“What? Wait. I thought you fixed up her injuries? I didn’t know you let her taste your desserts,” Sledge whined.
“Again, Sledge, you’re not pretty enough to grace mykitchen,” Ty joked. “Welcome, Scarlett. I hope you enjoy your time here.”
Ty walked away, and Rocker nudged her. “Wow, Sassy P. You haven’t landed in town for a day and are already sparking some interest.”
“Come on,” she groaned. “He saw me fall in front of his restaurant. He wanted to make a good impression.”
“I don’t know. I think you made one hell of one yourself,” Rocker bumped her.
Scarlett concentrated on her food, worried about making a mess in front of her friends. She usually didn’t eat in front of anyone because she hadn’t mastered the skill of eating without seeing the food in front of her.
She ate slowly as the two men bantered. When she got tired of trying, she set her spoon down. A few minutes later, Ty appeared.
“Did you enjoy your lunch? You didn’t eat much,” he said, his voice carrying a bit of apprehension.
“I did. Everything tasted delicious,” she complimented him.
“Since you’re too full, I’ll pack your dessert to go,” he assured her.
Rocker nudged her again as Ty left the table. The heat rose to her cheeks as she considered maybe coming to Serenity wasn’t a waste after all.
CHAPTER 9
The next morning,Scarlett hugged Rocker goodbye. “Call me when you land. Thank you for everything.”
“I will. Don’t worry. Sledge will watch over you, and if you need me, I’ll be here in a flash. You’re gonna be fine,” he assured her.
The lump grew thicker in her throat as she nodded and stepped back. One of the veterans offered to take him to the plane. Sledge put his good arm around her and squeezed her.
“Now it’s time to get to work. Kassie asked me to take you to meet Lisa and Allie. We have thirty minutes. Do you want a sweater or a jacket? I don’t know what they planned for you,” Sledge asked, sounding worried. “I have PT this morning, but I can meet you for lunch.”
Scarlett heard the hesitation in his voice. Sledge didn’t want to leave her. She didn’t want to come here. But she promised to give this her best shot. She needed to find her path, which sometimes meant she discovered it alone.
“Will someone bring me back when we’re finished? I have an appointment with Dr. Winters,” she explained. “I’ll need to get my sweater.”
“I’ll run and grab it for you. We’ll take a golf cart down to their area and they’ll make sure you’re back in time,” Sledge assured her as he led her to a bench.
A few minutes later, he returned with her sweater and guided her to the electric cart. He drove down the path, and Scarlett heard dogs barking and toys squeaking as they grew closer.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“Kassie asked me to bring you here. Lisa and Allie will explain everything. I know this seems scary. Trust me, when I arrived, I was at a loss for words and felt like giving up. These people know what they’re doing. Give them a chance, Scarlett, no matter how frightened it makes you.”
“Now, I’m freaking out,” she admitted as he rolled to a stop.
“Hi, Scarlett. I’m Allie. It’s nice to meet you. Hi, Sledge,” she greeted them.
“Hey, Allie. Take good care of my friend here,” he said, helping Scarlett from the cart and placing her hand in Allie’s. “I’ll see you later.”
Allie led her inside a building. Scarlett knew it must be somewhat large from how her voice echoed when she spoke.
“I bet you’re wondering what we do here,” Allie said as she led Scarlett to a metal chair. “I’m the resident service dog trainer. Kassie reviewed your file and said almost everyone noted your independence. It’s the first thing she wants to work on with you. Have you considered getting a seeing-eye dog?”
“Uh, no?” she said slowly. “I can’t take care of myself, much less a dog. I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she said, shaking her head.
“Don’t panic. We don’t push an animal on anyone. But as it happens, we have someone we thought you might like tomeet. It’s kinda cute, actually. Your hair resembles fire, and his name is Ice.”
“Ice?”
