AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Bently handed her his phone. “Could you text him for me? It’s under Andre Stone.”
“Sure.” She took the phone from his hand, while balancing Mia’s unconscious body against her lap. She found his contact information and typed out the message before handing the phone back to Bently, her fingers grazing his. The skin tingled where he’d touched her.
He picked up the radio and alerted dispatch to notify the hospital that they were incoming.
“How did TJ tell you about Mia?”
Bently’s brow furrowed. “I gave him my number. Wanted to send him some information about Hope Facility that my friend Aaron runs. It’s for homeless teens and kids from troubled homes mainly, but it’s open to all kids in the community. They have basketball courts and a game room. It seemed like he might be having some trouble making friends, and I just thought it might be useful. Sorry if I overstepped.”
Her stomach knotted. When did this happen? And why didn’t TJ tell me? She wasn’t expecting Bently’s honesty, and it was just one more piece of the conflicting puzzle of Bently Evans.
“I’m sorry I called you a pig, Bently. It was uncalled for. I apologize for reacting so harshly.”
His gaze flashed to hers once more in the mirror.
“Thank you for that.” Switching his blinker on, Bently turned down the road leading to the hospital. “I’m sorry if I made you feel unsafe at any time. That was never my intention.” His voice was gruff.
Bently didn’t say another word or look at her again before they pulled in front of the emergency department doors.
A line of nurses, all of whom she recognized, were waiting with a gurney for Mia. The doors opened and they got Mia out and rushed into the hospital. Belle climbed over and then Bently shut the door. She tilted her head to the sky and closed her eyes. It had stopped raining. Eyes still shut, the damp cool air clung to her and sent a shiver through her. When she opened them, Bently’s gaze dropped to the ground as if he’d been staring.
“Do you want a ride home? I’m heading that way to get Mia’s family.” He only stood a few feet away, leaning against his truck. But it felt as though he was smothering her.
It seemed the tension between them had returned, making it hard to breathe. Why had things changed? Was it TJ’s questions in the car earlier? Or the way he’d jumped in and cared for this woman so readily? Could it be the fact that he wasn’t pursuing her anymore? She forced in a lungful of crisp, wet air. “TJ should be along soon.”
Bently nodded. “Do you want me to wait until he gets here?”
The kind gesture was yet another reminder of how unfair she’d been to him. The more time she spent with him in different scenarios, the more she could see the makings of one of those rare good men.
“I’ll be fine, but thank you.”
He stood and walked to the driver’s side before climbing in and offering her a wave as he left. His red taillights glowed in the cloudy afternoon.
“What did you do, Belle?” she asked herself aloud. Maybe she’d let her fear dictate too much of her life.
And just maybe, she’d ruined her shot at happiness because of it.
Chapter 11
Belle
Warm sunrays made the crisp wind tolerable. Colored leaves rustled in the breeze as Belle walked down Main Street. The epicenter of the small town, the little shops were clustered together on this stretch of road. A far cry from the inner-city streets she’d grown up on.
Cinnamon and spices wafted through the air, no doubt from the Stardust Café on the other side of the street. Oh, she could kill for a good coffee. And perhaps a good book to distract her from all the confusion Bently had created in her head.
She ducked into the bookstore to grab some reading material, then walked to the café. She adjusted her bag of purchases and pulled open the door with her free hand as a gust of wind blew, making her hair fly in her face. She went inside and pushed the door shut as the bells rang together from the disturbance. Sweet baked goods and the earthy fragrance of coffee melded together, enveloping her in a scented embrace.
Picking her hair from where it stuck to her ChapStick, Belle walked to the counter, studying the colorful chalkboard menu on the wall in the otherwise empty café.
A little girl dashed in front of her. “Is that a present?”
Belle glanced at the bag in her hand and then to the little girl. “I guess it kind of is.” A gift to me from myself.
She smiled, showing off a few missing teeth. “I love presents. Christmas is only two more months away. Then I can get presents!”
“Lyra, I asked you to stay in the back room while I finished changing your brother.”
Belle glanced up as a dark woman walked through the back door, adjusting a baby on her hip.
