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Alexa, thank God, was focused only on Nick. “Anything you need,” she said, patting his leg.
He smiled weakly. “Anybody up for a road trip?”
“I’ve got you,” Hayley said, and the irony smacked her in the face. She looked at Alexa. “Are you good if I get him home? I can come back.”
“Make sure he’s okay,” Alexa said firmly. “I’ll keep you on the clock. You’re helping a customer.”
“What? Alexa, you don’t have to—”
“Go. We’ve got this.”
Hayley nodded. “I’ll get my things.”
Alexa was back at the bar when Hayley returned with her bag. She got an arm around Nick to help him transfer out of the chair to the walker. “How bad is it?” she murmured. “Really?”
Nick grunted as he tried to keep most of his weight on one leg. “I’ll be okay.”
Following Nick to the front door was like being first in line as the Red Sea was parted: People nearly leaped out of the way once they saw Nick was both disabled and injured. Theo, however, actually blocked the door.
“Fireman’s carry,” he asked, “or piggyback?”
Nick tried to laugh it off. “Theo.”
“Pick one, boss.”
Nick rode piggyback on Theo as Hayley trailed them down the sidewalk, her bag in one hand and Nick’s walker in the other. Theo watched vigilantly as Hayley loaded up the back of Nick’s SUV and Nick lifted himself into the driver’s seat.
“You’re driving?” he asked.
Nick nodded. “Hand controls.”
“Okay.” Theo backed away cautiously, as if something could still go wrong at any moment. “Be safe.”
“Will do.”
Both of them shut their doors and watched Theo walk away.
“Wow,” Hayley said. “Wow.”
Nick said, “I think that went pretty well.”
She didn’t reply, and when Nick started the car, she knew the instrument lights revealed the tears running down her cheeks. Her breath was coming in short gasps.
“What can I do?” Nick asked. His concern tore at her. He couldn’t fix this. He shouldn’t even have toseethis.
“Shut up.” Her hands clamped onto her knees and she doubled over, eyes squeezed shut. “Shut up.”
“Hayley.” She heard the twinge of fear in his voice. “I’m going to take your hand, okay?”
She barely nodded, and he very slowly reached over and took her hand from her knee. He grasped it in his own, and gently tapped a rhythm against it with his index finger.
“Feel that?” he said.
She nodded, still doubled over.
“That’s a waltz.” He counted out the rhythm of the taps. “One, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three …”
Even with her head down, she could feel his electric blue eyes on her as he kept counting.
