“Alright. Well, let me know. And if you need anything, call. Keep your phone charged. And get the rest of those boards up.”
“Yes, dear brother,” I quipped sarcastically.
I ended the call with Wes and grabbed another piece of plywood, aligning it carefully before attaching it over the window of my townhouse.
It’d been raining off and on for a week, but as of yesterday, they called forseverethunderstorms. High winds and potential tornadoes were likely. The rain had worsened overnight. Schools and some local businesses closed down, and everyone was trying to prepare for the worst—just in case.
Welcome to pre and early spring in the south.
Marie was working and told me that morning they had a few nurse call-outs. I offered to come in if they got busy and needed extra help. So, once I finished boarding up the windows, I got my stuff for work together, just in case. I pulled out my color-coded nurse scrubs and then packed my work bag with a change of clothes and other essentials for a typical shift. Then I grabbed my badge, but it wasn’t the right one.
I had two badges, one with my FNP credentials and one with my RN credentials. But my RN badge wasn’t where I normally kept it with the other one.
“Shit…” I mumbled to myself before I began looking around my room.
After searching for a few minutes, I stood in my room, thinking back to where I’d put it. Then it hit me—I’d left it at Blake’s. I went to his house after the last RN shift I picked up a couple of weeks ago, and I must have forgotten it.
I blew out a breath, my lips fluttering with the movement. I’d have to get it. I’d already showered that morning, so I pulled on my scrubs quickly, in case I was called in. Then I grabbed mybag and left my room, stopping at the front door to slip on my raincoat and grab my purse and keys. I patted my pocket to make sure I had my phone, then braced myself before opening the door.
It waspouring.The wind blew rain into my face as soon as I stepped outside—good thing I didn’t put makeup on. I hurried to my car, jumping at a loud crack of thunder before getting in. I tossed my bag into the backseat, started the engine, turned the wipers to full speed, then slowly made my way toward Blake’s.
I hadn’t seen him since Saturday.
We didn’t work on Sunday. On Monday and Tuesday, he was off due to attending a conference at a trauma hospital in Charleston with Dr. Wileman. So I worked under the supervision of another physician. He messaged me both days to see how it went and how my day was, but we didn’t discuss what happened on Saturday.
I hated to admit how much his words had gotten to me.I’m not one of your projects, Haley. I don’t need you to fix me.I knew he didn’t mean it, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but wonder if some part of him believed that’s how I viewed him.
As aproject.
A fixer-upper.
Despite my track record—and by my own admission of beingthatkind of girl—it couldn’t have been further from the truth, at least not with him. My initial urge was to defend myself, but beneath that, I just felt vulnerable. I never once looked at him as something that needed to be fixed. The truth was, I’d fallen for every broken piece before I even realized he was broken.
Blake didn’t need tofixthe man hewas. He needed tohealthe man he’dbeen.
I crossed Gilded Hill bridge, feeling my tires slip against theslick, wet surface. Then I returned to the main road and drove a few more minutes before turning onto Rock Shores Drive. At the end of the street, I pulled into Blake’s driveway, bracing myself before jumping out and rushing to the covered porch through the wind and rain.
I approached the door and raised my hand, knuckles ready to knock, but before I could, the door swung open from the inside.
“Jesus, Haley.” Blake quickly tugged me inside.
I let out a breath and wiped my wet feet on the rug as I pushed my hood back. “Hey,” I greeted him. Maverick came rushing over, and I reached down to pet him.
“What are you doing?”
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to just drop by–”
“No, that’s not what—you can come by any time you want. I just meant, what are you doing driving in this shit?”
“They had some call-outs at work, and I told Marie that if she needed some extra hands, to call, and I’d come in to help. I was getting my stuff together, just in case, and I realized I left my RN badge here.”
“You shouldn’t have driven in this. I would have brought it to you.”
“It was fine. The wind seemed to die down.A little, anyway. That’s a good sign, right?”
Blake shook his head at my attempt to brush it off and reached out, gently brushing a stray droplet of rain from my face with his knuckles, making my heart skip a beat. He hesitated for a moment, then let his arm drop to his side. He cleared his throat and turned toward the kitchen, so I followed him.
He picked up my badge from a basket on the center island, turned, and extended it toward me.
