Page 27
Chapter Nine
Anxiety was real. Tori felt tingles of awareness sweep through her and she did her best to push it away. “I need some lavender tea,” she said, more to herself as she made her way to where Allison kept a beautifully decorated tea area in the flower shop.
Enchanted Garden was the most Zen place Tori knew. With the perfect ambiance of soft music, flowers, a gurgling fountain and the aroma of tea brewing, a person had no choice but to relax.
And yet, her body was strung tighter than a guitar string.
“Something wrong?” Allison gave her a puzzled look. “You look on edge.”
Mindy had left, heading to the grocery store, so they were alone again. “I have no reason to feel anxious and yet I do. Maybe I need to go to the gym and sit in the sauna for a couple hours.”
“That’s about an hour and a half too long,” Allison said with a grin. “You never make it past fifteen minutes.
“You’re right. I hate the heat.” Tori poured the hot water and went back to the round table set in the back of the flower shop. “I’ll drink this. It will make me relax.”
The chimes sounded as Taylor stormed in with a thunderous expression. He raced up the stairs and came back down at a sprint. “I forgot my damned keys.”
He went to Allison and kissed her forehead. “Meet me at the hospital. Tobias has been in an accident. Sounds bad.”
In a flash, he was outside and, minutes later, the siren sounded.
Both Allison and Tori sat frozen. Neither said a word for a few moments. It seemed as if everything swirled around Tori, the entire room swaying and going in and out of focus. Allison must have been having a similar reaction because she remained without moving as well.
“Oh my God,” Allison finally said. “Someone has to tell Luke. In a way that won’t have him ripping off to the hospital and ending up in a wreck himself.”
Tori nodded, hearing only every other word. “I bet Eric is heading to the scene. That only leaves us and maybe Ernest to break the news.”
“Shit. Come on.” Allison grabbed Tori’s hand, tugging her to the door. She flipped the sign on the door to “Closed” and locked it. “I’ll drive. You talk to me so I don’t lose control. We need to go to Ernest’s office and then head to the hospital. Hopefully, Taylor will call me with updates.”
Hamilton Law Offices was located two streets over in a one-story building. The receptionist must have seen something in their expressions because she didn’t bother to try to stop them from going straight to Ernest’s office.
The attorney sat in a corner chair. There were papers strewn all over his desk and on the floor. He held a folder and flipped it closed when they walked in. His expression of surprise quickly changed to concern. “What’s wrong?”
“Tobias was in an accident. Taylor said it sounds bad,” Allison started wiping tears.
Ernest immediately jumped to his feet.
“We’re headed to the hospital,” Allison continued. “I’m hoping you can break the news to Luke. No telling how he’ll react.”
Shadows of concern marred his handsome face. “Yeah. I’ll do it. Shit. Do you know what happened?”
“Hold on.” Allison dug her cell phone out and pushed a button.
“Any news?” she asked and then listened.
“Mmm hmmm.”
She ended the call. “A trucker was on the scene. Apparently, Tobias veered into the oncoming traffic lane and then lost control. The ambulance is there now. They’re extricating him from the truck.”
There were a couple beats of silence before Ernest went to his desk and opened a drawer. He grabbed his wallet and keys and motioned for them to exit before him.
“I’ll see you at the hospital.”
Luke watched astwo calves circled playfully and he pushed his baseball cap down to keep the glare at bay. The end of a day was always his favorite part. Not today, however. He’d been restless and not able to focus. Hopefully, it didn’t mean he would have another flashback or some shit.
He dismounted and released the horse to graze. If spending time out in the wide open, being married to a damned-near perfect woman and surrounded by family didn’t fix him, nothing would.
Admittedly, things were better. The episodes were far apart and although it sucked, he couldn’t really complain. It sure beat how horribly things were headed just a couple years earlier.
