The Strength to Fall (McKinnon Brothers Book 1) (3 page)

              “Yes, I understand. I can take ibuprofen too, right? I’m not allergic. I can take up to four every 6 hours. Is that correct?”

              Doc nodded and stood up. He turned towards Ozias obviously content with my understanding.

              “Your mother asked that you stop by after you leave here but if you are going to have dinner with Ms. McLeod I’ll tell her you’ll stop by after.”

              “Yes, just tell her that. I’ll call her if I don’t think I’ll make it at all.”

              “Ozias, just go see her or I’ll never hear the end of it. I briefly told her what happened and now she’s worried. You know how she gets when she’s worried. For my sanity, just stop by for a few minutes. I’m tired myself after surgery today and I teach tomorrow so I need to eat and go to bed. She won’t sleep until she sees you.” Doc sounded exasperated with his wife. The more I knew of this man, the less I liked him. He is helping me free of charge so I guess I should be thankful. Wait, I guess it’s free.

              “Um, Doc?” I said to get his attention.

              He turned to face me and Ozias moved next to him. With them standing side by side it was the first time I noticed the height difference. Doc was tall and lean, probably over 6 feet. Ozias only came to his shoulders and he had a broad chest with narrow hips. His skin was more tanned than Doc’s and where Doc’s hair was light blonde, Ozias’ was black. The adoption theory played in my mind again.

              “Yes?” Doc asked when I didn’t speak right away.

              “I hate to ask so bluntly, but, uh, will there be a charge for your services? Because if so, I have my insurance card right--- I reached for my purse on the floor beside me to retrieve my card as proof that I did have insurance. My lack of furniture and being a stranger, they could think I was in need or something. Of course, anyone who could afford to live in these co-ops couldn’t be financially burdened but they didn’t know how I came to live here. Then it struck me. They must know some part of that story because they live here and would have known the previous occupant, my Aunt Claire.

Doc stepped forward stopping me from getting my card out of my wallet.

              “No, there’s no charge. Sadly, I’m used to paying for my son’s mistakes. Although, I will say this is the most interesting one to date. But again, no. There’s no charge. I’ll arrange for you to get an x-ray tomorrow at my clinic at the hospital near here and as long as no surgery is involved-“He stopped when he saw my eyebrows raise in reference to surgery. “And I don’t anticipate surgery will be required, then there will be no charge. Take Ozias up on his offer of dinner and rethink your sleeping arrangements. You’re my patient now so as your doctor I’m telling you my advice is not to sleep on the floor.” He started to turn to leave but when he reached the foyer he turned to me again.

              “You’re related to the previous tenant of this unit, aren’t you? You know, there’s only three units on each floor. I don’t recall being notified by the board who they selected to buy Claire’s.” I noticed Ozias shift his weight from foot to foot nervously and cross his arms across his chest. I turned to answer Doc but I was trying to decide how much information to give. Ozias looked nervous at his father’s question and these men were strangers. I never remember Aunt Claire mentioning them but then again she was an eclectic person who was just not one to talk much unless she was sharing pertinent information.

              “Yes, she was my aunt.” I decided on sharing just the basics at first. Doc gave me a serious look and rose one of his eyebrows. Ozias jerked his head in his dad’s direction then back at me. Ok, not sure why Claire being my aunt garnered such a reaction. “She was my mother’s sister, they were twins actually. Fraternal, not identical.” I don’t know why I told them more but I strangely felt the need to explain myself. “She left me her home in her will. I’m sorry the board didn’t inform you and honestly I wasn’t aware they had to.”

              “I thought you were related. You share the same features and hair color, along with that southern accent.” He smiled sadly. “Did you go through the normal procedure with the board? The interviews?”

              Ozias looked more nervous now and he stared at his father with intensity. “Dad, let’s not worry Adira with 20 questions tonight. As you said you have a busy day tomorrow and she’s had an exhausting one. I’ll make sure she eats and doesn’t sleep on the floor tonight.” He turned towards me. “I have two extra bedrooms in my co-op. You are welcome to stay in one.” He held his hands up to stop me when he saw my mouth open to object. “I know we’re strangers and I know that under normal circumstances for me to even ask that of a woman I just met would be completely unorthodox, but I knew your aunt, quite well actually. My mom and dad did too. You will be safe with me. Claire was like family to me. Knowing you are her family, I would never do anything to harm you or make you feel unsafe. Each bedroom has a lock and I’ll even give you the emergency keys to each if that made you feel safer. Better yet, I could just stay at my parents and you could stay at my place. Either way, you really need to eat and rest so the most logical solution is for you to do both at my place.”

