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“You look beautiful in purple and yellow.” He deadpanned.
She couldn’t help but laugh at the ridiculous comment. “Gee. Thanks.” She sighed. “Guess I’ll face the music.” She climbed out of the car and Ella rushed to her side.
“Slow down, munchkin,” Zander warned. “She’s the walking wounded.”
Ella stopped dead. “Are you okay? You look terrible.”
“Ella!” Her father chided.
“Well, she does, but she looks cool too.”
“I’ll have some scars to show off later, won’t I.” She greeted everyone and accepted their condolences on her condition. “I appreciate all the support; it means a lot.”
“You’re family,” Beth said. “Bellamies support each other. Come on, I’ve got tea and snacks ready in the dining room.”
“You made snacks?” Zander teased his mom.
“I didn’t say that. I said I had them ready. Why would I try and bake when there’s a perfectly good kitchen staff with way more talent than I have?” She took Heather by the arm and led her inside. The inn was cool after the blazing sun outside and it smelled deliciously of sweet baked goods. Beth led her to the dining room.
“Wow, this looks amazing.” Heather stared at the table. Full tea and coffee service was laid on the sideboard and the table was covered in sweets. Cinnamon rolls, four kinds of cookies, muffins, cupcakes, mini apple pies, and individual strawberry shortcakes. The table was draped in a white linen cloth with pretty blue plates and cups and saucers. It was fit for high tea. “Thanks for this.”
Her sous chef came out of the kitchen. “Heather, good to have you back.”
“Billy, it’s good to be back. Did I miss anything? Where are we at with the preparations for the celebration?”
“Oh no you don’t,” Zander warned in unison with his brother Derrick.
“Tea first,” Zander ordered. “Then you can dive in. Sit here.” He led her to the head of the table and helped her sit. She was still achingly stiff and sore. Her bruised back was the worst. “Now,” he said, “take one of these before you do anything else. You have to be sore from the trip.” He passed her the prescription bottle.
“Thanks. I’m okay. I don’t like it; it muddles my head. I need a clear head to work.”
“Take it,” he ordered. “Nurse Crabby said you need to keep taking it.”
“Who’s Nurse Crabby,” Ella asked.
“I was in the hospital, in emerg, and my roommate called Zander.”
“And I rushed to her aid, leaving my favorite brother to fend for himself in the hospital,” Zander declared.
“Suck it,” Tyson said. “I didn’t need you, I had Mom.”
“Anyway,” Zander went on, ignoring Tyson. “I got there and because I wasn’t family, Nurse Crabby wouldn’t even let me in. So, I waited until she was busy.” He paused dramatically. “And I snuck past her to find Heather. There was this big burly Canadian cop .…” he went on to over dramatize the whole time he was at the hospital.
Everyone listened with different degrees of skepticism.
“So, you save her again, like you did with the cat!” Ella exclaimed. “That’s so cool. You’re like a knight in shining armor.”
“He’s more like a knight in battered tinfoil,” Heather said. “But he’s okay.”
He nudged the meds toward her. In the end, she settled for some over-the-counter pain relief and a big cup of lemon raspberry tea.
♥♥♥
Zander snuck a glance at Heather where she sat behind a folding table, under a pop-up tent, and talked to the proud new parents of a teacup poodle. He moved closer so he could watch her. Lord, he couldn’t get enough of staring at her. Her every action brought a smile to his face.
“Here you go,” she handed the couple a gift certificate to Tweets and Growls Pet Shop. Every family adopting a pet over the weekend received one. “Let me get you some information.” She organized a folder with pet care instructions, the vet clinic’s information, and dog training schools in the area. “This should be everything you need.”
“Thanks so much. We’re going to love Oscar,” the woman gushed.
