“I was trying to put a bowl up on the top shelf and I slipped.” She winced.
Amanda was already speaking to a 911 operator by the time I’d thought to ask her to call them.
Time whizzed past in one big blur. One moment I was on the kitchen floor with Gran and the next, she was being wheeled away as I was forced to stay behind in the waiting room. I liked to think I was good under pressure, but I could hardly function as I fidgeted around in the uncomfortable chair, biting my nails as I glanced around the near-empty room.
“It’s alright, Quinn, she’s going to be just fine,” Amanda murmured continuously as she rubbed my back. Jamal and Janiyah were over in the corner, drawing ‘get well soon’ pictures for Gran. Something that Amanda had suggested to them with a big a smile, reassuring them that she’d heal much faster if she had nice pictures that had been drawn with love to look at. I wished I could have been the one to utter the comforting words to them, but I was too busy thinking of all the worst-case scenarios.
“I’ve already lost my father, and then my brother–I hardly evenhada mother to lose. I can’t lose Gran too, Mands, I–”
“You hush up,” Amanda scolded gently. “She’s going to be just fine. I don’t know a stronger woman than your Gran! She’s not leaving here until she’s damn good and ready to, and I highly doubt she is. We still don’t know who fathered that baby on her favorite soap opera. That alone will give her all the motivation she needs to stick around.” She grinned.
I tried to put on a smile of my own, but my lips wouldn’t cooperate.
I jumped when the hospital doors swung open a few seconds later, my eyes widening as I saw Jasper standing there, looking around until he spotted me. I was up and out of my seat before my brain could catch up with my body.
I nearly knocked him over as I threw myself into his embrace, my tears finally falling despite my best efforts to hold them in all this time.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he whispered, planting a few kisses atop my head. “I heard what happened. Nigel was on his way to deliver another bouquet and a package for you and he saw the ambulance…” He sighed as he squeezed me tightly. “I came as soon as I could. Listen, I’m sure Gran is going to be just fine.”
“But what if she isn’t?” I cried. “It was a bad fall and she’s getting up in there in age. What if–”
“Quinn Sharpe?”
I quickly pulled away from Jasper, turning to look toward the woman as she stepped further into the waiting room. She sent me a sympathetic smile, extending a hand for me to grab. “I’m Dr. Kim. I just finished with your grandmother’s operation. She’s going to be just fine! She’s going to need physical therapy, but she should be good as new in just a few months, so don’t worry!”
“Oh, thank you!” I breathed, my heart pounding in my chest as I looked toward Jasper. His smile was just as big as mine, and he quickly pulled me close again, squeezing me just as tightly as he had before. “She’s okay!” I let out a relieved laugh.
“She’s okay,” he repeated, rubbing my back.
“I’ve told her a million times,” I heard Amanda mumbling to the kids. “I’m always right about everything.
∞∞∞
I was a mess of nerves and pure disbelief as I thanked the limo driver that had come to pick me up and then walked up the pathway to Jasper’s mansion. Had I been wearing my usual attire, I would have been rubbing my sweaty palms against my black slacks or fumbling with the thin fabric of my shirt, but I was too worried about somehow ruining the expensive clothes that I was adorned in to do any of that.
The package that Jasper had mentioned Nigel delivering, along with his usual bouquet, had contained a stunning designer dress, bright red and sparkly, and so lavish that I never would havedreamedof wearing it. It looked like something that belonged in a museum, only to be worn by the most important people!
Along with it, a pair of beige heels, a diamond necklace, and a matching pair of earrings that sparkled with every movement.I had called Jasper immediately and told him that I couldn’t and wouldn’t accept the gifts. They were highly inappropriate, considering there was nothing left between us. I’d also reminded him that I had four grand of the money he gave me remaining and the importance of returning it to him as well. Most of the money had been used to purchase the treadmill that was now housed in the basement.
“I understand. I’ll pick them up when I visit Gran in a few days,” he had responded simply. But I didn’t feel relieved by his answer. I shouldn’t have trusted his seemingly innocent response.
Snapping back from my memories, I made my way inside the manor, feeling like a princess. Inside, I entered the ballroom with my head held high, but it wasn’t too long before I started feeling like some sort of imposter. I stuck out like a sore thumb with my bright red dress on while everyone else was wearing black. My face heated up quickly as people began to point and whisper, more and more eyes landing on me the further I walked inside.
I swallowed thickly as my steps faltered.
Why was I kidding myself like this? What was I doing here with all these rich and important people, wearing a dress and jewelry that I could never afford myself? Last time I had been here, I had been the help, and now I was going to play make-believe?
I took a deep breath as I tried to rid myself of those thoughts. There was no point in thinking so negatively, anyway.
When Jasper had shown up two weeks ago to supposedly visit Gran and collect the gifts, he’d personally invited me to his birthday celebration. I declined right away, handing him the bag that contained his gifts, but he refused to take it. I rolled my eyes as I remembered how both Amanda and Gran had turned on me and sided with Jasper. Gran had said it was rude to return a gift and went on about how thankful she was for Jasper and all his support since she fell, and Amanda had offered to babysit when I used the kids as an excuse.
So now, here I am. They were right. Jasper had been there for me that night at the hospital, and he had spent the last few weeks checking in on Gran and helping to ensure she had everything she needed in order to have a comfortable and speedy recovery. The least I could do, in return, was present myself to wish him a happy birthday and formally thank him for all he had done. After tonight, there would be nothing further between Jasper and me.
The crowd parted like the Red Sea as the man of the evening came waltzing through a few moments later. He walked straight toward me, smiling brightly as his eyes traced my figure. I tried not to squirm as he bit his lip, forcing myself not to think about how dashing he looked in his suit. His shoulders seemed broader, and he had gained even more weight. He looked dashing in his black tux.
His eyes were bright and sparkling in the light, his skin glowing, no longer sickly pale, and his lips were as pink and as inviting as ever. But I tried to avoid looking at them, not wanting to tempt myself any further.
“You look like a dream,” he rasped once he was in front of me, his voice deep enough to send shivers down my spine and a pleasant feeling stirring in the pit of my stomach. It was the first time I had heard his voice since I'd been coerced to accept his invitation. We had only exchanged texts revolving around Gran ever since, which was mostly my own doing. I hadn’t wanted to talk to Jasper more than I really needed to, so short messages were all that I was willing to give him.
