In a town full of superstitious people, he and Elise were the only skeptics. They shared some of the burden of asking the obvious questions and pointing out the irrational antics. Elise was close with Seth, and it would never have occurred to Christopher to question her beliefs about Soupy. Logic and reason weren’t the basis for attraction. And he’d never been drawn to Elise the way Ashley pulled him. She had been his sun.
He’d avoided her all day. His head urged him to start the talk with the lawyer, but his broken heart couldn’t handle going through with it. Without her, he had hidden under a cloud. In only a few hours, he had forced himself back into the shade and withered. He hated it. He needed her. She was quite content on her own.
In his back pocket, his cell phone buzzed.
He reached for his phone with one hand and set the bowl in the sink with the other.
He swiped the screen with his thumb and froze. As the text popped up, he was colder than ice, his blood chilling his veins.
My wife: OTW to hospital with Steve Prim. Hurry.
The message didn’t give him enough information. Was Steve hurt? Or was Ashley seriously injured? What had happened?
The side door crashed against a wall.
A fresh-faced teen, dressed in the logo-emblazoned green polo the summer groundskeeping staff wore, rushed in.
“Sir, the lighthouse collapsed.”
Christopher’s jaw dropped. He looked from the teen to his phone and back again. Ashley must have been inside. His throat swelled, threatening to cut off his oxygen supply. He coughed, forcing the airway open. He’d focus on taking action. “Get Mr. Willie and tell him to block off the area. The lake is already off-limits. I have to be somewhere right now. It’s urgent.”
The pimpled-faced kid nodded. But his gaze slid to the side.
“Now. Go.” Christopher never yelled at his employees.
The teen needed the verbal push. He raced away.
Christopher had never been so directionless and in need of a firm hand to guide him. Although, he’d had two. Xavier and Ashley. The strong-willed Hales took charge of him for most of his youth. His past didn’t matter.She’s hurt, and it’s my fault.
He exited the building without another glance at the staff and hopped in his SUV. He depressed the accelerator to the floor mat, driving as fast as he could. If a deputy stopped him, he’d explain the situation and probably earn an escort. Staying in one place a person’s whole life had a few benefits.
He reached the hospital in record time, parking in the main lot and racing inside.
“Christopher?”
He stopped inside the automatic doors, his shoes squeaking against the tiles and turned.
Behind the main desk, Lauren Jenkins waved. “She’s in room 213.”
He nodded and jogged past the elevator banks and up the stairs. In a small town, he couldn’t escape the people causing him trouble. Bumping into their siblings was inevitable. Pushing Zach Jenkins out of his mind, he raced ahead. He reached her room, doubling over as he dragged in every burning breath he could.
“Christopher?” Ashley asked.
He straightened, his chest heaving from his exertion, and saluted her.
In a hospital gown, she sat on a bed with a sheet covering her legs.
Superficially, she looked okay. The surroundings added a sense of drama, but she wasn’t visibly bandaged and had no beeping machines attached to her. Appearances could be deceiving. In this case, he wouldn’t guess the extent of her trauma.
She was admitted for observation. Whatever it was, he would support her. He’d stand by her and help her get through it.For better or worse. He hated to think this was how they found each other again, but he would not waste the chance to prove himself. “Ashley, let me say I?—”
“Shh. He’s only just stepped out to make a call,” she hissed.
“Who?”
“Steve Prim.” She waved for him to approach.
Christopher rounded the bed. Facing the door, he could monitor the entrance. He leaned close.
