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The salesperson chose that exact moment to come back, a smile on her face, and hands clasped in anticipation. “Are you ready to go take a look? I can help you choose, if shopping isn’t your thing.”
“Please, Brynn. Go. Take your time. Jacob and I can catch up on the baseball game.”
She sighed and rubbed her temple. “I won’t be long.”
Forty-five minutes later, Brynn was leaving the store with a new pair of jeans, a couple of shirts, a windbreaker, and a sturdy pair of sneakers. Neo held up his end of the deal and didn’t push her to get more. She was secretly thrilled by the feel of the new shoes, and the buttery, stretchy fabric of the jeans. The only uncomfortable moment was when the salesperson tried to get her to try on shorts, but she respected Brynn’s wishes when she adamantly refused. She was self-conscious about her scars, and that was something that wouldn’t change, even if summer did get a bit hot with fabric hugging her from hip to ankle.
The red-brick path toward the aquarium was one she and Jacob had walked many times. Jacob’s head was turning from left to right, taking in the sights. Less than ten feet from them, a trio of seagulls spread their wings and swooped to the ground for a discarded cracker, squabbling over their find. In the distance, the harbor churned, dark and choppy, with tiny waves cresting with whitecaps. Before his mom left, Brynn would spend hours walking with Jacob around Boston Harbor and visiting the aquarium. She was glad they were able to visit again before they left for Virginia.
A gust of wind tangled through her hair, carrying a spray of ocean mist. She coated her lungs with salt and brine-laden air. “I don’t want to admit it, but I’m much more comfortable now that I have this jacket. Thank you.” It wasn’t lost on her that for the first time, she’d trusted someone besides her beloved grandmother, a man, without some terrible repercussion following. Without strings or pain.
“I don’t want gratitude.” His expression shuttered. “Not to mention you bought every piece.”
The hood of Jacob’s coat blew forward, covering his eyes, and she smoothed it back. “You’re not going to say I told you so?” She stole a glance at him, but he was already looking down at her intently.
“No.” His jaw was hard and well defined. At first, he appeared cold with no softness to be found, especially in the sea-glass-green depths of his eyes. She wasn’t afraid of him, though. All the subtle nuances of his body language screamed protector. The way he was constantly assessing their surroundings or stepping off of the curb first, then turning his body toward her and Jacob like he was creating a physical barrier between them and traffic. He swore. He was blunt. But she knew better than most that evil sometimes lived beneath smooth, polished surfaces. “I will never say I told you so. Your choices are your own, and I’m sure you have good reason for making them.”
There was no line at the outdoor ticket counter, a stark contrast to weekend days during the summer. Neo purchased admission for three, and they paused to watch the seals sliding and weaving in the water through an outdoor viewing center. When they entered, there was a green screen set up in the corner of the lobby with a photographer, just beyond the turnstiles. One of the aquarium employees directed them to an accessible gate and ushered them through.
“Welcome to the New England Aquarium. Step right over here so we can get a family photo for you.” The man holding the camera grinned. She paused, waiting for Neo to correct the man but he didn’t.
She took a few steps to the right and crouched beside the front wheels of Jacob’s chair. “Would you like a picture with your brother?” She gave him the option of yes or no. He chose yes.
Neo stepped closer. “Should we get Brynn in this picture, too?” Jacob immediately turned his head toward his brother.
“I guess we’re all taking a photo, then.” She didn’t do social media—a bunch of photographs of her circulating around the internet didn’t sit well. Not that she was hiding, but she was cautious. This was different, though; it was just one picture. The camera man could’ve played the role of Santa Claus during the winter months, but each time he lowered his camera, the twinkle in his eye was only visible through the glaze of his tears.
The photographer removed the camera strap from his neck and put down his equipment. “Would it be okay for me to say hello?” The man’s voice was thick with emotion.
Neo tensed beside her. Without thinking, she gave his arm a gentle squeeze of reassurance. His muscles bunched beneath her touch, and he froze. She dropped her hand at his reaction. Shoot. Neo’s body language told her loud and clear that he didn’t appreciate being touched, and even though she had the most innocent of intentions, she’d crossed a hard line. Pushing the awkward moment with Neo to the back of her mind, she took a few steps forward. “Jacob enjoys meeting new people.” Brynn gave the older man an encouraging smile.
“My granddaughter, Rose, is at Boston Children’s Hospital.” The man shuffled closer. “She was recently diagnosed with cerebral palsy. They say she’s going to be nonambulatory.” The man painstakingly lowered himself down to one knee and moved his gaze from Brynn to Jacob. “Hi there.” He stopped to clear his throat. “I’m Bill. My granddaughter’s going to be getting a pair of wheels like this soon.”
