as charcoal, his skin tone just on the darker side of dessert tan. Even before they’d spoken, she’d known he wasn’t local.
His looks had taken her by surprise, or perhaps it had been the blow she’d suffered, but she distinctly remembered thinking he was lovely.
Which was a downright silly thought. A better description would be to say he looked dangerous.
Mel shook off the fanciful thoughts. She had other things to worry about besides the striking good looks of the man who had brought her here. They’d called the diner after she’d been processed. Presumably, either Greta or Frannie was on her way to join her at the hospital now. Mel felt a slight pang of guilt about one of them having to leave in the middle of closing up the diner for the night.
She would have frowned but it hurt too much. Her face had taken the brunt of the collision with the reckless cyclist, who, very rudely, had continued on his way. At least the two gentlemen out there hadn’t left her alone and bleeding by the side of the road. Though now that meant she would be saddled with an ER bill she couldn’t afford. Thinking about that expense, coupled with what she’d paid for the evening dress, had her eyes stinging with regret. In all the confusion and chaos right after the accident, her shopping bag had been left behind. Mel knew she should be grateful that the accident hadn’t been worse, but she couldn’t help but feel sorry for herself. Would she ever catch a break?
A sharp knock on the door was quickly followed by the entrance of a harried-looking doctor. He did a bit of a double take when he saw her face.
“Let’s take a look at you, Miss Osmon.”
The doctor wasted no time with his physical examination, then proceeded to ask her a series of questions—everything from the calendar date to what she’d had for breakfast. His unconcerned expression afterward told her she must have passed.
“I think you’ll be just fine. Though quite sore for the next several weeks. You don’t appear to be concussed. But someone will need to watch you for the next twenty-four hours or so. Just to be on the safe side.” He motioned to the door. “Mind if I let your boyfriend in? He appears to be very concerned about you.”
“Oh, he’s not—they’re just the—”
The doctor raised an eyebrow in question. “I apologize. He took care of the necessary paperwork and already settled the fees. I just assumed.”
He had settled the bill? A nagging sense of discomfort blossomed in her chest. This stranger had paid for her care. She would have to figure out how to pay him back. Not that it would be easy.
The physician continued, “In any case, if he’s the one who’ll be watching you, he’ll need to hear this.”
“He won’t be watching me. I have a friend—”
Before she got the last word out, Greta came barreling through the door, her springy gray hair still wrapped tight in a kitchen hairnet.
“Yowza,” the older woman exclaimed as soon as her gaze landed on Mel’s face. “You look like you went a couple rounds with a prizefighter. Or were ya fighting over a discounted item at The Basement? Their shoppers can be brutal!”
“Hi, Greta. Thanks for coming.”
“Sure thing, kid. I took a cab over as soon as we heard. You doin’ okay?” She’d left the door wide-open behind her. The two strangers hovered uncertainly out in the hallway, both of them giving her concerned looks.
Mel sighed. What the heck? May as well make this a standing room–only crowd. After all, they were nice enough to bring her in and take care of the processing while she was being examined. She motioned for them to come in. The taller, more handsome one stepped inside first. His friend followed close behind.
“The doctor says I’ll be fine,” she told them.
The doctor nodded. “I also said she needs to be monitored overnight. To make sure there are no signs of concussion or other trauma.” He addressed the room in general before turning to Mel directly. “If you feel nauseous or dizzy, or if over-the-counter medications don’t seem to be addressing the pain, you need to come back in. Understood?”
“Yes.”
He turned to the others. “You need to watch for any sign of blacking out or loss of balance.”
Greta nodded. As did the two men for some reason.
The doctor gave a quick wave before hastily walking out.
Mel smiled awkwardly at the two men. It occurred to her she didn’t even know their names. “Um... I’m Mel.”
They exchanged a glance between them. Then the taller one stepped forward. “I’m Ray. This is Sal.” He motioned to his friend, who politely nodded.
More awkwardness ensued as all four of them stood silent.
“I’m Greta,” the older woman suddenly and very loudly offered.
Both men said hello. Finally, Greta reached for Mel’s arm. “C’mon, kiddo. Let’s get you dressed. Then we’ll call for a cab so we can get you home.”
Ray stepped forward. “That won’t be necessary. We’ll take you anywhere you need to go.”
Ray sighed with relief for what must have been the hundredth time as the old lady directed them to the front of a small eatery not far from where the accident had occurred. Thank goodness that Mel appeared to be all right. But she was sporting one devil of a shiner on her right eye and the whole side of her face looked a purple mess.
For some inexplicable reason, his mind kept referring to the moment he’d picked her up and carried her to the car. The softness of her as he’d held her, the way she’d smelled. Some delicate scent of flowers combined with a fruity shampoo he’d noticed when her head had been under his nose.
“This is our stop,” Greta declared and reached for the door handle.
Ray immediately got out of the car to assist Mel out onto the street. After all, the older woman looked barely able to get herself moving. She’d actually dozed off twice during the short ride over. Ray hadn’t missed how Mel had positioned herself to allow Greta to lean against her shoulder as she snored softly. Despite her injury. Nor how she’d gently nudged her friend awake as they approached their destination.
Who was taking care of whom in this scenario?
How in the world was this frail, seemingly exhausted older lady supposed to keep an eye on her injured friend all night?
Ray would never forgive himself if Mel had any kind of medical disaster in the middle of the night. Despite his reassurances, the doctor had made it clear she wasn’t completely out of the woods just yet.
“My sister and I live in a flat above this diner, which we own and manage,” Greta informed him around a wide yawn as the three of them approached the door. She rummaged around in her oversize bag for several moments, only to come up empty.
“Dang it. I guess I left my keys behind when I rushed over to the hospital.”
She reached for a panel by the side of the door and pressed a large button. A buzzer could be heard sounding upstairs. Several
