Page 46 of Hit the Ground
She shook her head. “No. You don’t need to do that. I won’t be lost if you start where you left off.”
Mindful of her head injury, I tried to keep my volume low, not wanting to do more harm than good. Given the circumstances, I wasn’t able to really get lost in the story like I had the first time I’d sat down to read it. My eyes kept sliding over to her, making sure she was awake and okay. Seeing if she needed anything. Too aware of her presence to concentrate.
“Do you like it?” she asked when I came to the end of a chapter.
I looked up. “Like what?”
“The book.” Her mouth tipped at the corners. “I can’t tell if you’re enjoying it.”
I glanced down at the book beneath my hand then back at her and sighed. “I like it more than I thought I would. Just having trouble concentrating tonight.”
She nodded, her eyes going soft with understanding. “Do you want to talk about it?”
My brow creased until I realized she meant the book. I rubbed a finger over the words on the paper. I had been wondering something, and I couldn’t read fast enough to get to the answer. There were two more books after this one, and I was worried I’d have to get through them both before I did. Maybe Alice could end my suspense.
“I have a question.”
Her eyes lit as she turned her body toward me. “Hit me with it.”
“Why is Fathaniel able to walk under Glavspor’s eighth moon when Binboa can’t? Aren’t they both Dorfits?”
The clock hanging on my wall ticked, ticked, ticked, then a laugh burst out of her, light and breezy.
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you that, Caleb. You’re going to have to keep reading.”
I scratched behind my ear. “Figured you’d say that.” I jabbed at the pages. “Just tell me, will I find out in this book or the next one?”
She pressed her lips into a flat line, shaking her head again. “No way.”
“You’re mean,” I grunted. “I could flip to the end, see for myself.”
She gasped. “No! Don’t do it. You’ll ruin the magic!”
“Yeah.” I ducked my head, hiding my grin. It was cute how serious she was about this, but it made sense. Books were a big part of her life and who she was. “I’ll keep reading.”
“Good.” She curled her legs to the side and rested her head on her arm. “Thank you for tonight, Caleb. I’m starting to feel almost normal.”
More satisfaction filled me. “That’s the goal.”
She gave me a sleepy smile then turned her eyes to peer out the window. I watched her for another second before forcing myself to focus on my book again. It was a good story. Action, friendship, a side of romance. I could see why she liked it. If she hadn’t been sitting a cushion away with a black eye and concussion, I’d probably be enjoying it.
When I came to the end of the next chapter, I looked at Alice to ask her if she wanted me to keep going, only to find her asleep. It did me good to see her so peaceful, covered in the same blanket my boy liked to snuggle under.
I tipped my head back, letting my mind wander over my last couple days. It was always peaceful at night on the ranch, but tonight was a little sweeter.
Most evenings when Jesse was at his mom’s, I either hung out with family or had dinner at Joy’s. Then I’d come home, finish my chores, shower, and go straight to bed. Being alone in the house never bothered me much before.
With Alice curled up on my couch, her quiet breaths and tiny reactions filling the space, I realized this was nice too. Havingherhere was nice, even if the circumstances were shitty.
I’d better not get used to it, though.
The last thing I needed was to start wanting something I couldn’t keep.
Chapter Seventeen
Alice
Calebscowledatmewhen I brought up going home the next morning. Really, he’d gone above and beyond for me—wayabove and beyond. I wasn’t in imminent danger of falling into a coma. And I had a library to run.
