Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 98
“The senate race?”
“I don’t know about this one. The one I saw was for the US senate.”
Joe still looked scared. “Are you really that upset about me running for office?”
“No, there’s more.”
He swallowed. “Okay.”
“You were married. To someone else.” I searched his eyes. “You were married to Hilary, and she was pregnant.”
Joe stood up, anger pouring out of his body. “No!”
I didn’t know what to say.
“I love you, Rose.” His words were muffled with tears. “I don’t love her.”
I still didn’t say anything.
“You know damn good and well that what you see doesn’t always come true. What was the vision you saw earlier?”
“My murder tonight. Rhonda shot me in the head.”
Joe pulled me against his chest. “Oh, God. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There wasn’t time with the dinner and the announcement. Besides, I couldn’t see my face, so I didn’t know it was me until Mason called to check on me, and I told him there was someone outside and the police weren’t coming.” I bit my trembling lip. “I think we both knew it was similar to what happened to his sister.”
“So you talked about his side of things.”
“We’re friends, Joe. If it weren’t for Mason, I really would be dead right now.”
The door opened and the ER doctor came in, looking momentarily confused by how Mason had been replaced by Joe. “Ms. Gardner, we have good news. There’s no sign of concussion, but we’ll need to stitch up your head wound. It’s close to your hairline, so the scar should be hidden.” She came over and leaned me forward to examine my back. “These will hurt for several days but there’s nothing I can really do about it other than have you ice it and give you some ibuprofen.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll be in to stitch you up in a minute, and then we’ll send you home.”
When she walked out of the room, I looked at Joe. “You’re right. My vision didn’t entirely come true. But a lot of it did.”
“We can change it, Rose.”
“Do you care about her?”
“We’ve known each other for a long time, so it’s hard not to hope she’s okay. But we’re over. Your vision is wrong.”
“Do you want to run for the senate, Joe? If your father and I weren’t involved, what would you want to do?”
He sat in the chair, his hands clasped under his chin but not looking at me. “I think I can make a difference.” But something in his voice told me he didn’t totally believe it. Why was he doing this?
I wanted to cry, but I held it together as a nurse practitioner walked through the door. “Let’s get you stitched up and send you home.”
Joe held my hand as the nurse put four stitches in my head. After I signed some paperwork, he took me home, and I promptly fell asleep on my bed after I changed out of the bloody underslip and into one of Joe’s T-shirts. Joe took care of Muffy, but I awoke when he climbed into bed beside me, pressing his stomach to my back and wrapping his arms around me.
“I love you, Rose.” He kissed my neck with a tenderness that brought tears to my eyes.
“I love you too.”
I only hoped it was enough.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
By nine the next morning, word had spread about my escapade the night before. I got out of bed and discovered Joe in the kitchen fielding a call from Violet.
“I don’t know all the details, Violet. I told you, I didn’t get here until she was in the hospital.” He was silent for a moment. “No. Mason knew where to find her. He got to her before the police.” I could see it pained him to admit it.
I walked over to him, and he snaked an arm around my waist, gently pulling me to him and kissing the top of my head.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
He grinned and mouthed, “You can repay me later.”
My heart leapt, thrilled that my playful Joe was back.
“She won’t be in for the rest of the day. She still has to give a lengthy police statement.” He shot me a stern look, but the corners of his mouth lifted into the hint of a smile. “Apparently, she’s about to supply them with all the evidence Deveraux needs to try this case. But even when she’s done, she needs to rest. She’s pretty beat up.”
When Joe hung up, he turned his phone to vibrate and tossed it on the kitchen counter. Lifting my chin, he tilted my head one way, and then the other. “You look more beat up on the right side, but it obviously could have been much worse. And you have two horrible bruises on your back. You need to take it easy today.”
“If it means I get to spend the day with you, it sounds wonderful.”
His smile fell. “I’m going to have to run back to El Dorado in about an hour.”
My happiness burst. “So you’re really doing this?”
Fear and sadness flickered in his eyes. “Yeah.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his chest. I was losing him. I knew it.
“What about the sheriff’s deputy job?”
He hesitated. “That’s on hold for now.”
I turned away from him. “I need coffee.”
“I’m going to make you breakfast too.”
“If you’re leaving in an hour, I’d rather just spend the time with you.”
