Page 18 of Welcome Home to Ivy Falls

‘No. But you’re here, and… you were chatting… and…’

Shit. I need to stop talking.

‘For your information, Dex is part of the summer musical I’m directing over at the community theater.’

‘Oh, that makes sense.’

Yeah, I was sounding even dumber now. What was it about this woman that made me so damn flustered?

I turned my attention back to Dex. ‘Where are your folks?’

His shoulders sagged. ‘My dad lives in Knoxville, and my mom is working over on Silverlake Street.’

‘I called her as we walked over here,’ Piper said. ‘She said you have permission to examine him.’

At that moment, Shirley slid in the door. Her red hair tucked into a tight bun. ‘Dex’s mom, Rachel, called. Said she can’t get away for a few more minutes, but that she signed a medical release for the theater program in case of emergency.’

‘Fine. Let’s get started.’

I grabbed the otoscope off the wall and walked toward the exam table. My gaze clashed with Piper’s. There was something about her that was magnetic. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Of course she was beautiful, but there was a quiet resilience hidden beneath her steely attitude. A steady thrum to her personality that drew me in. Made me want to know more about her.

‘I need you to move so I can look in his ears.’

‘Oh, yeah. Right.’ She scooted away to sit on a nearby chair.

Being gentle, I looked in one ear. The kid had jammed the candy pretty deep into the ear canal.

‘Shirley, can you grab me a pair of forceps?’

For the first time since I’d entered the room, the kid’s tough demeanor crumbled.

‘What’s that?’ he gulped.

She opened the sterile package and handed them to me. I held them up for Dex. ‘These are like tweezers and will help grab the candy.’

‘Will it hurt?’ he squeaked.

‘No, it may feel uncomfortable for a minute though.’

The kid’s worried gaze flicked to Piper. Without hesitation, she pulled her chair close and reached for his hand. The silver rings on her fingers glittered in the pale light of the room.

‘How old are you, Dex?’ I asked.

He puffed out his chest. ‘I’ll be thirteen in August.’

I tried to grab the candy but could only grasp small bits. Shirley stepped closer and I whispered to her about another idea I had and she left the room.

‘Yep. That was the year of “The Great Brother Battle” for me.’

‘What’s that?’ Dex asked.

‘The summer I turned thirteen my older brother, Grayden, who was sixteen at the time, was a real pain in the a…’

Piper arched a brow at me.

‘He was a menace, always harassing me and my friends. Constantly challenging us to do stupid things like jump off our roof into the pool.’

‘Cool,’ he gushed.