              “My condolences to your family. Claire was a one of a kind woman. She’ll be greatly missed.” Doc said softly his brash demeanor softening. “She already is.” He sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Another trait that Ozias shared. “Son, just let your mom know what you’re going to do tonight. I’ll see you in the morning, Ms. McLeod.” He walked out of the co-op with a heaviness on his shoulders.

              “I’m sorry about that. Dad and Claire, well, they were good friends.” Ozias said.

              “I didn’t know she had any
good
friends here. She hadn’t shared much of her life with us in years. She moved here right after high school. I only saw her on holidays, weddings and funerals. Thank you for your offer. I am very hungry and tired so I will take you up on both, food and a bed. I can’t think about how insane a decision it is to stay with a strange man but right now my stomach and my body don’t care.”

              He seemed surprised I agreed without a fight. “Great. Then how do you feel about Chinese? I can order delivery. There’s a great place close by.”

              “Chinese sounds amazing.”

He smiled that electric smile at me and I noticed a dimple on his left cheek and it made me warm all over. I smiled back as he came to help me with the crutches so we could go to his place.

              “How tall are you?” He asked me.

              “5’8”,” I said. This was the first time we were both standing and I realized we were the exact same height. I chuckled.

              “Hey, no laughing at the short guy. I make up for it in other ways.” He glanced at me and turned red when he realized his remark could be taken in the wrong way.

              “I didn’t mean---“

              “Stop” I held my hand out. “I know you didn’t, but it was funny. I won’t judge you on your height if you won’t judge me on my looks. I can’t hold a candle to these supermodel women around here.” I waved my hand up and down my body to indicate I was referring to my curviness.

              Ozias raised an eyebrow to that remark. “I don’t know what you see when you look in the mirror but I see only perfection in front of me now.” He clicked the crutches to the right height and handed them to me to try. “Keep your right foot off the ground. Place the crutches in front of you then step. Ok?”

              I was too stunned by his perfection remark to care about the crutches. I took them anyway and robotically put them in front of me and then took a step with only my left foot. I was happy to notice the air cast was already relieving some of the throbbing of my right ankle. The pain wasn’t gone completely but the pressure of the cast helped considerably.

              “Thank you for the complement. It was rude of me to fish one out of you like that. I didn’t mean it that way.”

              “You didn’t. I wouldn’t have said it if it wasn’t true. Kind of a fault of mine. I’m too honest most of the time. I don’t mean to be rude but it comes across that way. My dad hates it.”

              We started towards the door when I realized I’d need my clothes for the night.

              “Would you mind getting my suitcase? It’s in the first bedroom on the right.”

              “Sure.” He left me to retrieve it and I wondered what had happened in his life that he and his father didn’t get along. He came back wheeling my large brown leather suitcase.

              “Sorry. I seem to be a lot of work for you today. Here, let me try to pull it.” I reached for the handle but he grabbed my hand. Again, heat filled me and when he looked in my eyes I froze.

              “Adira, stop apologizing. You are no trouble at all. This is the most excitement I’ve had in a really long time. Plus, you said on the elevator you trusted me. Did you mean that? Do you? Trust me?” He held my hand tighter then slowly let it go.

              “Yes, I trust you.” And for the second time in two hours I found myself amazed that I trusted this man that I barely knew, but God help me I did, I trusted him-completely.                                          

Chapter Three

              “Taste this and tell me it’s not the best crab and cream cheese wonton you’ve ever eaten?” Ozias was pushing a wonton towards me while I was trying to recline on the couch to give my full belly more room for digestion. I pushed the wonton away.

