Page 4 of The Library on Plum Island
“Uncle Alex.” Shay shot out of her seat and rushed to him. “How are you?” She glanced at his hand. “What’s the verdict?”
“I have a boxer’s fracture,” Alex told her and showed her his cast.
“I won!” Shay turned and threw her arms in the air in victory.
“Brat!” Harriet laughed, fishing her wallet out of her purse.
Harley fished money from his wallet and handed it to her. “I did like the way you extracted the information from Alex, kid.”
“Thank you.” Shay bowed and took the money from Harley and Harriet.
“What did you win?” Alex’s eyes narrowed on his niece.
“Shay bet you have a boxer’s fracture,” Harriet told him. “I bet you just bruised your hand. Harley said you broke your entire soft hand.”
”Idon’thave soft hands!“ Alex exclaimed. “Shaun has a freakin’ hard jaw.”
“Uh-huh.” Harley nodded, unconvinced. “Sure. We’ll go with that.”
“Don’t pick on my uncle,” Shay defended Alex, slipping her hand through his good arm. “He’s my hero.”
“And he made you a hundred dollars richer,” Harriet pointed out. “He’d be my hero, too, if I were a hundred dollars richer.”
Daniella listened to the banter as she wrote a script for Alex and handed it to him. “There you go. Nurse Beckett will make your follow-up appointment.”
As Alex took the script, their fingers brushed, and a tiny shock zinged up Daniella’s arm, making her drop her pen. She ducked to pick it up at the same time Alex did, and they bumped heads. The impact knocked her back, and Alex’s hand shot out to grab her. His warm palm grabbed her arm, steadying her as they stood up.
“Are you okay?” Alex asked, his eyes filled with concern.
“I’m fine,” Daniella lied, holding her forehead. Her arm tingled where his hand still circled it, and she was going to have a bruise on her forehead.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Harriet scooped up Daniella’s pen. “Alex has a head like a cement block. You’re lucky he didn’t knock you out.”
“Funny!” Alex glared at Harriet before turning his concerned eyes back on Daniella. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.” Daniella took her pen from Harriet.
“It’s a pity your hand isn’t as hard as your head.” Harley laughed and turned to Harriet. “Can you take him home?”
“I’ve ordered a car to take us,” Harriet told him.
“You don’t have a car?” Daniella asked, suddenly realizing that in the year she’d known Harriet, she’d never seen her drive.
“Harriet doesn’t drive,” Alex told Daniella.
“You can’t, or you don’t?” Daniella asked her.
“Harriet can drive—“ Alex’s face lit into a smug smile as he looked at Harriet. “She’s just not allowed to.”
“Aunt Harriet has had her license suspended for speeding,” Shay finished for Alex.
“Seriously?” Daniella and Harley said in unison, staring at Harriet in disbelief.
“Harry here is heavy on the accelerator pedal.” Alex laughed at the glare Harriet sent him.
“If they didn’t want people to drive so fast they shouldn’t make them able to do those speeds,” Harriet defended her actions.
“I can’t argue with that,” Daniella agreed with Harriet. “I’ve had my fair share of speeding tickets. Well, when I was younger. Now I drive like a mom—sticking to speed limits.”
