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He reached out for her hand. “Let’s see if we can get you on your feet.”
Using her left hand to hold up her skirt, Charity slipped her right hand into his and stood. She wobbled a little at first but quickly seemed to get her bearings. And then she kicked off those high-heeled shoes and let go of his hand, standing with her skirt hiked up above the injured area.
“Thank you again for everything.” She leaned over and scooped up Gracie with her one free hand, then set her on the ground. “I’m going to take Gracie out and go to bed. By the time I wake up, I’ll be all healed.”
The smile she added to the end of that seemed almost an afterthought, and it didn’t quite reach her eyes. He suspected she was putting on a brave front, but deep down, she was hurt.
The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her, but the longer he stuck around, the harder it would be for both of them. He needed to get out now before she started picking away at the wall he’d built around his heart again. Before he slipped and told her he was still in love with her. Maybe he’d never fully stopped loving her.
“Take care,” he said as he stepped back. Then he turned and walked out the door.
It wasn’t the goodbye he wanted. Not at all. He wanted to hug her, even if he couldn’t kiss her. He also wanted to promise to stay in touch or at least let her know that if she ever needed him, he was there.
But doing any of that would risk his resolve to get out of Misty Mountain and never look back. And he couldn’t take that chance. Not when he was so close to being stuck here.
23
Nic was gone. If even the slightest doubt had remained in her mind, it had been erased when she’d driven past his parents’ house. Stalker-ish, she knew, but it had been something she’d done more than a few times when they were dating in high school. It just always made her smile to see his car in the driveway.
But today, that driveway sat empty. His gigantic pickup truck wouldn’t have fit in their garage, so it wasn’t like there was a chance he was still here.
“Hi, Gracie,” Charity said, forcing false cheer to her tone as she entered her house after a long day of work.
She was still limping a little. Her fall hurt her ankle as well as her knee, but she’d stopped by her doctor’s office and one of the nurses had taken a look. It was just a sprain that would heal itself eventually. She was supposed to stay off it and keep it elevated, but her job required her to be on her feet most of the day.
Her phone buzzed as she was limping toward the back door to let Gracie out. She pulled it out of her pocket with one hand while flipping the lock with the other. It was a text from her mom.
You home?
Charity stepped out onto the back patio and watched as Gracie made her way over to the small patch of grass between her back patio and her fence. It was chilly out, but if Gracie had to freeze to go to the bathroom, Charity would freeze along with her.
She tapped on the microphone and said, “Just got home. What’s up?”
She’d almost forgotten about the text by the time her phone buzzed again. By then, she’d set it on the counter so she could make Gracie’s dinner. She still didn’t glance at it, but when she heard her front doorbell ring, she knew exactly who was out there.
“Hello!” Charity’s mom stood on the front doorstep, covered slow cooker in her hands. “Are you okay?”
Charity tilted her head to the right slightly, more worried than confused. “Of course.”
Was the town buzzing about the fact that Nic left? Did everyone assume she was heartbroken? Maybe this was her mother’s way of soothing her sadness.
Her mom looked down at Charity’s feet. “Did you break anything?”
Oh. Sothatwas what this was about. She should have known all along.
“Let me guess.” Charity crossed her arms over her chest. “Dr. Meadows’ office called.”
Dr. Meadows was the town doctor. Well, the doctor for the adults, anyway. The kids went to Nic’s dad.
“I was worried about you,” her mom said. “The person who told me knows you live alone. With Nic gone, well…” Her mom shrugged. “Can I come in?”
This was so much to process at once. Who would have told her mom that she was there? It couldn’t have been someone who worked at her doctor’s office. Privacy laws prevented that, right?
“Who told you I was injured?” Charity asked as she stepped back and gestured for her mother to enter.
“That’s not important,” her mom said, stopping to turn to face her. Charity closed the door. “I’ll just say the doctor’s office is on the main strip. People can see the cars parked there.”
“And guess that I injured my ankle?”
