Page 11 of The Library on Plum Island
“You need to come to the clinic with us,” Daniella insisted, looking pointedly at Alex’s hand. Her voice was firm despite the gratitude that warmed her gaze. “That cast won’t do you any good now.”
“Why the heck don’t our phones work out there?” Harriet and Harley rushed into the house.
“It’s a dead zone,” Alex explained.
“Thank you for finding Emily,” Harley slapped Alex on the back.
“We need to get Emily and Alex to the clinic,” Daniella said, pulling the sweater back from Emily’s leg and drawing in a breath. “That’s going to need stitches, and your ankle is probably sprained, but we’ll get an X-ray.” She looked at Alex. “We’ll need to get another X-ray of your hand as well.”
“I’ll take Emily and Daniella in my pickup,” Harley told them.
“I’ll get to the clinic in my car,” Alex told them.
“You’re going to drive with that hand?” Daniella glanced at his hand and then looked at Harriet. “You’re going to have to drive him.”
“No way!” Alex shook his head. “Harriet Speedster isnotdriving my car.”
“I won’t speed,” Harriet told him. “That was one time, and I’m sure your car can’t even go as fast as mine.”
“Not all our uncles can afford to buy us supercars for our birthdays!” Alex looked at Harriet with a smug smile. “But the point here is that you don’t have a license anymore; it’s suspended until you retake the test, remember?”
“Fine, then walk to the clinic,” Harriet told him, pulling out her phone. “I’m calling the limo service.”
“It’s closed,” Harley told her. “We can all fit in my pickup, which has a twin cab.”
“Great! Shotgun!” Harriet called, giving Alex a smug smile. “Enjoy squishing that big frame of yours into the back.”
“That’s fine with me.” Alex shrugged and smiled at Emily, signing. “I can ensure Emily is comfortable.” He pulled a cushion from the sofa and showed it to Emily as he signed. “We’ll take this for your foot.”
Daniella was touched and surprised that Alex had translated the conversation they’d had into sign language for Emily. But as she watched Harriet and Alex bickering playfully, Daniella wondered if there was something between them. A sense of unease tugged at her heart, an unexpected pang of jealousy that had no place in her current reality.
Concentrate, Daniella. There are far more pressing concerns,she scolded herself.
Her daughter’s injuries demanded immediate attention—a stark reminder of the responsibilities resting on her shoulders as well as a shadow of a past threat looming large in her mind. Daniella didn’t need any more complications fraying on her already over-taxed nerves.
The ominous phone call was still fresh in her mind, and Daniella glanced at Harley—her cousin was her rock anchoring her at the moment. Between him and Uncle Sam, Daniella felt safe, but at the same time, she didn’t want to put their lives in danger because of her. Daniella suppressed a shudder as she thought of how quickly things could change—today had been a prime example of that when Carly, Shay, and Alex had been kidnapped. While they hadn’t meant it to, Ethan and Carly’s past had put people they loved in the path of danger.
Daniella would rather run than put her family and friends at risk. The word friends brought a brief smile to her lips. Daniella had always been reserved and had three good friends throughout her life. They were her cousin Carly, Jennifer Gains, and her late husband, Tom. But since she’d moved to Plum Island, Daniella had been embraced by a special group of friends that included Caroline Danes and a few other people on the island. Then, a year ago, when the film crew had moved in to film the Cobble Cove Mysteries, Daniella had made a few more good friends in Dawn Vanderbilt and Harriet Joyce.
Daniella stepped back as Alex stepped beside her and carefully scooped Emily into his arms.
“You should let Harley do that,” Daniella told him. “You can’t put that kind of stress on your hand.”
“It’s fine,” Alex assured her. “You can check it later after you’ve taken care of Emily.” He looked at Harriet. “Grab a cushion from the sofa to put Emily’s leg on in the car.”
Daniella couldn’t help but acknowledge the gentle strength in his actions, a stark contrast to the reputation that preceded him. It was a moment that underscored the complexity of the man before her—a renowned playboy known for his brief romances and lavish lifestyle, now showing a depth and tenderness that was utterly disarming. Daniella felt an unwelcome stirring within her, which she ignored because even if Daniella were looking for a relationship, it wouldn’t be with a man who represented everything she had resolved to avoid.
Focus, Daniella.This is not the time for such thoughts. Your daughter needs you, she reminded herself sternly.
As Alex turned, his arm brushed hers, and Daniella’s breath caught in her throat at the zing of electricity that ignited her nerves. She waited for him to be a good few steps ahead of her before following him to Harley’s pickup, which was parked in Alex’s driveway.
Harriet tagged along behind them with a cushion clutched in her hands for Emily’s leg, switching off lights and locking up after them. As Daniella watched Alex’s face soften into a smile as he placed Emily into the back of the pickup, her heart did a flip, but she shook it off.
No. No. Not Alex, and not now!Daniella chided herself again, climbing into the pickup and pulling the door closed behind her while Emily rested her head in Daniella’s lap.
“We’ll be at the clinic in no time, sweetheart,” Daniella assured her daughter.
Alex slid into the other side of the back of the pickup, and Daniella forced herself not to glance his way, keeping her attention on Emily.
