Page 86 of Last Date
“Did you know your attacker?” Mom asked, biting her lip.
“No. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him before.”
Staring out the window, Mom said, “I don’t understand what has happened to Pearl Cove. It used to be such a peaceful little town.”
“Violence has always been a part of the human condition,” Thomas said.
“How very philosophical.” Mom frowned. “But I still don’t like it touching our corner of the world.”
“Me neither,” I said softly.
I didn’t know if Mom or Thomas knew about Merrick and me, but neither one of them mentioned it. Thank God. I assumed Thomas knew because Merrick and he seemed to know everything about each other.
“How did Merrick know where I was?” I asked. “How could he possibly have known I was being attacked?”
“I don’t know any details.” Thomas turned onto my street. “I barely saw Merrick. He came to the hospital for five minutes to check on you, but then he left.”
“The only thing I heard him say was the airbag protected him, so he had no injuries.” Mom shuddered. “I love Merrick even more now for saving you, Kip. I already adored him, but now…”
I swallowed roughly, trying to push away the memory of lying on the dirty ground, watching the van speed toward me. “I owe him my life,” I whispered, and Mom squeezed my hand so hard it hurt.
****
Mom and Thomas stayed a long time at my house, but eventually they left. Spot wouldn’t leave my side, which was fine by me. I liked the feel of his solid body beside me. It had been a traumatic few days.
Merrick texted me saying he was still coming by at 8:30 p.m., if that was okay, but that he’d bring dinner. Even though the pain pills made me groggy, I’d agreed because I really wanted to see him. Ineededto see him after what had happened. He’d risked being seriously injured just to protect me. That seemed like something I needed to thank him for in person.
I was dozing on the couch when Merrick finally rang the bell. Spot seemed to know it was him because he didn’t bark; he just whined and pawed at the door. When I opened the door, Merrick took in my bruised face without comment.
“Come in,” I said, moving slowly toward the kitchen. “I’ll get plates.”
He gently grabbed my arm. “Sit on the couch. I’ll get the plates.”
I was kind of glad he offered because walking was a chore. I lowered myself onto the couch, more lying than sitting. It hurt my rib less that way.
He returned with plates, and he’d already put the burgers and fries on them. He also brought two bottles of water, and he joined me on the couch. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, and I was starving. God knew what had become of my chicken salad. Eating turned out to be more of a chore than I’d expected. My teeth were tender and my jaw stiff and sore. I managed by tearing off small pieces of the burger and focusing mostly on the fries.
Eventually, Merrick said, “You had another close call, kid.”
“Yeah. Thank you for saving me.” I winced. “That sounds so inadequate. You didn’t just save me. You could have died.”
“I had my seat belt on, and I trusted the airbag. I knew I’d be fine.” He sounded offhand, but he had to know he’d taken a huge risk.
“Still.” I set my half-eaten burger on the coffee table.
“I wasn’t going to let him run you over.” He sighed. “You should understand. Weren’t you the guy who tackled Selena so she didn’t shoot me?”
I gave a weak smile. “We’re a couple of thrill seekers, I guess.”
“We care about each other,” he said quietly.
“Yes.” I avoided his gaze, feeling self-conscious. I’d had a glimpse of my bruised face in the bathroom mirror—it wasn’t pretty.
“Do you want to know why that guy went after you?”
I flicked my gaze to his. “Absolutely.”
“Okay.” He finished off his burger in two big bites, and then he set his plate on the table. He watched me, cheek bulged as he chewed. Once he’d swallowed, he washed the food down with half a bottle of water.
