Surrender My Love(28)

“Dad,” Elsie said, her eyes darting between Cole and her father.

Martin looked at his daughter, his wife, then at Cole, and said, “Thank you for your time,” and left the room.

“Come on, honey,” Ann said with a hand on Elsie’s shoulder.

Elsie hesitated with a frightened look on her face. “Dr. Braden, are you pretty sure I’ll hurt like this forever if I don’t do this treatment?”

Cole hated to say it, but he owed her the truth. “Unfortunately, if you continue practicing with your injury, I’m afraid the pain will get worse, Elsie.” He lifted his eyes to Ann. “I’m sure your parents will help you make the right decision.”

She looked up at her mother. “Mom?”

“Thank you, Dr. Braden.” Ann held her hand out to shake Cole’s hand, and when he did, hers trembled. “I’ll speak with my husband.”

Some patients moved in and out of Cole’s office like a gentle breeze, smooth and easy. As he watched the Hoods walk away, he felt the power of a gale-force wind follow them out.


***

LEESA SAT IN the parking lot of Jazzy Joe’s Café with her heart in her throat and her cell phone pressed to her ear as she listened to her friend and previous coworker, Lena Bail, tell her about Andy. Leesa was meeting Tempe in a few minutes to discuss the Girl Power group. She’d thought Lena was calling her to chat, but boy was she wrong. She knew from the tone of her voice during their brief catch-up on how Leesa was doing in Peaceful Harbor that Lena’s call was not a social one.

“Annalise, I’m worried about Andy.”

Leesa held her breath, both soaking in the comfort of hearing her given name said so naturally and from the sound of her friend’s voice and rattled by the thought that Andy wasn’t doing well.

“We’re not supposed to talk about the case.” Leesa’s stomach knotted. As much as she wanted to know what was going on with Andy, she also didn’t want to do anything that would get her into trouble again.

“I know. We’re not talking about the case. We’re just two friends, and I happen to need your guidance.”

“Lena.”

Her friend sighed. “Okay, fine. Let me just ask your professional opinion, because everyone around here is fucking tiptoeing around this kid and his hard-ass father, and I’m really worried about him.”

Leesa hated the gruffness of Andy’s father and the demeaning way he’d spoken to him, but she’d been unable to intervene beyond the occasional, I’m sorry, Mr. Darren, but we really have to get back to Andy’s studying now, to get him to leave the room. A fact that he’d tried to use to his advantage during the investigation.

Just the thought of the investigation made her feel sick to her stomach. But Lena was a fellow teacher. A pure professional, from her slacks and heels to her smart bob cut and the way she handled her students, with equal amounts of empathy and authority, sprinkled with guidance. They’d become fast friends, and Lena had been there for her throughout her ordeal. This was the least she could do in return.

Leesa looked around the parking lot, as if someone might hear her talking about Andy through the closed windows of her car. Ridiculous.

“Okay, but we never had this conversation.”

“Of course not,” Lena agreed. “He’s not communicating at all. I mean, the boy doesn’t crack a smile, doesn’t look at his cell phone, doesn’t interact with other kids. He sits there stone-cold and silent.”

“Oh, Lena. That’s horrible.”

“I know. Andy’s always been a pretty involved kid. Opinionated, you know. Annalise, I’m worried that he’s gotten even worse than he was right after the accident. Remember how closed off he was?”

Leesa inhaled a jagged breath. “Yeah.”

“I just…I feel like I shouldn’t ignore this. Like I should say something to someone, but I know everyone else sees it, too, and no one is doing anything. And Lord knows what that jackass father of his would say if I tried to talk to him about it.”

She paused, and Leesa knew Lena was thinking the same thing she was—that Andy’s lies were eating him up from the inside out.

A tap on Leesa’s car window startled her. She turned to see Tempe’s smiling face, her hand waving happily. Leesa forced a smile and waved as she said to Lena, “I’m meeting someone and she’s just shown up. Can I think about this and get back to you?”

