Second Chance Girl
Page 26

“The whole evening is kind of blurry,” he admitted, then cleared his throat. “Speaking as your neighbor and friend, I promise I won’t be drinking that much again. It’s not my usual practice. Like I said—too much going on.”
He didn’t remember. Not the evening, not the kissing, not the other kissing! How could that have happened? Only she knew the answer and it wasn’t pretty. She was truly that unspecial and unmemorable.
They reached the barn. She parked the golf cart, then waited while he collected Sophie and got out.
“I’m going to take this one home and give her a stern talking-to.”
“That will help,” Carol muttered, still in shock.
He flashed her a slow, sexy smile that had her knees buckling. “I have hidden powers of persuasion. You’ll see a changed beagle in the morning.”
“You don’t actually believe that, do you?”
He chuckled. “No, but I’m going to look at the gate and see how I can make it more Sophie-proof. Thanks for helping me.”
“No problem. I’m glad she’s okay.”
Mathias waved, then walked to his car. Carol stayed where she was and told herself that later there would be cake. And some kind of pasta. Then she would give herself her own stern talking-to. The lecture would be heavy on Mathias is not for you with a little bit of one day you’ll find someone wonderful thrown in for good measure.
CHAPTER NINE
ULRICH PUT OFF leaving Happily Inc as long as he could, but finally he ran out of reasons to stay. Obviously he wasn’t going to see Violet again and he had no business in town, so early in the morning, he headed east, toward Los Angeles and his flight to London.
He’d assured his grandmother that the apology had been delivered and all was well with her young friend. He did not share how much he’d enjoyed Violet’s company or the way her laughter had brightened a dark place deep inside of him. Being around her had made him feel alive for the first time in years. If only she’d accepted his invitation.
He shook his head as he drove toward the highway. What would that have accomplished? If leaving her had been this difficult after only a few hours in her company and a few kisses, how much harder would it have been after he’d had the pleasure of making love with her?
Still thinking about what that would have been like, he made a left only to find himself speeding toward a giraffe in the middle of road.
Ulrich slammed on the brakes, instinctively turning away from the animal, which meant he was heading toward a ditch and a grove of trees. Not sure which was going to be the easier blow, he aimed between them. A plan that turned out to be less than successful when his car hit soft dirt, came to an instant stop, only to roll and roll, and then the world went dark.
* * *
ULRICH WAS AWARE of the passing of time. He’d been awake for a while—or at least not passed out. The world seemed to be moving with some kind of blurry not-quite-real sense of time. Based on the bright lights and the smell, he knew he was in hospital. He thought there might have been a car accident and for some reason there was an image of a giraffe in his mind, but he had no real idea of what had happened.
Most of his body hurt—some places more than others. He couldn’t seem to move his left leg, which didn’t bode well, and when he tried to raise his head, the room spun. He was hooked up to an IV, but he didn’t think he’d been to surgery. When he’d gathered enough strength, he planned on demanding answers, but for now he was going to rest.
After a while, he became aware of someone nearby. Not a nurse. The presence was more restful and there was no poking and prodding. Despite the risk of the room spinning, he forced himself to open his eyes and found Violet sitting by his bed. When she saw him looking at her, she smiled, although her expression remained concerned.
“Hey, how are you feeling? What do you remember? Want me to call the nurse?”
She morphed into two people before settling back into one. He closed his eyes. “No nurse.”
Her warm hand reached for him and she squeezed his fingers. “Okay. I’ll just sit here. How are you feeling?”
“Beat up.”
“I’ll bet.”
“There was a car accident?”
“Yes. You drove off the road and the car rolled. The doctor said you’re lucky you’d already slowed down. If you’d been going the speed limit, you could have really hurt yourself.”
Considering how he felt now, he didn’t want to know what actually hurting himself would be like. “My grandmother...”
“I’ve already called Nana Winifred. She knows you’re all right.” Violet hesitated. “You have a mild concussion, a lot of bruising, a sprained ankle and some cuts and lacerations. You’re basically a mess, but you’re going to make a full recovery.”
He risked looking at her again and was pleased when she stayed just herself. “Good to know.”
“You won’t be able to fly for a while and you’re going to need someone to look after you, so I volunteered. It was that or your grandmother was going to fly over here and take care of you herself. I didn’t think you’d want that.”
“Hardly.”
His grandmother wouldn’t do well on such a long journey and seeing him in a hospital bed would remind her of all the times her son had been bedridden.
“How long will I be in hospital?” he asked.
She smiled. “You’re so very British.”
“I don’t understand.”
“In hospital. We say in the hospital.”
“That would be incorrect terminology.”
She laughed. “You must be feeling better.”
He wasn’t, but he liked having her around. When he could see her and hear her voice, the pain wasn’t so bad.
“Was there a giraffe?” he asked, hoping the question didn’t mean he had to see a neurologist.
Violet surprised him by wincing. “I’m really sorry about that. Yes, there was a giraffe. Millie got out. She’s never done that before. We’re pretty sure it’s Sophie’s influence which, when you think about it, is more than a little scary. I mean Sophie was just there yesterday and already Millie’s breaking out?”
He let his eyes close again. “Who is Sophie?”
“A beagle.”
Maybe he’d hit his head harder than he’d realized.
Violet leaned close. He felt her soft breath on his cheek a nanosecond before she kissed him. “Don’t try to figure it out, Ulrich. I’ll explain it all when you’re feeling better. Get some rest. If all goes well, they’re going to spring you in the morning. I’m going to leave for a couple of hours to get ready for my nursing stint, then I’ll be back.”
“Hurry,” he murmured before he could stop himself.
“I will.”
* * *
MATHIAS ARRIVED AT the studio at his usual time, only to discover there wasn’t any parking. Every space was taken and there was a line outside the gallery. It took him a second to remember it was sale day and that brought out the shoppers.
Mathias headed around the block and found a spot, then made sure Sophie’s leash was secure before letting her out of the car. He heard that somehow the crafty beagle had taught Millie to escape, causing a car accident on the road out of town.
“I’m not letting you get loose again,” he told her as they walked back toward the studio.