              “I can’t! I’m stuffed! I don’t know if it’s because I was starving or if that was the best coconut shrimp and fried rice I’ve ever had. It all tasted so fresh, like the shrimp were caught this morning.” I rubbed my belly and without warning I burped—loudly. “Oh! I’m so sorry! Please excuse me.” I covered my mouth with my napkin and looked away. Again, embarrassment is the word of the day!

              Ozias was trying not to laugh but he couldn’t hold it in. Before I knew it we were both laughing, small at first but then we were laughing so hard tears started to roll down our faces. When I get this tickled my laugh changes to this deep chested laugh and the more I try to stop the more I laugh. It was happening right now and it was apparent that Ozias was no longer laughing at the burp but at the sound of my laughter. Finally, I took a few deep breaths and the laughter stops. My cheeks actually hurt from laughing so hard. I looked at Ozias to try and gage his feelings about my rudeness and obnoxious laughter. He still had a huge grin on his face.

              “You didn’t know what you were getting yourself into bumping into me this afternoon, did you? Had you known my Southern drawl was just a cover for a down to earth, small town girl with deplorable manners, you would have just left me on the floor and kept on running.”

Ozias’ smile faded and he got a serious look on his face. “No, I wouldn’t have run away. Bumping into you was the best thing that happened to me today, and in fact, the best thing in a very long time. I’ve enjoyed this meal with you. I eat alone almost all the time. I forgot how nice it is to share a meal with someone, especially someone who appears to love food as much as I do.” He started laughing again and I could tell he was trying to lighten the mood.

              “Well then, I’m glad my injury has caused someone joy today.” I tried to keep a mean glare but when his face fell I just couldn’t keep it up. “Oh, I was just joking! Please, know that I do understand this was all an accident and you’ve behaved quite chivalrously since the moment you ran into me.” I gained a smile from that and he sat back on the end of the couch opposite from where I was sitting with my legs stretched out and a pillow under my swollen ankle. I shivered a little and I didn’t know if I was cold or if it was my reaction to seeing a small patch of perfect abs when he leaned back. Ozias took it as if I was cold and immediately got up, removed a tray that sat atop lifted a dark leather ottoman he was using as a coffee table and sat it on the ground. He lifted the top of the ottoman and the hinges squeaked as he leaned down and picked up a light brown blanket that appeared to have some sort of wool on one side and suede on the other. He lowered the top, turned around and started to cover me with the blanket.

              “Here, this is my favorite blanket.” He pulled the blanket up my body stopping right before reaching my breast, and gently folded it down and went to sit back on the other end of the couch.

              I didn’t know what to say. We’ve only known each other a few hours and I already felt like I’d known him for years. Conversation during dinner was light and easy. We talked about the weather and how humid it is has been this summer. We mainly talked about the food and how good it was. He told me the restaurant was fairly new to the neighborhood but was quickly becoming one of the hottest places to eat in the area due to only using the freshest products. It was like a farm to table Chinese cuisine approach and it was fabulous. We were watching TV while we ate and he asked me if I’d get grossed out if he watched an episode of The Walking Dead and I told him no. He was trying to catch up on season five since he missed most of it last spring, although he didn’t say why. We just ate, laughed, and talked about the plot and our favorite characters until my rude manners interrupted the easy flow of conversation. And now here he was taking care of me again with more attentiveness than any boyfriend I’ve ever had.

              I rubbed the soft fabric of the blanket between my fingers trying to determine what it was made of. It was soft and had an earthy scent. It was warm and beautiful and I could see why it’d be his favorite.

              “It’s alpaca wool. It’s soft isn’t it?” I glanced up and nodded in agreement. “Claire gave it to me. She had taken one of her impromptu trips and she came back with gifts, she always came back with gifts. This is the most practical item she ever gave me. I’ll have to show you some of the other things she’s brought back from her travels. There’s no way to describe some of them but strange.” He chuckled at a memory and started to get up to clean up the Chinese take-out boxes. “You’re sure you’re through with this? I could put it in the fridge for tomorrow if you want?” He was gesturing to my two take out boxes sitting on a TV tray beside me.

