My eyes popped open. That wasn’t the nurse.
It was Luke.
“Don’t you dare leave.” Lifting a hand, I crooked a finger. “Get over here.”
In several long strides, he crossed the room to sit on the edge of my bed. Leaning down, he brushed a kiss over my forehead and took my hand. “How are you doing?”
“Better now that you’re here. Ozzie told me about the fire. Are you all right?” His voice held a raspy note that wasn’t normally there.
“I’m okay. I’ll probably be coughing for a couple days and get winded a little easier for a bit, but I’m fine. Your café isn’t, though. I think our timeline for opening is going to have to change.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I heard. I still don’t understand why she wanted to take them there. Why didn’t she just kill them at Claire’s?”
“I asked Ozzie that. Sarah’s not talking, but I guess Miranda is singing like a canary. She said Sarah wanted the poetic justice of killing them where Moira was laid to rest.” He rolled his eyes. “There is something seriously wrong with that woman.”
“That’s no lie. She’s crazy.” I let my body relax into the bed, a sense of rightness taking over me now that Luke was with meand the whole Moira situation had come to a conclusion. “I’m just glad it’s over, and that everyone will be okay.”
“Me, too, honey.” He kissed the side of my head and ran small circles over the back of my hand with his thumb. “I was worried the whole way back to town about how you were. Did you have to walk out?”
“No. The Coast Guard dropped in a rescue team at a clearing not too far away. They debated carrying me in a litter, but it wasn’t far, so I said I would walk. They ended up giving me a low-dose painkiller, then just provided some support for the short trek. A helicopter picked us up from the clearing and brought us to town. I took an ambulance ride to the hospital, and Walter took a cop car ride to the police station along with Pebbles and Betty.”
He let out a soft grunt. “That sounds better than my run. My legs are stiff. I’m going to feel it tomorrow.”
“We all are.” I tipped sideways a fraction, so I could lean into him. This sucked. I wished we were back at my place—or his—cuddled up all warm, cozy, and sated in bed.
I also wished I was a little less fuzzy-headed. There had been several huge revelations between us in the last few days, and we needed to figure out what was next for us.
A tear trickled down my face. Turning my head away, I swiped at it.
“Hey, what’s this?”
Luke put a gentle finger under my chin, turning me to face him again.
“Why are you crying?” He frowned.
I sniffed—or tried to, anyway. The pain in my side kept me from doing much more than a brief inhale.
He got up and grabbed a tissue from the box on the nightstand, handing it to me.
“Thank you,” I murmured, then wiped at my nose.
“You’re welcome. Now tell me what’s upset you.”
“I’m not upset.”
One dark blond eyebrow rose over his gray eyes.
“I’m not. I’m just… overwhelmed, I guess.”
His forehead wrinkled. “How so?”
“Just all the stuff that’s happened. Finding Moira’s body. Getting held hostage. Falling on the rock and doing a number on my body.” I paused, meeting his gaze. “You.”
“Me? What about me?” He sat down again, curiosity lighting his expression.
“You’ve come barreling into my life. I’m not mad about it, but it’s got me wondering where we go from here. Do we continue going on as we have been? You stay with me one night, and I stay with you another? We date when our schedules allow? Or do we try to do more?”
Luke held up a hand. “I vote we do more.” He lowered his arm to thread our fingers together. “I meant what I said in the woods, Mina. I love you. Yes, I want to date you, but I’m also willing to turn the dating into something more serious. Your life is in Parker’s Landing. Mine can be too. I can draw up architectural plans and make phone calls about projects from anywhere. Dad’s company does business all over the region, and I’ve built a solid reputation since I hung out my architect shingle. I don’t need to be headquartered in Juneau anymore.”
