Try as I had, the one thing I couldn’t escape was the amount of lavish bouquets that decorated the small, dreary room. Were they unbelievably breathtaking? Yes. Were they from Logan? I could only assume, since nobody I knew had that amount of money, or such impeccable taste. Only the first delivery came with a card, and it was still in place on a thin, plastic stick peeking out of the vase of pink peonies beside my bed. They were my favorite flowers, and he knew it. I didn’t know how, but he did.
“I went to see him yesterday.” Hesitation was heavy in her tone.
My ears perked against my will.
“Why?” It was all I could muster.
Hilary, Luke, and Caleb had been regulars there, but Logan was a no-show after he’d left me a crying, scared mess. I didn’t know why I expected differently. He didn’t care about me. It wasn’t real—I told myself that constantly. I was a conquest to him, nothing more, and all he felt now was guilt. I could smell it in the flowers. But whatever he was feeling, it didn’t matter anyway. It was over.
The bed dipped down behind me, and my mother’s hand attempted to smooth out the rigid posture of my spine. I waited for her to explain, irritated I’d even asked.
“He called me, wanted to meet for lunch...and I agreed.”
How lovely of her! I fought to quiet my nerves as I listened, fury stewing, unable to find my voice to tell her I didn’t want to know any more.
“I don’t know what happened between you two that night, but I do know that he looks like he hasn’t slept since. Don’t get upset, but…he’s paid all of your expenses here, and…asked me to give you this. Or, more so, deposit this into your bank account.”
“What?” I rolled over, ignoring the sting in my bruised ribs. She handed me a check, and I could only sit there with my jaw dropped, gaping at it. Fifty thousand dollars. So that’s it. He doesn’t come back to visit, but sends a check.
My blood boiled.
“You’re going to need a new car, and—”
“I don’t want his money, Mom!” I ripped the check in half over and over again, taking my fury out on the small paper until I could tear it no more. “Tell him no! The answer is no!”
I dropped the tiny pieces off the side of the bed, wanting to make it all disappear, but the insult was heavy on my heart nevertheless.
“Cassie, be reasonable. The other driver didn’t have insurance. It could take years to see a dime from that guy. He’s an unemployed drunk, not to mention the cheap insurance you have isn’t in a hurry to pay up.” She sighed and took my hand. “I’m sorry, honey. I know you don’t like handouts, but we’d never be able to afford this hospital bill or anything else that you may need. Let him help. We can save up to pay him back.”
Turning my head, I focused back on the drapes and let out a ragged breath. Tears glossed my eyes and I bit my bottom lip to control my quivering chin.
I had nothing. I knew I couldn’t afford the bill, but taking money from Logan was not the answer. After another deep, painful breath, I looked back at her, willing the tears away. Her expression was hopeful.
“I’ll refinance my house. I can—”
“You will not!” Mom leaned back, scowling at me as though she’d eaten something bitter. “Your grandparents left you that house to live in and enjoy, not to mortgage and possibly lose if you can’t keep up with loan payments. Your inheritance went to pay your tuition, so I know you can’t have much left.”
She stood up and began pacing the room. After a few laps, she stopped and approached the bed, frown lines set on her forehead. “You’re out of work for at least the next six weeks, Cassie. You need Logan’s help. I’m sorry, but I’m telling him you’ll accept it, asking him for a new check, and depositing the money myself.”
“I’m not a child anymore. I can take care of things my own way. I don’t want his help.”
My mother’s face fell. “We’ll discuss this later, but I’m going to do what is right for you, whether you like it or not. You’re my baby, and I won’t watch you suffer when you don’t have to.”
The room grew eerily silent for far too long before the door creaked opened. Luke strolled in, holding a small paper bag of food from Haven with his messenger tote slung over his shoulder, oblivious to his hostile surroundings.
“Oh…hi, Mrs. Clarke.” I could tell he wasn’t expecting to see her, but his cheerful smile didn’t falter until he looked my way. “I can come back later if…” he started, concern creeping over his features as he stopped halfway through the door.
“No, it’s fine,” my mother replied, anxiety still etched onto her brow. “My shift starts soon, so I was just leaving.”
She grabbed her purse from the chair beside me and leaned down, placing a quick kiss on my forehead. “We’ll figure everything out,” she whispered. “Just get some rest. I love you, honey.”
“I love you, too.”
Relieved she was going, I was grateful Luke showed up when he did. I needed the distraction. I couldn’t stomach the idea of accepting anything from Logan; flowers were my limit. Luke shuffled out of the way as my mother passed through the door.
I noticed the smile on his face didn’t quite reach his eyes. He’d visited every afternoon during his lunch break since I was moved from ICU. He would bring board games and sneak in snacks, and was the only visitor who didn’t try to coddle me.
“Everything all right?”
With a shrug, I snorted. “One guess.”
“Well, I brought your favorite: grilled cheese.” There it was as he opened the bag: his sweet, all-teeth smile. It settled me so easily.
He waited for me to maneuver into a more comfortable position to eat, then handed me my afternoon snack.
“Not even three days and you already know my favorite sandwich. Stalker, much?”
Luke chuckled, and I couldn’t help but crack a smile. He was so easy to be with—no drama, no expectations, no underlying tension.
“Are you familiar with these stalker types?” Luke raised his brows, humor in his eyes as he pulled his own grilled cheese from the bag.
My shoulders rose playfully alongside the grin on my face until I took a giant bite, closing my eyes and savoring the cheesy goodness.
“So, mind telling me why your mother left here looking like she just found out the doctors changed their minds about sending you home Friday after all?”
“You heard?”
“Yeah, Hilary made sure everyone in Harmony knew this morning after your mother called her,” he explained.
“Of course she did.”
Hilary had to be beyond excited. She hated seeing me there, and every visit ended with her in tears no matter how much I tried to convince her I was going to be as good as new soon enough.
Luke’s lips twitched. “You know she means well.”
I nodded in agreement.
“All right, so I have thirty minutes till my butt has to be back in my office chair. Your pick: Battleship or…” He pulled out a travel-sized version of the game and sat it down, reaching back in with a wide, cheeky grin. “Candy Land?”
I let out my first real guttural laugh of the week, which was followed immediately by a tearful cry. My ribs rumbled in my chest, and my body dropped back against my pillows, pain slashing through me.