Goldie slammed the door and rested his forehead on it. Fuck!
The kiss was so good. He wished it would've been shitty, lukewarm at most, but it wasn't. It was raw intensity. The type of kiss that stayed with you, scorched your insides, and invaded your thoughts.
The type of kiss that couldn't just stop at one.
He was so fucked.
Chapter Six
Turning into the parking lot of Cherry Vale, the rehab center, Hailey shut off the radio and pulled the visor down. Swiping a bright fuchsia pink on her lips, her stomach fluttered when she thought of Goldie's mouth on hers. She'd never been kissed that way by any man, and she could only imagine what his sexy mouth could do to her body.
She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. Their stolen kiss in the back room had been more than hot. If the waitress hadn't come in, Hailey didn't doubt that she probably would've ended up doing something decadent and totally out of character. She wasn't one to rush sex or act on her emotions when it came to men, but the way he held her, rubbed against her, and kissed her was beyond awesome. Whenever she thought about it, her lips tingled and her body shivered.
The only snag was that he acted like the whole thing had been a mistake. She'd told him it was no big deal only to save herself the humiliation of him dissing her, but the truth was she'd felt a connection to him, one so strong that she'd chided herself about it the whole way home. What's the matter with me? So he was a good kisser, and he probably knows how to screw real well. So the fuck what.
As if on cue, her phone rang and Brent's name flashed. Making a face, she shoved her phone in her purse and exited the car.
Her aunt Patty was propped up on a straight-backed chair in front of the large window overlooking a courtyard. The flowering crabapple trees around the small pond gave off the ambiance of calmness. Her aunt's roommate wasn't in the room, and Hailey smiled as she saw a half-made afghan. Josephine, the roommate, was either crocheting or knitting, and afghans, scarves, and baby hats were her favorite projects to make. Hailey reckoned she'd be taking home the red, green, and yellow striped afghan she saw on Josephine's bed when she'd completed it.
"Hi, Aunt Patty." Hailey went over and gave her aunt a soft squeeze.
Patty shifted her body around. "How's the shop?"
"Doing great. We've got so many weddings for the next three months. It's going to be wildly busy. How're you doing?"
"The same. Stuck in this damn room and bored out of my mind. Some of my friends came by yesterday and snuck in a bottle of champagne. That was fun. You should've seen the way Josephine guzzled it down. I don't think she'd ever had any. She was out cold for the rest of the night." Patty laughed.
Hailey placed a box of chocolates on the table next to her aunt. "I didn't forget."
Patty's eyes lit up. "Did you get the mixed variety?"
Hailey nodded. "What does the doctor say about your progress?"
"He tells me everything's going as it should be. I still can't put weight on this damn leg."
"Just keep listening to him. You don't want to end up coming back here like the last time when you rushed it." She glanced outside and then back to her aunt. "It's a beautiful day. Do you want me to take you for a walk so you can get some fresh air?"
"Not today. I'm feeling kind of tired. Let's just talk. Tell me all about the weddings and the flowers we'll have to order."
For the next two hours, Hailey and Patty talked, laughed, and reminisced. Her aunt loved talking about the business as much as Hailey did, so she filled her in on all the goings-on at the store.
When the physical therapist came in, Hailey stood up and said her goodbyes. Promising to see her soon, Hailey left the room and walked down the hallway.
During the day, Cherry Vale was a flurry of activity with the nurses, aides, doctors, and techs bustling about. Residents congregated in the lobby either watching the birds flit in the aviary or the traffic whiz by on the street in front of the center. Hailey walked slowly and looked at the names posted on the residents' doors.
When she reached the end of the hall before the lobby, she glanced at the name on the door by the entrance. On a gold background in black lettering, she read "Helen Humphries." The name sounded familiar. Then she remembered it was Garth's grandmother's name. A tickle rode up her spine. Can there be two Helen Humphries in Alina? She supposed it was possible, but it seemed like too much of a coincidence. She stopped at the doorway, then went in quietly.
