they ate and
partied, jumping from boat to boat.
“Come on, Greer!” Wyatt tugged at her hand.
Jerked back to the present, she saw Chas and Liam watching
her with concern. Greer took a deep breath and smiled.
“Sorry.”
“Everything okay?” The question, coming from Liam, surprised
her, as did the soft concern in his dark eyes. Two words and a look was
apparently all it took to turn her into jumble of emotion.
“I’m good.”
When they weaved their way to the patio, the band was in
full swing, the lyrics of an old Beatles tune floating out over the crowd in
the lead guitarist’s mellow tenor. Most of the tables were full, and the band
seemed to have its own group of fans hovering nearby. Greer didn’t see any
available seats. She gnawed at her lower lip, knowing what would come next. The
question was who would voice the suggestion.
“I wanna see the boats.” Another tug from Wyatt, harder this
time because Greer felt as though her feet had suddenly glued themselves to the
walkway. While people laughed as they passed by, Wyatt led her closer to the
river. Boats bobbed at their moorings, the sun glinted off the water and, in
the distance, the long silhouette of a barge chugged downstream.
Her throat started to close.
“Why don’t you let Daddy take you to see the boats, Wyatt,”
Chas suggested at the same time he firmly grasped her opposite arm. “Greer and
I are going to sit under this tree for a few minutes and listen to the music.”
She was only dimly aware of Liam swinging Wyatt into his
arms and giving her a steady, questioning look. Greer looked away. She didn’t
know what to say, how to explain, but when she looked at Chas, she saw the
knowledge in his expression.
“Breathe, Greer. We’ll talk in a minute. You need me to
count you?”
“No.” She glanced uneasily at the water. “Can we go back,
closer to the band?”
“No problem.” Chas tucked her arm in his and led her in that
direction.
Greer glanced at the musicians, an eclectic mix of guys
playing music that sat well with a clientele a little older than the crowd on
most of the boats. She sighed.
“You know, don’t you?”
“About the accident? Your injuries? Yes.” He guided her to a
seat on a bench under a towering cottonwood tree. Taking her hand in his, he
gently rubbed. “Greer, honey, if just getting this close to the river does this
to you…”
“Stop!” she hissed. “It’s not just that. We hung out here,
mostly where all those boats are docked. I’d bet if I went down there, I
probably know half the people there. I was the proverbial river rat, and so
was…”
Chas stared at her. “Markus?”
Greer pulled her hand away. “You were very thorough in your
research, Dr. Lynch. Did you check out my medical records too? After all, you
work at the biggest trauma center in the area.”
He didn’t need to answer. She saw the flush on his cheeks.
“I saw the edge of your burn. Saw how you reacted the other
night. I wasn’t trying to be nosy, just trying to understand.”
“Why? So you could suggest I take meds or see a shrink? Is
the next step firing me because I’m too screwed up to be around your kid?”
Before he could respond a high-pitched female voice
squealed. “Greer! What are you doing here?”
She was hauled to her feet and wrapped in a bone-crushing
hug. Even feeling the contact to her scarred flesh through her clothing made
her cringe, as if somewhere deep inside her psyche she believed they would feel
her disfigurement. As politely as she could, Greer tried to pull away.
“Where the hell have you been?” Cassie asked. They’d
been casual friends all through school, had hung out on the river during long,
hot summers, and Greer hadn’t seen one glimpse of her in the weeks following
her accident, let alone the years.
“I’ve been around. How are you, Cassie?”
“Good…” She saw her former friend’s eyes drifting to Chas.
Without waiting for an introduction, she stuck out her
partied, jumping from boat to boat.
“Come on, Greer!” Wyatt tugged at her hand.
Jerked back to the present, she saw Chas and Liam watching
her with concern. Greer took a deep breath and smiled.
“Sorry.”
“Everything okay?” The question, coming from Liam, surprised
her, as did the soft concern in his dark eyes. Two words and a look was
apparently all it took to turn her into jumble of emotion.
“I’m good.”
When they weaved their way to the patio, the band was in
full swing, the lyrics of an old Beatles tune floating out over the crowd in
the lead guitarist’s mellow tenor. Most of the tables were full, and the band
seemed to have its own group of fans hovering nearby. Greer didn’t see any
available seats. She gnawed at her lower lip, knowing what would come next. The
question was who would voice the suggestion.
“I wanna see the boats.” Another tug from Wyatt, harder this
time because Greer felt as though her feet had suddenly glued themselves to the
walkway. While people laughed as they passed by, Wyatt led her closer to the
river. Boats bobbed at their moorings, the sun glinted off the water and, in
the distance, the long silhouette of a barge chugged downstream.
Her throat started to close.
“Why don’t you let Daddy take you to see the boats, Wyatt,”
Chas suggested at the same time he firmly grasped her opposite arm. “Greer and
I are going to sit under this tree for a few minutes and listen to the music.”
She was only dimly aware of Liam swinging Wyatt into his
arms and giving her a steady, questioning look. Greer looked away. She didn’t
know what to say, how to explain, but when she looked at Chas, she saw the
knowledge in his expression.
“Breathe, Greer. We’ll talk in a minute. You need me to
count you?”
“No.” She glanced uneasily at the water. “Can we go back,
closer to the band?”
“No problem.” Chas tucked her arm in his and led her in that
direction.
Greer glanced at the musicians, an eclectic mix of guys
playing music that sat well with a clientele a little older than the crowd on
most of the boats. She sighed.
“You know, don’t you?”
“About the accident? Your injuries? Yes.” He guided her to a
seat on a bench under a towering cottonwood tree. Taking her hand in his, he
gently rubbed. “Greer, honey, if just getting this close to the river does this
to you…”
“Stop!” she hissed. “It’s not just that. We hung out here,
mostly where all those boats are docked. I’d bet if I went down there, I
probably know half the people there. I was the proverbial river rat, and so
was…”
Chas stared at her. “Markus?”
Greer pulled her hand away. “You were very thorough in your
research, Dr. Lynch. Did you check out my medical records too? After all, you
work at the biggest trauma center in the area.”
He didn’t need to answer. She saw the flush on his cheeks.
“I saw the edge of your burn. Saw how you reacted the other
night. I wasn’t trying to be nosy, just trying to understand.”
“Why? So you could suggest I take meds or see a shrink? Is
the next step firing me because I’m too screwed up to be around your kid?”
Before he could respond a high-pitched female voice
squealed. “Greer! What are you doing here?”
She was hauled to her feet and wrapped in a bone-crushing
hug. Even feeling the contact to her scarred flesh through her clothing made
her cringe, as if somewhere deep inside her psyche she believed they would feel
her disfigurement. As politely as she could, Greer tried to pull away.
“Where the hell have you been?” Cassie asked. They’d
been casual friends all through school, had hung out on the river during long,
hot summers, and Greer hadn’t seen one glimpse of her in the weeks following
her accident, let alone the years.
“I’ve been around. How are you, Cassie?”
“Good…” She saw her former friend’s eyes drifting to Chas.
Without waiting for an introduction, she stuck out her
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