Page 5 of The Coffee Bar on Camellia Court

He immediately loosened his grip but didn't let go. Couldn't, actually. Her hand might be the only thing keeping him upright.

"I'm fine," he said through clenched teeth. "Just tweaked my ankle a little. Give me a minute." If he could just make it back to his truck…

But the truck might as well have been miles away. He couldn't even shift his weight without the edges of his vision going dark. He didn't want to faint right now, either.

"Whoa, big guy." Juno stepped a little closer to him, studying his face with narrowed eyes. She touched his shoulder with her free hand. "You sure you didn't hit your head?"

"I'm fine," Alex insisted. Hehadto be fine. He couldn't afford not to work. In construction, there was no such thing as sick pay.

To distract both Juno and himself, he released her hand and bent his arm to get a look at his elbow, where a swatch of shredded flesh was just starting to bead with blood. "Ouch."

"Oh, Alex. Yikes. Your back." Claire Maitland stood behind him, and when he glanced over his shoulder at her, she had her hand outstretched, almost like she was going to touch him. He flinched spontaneously; his shoulder blade was starting to sting, sending little zingers of electricity rippling over his skin.

"You sweet, brave boy!" Mrs. Carrol, seemingly none the worse for wear, hovered nearby. "You saved us. You practically jumped in front of that car to rescue us!" Now there were tears in the old woman's eyes and she reached up and cupped his cheek in benediction. "God bless you, dear boy. God bless you." Then she turned to her husband. "Harold, it's that nice Frampton boy."

Mr. Carrol maneuvered his way over, not to be left out of the fray. He lowered himself to the seat of his walker, nodding along with everything his wife said. When he'd caught his breath, he ground out, "Those blasted tourists. Running us down in the middle of the street like that. You okay, Mamie?" He patted his wife's backside affectionately.

"Oh, I'm fine, Harold. But this young man..." Mrs. Carrol frowned, then glanced around her. "Has anyone called the police? An ambulance?"

"No. No ambulance, please," Alex insisted. That was all he needed; an exorbitant and completely unnecessary ambulance bill. If he could get to his truck, he could take himself to urgent care. The thought of that unsettling sound he'd heard—like a snapping stick—made his stomach churn, but surely his ankle was just sprained. It couldn't be broken, that was all there was to it. He'd get home, ice it, and stay off of it all day tomorrow, but he had to be back at work on Monday. "Not for me, at least. Are you two okay?" he asked the couple.

"The police are already here," someone said from out of his line of sight, just as a police cruiser pulled up along the curb outside Juno's cafe. His lights were flashing, but he hadn't bothered running the siren.

When Officer Bobby Wayne stepped out of his car, everyone started talking at once. Bobby raised both hands to quiet the small crowd of onlookers. "Hold up, folks. One at a time, please."

"Did anyone catch that woman?" Juno asked, her voice tight with anger. Her hand was still on Alex's shoulder, and he found himself grateful for the steady pressure. "I can't believe she just kept on driving. She didn't even slow down."

"I got her plate number." Claire's voice radiated calm. "Already called it in."

Bobby nodded. "Yep, we've got a BOLO on her." His experienced gaze swept over Alex, noting the careful way he held himself, the sheen of sweat on his forehead. "You need a chair, Frampton?"

Alex gritted his teeth and grinned. "Nah. I'm good. Catching my breath. Tweaked my ankle, but I probably just need to walk it off."

Bobby nodded slowly, like he didn't exactly believe him, but he turned to the Carrols, anyway. "Let's start with you two. Do you need an ambulance? Would you feel better having a doctor check you over?'

"Oh, no," declared Mrs. Carrol. "We're right as rain, thanks to Alex here." She choked up again and touched Alex's forearm with a trembling hand. "Bless you, dear. Oh my goodness. I'm so sorry—" Then she burst into tears and started shaking like a leaf in a windstorm. Apparently, the shock was wearing off, and the reality of the close call was sinking in.

"Oh dear," Claire said, wrapping an arm around the woman's tiny frame. "Better have First Responders come check them out, okay?" she said to the officer. To Mrs. Carrol, she said, "Can you lean on me so we can get you inside? Or do you want to sit here and wait? We can bring you a chair if you'd like."

"I—I can walk, sweetie. I'm just sha—shaking so badly." She released a quivering breath, then straightened her narrow shoulders and leaned into Claire. "I can walk with your help. Thank you. Honey?" she called out to her husband, trying to look past Claire's shoulder.

"I've got him." Liz had already released the brakes on Mr. Carrol's walker, preparing to wheel him over to the sidewalk in it. "Let's get you two out of the street, shall we?"

The officer nodded his appreciation at the small group of people who headed inside with the Carrols, then turned back to Alex. "Okay. How you doing, man? You don't look so good."

"No, he doesn't," Juno interjected, her chin jutting out stubbornly.

"I'm fine." Alex was getting impatient with all the fuss. He just wanted to get out of the street and off his feet, then figure out what the heck he was going to do about his ankle. He couldn't think with everyone standing around staring at him. He tried to take a casual step, and immediately regretted it. The world tilted alarmingly.

"That's it." Juno's grip tightened on his shoulder. "Bobby, grab hold of his other side and help me get him to the sidewalk." She pointed to the bistro tables outside her cafe. "Then you can take his report while he waits for me to pull my car around."

"I've got a first aid kit in my truck," Alex protested. "Just need to clean up these scrapes and—"

"Alex Frampton, shush." The familiar exasperation in Juno's voice almost made him smile. Almost. "You just saved two people from getting hit by a car. For once in your life, would you please just let someone help you?"

"Yeah, what she said, Frampton." Bobby stepped up to his other side. "You're in no shape to drive yourself."

Alex sized up the officer. He was big dude, taller than Alex by an inch or two, and he spent a lot of his off time at Jimmy's Gym over on Lotus Avenue. He didn't want to lean on Juno, not because he didn't think she could handle it, but because he hated feeling so helpless around her. Around anyone. But Bobby could handle his weight and wouldn't make a big deal out of it, would he?

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