Page 58 of Falling for the Wrong Guy

“Nope. I know where the coins are.” With that explosive statement, she turned and walked back to the kitchen. “You should probably drink a glass of water to get you started. You slept for almost twelve hours straight.” She walked out and handed me a glass of water. I was still in shock about what she said. I must have misheard her. I drank the entire glass. She was right. I needed it. My head felt instantly clearer.

“That moose must have really hit me hard. I could have sworn you just told me you know where the coins are.”

Aria leaned down and squinted her big brown eyes as she scrutinized the bruise on my face. “He got ya pretty good. And I did say that because I know where they are. At least I’m pretty darn sure. It came to me when you were sleeping with your head on my lap.”

“Care to fill me in on the details?” I asked.

“Lion Rock,” she said simply. “Quinn must have meant Lion Rock. Not lyin’ talk, which makes absolutely no sense.”

The coin conversation had my full attention … almost. My mind drifted back to that moment when I placed my head in her lap. Everything hurt, and I felt so defeated about life in general. When I laid my head in her lap, she placed her hand on me and combed my hair with her fingers. It was exactly what I needed right then.

“You let me put my head in your lap.”

She smiled as she looked away.

“Admit it, Aria Lovely. You like me. Which works out well, because I definitely like you.”

Her smile deepened, then she straightened and took a deep breath. “So do you want to hear about Lion Rock?”

“I’m all ears.” Right then, my phone rang. Every muscle in my body stiffened, and the rush of adrenaline made my heart race. “My jacket—” I said urgently.

Aria raced over to the coat hook and carried my jacket over. I rummaged through the pocket and pulled out the phone. “It’s Angie.” My throat was dry.

Aria placed her hand on my arm. Her touch gave me the courage to answer it.

My heart sank like an anchor in tar as Angie’s sniffles came through the phone.

“Ang?” I asked warily.

More sniffles. “The fever broke,” she blurted through sobs. “He’s made it through.”

I got up from the couch and raked my hair back with my fingers. “That’s such good news.”

“The doctors didn’t think he’d pull through, but I knew he would. We both know Quinn is a fighter.”

I glanced at Aria. She was wiping a tear from her eye. I held out my arm, and she walked into it. I held her against my side and kissed her forehead.

“The doctor said it shows he’s still in there, still fighting and he sounded really positive, Dex.” She sniffled again. “It’s the first time he’s sounded positive.”

Aria snuggled closer to me, and I tightened my arm around her. “I can’t tell you how badly I needed this news, Ang. We’re going to get through this.” I could hear Max in the background asking for a waffle. “I’ll let you go. We’ll talk later.” I hung up and pulled Aria fully into my arms. “The fever broke. The doctor is feeling more positive now that he can pull out of this.”

Aria lifted her face and peered up at me. “Such good news. And now, we can finish this whole harrowing story by finding those coins.”

The call had been such an emotional explosion I’d nearly forgotten what we were talking about. “Where is Lion Rock? I can ride there this morning.”

Aria scrunched her pretty face. “Well, see, that’s just it. I can’t actually direct you there.” I lowered my arms, and she stepped back. “You see, the Lion Rock is more of a concept than an actual rock.”

“A concept? You think Quinn hid the coins in a concept?” I couldn’t hide my disappointment.

Aria smiled. “You’re frowning. Look, I know how to find Lion Rock, but we need to wait for the sun to be at the right angle. Given the time of year, I’d say one in the afternoon should be just right. The fog will burn off, and the rain clouds are gone. I only open the café for Sunday breakfast this time of year. I’ll finish work and then we can head over to Lion Rock.”

“I don’t understand. How come you can’t just tell me where it is?”

“You’ll understand better when we get there. Don’t worry. If Quinn knew this area, then he knew about Lion Rock.” She walked back into my arms, and I gladly pulled her closer. “I’ve got a good feeling about this, Dex.”

ChapterThirty-Eight

Aria

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