“I’m sorry,” she said, pushing gently at the lapels of Xander’s suit and reaching for her purse. “It’s my brother, Craig. I’ve got to take this.”
Xander nodded and took a step back to give her breathing room and some privacy. She pulled out the phone and answered, her voice still shaky with desire. “Yes?” she said, her tone pointed despite its breathy quality.
“I know,” Craig said. “And I’m sorry. But I had to call. Joey fell off my trampoline in the backyard. I’m pretty sure he’s broken his left arm. I’m on my way to the E.R. right now. I figured you would want to meet me there.”
Rose could hear Joey’s whimpers in the background. Her poor baby. He’d never broken any bones before, which was surprising considering how active he was. She’d told Craig about fifteen times that she didn’t like those big trampolines. They were just made for breaking children. And now she’d proved her point. Her son was looking at a cast for weeks and it would probably mean that he’d miss out on the Little League championship later this month. They had a five-round bracket to play through, then on to the regional play-offs in early August. They had the best team the area had seen in a long time and really had a shot at going all the way. Joey would be devastated.
And all so she could go on a stupid date she never should’ve said yes to in the first place. It was a horrible interruption, but now she was thankful for it. The call had given her a moment to gather herself and realize she was about to make a huge mistake with Xander. This was the man who’d left Cornwall and forgotten she’d ever existed. Eleven years and one charming smile later and she was on the verge of sleeping with him. What was wrong with her? Had she no self-respect?
“Yes, go. I’ll meet you there as soon as I can. Tell him I’m on my way.” Rose turned off her phone. “I’ve got to go.”
Xander nodded, his fists shoved deep into his pockets. “I gathered that much. Is everything okay?”
“No. I have to go to the hospital to meet Craig.” Her hands were shaking as she attempted to slip her phone into her purse and ended up dropping it onto the pavement.
Xander dipped down to pick it up and hand it to her. “Let me drive you. It’s a long trip to the nearest hospital and you’re too shaken up to drive yourself.”
“I’m fine, really. I just need you to take me back to my car.”
“No. You’re upset. I don’t want you getting in a wreck.” His eyes were dark in the dim light of the parking lot, but their plea was unmistakable.
Then she remembered. His parents had died in a head-on collision when a teenage girl had swerved into their lane. She had survived and told the cops she’d been crying at the wheel because her boyfriend had dumped her. Of course he’d be concerned that she was too emotionally compromised to drive. “Okay. Thank you,” she said without thinking through what she would do when they got to the hospital.
Xander helped her into the SUV and they immediately pulled out onto the highway. They were several miles down the road before either of them spoke again.
“May I ask what happened? Is there anything I can do?”
Rose clutched her purse tightly against her and softly shook her head. “Thank you, but there’s not much to be done unless you’re an orthopedist. It seems he broke his arm on the trampoline.”
“Who? Craig?”
Rose took a deep breath. She could feel the threads of her deception start to unravel. Perhaps she could take a page from the politician’s handbook and lie by omission. Tell what she had to but not all of it.
“No,” she said. “My son.”
Three
There was a long, uncomfortable silence after Rose spoke. She kept waiting for Xander to say something, but he didn’t. The car just kept steady and even, heading for the hospital. She supposed that she should say something, but she didn’t want to lie to Xander. She’d only ever wanted to protect him from himself. He would’ve done the right thing, which would’ve been the wrong thing for him.
“His name is Joey. He’s part of the reason I ended up dropping out of college.”
She waited for him to push. To ask the big question, but he didn’t. When she turned to look at him, his eyes were laser-focused on the road.
“Is he okay?”
Rose let the air she’d been holding out of her lungs. “My brother says he broke his arm. I won’t know for sure until after he sees the doctor. Hopefully, it won’t require surgery. As it is, he’s going to end up missing the Little League regional championship. He’s going to be crushed.”