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“I should take a look at your cut,” she said, interrupting them.
Three pairs of eyes looked at her in surprise. Then Brady must have noticed the dried blood on Joe’s neck.
“It’s no big deal,” Joe said. “We have more important issues to discuss.”
“Fine. You talk while I bandage.” She stood and walked through the kitchen and living room to find the bathroom. There she found soap and towels but no bandages.
“You want me to get Alanna’s first aid kit?” Brady asked.
Joe scoffed. “You mean that suitcase disguised as a first aid kit? That’s not necessary.” He rose from the table. “I’ll take care of it myself.”
Swallowing a wave of annoyance, she spun on her heel and followed him to the bathroom. “Here.” She thrust the soap and towels at him. “I guess you don’t need me.”
“Elly, wait.” Joe caught her arm. “Are you okay? You seem upset.”
She bit back a sarcastic reply. “There isn’t much I can do to help, but I am an EMT. First aid is what I do.”
“Ah, okay. But I thought you didn’t like blood.”
“I got over it.” She gestured to the commode, so he sat down. “Responding to the injured victims at the parade put an end to that.” It wasn’t entirely true. If she imagined the bloody scene of the ice skaters or the pool of blood running down from Kyle’s body, the nausea returned. But the bloody area on Joe’s neck didn’t bother her. It was minimal in the big scheme of things.
It was all about perspective.
“Okay, then.” He took off his sweatshirt, revealing the vest he wore beneath. “Have at it.”
She cleaned the wound with soap and water, relieved to find he was right about the injury not being serious. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t mention my irrational fears to my siblings.”
“Of course not,” Joe quickly assured her.
She nodded and patted the skin around the laceration with a dry towel. “It wouldn’t hurt to put antibiotic ointment on this.”
“Later.” He shrugged back into his shirt. “Thanks.”
She stood for a moment, her head down.
“Hey. It’s going to be okay.” Joe stood and wrapped one arm around her shoulders.
She leaned against him, trying to find the words to explain her feelings. Then she looked up at him. “I need one more thing from you.”
He nodded. “Sure. Name it.”
“This.” She lifted onto her tiptoes and kissed him.
It only took a second for Joe to respond to her kiss, the way she’d hoped he would. This kiss even better than the last one. He hauled her closer, angling his mouth over hers in a way that sent shock waves through her body down to the soles of her feet.
Surely Joe couldn’t kiss her like that if he was completely indifferent to her.
The sound of a throat clearing had Joe breaking off their embrace and stumbling backward as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough.
“What’s going on?” Brady asked.
She glared at her brother, but Joe lifted his hands. “Elly was upset. I—didn’t mean, I only wanted to offer comfort...”
His words washed over her like an ice-cold shower. He didn’t care about her, not in the way she’d thought.
No, it was clear that Joe wasn’t going to accept her love, no matter how much she wanted him to.
* * *
