AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“My word, but you’re a devil.”
Millie laughed and said her goodbyes with a promise to return. She had no doubt Bent would be home for the holidays. The man was too damn stubborn not to be.
She was a few feet from the nurse’s station when she spied Tabitha Bailey in a heated conversation with Mackenzie Fischer.
“But everyone knows that Bent and I are together.” Tabitha’s voice rose as she squared off with the doctor. Dressed head to toe in black, her hair looked like platinum sunshine spilling down her shoulders.
“I’m sorry, but it’s only family allowed. Mr. Bridgestone is recovering from serious injuries, as you know.”
“Unbelievable.” Her voice spat venom. “Does Bent know I’ve been coming by?”
“He’s aware.”
Tabitha glanced up just then and spied Millie Sue. Her chin jutted forward, and her eyes were glacial. “Since when is Millie Sue Jenkins family?”
Mackenzie all but rolled her eyes as she stepped back. “Around these parts, the Jenkinses and the Bridgestonesarefamily.”
“Well, if he’s okay to seeher, I think it’s ridiculous you won’t allow me five minutes.”
Millie couldn’t hear Mackenzie’s reply, but the doctor headed toward the elevators and disappeared from view. With no choice but to walk past Tabitha, Millie moved toward the exit as well, but was stopped by the clearly agitated blonde.
“Can you believe this?” she said. “Since when is a hospital run like a police state?”
“They have rules for a reason, Tabitha. I only spent a few minutes with Bent, and it’s obvious he needs to rest. We want him home by the holidays.”
Her eyebrow shot up at that. “He’s going to be home for Thanksgiving?”
Millie could all but see the wheels turning in the woman’s head. Tabitha’s lips pursed as she dug out her cell phone. “I guess I’ll send him a message.”
She didn’t bother to let Tabitha know that Bent’s phone had been destroyed in the accident and he didn’t yet have a replacement. She made to walk by her, but Tabitha had a parting shot.
“So, you and Cal. I didn’t know you two had history.”
Millie’s hackles were up in an instant, and she didn’t bother to keep the dislike from her voice. “Why would you? We were kids, and it was over a long time ago.”
Tabitha’s eyes narrowed. “It didn’t look over last night.”
“That’s your interpretation.”
“It is.” Tabitha smiled, a cold sort of thing that added zero warmth to her eyes. “And it’s funny how everyone clams up when I ask about you two.”
“We like to keep our private stuff private.”
“Please, small-town gossip is a rite of passage for places like this.”
“But you’re an outsider, Tabitha. One with an agenda. That’s the difference.” Gone were the niceties. Millie didn’t care anymore.
“Huh.” Tabitha slowly slipped her cell phone back into her purse. “Angel Marino doesn’t play by your stupid rules. She went on and on about you two.”
“Angel likes to talk. She always has.”
“You’re right about that.” Her voice was deceptively warm. “I know she was the one spreading all that unfortunate gossip about me and my ex when we split. And just for the record, I dumped him. It wasn’t the other way around.”
“Noted.” It was hard to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Especially when she knew for a fact her ex had cut his losses, of which Tabitha was the biggest, and then he’d run.
“I’ve got a question, though.” Tabitha Bailey was a predator, and right now she had Millie Sue in her sights. “I find that when people protest too much, it’s usually for a reason.” Gone was the fake warmth. “And that makes me wonder what it is you’re hiding.”
Millie’s heart turned over, and it took everything in her to keep a smile pasted on her face.
