Quilted by Christmas (9781426796142)

Author:Bailey, Jodie
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abingdon Pr
Published: 2014-09-01T16:00:00+00:00

10

Why is it so cold in here? Taryn wrapped her arms around her middle and doubled over in the fake leather chair, head between her knees. The muted brown of the CICU waiting room’s carpeted floor did absolutely nothing to settle her stomach. Instead, it made everything worse. The pizza she’d scarfed with Justin wasn’t sitting well, even though it should have digested hours ago. It threatened to reappear at any moment. “Why’d they call me here just to make me wait?” Justin had ushered her through the hospital doors half an hour ago, and they’d been directed to the CICU waiting room, where dim lighting in the windowless room did nothing to soothe her mind.

“I don’t know. I’m guessing they’re getting her settled. The doctor said it was a minor heart attack.”

A heart attack. One of Jemma’s worst fears. Next to Alzhei-mer’s, it was the thing she worried about most. “She’s probably up there somewhere scared right now.”

“Jemma’s tough. She’s going to be okay.” Justin laid a hand lightly on her back and, when she didn’t pull away, the touch settled there, making small circles between her shoulder blades.

The man must have a whole lot more respect for her grandmother than she’d ever given him credit for. It wasn’t long until midnight, yet here he sat, waiting to hear how Jemma was. “You can go. I know you have a ton of work to do tomorrow, and you can’t back out on it. The business needs the money. I’ll be okay.” The words muffled against her knees. She was used to doing things alone. It was her life. “I already called and arranged for a sub tomorrow. I can stay all night if I need to.”

“Go home? And leave you with all of this excitement? Not on your life. Can’t let you have all of the fun, can I?” It was a flash of young Justin, who everyone believed never had a serious thought in his head, but who allowed Taryn in enough to see how deeply his mind ran, how seriously he perceived life. “Why do you do that anyway?”

“Do what?”

“Pull away. Try to stand up all by yourself. Shove back everybody who wants to help you.” The circles on her back grew heavier. “You try to push me away. You told Rachel not to come. At some point, you’re going to have to accept people care about you and want to be there for you.”

Because you told me once I was too needy. Yeah, it was a conversational path best left untraveled tonight. Right now, the only person who had never let her down, had loved her unconditionally, was suffering, and she couldn’t get to her.

Yet, here sat Justin. If Taryn closed her eyes, she could easily believe the past few years hadn’t happened and this was high school, where they normally sat side by side supporting each other. But this wasn’t high school, and a whole lot more had happened than Justin Callahan could ever guess.

The fact didn’t stop nostalgia from leaping up as a defense mechanism.

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