“I woke him out of a sound sleep, screaming. He tried to catch me when I tripped on the rug. His elbow hit, then his phone caught my eye.”
The bell over the door jingled again… Josh.
He entered faster than Dad had, his eyes scanning and his posture tight.
He spotted me and strode over.
Josh slid in beside Amy, across from me and Dad, glaring at me. “What happened? Did he?—”
“Absolutely not,” I said, feeling like a complete idiot for not alerting my family before I stepped out in public and worried for what Ian was sure to endure from them.
“Are you sure?” Josh demanded.
“You should know better than to ask me that, Josh,” I said, shaking my head.
Amy held up both hands. “It was a rug.”
Josh blinked. “A rug.”
“And gravity,” I added.
“And an elbow,” Amy supplied helpfully.
Josh leaned back, running a hand over his face. “You look like you went a couple of rounds in the ring.”
“I thought the same thing,” Amy agreed.
I was beginning to dislike the sound of the bell over the diner door since it had far too much to do with me right now. And, of course, I was right.
My mom entered like a woman prepared to restore order to an entire municipality.
She didn’t pause at the door. She didn’t scan the room. She walked straight toward us, cell phone in hand.
“Pepper Madison,” she said, with authority. “Why am I receiving tons of photographs of your face, battered?”
I sighed. “I tripped.”
My mother leaned down, inspecting my bruises without hesitation.
“On?”
“A rug,” Amy, Josh, and my dad echoed.
Her gaze went to my dad.
His hands went up slightly. “She says it was an accident.”
“It was,” I insisted. “You all know Ian. He would never?—”
Mom’s phone buzzed and she glanced at it. “Oh for heaven’s sake.”
“What now?” Dad asked.
“Danny,” she said, tapping the screen. “And Thomas.” She answered. “Yes. I’ve seen the photos. No, he did not assault her. Yes, I’m standing here. No, you do not need to come storming into town.” She paused, taking a breath. “I don’t care what social media says.”
Josh grinned. “Your lovely face is going to be plastered all over social media with some crazy captions.”
Amy and I exchanged a look, being on the same wavelength. I never gave thought to that possibility and how it might affect Ian’s reputation, his business. I felt even more like an idiot.
