“So that’ll be the first thing Dad sees when he wakes up,” Ollie said.
“He’s going to love it, Ollie-bear.”
He’d damn well better love it.
Back in the waiting room, Grayden and Teller were talking with their heads together. They both smiled when Ollie ran in. My heart swelled.
At one point, while Teller played some kind of game with Ollie on his phone, Grayden and I had a few minutes to talk about the “new evidence” he’d mentioned yesterday in Danny’s case.
We went to that quiet alcove again. Grayden told me about the bloody knife and sweatshirt the attacker had left at the Pine Cone Motor Lodge. How Teller had identified the knife as Ollie’s, and he and Chief Nichols had found the empty knife sheath in my garage.
“Unbelievable,” I said. “That’s why the person broke into my garage. I should’ve noticed the knife was missing.”
“It was probably mixed in with your camping gear. You thought it was Danny looking for your mom’s jewelry box again.”
But it had been someone plotting to stab my ex. Why? And why frame me and Grayden for it?
“One thing keeps popping up in my mind,” Grayden said. “Danny drove toward your house after the attack.”
“It’s strange. Why wouldn’t he call 911? Try to find medical help? Did he have something in his car he was trying to hide?”
“Doubt it. I figure Nichols would’ve mentioned that to Teller.” Grayden tucked my hair behind my ear, like he just wanted an excuse to touch me. “I’m not trying to give your ex any credit, but I wonder if he thought he was dying, and all he could think of was seeing you or Ollie one last time.”
I huffed. “Can’t imagine that.”
“Weird things happen in a guy’s brain when he thinks he’ll never see his family again,” Grayden said. “Who knows?”
But now that idea was stuck in my head too.
We talked a while longer about Grayden’s interrogation yesterday and all he’d learned. Then we returned to the waiting room to kill more time.
Thank goodness I had employees I could rely on to run Silver Linings. I checked in a few times over the phone, and my team assured me they were fine.
Ashford, Callum, and Grace came and went. They had their own responsibilities. Zandra and Dane stopped by, bringing food and company.
But as the day wound down, heading toward dinner, it was just Teller, Grayden, Ollie and me. I napped with my head against Grayden’s chest.
Until Grayden’s hand rubbed my back, and a new voice said, “Ms. Carmichael?”
I sat up. A nurse stood in front of me.
“Daniel is awake and breathing on his own now. You and your son are welcome to see him.”
“He may be confused from the sedation,” the nurse warned as we walked toward Danny’s room. “And he’ll have trouble speaking. But he’s doing very well so far. Ollie, your dad is clearly a fighter.”
More like an ornery jerk, I thought. I kept that to myself.
Grayden was walking with us. Just before the doorway, I turned to him. “You’ll wait out here?” I asked. Teller had stayed in the waiting room to call Ayla.
“Not going anywhere.” Grayden reached out and his hand brushed mine. Ollie’s eyes followed the movement, but mostly he was dancing back and forth with excitement.
“Dad!” Ollie cried the moment we stepped into the room. I put my hand on his shoulder.
“Remember, he’s weak,” I said. “Better go easy on him.”
Ollie slowed down and shuffled to the side of Danny’s bed. “Dad? It’s me. Oliver.”
A sad smile pulled at my lips.