Tempe pointed to the café and indicated that she’d wait inside. Leesa nodded as she ended the call with Lena, suggesting that Lena think about the best route before doing anything. “You know his father won’t be open to suggestions, especially from you since you were supportive of me the whole time that mess was going on.”

“I know. That’s why I was hoping you had some insight of a better way to handle it. I tried talking to the guidance counselor, but she pretty much said they’d done all they could do. I’ll let you go, but I feel like I’m sitting on a time bomb. We read all about kids doing awful things because of depression these days. I don’t want Andy to become a statistic. Hey, Annalise, I miss you.”

“Yeah, I miss you, too. I’m glad you called, even if you made me feel like I want to throw up.”

“Sorry! I just didn’t know who else would care enough to try to help. Everyone here is on Team Annalise, so they don’t have much sympathy for Andy, and I know you do. Are you really okay? Have you made any decisions about the job in Baltimore, or has Tegan convinced you to move there?”

“No, I haven’t made any decisions yet, but the people here are really nice, and…” She knew Tempe was waiting for her, and she had to make this quick, so instead of gushing about Cole and about her frustrating, ever-present worries, she said, “Things are good. We’ll catch up soon, and, Lena? Thanks for caring about Andy. He’s just a kid, and he has sucky parents.”

Thoughts of Andy refused to be thwarted as Leesa walked into Jazzy Joe’s.

“Welcome to Joe’s!” Joe called out.

She waved to him and spotted Tempe sitting in a booth. She tried to recapture her enthusiasm about their chat, but it was tainted by worries of Andy. She stepped up to the counter to get a cup of coffee, then joined Tempe at the booth.

Leesa slid into the seat across from her. “Hi. I’m so sorry about that. A friend from back home called right when I pulled into the parking lot.”

Tempe waved a dismissive hand. “No worries. You must miss your friends there.” She smiled as she looked over Leesa’s blue top and flowered miniskirt. “We must shop at the same places.” She looked down at her own skirt, the same type as Leesa’s, but a different color. “We could be sisters with our blond hair.”

“You’re right. Most of your family is dark, too. My mom was blond, but my dad had brown hair, like this.” She lifted her hair and leaned forward, showing Tempe the dark roots at the base of her skull. “It’s like God gave me a little reminder of him beneath the blonde.”

“I have the same thing.” Tempe lifted her hair and showed Leesa. “But, of course, my dark-haired siblings don’t have light roots. So unfair.” She laughed. “I heard you and Cole are spending tonight on the boat.”

“You heard that already? We just decided last night.”

“Braden grapevine. I was at the pub when Cole called to tell our dad that he wasn’t able to help with the boat until Sunday.” Tempe sipped her coffee.

“I hope your dad’s okay with Cole going. We can go some other weekend.” She had forgotten that he was helping his father with the boat when Cole had suggested the getaway.

Tempe’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding? Dad’s thrilled. He said he’s never seen Cole so happy, or so distracted. Your boyfriend is a bit of a workaholic.”

Boyfriend? She let that word flit around in her happy little heart for a few seconds before answering. Tempe had used the word so easily, it made Leesa feel like she’d seen their connection as strongly as Leesa felt it, and that was a great feeling.

“I know,” she finally answered. “I actually like that about him. I think I used to bore my ex, because I’m pretty much of a homebody. I’ve always been more of a reader than a partier. Last night Cole read through patient charts while I caught up on the latest Jill Shalvis novel. My dirty little secret. Loved it.”

“I love her, too!” Tempe wrinkled her nose. “Shannon reads her, too, and so does my mom. So, I won’t pry too much or anything, but you and Cole…? You guys are really getting along.”

She couldn’t stifle the grin that snuck across her cheeks. “To be honest, I have no idea how he’s stayed single for so long. He’s such an amazing man. He’s warm and loving and smart and funny, and—” She covered her face with her hand and laughed. “And your brother! Sorry.”

“Oh, please. Don’t be. I want him to be happy.” Tempe leaned forward, wrapping her hands around her coffee cup. “So, Girl Power. I’m really excited about this. I wrote down some suggestions.” She reached into her purse and withdrew a notebook.