. It was nice waking up in your arms.” Lindsay laid her head on his chest, breathing in the scent of his skin, and nearly fell back asleep… until—”Oh my gosh!” she said, sitting straight up.

“What’s wrong?”

“My car. I forgot about it. It’s still at The Crust!”

“Don’t worry, I already took care of it.”

“What do you mean, ‘took care of it’?”

“You’ll see when you get home. Trust me, everything’s fine.”

Lindsay wrinkled her eyebrows, only half–convinced. “Are you sure?”

“Positive. Now, what do you want to do today?” Charlie asked, putting on his shirt.

“Let’s venture into the park and see what our options are.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

At seven a.m., Ireland and Jeffrey were still zipped up in their tent. They’d probably had an engaging night.

Instead of bothering them, Lindsay and Charlie struck out walking on their own. They came across a sign pinned to a tree that said “1.5 mile nature trail” with an arrow pointing to the woods.

“Want to give it a go?” Lindsay said.

“Absolutely,” Charlie said. “You think you’ll be okay walking in those flip–flops?”

“I’m sure I’ll be fine. C’mon,” Lindsay said, gripping Charlie’s hand.

The deeper they walked down the trail, the more they understood just how “natural” it was. The path was cleared wide enough for only two to walk side–by–side. A group on the trail would have to walk in a single–file line. The track became hilly as it curved beside the river.

“Now I wish I’d worn tennis shoes,” Lindsay said. “I can see somebody easily twisting an ankle out here.”

“I know,” Charlie said. “Just watch your step.”

Halfway down the trail, they encountered a tree with a few initials carved in. Some had hearts around them; others had dates that went back as far as twenty years.

“Can you believe those initials have been there so long?” Lindsay said. “I wonder if any of those couples are together today?”

“Not sure. I guess the only way to know which relationship stands the test of time is to add our initials,” Charlie said, reaching in his pocket. He flipped open the blade on his Swiss Army knife, and carved “C&L” above the other initials. He enclosed the letters with an animated bubbly–shaped airplane.

“Awe, how sweet,” Lindsay said. “And you added a personal touch. So creative.”

Charlie closed the knife and put it away. He dusted the wood shavings around the carving and stepped back to study his work. “The plane represents a love that soars above the clouds.”

Lindsay looked down, pushing leaves around with her flip–flop. She wasn’t sure what to say, especially since she’d never experienced real love before.

Charlie lifted her chin with the side of his index finger. “If we give it a chance to, that is. If we both agree to leave our hearts unguarded, I have every confidence that it could be like that.”

Lindsay was starting to like the idea of being loved and in love. It was becoming easier to trust his words, though for now, she left her own undeclared. She pinned Charlie against the tree and gave him a seductive slip of the tongue, hoping her outward enthusiasm would reflect her inner joy.

Her show of affection was cut short by a distant shriek. “What was that?”

Charlie held up a finger. “Listen,” he said, his eyes roaming as he concentrated on which direction it was coming from.

They heard it again, but this time the scream was followed by, “Help!”

“It sounds like it’s coming from the river,” Charlie said.

They ran as fast as they could, up and down the hilly trail until they got to the river embankment. “Is that Asher?”

Thrashing about in the water, Asher yelled with the ear–piercing shriek of an adolescent.

“Yes, that’s him,” Lindsay said apathetically. Should we go find out what his problem is?”

“I guess every worm deserves help in his time of need,” Charlie answered.

They took their time walking down the steep embankment, careful not to stumble. From the river’s edge, Lindsay called out to Asher. “What’s wrong?”

“Help!” he screeched, still splashing, the look of utter terror on his face.

Lindsay put both hands to the sides of her mouth. “What? Be still so I can hear you!”

“It’ll bite me again if I don’t splash!”

“What will?”

“The snake!”

“Hurry and get out of the water so we can help you,” Charlie shouted.

Hearing Charlie’s command must have engaged his rationality because Asher complied without hesitation. Even in his terrified state, he remembered that Charlie wasn’t the man to mess with. Asher slipped and slid on the muddy shore, hurrying toward them.

“Where were you bitten?” Lindsay asked, examining both of his arms. Holding on to his wrists, she flipped them to look at the other side.

“On m…my hand,” he managed to say through chattering teeth.

Lindsay looked closely at his right hand and found two small puncture wounds on his pinky finger. “I see it now. What did the snake look like?”

“All I saw was a dark–colored snake with a huge white mouth clamp down on me. He disappeared under the water before I could get a closer look.”

Lindsay eyes stretched, her expression giving away the severity of the situation. “A cottonmouth … probably the worst thing that could’ve bitten you.”

“Oh my God!” Asher wailed. He flailed about and fell down, pounding his fists into the mud. “I’m too young to die! I’m too young to die!”

“Would you stop it already!” Lindsay demanded. She jerked Asher’s arm, bringing him to his feet. “You’re helping the poison spread through your body. Charlie, will you please go get the van? We’ll meet you at the boat landing.”

“Okay, I’ll be as quick as I can,” Charlie said, and started off running.

Lindsay looked at her watch. “How long ago were you bitten?”

