Chapter Fifteen
“Look, you just need to get back on the horse. So what if he’s married, he’s hot.”
THE DOORto the boutique was propped open with a heavy black coat stand. A pale blue floral shift dress that Nate had seen on five mothers-of-the-bride so far that year hung on it and flapped listlessly in the breeze.
Dani popped out from behind it as Nate walked up. She must have been keeping an eye out for him through the window. A client stood abandoned in the middle of the shop, posed in front of a full-length mirror in an unzipped jumpsuit.
“Nate. Sweetheart,” Dani gasped, her hands held out. “Thank goodness someone got in touch. I would have called, but I only have your work number.”
That was on purpose. Dani had a good eye for fashion, but she was always at the bottom of any list of boutiques that Nate recommended. She’d caused at least three wedding-party fights that he knew about, and when they were sixteen, she spread a rumor that his hair was going gray because of all the spunk he got in it.
“I’ll have to fix that,” he lied smoothly. “What happened? Mum fell?”
“Yes. Right there.” Dani pointed dramatically to a wet patch on the pavement. “She slipped on the cobbles. How often have I complained to the council about them, Nate? How many of my ladies have taken a fall coming down here?”
Nate made a noncommittal sound. Everyone knew the cobbles weren’t a good idea, and everyone knew the council wasn’t going to tear up a half mile of kitschy touristyness. Dani wanted to turn his mother’s accident into another chance to talk about how her business was suffering.
“What happened?” He let her clutch his hands and pet the back of them. “The message just said Mum had hurt herself.”
“Oh, it was awful,” Dani said. She looked genuine for a second. “She must have fallen and hurt her… umm….”
Discomfort made her trail off. Instead of using the word, she gestured vaguely down at her knee and pursed her lips. It reminded Nate of his nana and the way she’d always marble-mouthed anything to do with reproduction.
“Her stump,” Nate filled in flatly.
Dani wrinkled her nose like he’d said a bad word. “Well, yes. I wanted to do something to help, but she just wouldn’t let us. She said she didn’t want to go to the hospital, but there was blood everywhere. The girl in the chip shop had to come out and mop it up. You know I’ve never liked the sight of blood. Remember when I fainted in Home Ec after Mr. Davies cut his finger off?”
“Where’s my mum, Dani?”
She blinked hard and blushed under the veil of her carefully applied makeup.
“Of course,” she said. “I’m sorry, Nate. Flynn took her down to his garage to patch her up.”
“Flynn.”
She nodded and peered up at him. “Is that okay? He does all that rescue stuff, and he had a first-aid kit. I mean, I’ve got a first-aid kit, but it’s a bag with plasters and a tube of hydrocortisone. And you know, you two are….” She paused and leaned in. “I wouldn’t have thought he was your type, but I can see it.”
Nate carefully freed his hands from hers. “I’m going to check on my mum, Dani.”
“Give her my best,” she said, wide-eyed and earnest.
He left her to get back to her client and jogged to the garage. The sign over the door hadn’t changed in twenty years. It had beenDelaney and Sonwhen Flynn was gone for ten years. It was stillDelaney and Sonwhen the father had been dead for five.
The weathered wooden gate was painted bright blues. Strips of it had peeled off to reveal the faded green underneath.
Nate pushed the small door open and stepped into the chilly concrete box. A skinny kid with a pierced eyebrow and grease up to his elbows rolled out from under a Ford. He squinted up at Nate.
“Mr. Moffatt?”
“Is my mum still here?”
The kid propped himself up on one elbow and absently added a fresh black smear to his forehead with the other hand.
“Umm, yeah,” he said and pointed to the office. “Ms. Moffatt’s in there. I think she’s okay now, though. Sorry. Maybe I shouldn’t have called.”
“No. I appreciate it,” Nate said. “Mum thinks she’s bulletproof.”
A wide grin split the kid’s face. “Yeah, Ms. Moffatt is pretty damn tough.”
