Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding) - By Sydney Somers Page 0,65
Jackson’s opinion on that and didn’t bother reminding him that she was okay. She just wanted to get out of there. Hayley stood up, and had to grab the edge of the bed to steady herself.
“Doc,” her gramps yelled, his booming voice carrying down the hall of the otherwise quiet emergency room. “Something’s still wrong with her.”
“No, there’s not. I took a hit to the head. A little dizziness is normal.”
“She’s right,” Jackson said. “I’ve had a concussion before, and if she does have a minor one, which the doctor wasn’t worried about, she just needs some rest and a good dose of pain reliever.”
Gramps didn’t look convinced, which surprised her given the number of kids he’d seen take a knock to the head over the years. Concerned eyes bored into her.
“I’m okay. Promise,” she added softly. She didn’t need him worrying about her.
“Hmmph. Who’s looking after you tonight?” His gaze switched to Jackson. “You?”
Belatedly, she remembered that Jackson didn’t know she’d told Gramps they were involved, and was quick to answer for him. “Yes. Let’s get you back to your room.”
Her grandfather waved her off. “I found my way down here. I can find my way back.” He planted a quick kiss on her cheek. “Make sure you get some ice on that goose egg, pumpkin.”
“I will.”
“And you.” He narrowed his eyes at Jackson. “I expect you to come see me tomorrow.”
Jackson grinned. “Yes, sir.”
Hayley waited until her gramps left, having every intention of following him to make sure he got back to his room okay. She hadn’t taken a step, however, before Jackson turned her around, forcing her to sit.
“You stay here while I make sure he gets back.”
Nodding, she stared at his retreating back, wondering how many more times he’d surprise her.
From the passenger seat Hayley tried to ignore how good Jackson looked behind the wheel of her truck. And a little too comfortable. She’d been fine to drive, but like everything else in the last hour, her opinion didn’t count for much.
“Where are we going?” He’d turned at the intersection, taking the direction opposite the one to her grandfather’s place.
“Back to my parents’ place.”
“So I can drop you off,” she guessed, thinking that was probably the best thing he’d said all night.
“Not quite. You’re staying with me tonight.”
“I only said that to appease Gramps. I’ll be perfectly okay on my own.”
He shrugged. “You can stay with me or I can drop you off at Matt’s.”
They both knew Matt would be busy at work for another couple of hours at least. “I don’t need a babysitter.” She folded her arms across her chest, trying not to let him get to her. It wasn’t working.
“If I take you to your grandfather’s, you’re going to try to work.”
“I don’t think I’m up for painting right now.”
“Probably not, but once you get stewing about not catching that guy, you’ll get restless and look for something to do instead of resting.”
She hated that he was right, and was even more annoyed than he seemed to know it too. He slanted her a shrewd grin, and she offered a scowl in return.
Jackson laughed and thankfully didn’t try to get her to talk for the rest of the drive. By the time they turned down his parents’ street, she was mentally replaying the robbery scene in her head, trying to figure out how he’d gotten away on them.
Her body moved on autopilot when the truck stopped, and she followed Jackson into the house.
“Bathroom is down the hall. Why don’t you grab a shower and I’ll find you something to put on.”
“Trying to get me naked in the first two minutes inside. Shocking.”
That trademark grin widened, reminding her why he’d become such a fan favorite. He oozed charm and likability to a dangerous degree. Dangerous for her, anyway.
She followed his directions to a large bathroom, complete with jet-powered tub and separate shower stall enclosed in frosted glass. She passed her reflection and tried not to wince.
Her clothes were soaked and stained with dirt and blood. Her hair had taken the most damage, clumping together in sections at the front, closest to the cut. She bit her lip, probing at the nasty bump at her hairline. Bastard got her good.
Sticky, sweating and all-around uncomfortable, she hastily turned on the shower and stripped out of her clothes. The hot water felt heavenly, as long as she was careful to keep the water from hitting her cut. Washing her hair turned out to be tricky, but she