Jacob looked at him and offered one of his blinding smiles, and his eyes shined with so much light it was like clouds parting, soaking everything in sunshine. The man’s eyes filled. “It’s helped me to meet you. Your road can’t be easy, but your smile…it helps me, you know. Seeing you look so happy with your family here, it helps. You must be one tough kid.” He patted Jacob’s arm and slowly rose on slightly bowed legs.
A tight knot formed in Brynn’s throat, and she moved forward, wrapping her arms around the old man’s neck. “And Rose will help others someday, too. The diagnosis is hard, but your family isn’t alone. Children with medical challenges might have different obstacles, more challenges, but I’ve learned through my time with Jacob that they’re resilient and determined. Their lives can be filled with happiness and joy like anyone else. I’d like to give you my email address if that’s okay, in case your family wants to connect.”
The man drew his hands across his cheek, brushing off the tears. He mouthed thank you and walked back to the desk positioned in front of the green screen, picking up a pamphlet for the aquarium. She grabbed a pen from the table and noted down her contact information before their trio entered the building at the penguin habitat. While she and Jacob watched the flightless birds dive and dip through the water, she could feel Neo’s eyes on her. And when they ascended the walkway that wound around a giant ocean tank, she was sure his gaze was more focused on her than the shimmering scales gliding through the coral reef.
Neo’s intensity unnerved her. Made her brain unfocused and her hands and feet clumsy. Maybe he was still wondering why she’d touched his arm, but her knee-jerk reaction had been to soothe some of the distress that was rolling off of him. She wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. She wasn’t sure what he was looking for or whether he’d eventually find it, and she certainly shouldn’t care beyond his perception of her nursing abilities. Shouldn’t and wouldn’t. They were nothing but an employer and an employee.
Chapter Five
Neo leaned back in the ergonomic chair, trying and failing to get Jacob’s nurse off of his mind. Brynn’s goodness once again put him to shame. Although a flare of protectiveness swept over him when she gave out her personal information, he couldn’t deny that she’d touched the photographer at the aquarium. Bottom line, if the world had more Brynns it would be a hell of a nicer place. When the photographer asked to say hello to Jacob, he’d been hit with a wave of stress, unsure of the man’s intentions. Then, the weight of Brynn’s small hand had landed on his elbow, letting him know it was all right. Her touch had instantly settled something inside him. It was natural. Right. So much so that his body instantly fired off warning signals. She could mean something to him. Maybe she already did. Staying solidly in place, barely breathing, was the only way to rein in the powerful sensation coursing through him. Vulnerability laced with anticipation. The sense that he’d stumbled upon a treasure. One that if he was smart, he’d die to keep.
Of course, that line of thinking was absurd. He’d never let a woman close enough to own his heart. Any hint of an emotional connection and he was out the door—not that he’d ever felt something for a woman beyond physical attraction. Brynn was different. He could already feel her taking root beneath his skin, and his brain sure as hell didn’t want her there, but his heart hadn’t gotten the message. A therapist would say he had issues of self-worth and rejection. They wouldn’t be wrong. Blocks of small hurts had stacked up one after the other, until his emotions were sealed off behind the impenetrable wall they’d constructed.
Still, when they got back to the hotel, he’d watched Brynn administer Jacob’s medications and treatments, trying his best to keep up, and he’d been impressed. She was so swift and efficient. Movements brisk and calculated, yet warm and tender. He’d met Jacob and Brynn in the lobby restaurant for dinner, and was surprised when she told him she was ready to discuss their relocation to Virginia after Jacob was tucked in for the night. The previous night, she was wary to have him in the same space as her, but now she’d invited him in. A little part of her trusted him, and that felt damn good. He glanced at the time on his cell phone and stood from the workspace in the corner of the hotel room. On a whim, he grabbed two small bottles of wine and another beer from the mini fridge, in case that’s what she preferred, and crossed the hall.
He lifted his hand and rapped quietly on the door. It swung open, and for what seemed like the hundredth time that day her eyes, so blue, connected with his, stealing the breath from his lungs. Her hair was damp, the dark strands spilling over her white, robe-clad shoulders.
“Did you check the peephole before you opened the door?” His voice was harsher than he intended. When it came to safety, it was in his nature to notice the danger in every crevice of his surroundings.
“Of course I did.” She frowned at him and retreated back to let him inside.
“Good. You never know.” The door shut behind him.
“You certainly don’t.” She was glancing down at her hands when he turned to wait for her. He didn’t want to assume she was okay with him making himself at home in her space.
