reliable. I know he’ll never let me down. Ever. He’s always got my back, no matter what.”
A single tear trickled down her cheek as she finished speaking. She shook her head slightly and wiped her cheek. “Sorry. I don’t know where that came from.”
“You’re okay. No worries.”
She nodded and smiled but when she blinked two more tears slipped down her cheek.
“Sorry...” The look she gave him was anguished and self-conscious at the same time.
“Hey, what are a few tears between temporary neighbors?” he said.
Her chin wobbled, then her face crumpled and suddenly she was crying in earnest. He froze, unsure what to do, what to say.
“I didn’t mean—” She stood abruptly. “Give me a minute.”
Ducking her head, she strode from the room.
CHAPTER FIVE
OLIVER STARED at her empty seat, feeling sideswiped and stupid and more than a little inadequate.
He should have said something. He should have at least told her that he didn’t give a shit if she cried. God knew, he’d shed his fair share of tears in recent months, deep in the dark of the night when no one would know that he’d compromised his all-important masculinity by letting his emotions get the better of him.
He started for the hallway. There he looked left, then right. Right seemed more promising, so he made his way toward the half-open door at the end. He could hear her sobbing as he approached and he paused to knock.
“Mackenzie...”
She didn’t respond. He hesitated a moment, then pushed open the door and entered what was clearly her bedroom. She sat on the side of the bed, head down, arms wrapped tightly around the pillow pressed to her chest. Her shoulders shuddered with the force of her misery.
His first instinct was to put his arms around her. She looked so bloody sad and alone and he’d always been a sucker for crying women. He settled for sitting beside her and resting a hand in the middle of her back.
“What’s wrong?”
She shook her head, still not looking up. He smoothed his hand in a small circle and waited. After a beat she lifted her head and took a shaky breath.
“They gave up on me. They were keeping my job open, but they’ve given it away. So it’s all gone now. Everything I’ve worked for...”
Fresh tears welled. He pulled a handful of tissues from the box on the bedside table. He pressed them into her hand and she made a hiccuping sound that he guessed was thank-you.
“If they were willing to hold your job open that long, you must be good at what you do. There’ll be other jobs, right?” he said.
She blew her nose. Her face was pink and shiny with tears, her eyelashes spiky with moisture.
“I want my job. The job I earned. I want my life back.” There was a plaintive, almost despairing note to her voice, like the wail of a scared child, and he understood that this wasn’t only about the job. This was about everything—her injuries, the loss of the life and world she’d once taken for granted, her long recovery.
“It’ll get better, Mackenzie.”
“Will it? Will the headaches stop? Will my shoulder work properly? Will I ever be able to sit cross-legged again? Will I ever be able to take on a full nine-to-five working day without collapsing in a heap for a week?” The questions fired out of her, bristling with anger and frustration.
“I don’t know.”
She hunched forward, gripping the pillow tightly. “I need to know. I want to know now that it’s all going to be okay. I’m sick of taking it on faith. I’m sick of proving everyone wrong. I need some kind of guarantee that it’s going to be all right because I can’t just keep trying and trying and trying when I can’t see the end.”
She started to cry again. This time he didn’t resist the instinct. He folded his arms around her, pulling her close to his chest. She remained locked in on herself, arms banded around the pillow. He tucked her head beneath his chin and waited her out.
After what felt like a long time her body softened and her head rested more heavily on his shoulder.
“I’m so tired,” she said, and he knew she was talking about more than physical tiredness.
“You’ll be okay, Mackenzie.”
Her breathing evened out. After a few more minutes she stirred in his arms, pushing away from his chest. She glanced at his face briefly before grabbing more tissues. The glimpse was enough for him to see she was embarrassed