“I don’t know about this one. The one I saw was for the US senate.”
Joe still looked scared. “Are you really that upset about me running for office?”
“No, there’s more.”
He swallowed. “Okay.”
“You were married. To someone else.” I searched his eyes. “You were married to Hilary, and she was pregnant.”
Joe stood up, anger pouring out of his body. “No!”
I didn’t know what to say.
“I love you, Rose.” His words were muffled with tears. “I don’t love her.”
I still didn’t say anything.
“You know damn good and well that what you see doesn’t always come true. What was the vision you saw earlier?”
“My murder tonight. Rhonda shot me in the head.”
Joe pulled me against his chest. “Oh, God. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There wasn’t time with the dinner and the announcement. Besides, I couldn’t see my face, so I didn’t know it was me until Mason called to check on me, and I told him there was someone outside and the police weren’t coming.” I bit my trembling lip. “I think we both knew it was similar to what happened to his sister.”
“So you talked about his side of things.”
“We’re friends, Joe. If it weren’t for Mason, I really would be dead right now.”
The door opened and the ER doctor came in, looking momentarily confused by how Mason had been replaced by Joe. “Ms. Gardner, we have good news. There’s no sign of concussion, but we’ll need to stitch up your head wound. It’s close to your hairline, so the scar should be hidden.” She came over and leaned me forward to examine my back. “These will hurt for several days but there’s nothing I can really do about it other than have you ice it and give you some ibuprofen.”
“Thank you.”
“We’ll be in to stitch you up in a minute, and then we’ll send you home.”
When she walked out of the room, I looked at Joe. “You’re right. My vision didn’t entirely come true. But a lot of it did.”
“We can change it, Rose.”
“Do you care about her?”
“We’ve known each other for a long time, so it’s hard not to hope she’s okay. But we’re over. Your vision is wrong.”
“Do you want to run for the senate, Joe? If your father and I weren’t involved, what would you want to do?”
He sat in the chair, his hands clasped under his chin but not looking at me. “I think I can make a difference.” But something in his voice told me he didn’t totally believe it. Why was he doing this?
I wanted to cry, but I held it together as a nurse practitioner walked through the door. “Let’s get you stitched up and send you home.”
Joe held my hand as the nurse put four stitches in my head. After I signed some paperwork, he took me home, and I promptly fell asleep on my bed after I changed out of the bloody underslip and into one of Joe’s T-shirts. Joe took care of Muffy, but I awoke when he climbed into bed beside me, pressing his stomach to my back and wrapping his arms around me.
“I love you, Rose.” He kissed my neck with a tenderness that brought tears to my eyes.
“I love you too.”
I only hoped it was enough.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
By nine the next morning, word had spread about my escapade the night before. I got out of bed and discovered Joe in the kitchen fielding a call from Violet.
“I don’t know all the details, Violet. I told you, I didn’t get here until she was in the hospital.” He was silent for a moment. “No. Mason knew where to find her. He got to her before the police.” I could see it pained him to admit it.
I walked over to him, and he snaked an arm around my waist, gently pulling me to him and kissing the top of my head.
“Thank you,” I mouthed.
He grinned and mouthed, “You can repay me later.”
My heart leapt, thrilled that my playful Joe was back.
“She won’t be in for the rest of the day. She still has to give a lengthy police statement.” He shot me a stern look, but the corners of his mouth lifted into the hint of a smile. “Apparently, she’s about to supply them with all the evidence Deveraux needs to try this case. But even when she’s done, she needs to rest. She’s pretty beat up.”
When Joe hung up, he turned his phone to vibrate and tossed it on the kitchen counter. Lifting my chin, he tilted my head one way, and then the other. “You look more beat up on the right side, but it obviously could have been much worse. And you have two horrible bruises on your back. You need to take it easy today.”
“If it means I get to spend the day with you, it sounds wonderful.”
His smile fell. “I’m going to have to run back to El Dorado in about an hour.”
My happiness burst. “So you’re really doing this?”
Fear and sadness flickered in his eyes. “Yeah.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his chest. I was losing him. I knew it.
“What about the sheriff’s deputy job?”
He hesitated. “That’s on hold for now.”
I turned away from him. “I need coffee.”
“I’m going to make you breakfast too.”
“If you’re leaving in an hour, I’d rather just spend the time with you.”
