Making a Comeback. Kristina Mathews

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СКАЧАТЬ he said to Olivia, but he didn’t take his eyes off Annabelle.

      “Can I give you a hug?” Olivia asked, her voice more cautious than usual.

      “Of course.” Annabelle braced for the contact. The man, Cooper, picked her daughter up and gently set her on the bed. Olivia gave her a small squeeze and she felt warm tears against her face. “It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s okay.”

      Chapter 2

      Cooper was shocked by the sight of Annabelle lying in that hospital bed. Her usually flawless skin was pale and her face was half-covered in bandages. Her silky, golden locks hung matted and limp on the pillow. Her luscious lips had quivered as she’d invited him into her room.

      She looked him over with the one eye not covered in gauze. Maybe she recognized him, maybe she didn’t. She’d drawn her brows together as if she was trying to figure out how she knew him, but she’d winced at the small movement.

      He wondered, not for the first time, if coming here had been a mistake. The girls needed to see their mother, but if he was so shaken by her appearance, he worried they would be even more freaked out. Still, they’d driven all this way, just under the speed limit, and he’d kept glancing back wondering if he’d strapped them into their booster seats correctly in the back of his Escalade.

      The moment the girls stepped into her room, Annabelle’s face had transformed. A beauty no camera could capture lit her up at the sight of her daughters. Love. Pure and simple.

      “Thank you for bringing them here to see me.” Annabelle reached for his arm, and just the slightest touch sent electricity through his entire body.

      “No problem.” He shrugged. Just last week he’d turned down another invite for coffee or chai tea. He didn’t want to get involved, and yet he couldn’t just walk away.

      “I don’t have anyone else to…” She glanced over at her daughters, who had moved off the bed and were entertaining each other on the couch. “We’re still pretty new in town, and I don’t have many friends here yet.”

      “You’ve got me.” He’d spent the better part of the last year trying not to feel anything. Now he felt too much. Annabelle Jones was real. And she needed him.

      “Yes. I’ve got you…” She glanced at her daughters again, then crooked a finger at him, inviting him to come closer.

      He moved toward her, and she tugged on his arm, pulling him down so she could whisper in his ear.

      “Who are you? I mean, I know you, but I don’t know how I know you.” He could tell she was disturbed by the lack of recognition.

      “I’m your next-door neighbor,” he whispered back.

      “Oh.” She closed her eye and sank into the pillow. After a slight shake of her head, she opened her eye and swept her gaze over him. “Are we, uh…”

      “We’re friends.” He figured a little white lie was necessary here. Especially since he had her children with him.

      “Friends.” She sighed. “Okay, that’s good.”

      “Is there someone you want me to call? Your… husband?”

      “No. Not him. He’s…” She brought her right hand up to her forehead, as if pressing on it could stimulate her memory. “We’re no longer married.”

      “Still, he might want to know you’ve been in an accident.” Not that Cooper wanted to be the one to tell him.

      “No. He wouldn’t. That I’m sure of.” She shook her head hard enough to make her wince.

      He leaned even closer, so there was no way the girls, who were giggling and squealing, could overhear. “Is there a reason you don’t want your ex-husband to know what’s happened to you? Is he violent? Abusive?”

      His stomach clenched at the thought of that man hurting her or her daughters.

      “No. No, that’s not…” She exhaled, briefly closing her eyes. “He’s not around. He’s…”

      Her face contorted in pain…or confusion.

      “Do you want me to get the nurse? Do you need something for the pain?”

      “No. It’s just…foggy.” She rubbed her forehead. “Foggy…like San Francisco. No, he’s not there. He’s…oh, what’s that place? The sun sets on the wrong side of the beach.”

      She drew a shape on the sheet, like a long finger.

      “Florida? Is your ex-husband in Florida?” Of course he was. The hearing. Her ex-husband was testifying in the biggest steroid scandal in recent history. He’d been an investor, a silent partner who was now willing to spill his guts in an attempt to keep from losing his fortune.

      “Yes. Florida.” She gave him a weak smile. “That’s the word I was looking for. It was there…but out of my reach. Like so many things. Just. Out. Of. Reach.”

      She sank back against the pillow, exhausted by the effort. Annabelle had been in a serious car accident. She’d suffered a concussion and simple tasks were difficult for her. He’d had a concussion once, after being hit by a line drive. It had scared the crap out of him. One minute he felt fine, sitting in the clubhouse after the game, and the next, he couldn’t tie his shoe. The weirdest part was that he’d managed to tie one of them, but couldn’t for the life of him remember how he’d done it.

      “Thank you for bringing the girls here. I’m sure you had much better things to do than hang out in a hospital with your neighbor.”

      “Hopefully, they’ll release you soon.” He wondered if he should try to get some information. Maybe he could use his persuasive skills at the nurses’ station. Once upon a time, he’d been pretty charming. But that was before he’d become a disgrace. Now he wasn’t sure that his status as a Major League ballplayer would get him an advantage, or get him kicked out of the hospital.

      “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.” She closed her eyes, wincing once again. “But thank you for coming.”

      “No problem.”

      A quick knock on the door and the doctor entered the room.

      “Ms. Jones, I’m Doctor De Rosa.” She gave a professional smile to Annabelle, but Cooper got the feeling he wasn’t welcome.

      “Why don’t I take Sophie and Olivia to get something to eat?” That would give Annabelle privacy and give him something to do. Besides, he was hungry.

      “There’s a cafeteria on this floor. Just go down the hall and to your left,” Dr. De Rosa said.

      “Great. Thanks.” He turned to the girls. “Should we go check out the cafeteria?”

      “Sure.” Sophie hopped off the sofa and was ready to go.

      “Okay.” Olivia glanced at her mother as if she needed assurance it was okay to go off with him.

      “Be good, girls.” Annabelle smiled and nodded her approval.

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