Shiver(34)

Aidan finished and, giving Raven only a glance, walked toward the exit. She followed. He stopped outside the back doors of the Suburban. She unlocked it and kept her lips buttoned shut. Obviously he wasn’t going to tell her what the doctor had said. Payback for not going into the exam room with him or because her thoughtless, spiteful words had hurt him? She didn’t like the idea that she had hurt him. She wasn’t a mean person. Just a scared one. Scared over what Aidan was making her feel. Memories that he’d resurrected.

She climbed into the Suburban and started it up, waiting for the idle to kick down before putting it in gear. She glanced at him. He stared out the windshield into the frozen trees. “I’m sorry,” she said. There was no response from him, other than the flexing of his jaw. “I didn’t mean to say those things.”

He turned to her, his eyes devoid of emotion. “Yes, you did. And you were right.”

Being right didn’t feel very good. “Are you going to be okay?” She didn’t know if she was asking about his leg or his feelings.

“I’ll be fine.” He turned back to the view out of the frosty window.

Not knowing what else to say, and afraid that whatever she said would make the situation worse, she put the vehicle in reverse and backed out of the parking lot. Since he’d walked out of the doctor’s office without using his crutches, she could only assume his leg wasn’t broken. But the medical boot was a concern. What did that mean? She’d also noticed the pain lines bracketing his mouth. Whatever had happened in that exam room hadn’t been comfortable for Aidan.

She turned back onto Airport Way and headed toward the Arctic Tern located in a cute, rustic log cabin near Pioneer Park.

“What happened to Alaskaland?” Aidan frowned looking at the large sign designating the entrance to one of the town’s main tourist attractions.

“A few years ago the city overhauled the park and changed the name.”

“What was wrong with the old name?”

“We’d all like to know that.” She pulled into the Arctic Tern’s well-cleared and well-kept parking lot and turned off the engine. It was only ten below, and as she didn’t plan to stay long, she didn’t bother plugging the SUV into the electrical outlets in front of each parking space.

Her sister ran a tight and profitable business. A wide-covered porch with benches graced the entrance. In summer, Tern would fill the area with overflowing flower pots, both hanging and squatting. Now, being November, Christmas decorations were already in place. Artificial Christmas trees strung with bright white lights stood as sentries at the doors, while glowing wired reindeer moved their heads to a timer. Soft holiday music piped through the speakers.

Raven opened the back of the Suburban and grabbed the first box. She turned and bumped into Aidan, almost dropping the heavy pottery. Pieces rattled as the box jostled.

“Sorry.” He took the box out of her hands, preventing her from dropping it to the icy ground. “Let me help.”

“I don’t want to take the chance of breaking anything.” She scowled, mentally going through what she had in this box and hoping she hadn’t already done just that. Handles on mugs and pitchers were very breakable, and she had many of those in this delivery. “What about your leg?”

“It’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I won’t break anything.” He muscled past her with the box.

She didn’t have much choice except to let him carry the box. She’d done that last night, and look at what had almost happened. “Fine. But you break it, you’ve bought it.” She grabbed another box and led the way.

He followed her up the wooden steps to the glass-etched door. Tern must have seen them, for she was there at the door opening it for them.

“I didn’t think I was going to see you until the end of the week,” she said, when Raven entered.

“I had to come into town,” Raven huffed out. She needed to put the box down before she dropped it herself. She also needed to pack them lighter. “Didn’t see the reason to waste a trip.” She went around the sales counter and through the door to the storeroom, setting the box on the large table in the center of the small room. Aidan did the same. She took one look at him and noticed the sweat on his forehead, the pain lines deeper around his mouth.

Sure he could handle it. Idiot.

“Take a seat before you fall down.” She pulled out a folding chair. Aidan fell into it. “I told you they were heavy.”

“I didn’t think they were that heavy. How did you carry that?”

“I’ve been doing it for years, and I didn’t just step into a bear trap and break a fever,” she snapped back.