Page 39 of Class Act

Ford parked in my driveway and grabbed my purse from Hillary before instructing the two kids to wait for him in the car. Hillary protested, saying she wanted to help make me a comfy bed on the couch, but Ford saw my pale face and teary eyes and firmly told her to stay put. His hand lightly touched my back as we walked to my front door. With my permission he dug my keys out of my purse and pushed the door open for me to enter, reaching to find a light switch.

“Let me help you with your coat,” he said, his tone soft and soothing.

I imagined it was the same voice he’d use with his children to sooth scraped knees and hurt feelings. It was nice.

I tugged my zipper down and he eased it off my right arm before we worked together to get it around my sore, swollen wrist without bumping it. I hissed as the tight sleeve slid off, the pain causing my eyes to tear up once more, but kept from saying anything else as he hung it in my coat closet.

“Is there any way I can ask you to reconsider the doctor visit?” he said, scanning my face and taking in my expression. “I can drop my kids at home with Ellie and come back to get you.”

A flash of wanting made me feel light-headed. To let him care for me that way was incredibly tempting, but I blinked it away and shook my head.

“You’ve done enough. I’ll call Ruby. She’s a nurse, you know.” And then, suddenly, as though Ford and I were longtime friends and this was totally normal, I started blabbing. “That was the strangest date ever. First off, did you see how big he was? I’ve never dated a guy that big. He kept asking me rapid fire questions, and I barely got out a one-word answer before he’d shoot off the next one. I felt like I was at a job interview.” My brows dropped. “I don’t think I’m getting the job.”

His eyes crinkled. “His loss.”

I moved on without really internalizing what he’d said. “But then all of a sudden, he’d be funny and relaxed. At one point I remember thinking I liked him and could see why Aryn set us up.”

“Aryn? She’s one of your friends?”

“We teach at the same school. She’s a teacher friend. No, not just a teacher friend, a bosom friend.” At his questioning look I added, “You know, like Anne of Green Gables? A kindred spirit?”

He smacked his lips together. “Must have missed that one.”

“Hmm. Well, Shane kept me on my toes, I suppose.”

“Until it ended with you falling flat on your back.”

I smiled and then remembered he’d not asked to stand there and dissect my blind date. I blushed and said, “Thank you for the ride home and for not bullying me into seeing a doctor.”

His brows dropped into a V shape. “I’d never bully you into anything.”

Warmth, sweet and gooey, blossomed in my chest. “Okay.”

We watched each other for a heartbeat, me wondering what was keeping him from leaving, before he reached out a hand and wrapped it lightly around my upper right arm. He leaned toward me and pressed an airy, unexpected kiss to my forehead. I stayed still, closing my eyes and taking in the sound of his breathing and the smell I now associated with him.

“For the record, Shane really knows how to mess up a first date,” he said millimeters from my skin. I could feel as his mouth pulled into a smile and my own mouth answered in kind. He released me. “I know you won’t take me up on it, but I’m around this weekend if you need something.” I nodded, and he left, closing the front door behind him.

What did that all mean? Was he rethinking his aversion to getting to know me better? Maybe he did need a friend. I could be a friend.

Sigh. No. Being a friend would feel terrible when it came to Ford. I collapsed on my couch and let the tears come. My wrist hurt terribly, and my head was beyond pounding. I picked up my phone and called Ruby. She answered after a few rings, and I quickly explained the situation. She promised to come straight over. She arrived fifteen minutes later with Lizzie in tow. They’d been playing a rousing game of chess--a game I had no idea either of them played--and of course Lizzie wasn’t about to be left out of the excitement.

“Oh my gosh, Hailey. Are you okay?” Lizzie asked, coming straight to my couch to stand in front of me.

I blinked and sucked in a breath to steady myself, which somehow made the throbbing in my wrist worse. “It’s okay,” I managed. “I’m not too hurt.”

“You’re hugging your wrist, and you’re super pale.” She lightly touched my head, wiping strands of my hair from my eyes. “It’s good you called Ruby.”

“Convenient,” I replied, “having a nurse for your friend.”

“So how hard did you hit your head?” Ruby asked.

“Hard. It was on ice, and I was chin-butted, too. So both sides. It hurts, although not as much as my wrist.”

“Chin-butted?” Lizzie asked.

“Chin to forehead,” I replied with a grimace.

Ruby gently lifted my right hand off where I’d been holding my left wrist steady. “You’re really lucky you didn’t get knocked out.” She spoke soothingly while she probed at my arm.

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