Page 20 of Love's Cure

She studied him for a moment and returned her gaze to the road. “You take your job seriously.”

“Yes, I do.” Emmett’s eyes rounded when he realized she wasn’t kidding about outlets. Different groupings of stores lined the road. “You were telling the truth when you said there were a lot of discount stores. Where do we begin?”

“How about here?” Crystal pulled into an area on her left. The Kitchen Collection and Villeroy & Boch stores were there. “I’ve got a paper and pencil in my purse. We can make notes on what you might need, or you can purchase whatever you want.”

“Are you always this organized?” he teased.

She chuckled at the grin on his face. “Running a Café takes a whole lot of organization. So, yes. I carry a small notebook and a pen with me in my purse at all times in case I need to jot something down.”

“Okay, then. Let’s go. You know your way around a kitchen far better than I do. Let’s get some essentials and look around for other stuff. Pretend I don’t have anything in the kitchen. If it means upgrading the few things I do have, that’ll be good.”

Crystal rubbed her hands together playfully with exaggerated eagerness. “Okay, let’s go.”

The first place she took him was to the Le Creuset Outlet Store. “You certainly will want to pick up a few pieces here. They have some color collections. Tell me what you like and what pots, pans, casseroles, and other items you might like, and I’ll make a note of it.”

After looking at several items and marking them down, they decided to try the Crate & Barrel Outlet.

Crystal pulled out of the parking lot onto Route One and headed north to reach the location of the store, which was on the opposite side of the road.

She put on her right blinker and slowed to make the turn when a small truck traveling much too fast came barreling toward them. She held onto the wheel, braced herself, and called a warning to Emmett.

CHAPTER EIGHT

The impact of the collisionsent the car flying before coming to a stop on the verge.

Crystal heard the sound of glass breaking. Dazed, she groaned and rubbed the

back of her neck, feeling disoriented. She glanced at Emmett and held in a scream.

Still strapped in, his body hung forward. When he lifted his head and turned to look at her, blood dripped down his face.

“Oh, my God! You’re hurt!” She stretched and reached out to him, then unbuckled herself.

“I think my nose is broken and I’ve got a gash in my forehead,” he said more calmly than she would have. “I need a cloth to stop the flow.”

Crystal found her purse on the floor and took out a cloth handkerchief she’d bought at the Summer Faire one year. She’d chided herself in the past for carrying too much in her purse but now she was glad she did.

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