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Chapter Thirty-Two
I heard Trenda and Simon talking as they headed toward my room. It pulled me from the medication-induced haze I'd been drifting in and out of as I waited for Joy to come back with food. Trenda's voice mixed with his as they approached my room, and I forced my eyes open, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lighting.
“There he is.” Simon pushed through the doorway first, Trenda right behind him. “Looking like he went ten rounds with a freight train and lost.”
“Thanks for the pep talk.” I shifted against the pillows, wincing as the movement sent fire through my ribs. “Where's Joy? She went to find me some decent food.”
Trenda immediately switched into her authoritative mother voice, the same tone she used when explaining why Bella couldn’t have ice cream for breakfast. “Graham, you need to eat only what they give you. Your body is still recovering.”
“Bullshit. It’s been two days. I'm fine.”
“You have two broken ribs and a severe concussion. You're lucky you didn’t have to have surgery.” Trenda pulled out her phone, probably to text Joy about my medical restrictions. “The last thing your body needs is to process heavy food when it's trying to heal.”
Simon wandered closer to the small table beside my bed, his eyebrows rising as he took in the massive bouquet of white lilies and pink roses. His gaze shifted to the teddy bear wearing a “Get Well Soon” t-shirt, and a grin spread across his face.
“Well, I'll be damned. Graham Wallace has a pink teddy bear.” He picked up the stuffed animal, examining it like it might explode. “Didn't know you were into stuffed animals.”
“Huh. First I’m seeing it.” I frowned at the bear.
Simon spotted the small card tucked into the flowers and plucked it out. His expression shifted as he read. “It's from Glenda.”
“Who the hell is Glenda?” he asked.
“I don’t know.”
The door pushed open. “We’re back with food. Two breakfast burritos as requested.” Roxie grinned as she held up a greasy white sack. “Where’s Joy?”
“What a cute pink teddy bear. Are you going to keep him?” Ava asked Graham.
“Sure I am, right next to my snow globe collection,” Graham snarked. “Do you know who Glenda is?”
“Sure, she’s the woman who’s gone out with us a couple of times,” Ava shrugged. “The one who adopted the kitten. Wait a minute. Are you saying she gave you the teddy? That’s kind of weird.”
“Oh yeah, Joy’s mentioned her. Maybe she's just being nice,” I suggested, though something about the whole thing felt off. “Joy mentioned she was going through a breakup.”
“Maybe she has a thing for you.” Trenda laughed.
Roxie laughed. “No way, she has a thing for Joy.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“She’s all touchy-feely with Joy. She hasn’t told you?”
“She mentioned that the chick is a little off. That she tries too hard to make friends.”
Roxie laughed again. “That’s one way to put it. But I guess it’s nice that she sent you flowers.”
“And a teddy bear,” Simon reminded us.
The conversation died as the reality of the other day's events settled back over us like a heavy blanket. My truck. The cut brake lines. The crash that should have killed me.
“So?” I prompted.
“Roan confirmed it.” Simon's expression turned grim. “Both brake lines were sliced with a sharp blade, probably a box cutter or utility knife. Clean cuts, positioned so they'd start leaking fluid as soon as you started driving.”
“Professional job?”
“Smart enough. Whoever did it had studied up on it, positioned the cuts so they'd start leaking just when you needed the brakes most.”