              “Um, yea, I might eat it tomorrow. I’m definitely full now though. Better stop before I gross you out again.” The feel of the blanket brought a memory to mind. “Aunt Claire took me to an Alpaca farm once. It’s one of my favorite memories. We camped in a tent that same night and I was cold. She gave me the blanket she had bought from the farm to sleep with that night. I bought a bracelet from the gift shop made from some cheap beads. I thought a blanket was not a good gift, at the time anyway, so she took it home with her. I wished I would have kept it. This one is just like the one she had.” Could it be the same one, I thought? Surely, not. This one seemed too new.

I smiled as he picked up the boxes and walked to the kitchen which was behind me and to the left. His home was a mirror image of mine but flipped around. His kitchen, dining room, and large living room are one open area on the left of the foyer and his hall, bedrooms, and bathrooms are to the right. His colors are darker than mine. His floor that covers the dining and living room is a deep cherry wood with a large area rug with muted reds and golds in geometric shapes in the living room. The oval dining room table is walnut with six burgundy leather high-back chairs. There are a few dark wood end tables with pewter lamps with cream colored shades and a Victorian style buffet on the wall behind the table. His kitchen is modern with black granite counters and a high bar with four tall wooden stools under it on the opposite side of the copper sink. Dark walnut cabinets climb to the kitchen ceiling and frame the back wall of the kitchen. His black oven and cook top are sandwiched between two tall cabinets that appear to be pantries. A gorgeous cooper vent hood rises above it. The black refrigerator ends the countertop closest to the dining room. A large chopping block island sits in the middle of the space and at the moment it is covered with what appears to be bills and important looking papers. 

              As Ozias opens the refrigerator to put away the left overs, I notice that it’s mostly empty with only a half carton of milk and a few condiments. Typical bachelor refrigerator. The walls of the whole area are a deep nutmeg with white trim. He has the same wall of windows that my co-op has that lead out to a large balcony that overlooking the river. It was homey and beautiful all at time same time. I snuggled into the blanket feeling my eyelids grow heavy but I felt I needed to say something before I drifted to sleep.

              Ozias was walking back towards me holding a bottle of ibuprofen in his hands. He opened the top and handed me four round reddish colored tablets. “Here, take these now that you have eaten. That way they won’t upset your stomach. I brought you the bottle so you could see that they are indeed ibuprofen. I know you’re nervous about not knowing me.” Again, such a thoughtful gesture. I took the pills and swallowed them with the rest of my water.

              “Thank you. You’re so sweet.” He grinned embarrassed by the compliment. “Ozias, don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s surprising to me that my Aunt Claire bought you gifts when I had hardly seen her in the last six years. She did come to my college graduation and only stayed two days then left. I’m not complaining, but it does make me a little sad. When I hear you talk about her I feel like I never really knew her at all.”

              “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about how it might make you feel when I talked about her. It’s so surreal to me, because Claire was like family and I miss her. We had great conversations. I could talk to her about things my mom and dad just didn’t understand. She was a great person, even if she was a little strange. I guess I thought the blanket might be comforting to you because it was from her and you’ve had such a bad day. I keep trying to make it better but I keep messing up.” His frown and look of disappointment in his actions broke my heart.

              “It is comforting! I didn’t mean to make you think otherwise. Thank you for telling me about it. I would like to hear more stories about Aunt Claire, but not today. I’m exhausted. You have made my night so much better than my day. I feel very comfortable here with you, and I do trust you.”

              His eyes warmed at those words and my heart did a flip in my chest. Is it possible to have a connection like this with a man you just met? I feel like we’re two old souls just finding each other again after centuries apart.

              “Let’s get you to the guest bedroom so you can get some sleep. The first room will be the most comfortable I think. It has one of those sleep number mattresses and you can even elevate your legs so you don’t have to use a pillow. Would you like to take the blanket with you?”

              “Yes, I’d like that if you don’t mind. I’ve never slept on a sleep number bed. I’m actually really excited about going to bed! See how sad my life is? I get this excited about a mattress.”

              “Going to bed is one of my favorite activities,” Ozias flushed as he realized the innuendo he made again. “God, I’m sorry. You must think I’m awful.”

              “Actually, I think the exact opposite, I think you’re pretty wonderful. And for the record going to bed is one of my favorite activities too, just right now all I want to do is sleep.” I smiled to let him know I wasn’t offended.