The early afternoon sun beat against the closed drapes, making the room not quite so dim. A woman in her early eighties with white hair dozed on a dark green recliner as the images on the television screen blinked. Padding over to the woman, Hailey glanced around the room and noticed several framed pictures. She paused and looked at one on the wall. Standing beside the Helen she remembered were Garth, his sister, Monica, and his brothers, Chad and Dylan. She smiled when she saw Garth's smartass smirk and his blue eyes full of devilishness. He must be about thirteen in this picture. "I had such a crush on you," she said out loud.
Helen moaned, and Hailey darted her gaze to her. The woman's eyes fluttered open, and a vacant look searched Hailey's face. She went over to her, bending down in front of her.
"Mrs. Humphries? I don't know if you remember me, but I'm Hailey Shilley. Ryan's sister. It's been a long time."
"Is that you, Susan? Where's your father? Did he come home from work yet?" she asked in a feeble voice.
"My name's Hailey, not Susan. Susan was your daughter. Garth's mother."
"Is Garth here? Where's your father? Why won't you answer me, Susan?" Helen's face contorted into a mask of distress as her tear-filled voice crushed Hailey.
"I shouldn't have come in. I'm sorry if I've upset you."
Helen tried to push herself out of the chair, wincing when she fell back against the cushion. Wringing her hands, her gaze darted around the room.
"Are you family?" a woman's voice asked.
Hailey spun around and saw a pretty woman in pink scrubs walking into the room. "No. My aunt's rehabbing here. Patty Manning. I just stopped in when I saw Mrs. Humphries's name on the door. I used to live in Alina, and I knew the Humphries and their grandchildren. My brother and one of her grandsons were best friends. I just wanted to say hi, but I'm afraid I've confused and upset her."
The woman ran her eyes over Hailey. "Don't sweat it. She's confused a lot. I know your aunt. She's a very funny lady. I'm surprised I've never seen you before." She extended her hand. "I'm Shelly. I'm the day-shift nurse five days a week."
"Hailey. I usually come after work, or on Sundays."
"That explains it, since I have Sundays off. I'll be back in a few minutes. Helen's too agitated to take her meds right now. It was good meeting you."
Shelly dashed out of the room and Hailey hung her head down, pivoting around to face Helen. "I feel terrible about upsetting you, Mrs. Humphries."
"What did you do?" a deep voice asked from behind.
Jerking her head up, she spun around and gasped: Goldie stood looming in the doorway. What the hell is he doing in Mrs. Humphries's room?
He walked into the room and went over to the woman. Bending down, he kissed her cheek and a huge grin spread over her face when she saw him. He hugged her. "How're you doing, Grandma?"
Grandma? This is Goldie's grandmother? Confusion flitted through her. What the fuck's going on? Then she looked at his leather vest, the one he wore the night before. She remembered he'd had a lot of patches, but she hadn't seen the back of it. Now, looking at the back, the words "Night Rebels MC" stared at her in red lettering. Night Rebels. I know that name. Wait, Rory said it's that biker gang. The one Ryan told me Garth joined. Goldie must be Garth's friend. "Do you know Garth?" she said.
He raised his head and his eyes boldly ran over her body, making her feel conspicuous in her jean shorts and blue T-shirt. She crossed her arms over her chest. He laughed.
"Do you?" She stepped back.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because my brother told me he's in a motorcycle gang, and this is his grandmother. I knew him when we were younger."
"Night Rebels is a motorcycle club, not a gang. Gangs are for fuckin' losers." He leaned back on his boot heels.
"Garth! Your language," Helen said in a strong, clear voice.
He guffawed, leaned down, and hugged her tightly. "Awesome." The elderly woman laughed, but then her bright eyes turned dull and the vacant veil came back.
"She's got Alzheimer's," he said softly as he ran his fingers through her snowy white hair.
Hailey darted her gaze from Goldie to Helen, then back to Goldie. "I'm sorry. She thinks you're Garth."
He leaned against the windowsill behind the recliner. "I am, or at least I was. No one calls me Garth except for my grandma." He pursed his lips.