Page 122 of Just Let Go

“Forget it,” he said.

“Grady, you can tell me.”

He thought about her faith, Jaden’s faith—the way God had ignored him up there on those slopes. Grady was the one taunting death—why wasn’t he the one getting hurt?

“You were right to push me away, Quinn.” The words physically pained him, but he knew they were true. “I’m not good enough for you.”

He studied her from across the table. Her long blonde hair was pulled into a loose bun, her eyes centered squarely on him. There was something simple about her. She wasn’t fussy and didn’t pretend to be. Somehow it made her more beautiful than every woman he’d ever known.

“I’m not good enough yet,” he said. “But I want to be.”

He braced himself for whatever it was she was about to say, but before she could respond, the elevator just outside the cafeteria dinged and Gus appeared.

“He’s out of surgery,” the older man said. “And he’s asking for you, Grady.”

CHAPTER

29

QUINN STOOD OUTSIDEJaden’s fourth-floor post-op room with her dad and Beverly, waiting for Grady to finish talking to Jaden so she could go in and check on him herself.

The hospital had a strict policy allowing only two people in the room at a time, and at that moment, Quinn found rules annoying.

“He’s going to be fine,” her dad said. “The doctor said the surgery went well, and while he’s groggy, he’s strong.”

She peered through the narrow window in the hospital room door. “Will he ski again?”

Dad looked at Beverly, then back at Quinn. “We don’t know yet.”

It would crush Jaden if he couldn’t ski anymore. And yet, if it was this dangerous, how smart was it to keep going?

She glanced at the nurses’ station, then back at her dad. “I’m going in. I don’t care about the stupid rule.”

She pushed the door open and slid inside like she was some kind of burglar. Carly, Jaden, and Grady all turned toward her.

“You guys are taking too long,” Quinn said. “I wanted to see for myself how he’s doing.” She focused on Jaden. “How are you feeling?”

His eyelids looked heavy, his nod difficult. “I’ll be okay.”

“The leg is broken in two places,” Carly said. “But the head injury was minor. Thank God for that helmet we spent a fortune on.” She squeezed Jaden’s arm. “Good thing it didn’t come off until after you hit the tree.”

Quinn glanced at Grady, whose eyes were bloodshot and tired. She’d ached for him to open up to her, wished she could be a person he could trust, but once again, he’d shut down. Changed the subject. What secrets was he keeping buried so deeply inside?

Why had he left so much unspoken?

“I’m not good enough for you.”His words had shamed her because she, sitting on her throne of judgment, had once agreed with them. Didn’t she believe that God could get ahold of this man and turn his life inside out? Wasn’t everyone redeemable?

But Grady had to want that first. She couldn’t want it for him.

“Grady’s gonna help me get back up there,” Jaden mumbled.

He was already talking about skiing again? Shouldn’t he let himself heal first?

“When you’re ready,” Grady said, as if he’d read her mind.

But Quinn knew what Jaden didn’t: Grady would be long gone by that time.

“I’m gonna head back to the hotel.” Grady stood. “Get some sleep.” He picked up his coat, then turned back. “You scared me to death today, kid.”

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