Falling Fast
Page 18

“It’s perfect.” And it is perfect, especially since my other option is sleeping in my car. “Thank you for this.”
“It’s not a big deal.” He runs his hand through his hair then looks down at me. “Do you want me to get you something that you can change into after you shower?”
“Are you trying to tell me nicely that I look like crap and stink?” I smile, but he doesn’t return it. His eyes get soft and his finger comes up to graze my cheek.
“You don’t look like crap, Gia. I don’t think you could ever look like crap,” he tells me, holding my gaze, and my stomach drops in a good way.
“If you have something, that would be good,” I say, needing him to stop looking at me like that.
Clearing his throat, he looks away, running his hand through his hair again. “I’ll be back.”
“Okay,” I respond, watching him turn to leave.
Looking down at Loki, I rub the top of his head then jump when Colton pops out of nowhere carrying a stack of clothes, which he hands to me, saying, “Go on and shower. Cade’s wife, Janet, left some stuff in there the last time she was here, so feel free to use it. We can pick you up anything else you need tomorrow after you see your grandma.”
“Thanks again.” I hold up the clothes that even inches from my nose smell like him.
His eyes scan my face, and they do it for a long time before he turns and leaves, muttering, “I’ll be back. Shower and eat, Gia.”
Bossy.
“See you later,” I say to his back, and he turns to look at me over his shoulder before he lifts his chin and disappears.
Figuring I should shower first, I head for the bathroom but pause to look down at my shadow. “Sorry, boy, you can’t come with me,” I tell Loki, who lets out a huff before dropping to his belly on the floor. Closing the door behind me, I get undressed and turn on the shower. As I look into the mirror, I see I was right. I’m a mess. My long, dark hair is a matted rat’s nest, and my green eyes look tired, the bags under them making them look worse.
Letting out a defeated sigh, I get into the shower and let the hot water wash away the stench of smoke still clinging to me, then grab the shampoo. I use it twice then do the same with conditioner before using the body wash to scrub myself from head to toe. By the time I’m done, I barely have energy to get dressed, but I still do, and even though I don’t really feel like eating, I know I should, so I head for the kitchen with Loki right behind me.
I get up on one of the barstools, pulling out my food and the plastic silverware they gave me, and take a bite of my sandwich before looking down at Loki, whose eyes are glued to my hand. “Here you go, boy,” I murmur, giving him the other half of my sandwich. He takes it, not even bothering to really chew. He just kinda swallows the whole thing before going over to his dog bed next to the fireplace, groaning in happiness as he lies down. Opening my soup, I take a few bites of it before putting the lid back on. I’m stuffed, and now I’m completely out of energy to do anything more than clean up my mess and plant myself on the couch, which I do.
“Gia.”
Hearing my name, I blink my eyes open, not remembering falling asleep. I wipe my mouth, because I’m sure I was drooling, and sit up. I look at Colton then look at the bags he has with him, familiar bags—bags that were under the bed in my room at Grandma’s. “You got my stuff. How?”
“Tide and I went in through the window on the back side of the house,” he explains, taking a seat next to me on the couch and sitting forward to pet Loki when he wanders over. “Your Jeep’s out front. I found your purse and key in your room. I also got everything from your dresser and some stuff from the bathroom in the hall. I didn’t search the rest of the house for more of your stuff, but I figured we could get all of it when the fire chief gives you access to the house.”
“You broke into my grandma’s house to get my stuff?” I look at my bags, thinking that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.
“Don’t cry, Dimples,” he whispers, while tears fill my eyes, making it hard to see.
“I’m not,” I lie, as a sob climbs up the back of my throat that I can’t control, and before I can tell him I’m okay, he has me in his arms with my face tucked into his neck.
“Let it out. I’ve got you,” he says gently, and all of the stress, worry, and sadness I have been feeling and holding on to for the past few weeks boils over. I cry harder than I have cried in a long time, so hard that it’s impossible to catch my breath, so hard that I don’t know if I will be able to stop. So hard, I end up crying myself to sleep in his arms.
Waking up the next morning in my room, I lie in bed forever looking at the trees out the window, trying to build up the courage to go out and face Colton. I can’t believe he had to carry me to bed after I cried all over him last night. Even if he didn’t tell me to stop, I know no man wants a woman they hardly know crying their heart out in their lap. Knowing I’m going to have to face him sooner or later, I throw back the covers and get out of bed, wishing I had a pair of thick socks to wear since the wood floors are freezing cold.
I go over to the bathroom, take care of business, and rinse out my mouth with water, since I need to dig through my stuff that’s probably still in the living room, to find my toothbrush or toothpaste. Once I’m done, I go to the door and open it an inch, just enough that I can peek out. I can’t see much from where I’m standing, but I can see that Colton isn’t in the kitchen. Opening the door the rest of the way, I step out, almost falling on my face when I trip over Loki, who is lying in front of my door.
“Are you trying to kill me?” I ask him, giving him a rubdown when he stands on all fours and his tail starts to whip back and forth. “Come on,” I call, heading through the living room to the kitchen. The whole house is quiet, but it smells like coffee, so Colton had to have woken up at some point and at least made a pot this morning. After finding the coffee cups, I pour myself a mug, adding creamer and sugar that are sitting on the counter, before heading for the door. As soon as I open it, Loki runs past me to Colton who is sitting in one of the rocking chairs, wearing a pair of sweats and a dark blue thermal with his shoe-covered feet up on the rail. His hair is damp, like he just had a shower.
“Morning,” he says when my eyes make their way up to his.
“Morning.” I take a seat next to him, lifting my feet up to the wooden rail. “Thanks for last night. I—”
“You don’t have to keep thanking me, Gia. I don’t mind looking out for you,” he interrupts, and my stomach dances, but I ignore the feeling and take a sip of coffee. “Are you cold?”
“No, I’m good,” I tell him honestly. Even though there is a chill in the air, the sun is shining down on us and the warmth from it is enough to keep me comfortable. “Do you know what time it is? I didn’t see a clock anywhere to check.”
“It was eight when I came out a few minutes before you did,” he replies as I lift my mug to my lips to take another sip.
“This place is really beautiful,” I say, watching a small boat pass on the lake.
“I enjoy it.”
Looking over at him, I smile. “You fit here.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, if I didn’t know you and just saw you once, I’d think you’d live in a place like this, surrounded by trees and quiet, someplace peaceful, where the rest of the world was kind of out of focus.”
“I’d think the same about you too,” he responds, and my head tips to the side.
“You wouldn’t think I came from a big city?” I ask, and he shakes his head.
“I can’t picture you living in the city. You’re too soft.”
“I’m not soft.”
“Dimples, you’re softer than putty,” he mutters, but the way he says it doesn’t make it sound like a bad thing at all.
Ignoring his nickname for me I shake my head. “I always wanted to come here to visit Grandma, but my dad always had an excuse for why it was better for her to come to us. And my mom loved my dad, so she always gave him what he wanted. I wish she wouldn’t have,” I whisper the last part, thinking not for the first time that my dad was a jerk for keeping not only me but my mom from her mother and her home.