“I don’t know. Maybe five minutes,” Asher said.

“All right, so that puts your envenomation right around eight a.m. They’ll need to know that when you get to the hospital. Do you think you can walk back to the boat landing? It’s not too far.”

“Can I put my arm around your neck for support?” Asher asked.

“No, your legs aren’t broken. Besides, you need to keep your arm beneath the level of your heart. Time is of the essence, so get moving.”

Asher floundered and whined the whole way, but it was difficult for Lindsay to show much sympathy. Maybe now mister indestructible will get an attitude adjustment.

Charlie had the van waiting at the boat landing for Asher and Lindsay. He opened the back, helping Asher in. “Lie down on the bed and do exactly as Lindsay instructs.”

“Understood,” Asher said.

Lindsay sat down on the bed next to Asher, taking his pulse, while Charlie made a quick exit down the dirt road.

Noticing the fancy signet ring on Asher’s finger, she said, “Take that off and hand it to me.”

“What? No, that’s my dad’s ring. I’m not even supposed to have it.”

“They’ll have to cut it off when your hand swells to five times its normal size. It’s your choice,” Lindsay said.

Asher cringed as he twisted it off his already expanding finger. He gave it to Lindsay.

“Hold on to this for me, please,” Lindsay said, handing it to Charlie.

Charlie dropped it into a cup holder. “I’ll be sure to guard it with my life.”

Lindsay dialed 911 on her cell phone.

“Who are you calling?” Asher said frantically. “Don’t you need to tie a tourniquet around my hand or something?”

Lindsay rolled her eyes. “Just a social call.”

“Hello. My name is Lindsay Martin. I have a twenty–five–year–old male, cottonmouth snake–bite victim en route to Summerville Medical Center.”

Lindsay saw Charlie watching from the rearview mirror. He gave her a wink, and she returned an air kiss to him.

“Disgusting,” Asher said. “I could do without seeing that.”

“Oh,
no
you didn’t,” Lindsay said, doing a talk–to–the–hand gesture. It took her a minute to muster up a great come back. “Do you think this is your world and we’re just in it? I’m doing you a favor here, you know. And I’ll blow my man kisses any time I damn well please, so you can just
get over it
, pretty boy!”

Charlie’s cheeks rose from the huge smile on his face, and he rewarded Lindsay with another, even sexier wink.

Between the instructions from the 911 representative and Lindsay’s attentiveness, Asher arrived at the hospital in stable condition.

“I think we should go now,” Lindsay said to Charlie. “We’ve done all we can do. Ireland is on her way. What becomes of Asher is no longer my concern.”

Charlie faced Lindsay, rubbing the outside of her arms. “You were incredible, helping him in his time of need. You took control of the situation with the skill of a lifelong doctor.”

Lindsay snickered. “When I really wanted to throw him back in the river.”

“I’m in agreement with that. Just when I think you couldn’t be more perfect, I see another wonderful side of you.”

“It was nothing. I was just doing what I trained for in school.”

The ride from the hospital to Lindsay’s apartment was only twenty minutes, and for the most part it was a quiet one. Charlie appeared to be deep in thought, and Lindsay was too, reflecting on the positive direction her life was headed. A career opportunity had presented itself, and her practice earlier that day had reinforced that she’d chosen the right one. She looked over at Charlie, whose full attention was on the highway. She thought about the passengers he flew and how lucky they were to have Charlie behind the controls. And Lindsay considered herself among them. And, for right now … she was the luckiest one of them all.

Chapter Ten

When the van turned into her apartment complex, Lindsay scanned the lot for her car. There was no sign of the atrocious Ford Focus. “Charlie, I thought you took care of towing my car. I don’t see it.”

“I did,” Charlie said, putting the van in park. He stepped out and opened Lindsay’s door.

“I don’t understand,” she said.

Withholding a reply, Charlie took her by the hand and led her to a black Toyota Camry parked right in front of her apartment building.

“This is
your
car,” Lindsay said, more than a little confused.

“Look inside,” he said, peering through the window. “This one has a sunroof. Mine doesn’t.” He stepped to the back, kneeled down, and reached underneath the back bumper. He pulled down a key that had been attached to the frame with a plastic tie strap. Handing it to Lindsay, he said, “It’s yours.”

“You
bought
me a car?”

“Yes, I had my buddy Phil pick it up while we were gone. Do you like it? I tried to get you one like you described.”

Lindsay put her hands in her pockets. “Thank you. That’s the most thoughtful thing anyone has ever done for me, but you know I can’t accept it.”

Charlie lowered his head and compressed his lips. “I was afraid this was going to happen, but I wish you’d let me do this. I don’t want you driving around in an unreliable car with no air conditioning. Please reconsider.”

“I can’t,” Lindsay said, avoiding eye contact. “I’m sorry.”

Charlie exhaled deeply. “I see. Your old car is at the mechanic’s. I had a new battery installed, just in case, and it’s waiting to be picked up. I’ll bring it to you tomorrow.”

“I appreciate everything,” Lindsay said, finding Charlie’s expression hard to read.

“I’ll get your bag from the van and see you inside. Then I’ll leave, so you can call about your interview.”