“Sorry, Hazel, but that’s how it happened.” She jerked her gaze away from the woman named Hazel and swallowed. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you too, Laurie.” She ducked her head and left the room.
Laurie was stunned. Whatever just happened left her head spinning.
Several people in the room grumbled, but it sounded as if the majority were coming forward to support Zach and Corbin. Even though many of them had seen Corbin and then Zach punch Brock outright, the story morphed into something slightly larger that made Brock out to look like a stone cold rapist who had attacked Laurie and needed to be subdued in her defense.
Laurie shifted her gaze to Corbin and Zach. “I need to clean up.” She felt disgusting after being manhandled by Brock and then vomiting. Most of it landed on him, but she still wanted a shower and clean clothes.
Sharon grabbed her arm. “Come on. I’ll find you something else to wear, and we’ll get you cleaned up.
Laurie turned to follow Sharon, but Corbin held her hand, pulling her arm taut. His eyes were narrowed and his mouth a thin line when she met his gaze. “I’m fine.”
He nodded, but he didn’t let her go.
Zach finally set a hand on Corbin. “Man, I think she’s okay. Let her shower.”
Corbin released her.
She glanced down at the vile man on the ground as she went around him. The older woman held his head cradled in her lap, and he started to moan and squirm.
Laurie couldn’t get out of the room fast enough. Too bad there was no way for anyone to leave the resort until God only knew when. The building wasn’t large enough to keep her from scenting that sick bastard everywhere she went.
“Guess we’ll need a new instructor next week,” Sharon teased as they stepped into the ladies’ shower room.
Laurie grinned. “Nah. He’ll be fine. Just a little misunderstanding, right? I mean, I’m sure Zach won’t really kill him if he ever sees his face again.”
Sharon giggled. “I can’t believe you can make a joke right now.” She shuddered visibly. “I also can’t believe I ever thought that guy was hot. Gross.” She grabbed a towel from a stack in an employee closet and then opened a locker that undoubtedly belonged to her and pulled out clean clothes—jeans, a T-shirt, socks, even panties.
Laurie stripped out of her soiled clothes and stepped into a curtained shower stall. “Thank God you people keep so many clothes around here. I assume the outfit I was already wearing was yours too,” she called over the water.
“Yep. I’m going to have to restock. But the nice thing is we’re almost the exact same size. If you come work here at the resort, we can share.”
Laurie let the water wash over her hair, thinking about Sharon’s idea. Probably the entire family had already discussed the idea of Laurie coming to work there. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the plan, most importantly because she didn’t want to create a disturbance—any more than the one she’d already caused simply by being there.
“It’s going to be okay, you know,” Sharon said as Laurie shut off the water and grabbed the towel Sharon handed her.
“Yeah. I’m not sure I believe that yet.”
“I know you and Melinda have some sort of perceptive abilities, but I have my own intuition. And I sense a calmness when I’m near you, especially when you’re with Zach and Corbin. The three of you belong together.”
Laurie chuckled as she shrugged into clean clothes. “Unfortunately most of the population of both Cambridge and Sojourn feel a distinct unease around me, and a desire to kill when I’m with my mates.”
“They don’t. Not most. Just a few, a noisy few. The silent majority aren’t judging you.”
“I still don’t understand why me? I mean Melinda mated two men. So did Rebecca. Why am I being singled out?”
Sharon shrugged. “I’m guessing it’s because you three are more ‘out,’ so to speak. There was an uproar when Rebecca mated with Griffen and Miles. She even left her job.”
“Right. Forgot about that.”
“But when she settled in at the hospital in Sojourn, the rumors died down. People sort of left her alone. And I’m not sure anyone around here fully realizes about Melinda, Trace, and Keegan. They just keep a lower profile in public.”
“I suppose it would have helped if we hadn’t come down from the mountain that first day practically mauling each other.”
“Even that might have been fine if you had run into anyone other than that particular kid working in the rental area. Caleb Parker is a member of the same church as that woman in there defending Brock—Hazel. Hell, Brock is too. And I think that other woman who defended you is also.”