Page 99 of No Way Home
“Hey!” Topher ran up the hall and peered in. “You said anyone in there has to wear a hard hat.”
I smiled, resting my cheek against her hair. “She has special girlfriend privileges.”
Topher pointed two fingers at us, then at his eyes, then back at us, sayingI’m watching you. He disappeared again.
I heard Magnolia let out a little exhale, and though her hand stayed in mine, she loosened her grip. “Maybe I should file a formal complaint,” she whispered. “This is getting ridiculous.”
“It’s past ridiculous. Whatever you want to do, I’ve got your back.”
She squeezed her eyes shut for a second. “No, I just want to finish. Are you okay keeping up this charade?”
Um, definitely. “Yes,” I said calmly, but in my head I was jumping up for joy.
“Thanks, Bowen.” I thought she’d leave, but she eyed the door, probably waiting for Topher to appear again. Her thumb ran over my stitches. “Oh.” She flipped my palm over. “We need to take those out.”
“Right now?”
“Yeah, if you have a minute. I can do it super fast.”
Two minutes later, we were in exam room four, door closed. Her gloved hands worked with precision, patting my scar with antiseptic.
“Well, that’s good,” I said. “It doesn’t hurt when you clean it anymore.”
“That’s because it’s healed.” She set the wipe down and picked up a pair of tweezers in one hand, scissors in the other. “So,” she said, voice tight. “I was thinking…” Her hands were trembling nervously. “Maybe we could go on a date.” YES. “As friends,” she amended.
“Friends?” I asked evenly. Truth be told, it was more than I’d expected. Definitely more than I deserved.
“At least at first.” She was whipping me around like a yo-yo…but I’d take it. Any time spent with Magnolia was better than time spent without.
“Okay,” I said, in a neutral tone, belying my excitement.
She dropped a couple of stitches onto a piece of gauze and went back for more. “Maybe…” Another tug. “We could go to the movies with Cash and Charlie? The new Pixar movie just came out. Or…” She peeked up at me nervously. “We could see the latest Marvel movie?”
I’d already seen the Marvel movie with Theo, but I would take it to my grave. What Magnolia wanted, Magnolia got.
“Yeah.” I smiled. “I’m good with either. You choose.”
“Pixar?” she asked timidly.
“I’d love that. Do you want me to set it up? Tomorrow night?” I knew the clinic closed early on Tuesdays. “Or Friday?”
Finished, she set the tools down and peeled off her gloves. “Tomorrow is great.” She threw them in the trash and checked the time on her watch. “I gotta run. Will you be around today?” She was worried about Topher.
“All day,” I said. “Just let me know if you need me, and I’ll try to keep an ear open, too.”
She exhaled, relieved. “Thank you.” She stopped at the door and turned back. “And thank you for the picture,” she said softly. “And the letter.”
“You’re welcome.” I flexed my hand for the first time sincewe’d run into each other my first day here. “I should’ve done it a long time ago.”
She smiled and disappeared into the hall.
Veins alive with adrenaline, I pulled out my phone and sent a group text to Cash and Charlie.
Please, please tell me you’re not busy tomorrow night. Magnolia agreed to go on a ‘friend’ date as long as you both come along.
Charlie set a record, she responded so fast.
Chuck
