Page 58 of All Wrong
Lacie’s words were an echo of their father’s. Clearly, they’d been discussing the situation and had decided on a united front.
“Yes, I know, and I appreciate that, but no. Don’t worry. I’ll figure something out.”
Lacie bit her lip, but took the hint and moved on. “So, work’s not going great, huh?”
Corinne gave a short laugh. “Understatement of the year, that. Mr. Gehman told me this morning that he had to give Becci the promotion because her godfather is Russell Henderson.”
“Russell Henderson? The same guy who bought out your apartment building and is kicking everyone out?”
“One and the same.” Corinne exhaled. “Mr. Gehman said he had no choice.”
“But he did have a choice, didn’t he?” Lacie mused. “We always have choices. Do the right thing or don’t.”
Even after all these years and all the ugliness she’d seen, Lacie still believed that good always triumphed over evil. And why wouldn’t she? She had her own personal knight in shining armor. Shane would slay her dragons before they could get anywhere near her.
As if her eyes were drawn by some unseen force, Corinne glanced out the window. Nick was walking down the sidewalk with a woman. Not any woman, but the young, dark-haired server with the crimson tips. They stopped outside the entrance and were facing each other, looking serious.
The food she’d just eaten turned to heavy rocks in her stomach as she watched the scene unfold. Nick said something. The woman nodded, then wrapped her arms around him. Nick kissed her forehead before releasing her.
“Isn’t that Nick?” Lacie asked, following Corinne’s gaze to Nick’s retreating figure.
“Looks like it.” If possible, Corinne felt even wearier than she had before. “Thanks for lunch, Lace, but I really need to get back.”
“Okay. Call me later?”
“Sounds good,” Corinne said, but stopped short of saying she would.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NICK
Nick and Candace spent most of the morning in the ICU. Candace was allowed to spend five minutes with AJ every hour, and she made the most of every second. AJ hadn’t regained consciousness, but the kind nurse encouraged Candace to speak to him and hold his hand, saying that she firmly believed it made a difference.
For the remaining fifty-five minutes of every hour, she paced the ICU waiting room and asked questions Nick didn’t have any good answers to.
After multiple assurances from the nurse that AJ’s condition was stable and a promise to call ifanything changed, Candace agreed to leave the hospital, saying that as long as they were keeping AJ under heavy sedation, she might as well go to work.
Nick was inclined to do the same. He wasn’t good at sitting around, doing nothing. Thinking about AJ and what the kid was going through. Trying to connect enough dots to figure out who was behind the attack. Fantasizing about meeting Torres in a back alley and giving him a beatdown for his completely inappropriate, suggestive remarks.
In between those happy images, he was ruthlessly snuffing thoughts of seeking out Corinne and losing himself in her for a while.
She was like a drug, better than anything he’d ever had. One hit, and he was already addicted. Which was why he could never allow anything like that to happen again.
When Nick offered to call a rideshare, Candace declined, saying she’d come in her own car. He supposed it was an indication of how out of it he was that he hadn’t considered how Candace had gotten to the hospital in the first place. She insisted on giving Nick a ride, saying it was the least she could do.
The ride turned into a late breakfast too. Nicki’s warnings sporadically floated to the surface, but hedismissed them. Nothing about Candace’s behavior was suggestive. The poor girl was wiped, mentally and physically, and she needed a friend—that was all. So, while Candace showered and changed into fresh clothes, Nick made a pot of coffee, along with some scrambled eggs and toast.
When Candace emerged, freshly showered and sans makeup, it struck him anew how young she was. And how, underneath the mask of snark and sass, she was barely more than a scared kid, trying to do right by her brother.
“Thank you,” she said, her eyes suspiciously shiny as she took in the plate he set in front of her.
“Don’t thank me. I was hungry. Figured it’d be rude to make something for myself with your food and not make some for you too.”
Her smile told him she knew he was full of shit, but she didn’t call him on it. “I’m not just talking about breakfast.”
“What are you talking about then?”
“For being there. For not writing us off. Me and AJ, I mean. I do what I can, but he really looks up to you.”
