“Bon appetit,” I said. I was scraping the bottom of the cup and laughing at Jack when Blake rushed through the door.
Jack twisted his head around. “Hey, how’d it go?”
“A satisfactory conclusion to the meeting.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Do I break out the champagne? Or just beer?”
Blake looked from me to Jack, his face curiously blank. “Beer.” Blake draped his coat over his arm. “Craft beer,” he corrected.
“Hell yeah. We’ll take it.” Jack stood. “Good luck on a jailbreak, my Jell-O compadre.” He dropped a kiss on my forehead. He turned to Blake. “Any fires to put out?”
“I emailed you a few things to look into. And was able to reschedule two appointments until tomorrow. I’d like to get Grace settled before I return.”
“Take the day.”
“I’ll be in later.”
“I’m okay, Blake. I can take care of myself.”
He barely glanced my way. “I’ll see you later,” he said to Jack.
“Suit yourself.” Jack saluted me. “Bye, beautiful.”
“Thanks for keeping me company.”
“Anytime.” Jack shined his sunny smile on the nurse rushing into the room. She blinked, then smiled just as wide right back at him.
Ah, Jack. Ever the charmer.
Blake’s brow lowered, and his mood seemed to disintegrate before my eyes. I grabbed his hand and dragged him down to me. His glower lessened briefly as he looked me over. When his gaze landed on my mouth, there was nothing but appreciation in his hazel eyes.
“Morning, Ms. Copeland,” the nurse said. “Let’s get you freshened up. The doctor will be in to see you within the hour.”
“Perfect,” Blake said. He brushed his lips over mine, then glanced at the tray. “Jell-O?”
“I happen to like orange Jell-O.”
He licked his lips. “Hmm.”
The nurse pushed over the wheelchair that had been stashed in the corner. She was a far chipper version of my nurse from last night. I was pretty sure I’d rather have the efficient one back. This one babbled incessantly as she got me into the bathroom.
A few minutes later, we were back in my room and Mari ‘with an i’ had me back in bed. My IV had been banished sometime in the night, thank goodness. Maybe that was a good sign.
I was more than ready to get the hell out of there.
“How was Mr. Neal?” I asked.
Blake held up the sheet for me to slip back into bed. I hissed as my foot hit the mattress. His eyes went flat with no expression as he caught sight of my ankle.
“Looks worse than it is.”
“It looks like you were trying out for the part of the author in Misery.”
“That’s pretty accurate.” I grinned up at him. “Just don’t tell me you’re my biggest fan, all right?”
His knuckles were white from his grip on the blankets and sheet.
I curled my fingers around his wrist. “I’m fine.”
“What the hell were you doing in there?”
I winced as I inched my way up to a more comfortable spot on the bed. “I’m pretty sure you know.”
He frowned as he sat in the chair Jack had vacated. “I’m sure I don’t.”
“So, you weren’t reading my grandmother’s journal last night? Was I dreaming?”
“I read it.”
At least he didn’t lie about that. “She talked about the cove a lot. That she went there to think.”
“I think on my run, doesn’t mean there’s anything nefarious about it.”
I turned onto my hip. “And on that run, you don’t have anything besides a course that maps out a five kilometer loop?”
“How do you know that?”
“I may not run, but I can guess by the almost identical time you spend on each run that there’s a particular goal in mind.”
“Actually, it’s more accurate to infer I have to run until I don’t feel like strangling someone.”
“Me?”
“Sometimes.”
I shrugged. “And on this circuit there’s nowhere you could hide something in plain sight?”
He steepled his fingers. “I didn’t say that.”
“Mmm-hmm.”
He tapped his fingertips together. “Were you able to do a thorough search before your…accident?”
I shook my head. “The sun was already starting to set when I got out there.”
His jaw muscle flexed. “Just how long were you in there?”
“When did you find me?”
He swiped his hand over his face. “Christ, Grace.”
“I honestly don’t know.”
“The party had already started when Jack and I finally left to find you.”
I propped myself up on my elbow. “What? Eight?”
“It was 8:23 when you finally called me.”
If it had been just a little more seasonable, I probably would have frozen to death. The water in the Atlantic was considered frigid in high summer. December? No, I’d definitely been lucky.
“You have no idea how hard it was to get that damn phone, and then to find a freaking signal.”
His fingers bunched into fists.
I reached over to cover them. “I’m fine.”
“Is that why you were half naked in that icy water?”