Touched by Love (Love in Bloom: The Remingtons) Read online

  Chapter Three

  BOYD PUSHED THE wheelchair through the hospital doors and kept on going.

  “Please tell me we’re not stealing the wheelchair.” Janie white-knuckled the arms of the wheelchair.

  “Shh. Don’t tell anyone.”

  “Ohmygoodness.”

  “I’m kidding. I got permission to borrow it. Give me directions to your place and we’ll be all set.”

  “What if I live twenty blocks away?”

  “Then it’s a good thing I’m in shape.”

  She’d felt his muscular chest and arms and knew he could probably push the wheelchair for miles.

  “I’m just a few minutes from here.” She gave him her address.

  “You live that close? I really could have given you a piggyback.”

  “Yup. Thank you for making arrangements to borrow the wheelchair. I can’t believe you did that.”

  “No worries. Are you warm enough?”

  It was a chilly evening, and she realized she still had on Boyd’s shirt. She casually lifted her arm to her nose and breathed in his masculine scent, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

  “I’m warm enough,” she answered. “Are you?”

  “I’m fine, thanks for asking. But you’re the injured one, remember?”

  “Yes, but you make me forget I’m hurt. I feel like we’re breaking the rules, and I never break rules.” She liked the feeling more than she probably should. “Kiki will be so happy.”

  “Your friend likes to break rules?” Each time Boyd came to a bump in the sidewalk, he slowed and carefully maneuvered over it.

  “She just skates around them sometimes. Oh gosh, my phone. I need to text her, actually.”

  “I’ve got it right here. Just think, if it weren’t for your phone, you wouldn’t have the best chauffeur around tonight.”

  “Thank you for taking the time to bring it back. It was my lucky night.”

  “Honey, I hate to say this when you’ve had such a terrible fall, but I think tonight was my lucky night, not yours.”

  Excitement tiptoed through her. He’d called her honey again. She swore he said it like he’d been calling her that forever. She wondered if he called all women honey, but then again, he said he and Kelly had known each other for years, and he didn’t call her honey. That made her feel sort of special.

  She really needed to stop qualifying the things he did, but she was drawn to him more and more with every minute they spent together.

  “I should probably listen to my messages first, in case Kiki called.” She dug in her bag for her earbuds, but came up empty. She held up her phone and said, “I hope it won’t bother you if I use the voice program to listen to my messages and to send texts. I have earbuds, but they must have gotten lost when I fell.”

  He stopped the wheelchair and touched her shoulder again. “I think you left them at your desk.”

  “No, I keep some at the office, too. But it doesn’t matter. I can get more.”

  “Why don’t I give you privacy? I’ll walk a few feet away while you check your messages.”

  “You don’t have to, but thank you.” She turned the volume down on the phone as he walked away, and checked her messages.

  Hey, Janie, where are you? I’m home, and Sinny’s already a big pain. She heard Kiki’s older brother Sinclair’s voice cut Kiki off. Yup! Miss you, baby girl! When you’re free, give me a ring. We’ll catch up. She heard them wrestling for the phone. Kiki’s laughter filled the airwaves and then suddenly burst loudly through the phone. Text me, and pleeease tell me you’re not answering your phone because you’ve met a hot guy.

  She heard Boyd pacing—Speak of the devil—and quickly texted Kiki.

  I had a little fall. Sprained my ankle, but I’m in good hands. I’ll call you tomorrow. She shoved her phone in her purse and listened to Boyd, who must have been on the phone.

  “Hi, Haylie.” He paused. “Good. And my little buddy? I miss you guys.”

  Haylie? Little buddy?

  “What guy? What does he do for a living?” He paused again. Janie couldn’t even pretend not to listen. He sounded annoyed. “Uh-huh. Have Chet meet him.” He paused again. “Fine. Okay, love you. Bye.”

  She heard his footsteps approaching and dug around in her bag, pretending to look for something. Boyd touched her shoulder again.

  “Everything cool? Did you reach Kiki?”

  “I texted her.” She tried to figure out who he might refer to as his little buddy, but the only answer she came up with was a son.

  “I know it’s late and you’ve had a rough night, but there’s a café on the way to your place where we can grab some hot chocolate if you’d like.”

  “I’m in a wheelchair,” she said sarcastically. She tried to put together the image of a married man and the flirtatious Boyd she knew from work but couldn’t reconcile the two. Besides, if he was married, why would he want to go anywhere with her? She wasn’t exactly a quick hookup, and he’d said he wasn’t that type of guy anyway, but still. He said he loved someone.

  “Oh, right. People in wheelchairs can’t have hot chocolate,” he teased as he started pushing her along the sidewalk again. “I really need to review the wheelchair rules.”

  “It’s a little embarrassing.” She felt stupid saying it aloud, but she hated not being independent, and he took it all in stride.

  “Hey, you don’t have to be so harsh,” he said teasingly. “I might have come off a long day’s work, but I don’t look that bad.”

  She laughed, realizing she’d laughed more in the last few hours than she had in the last week, despite the fact that she’d had an awful accident and had ridden in an ambulance. It should have been her worst night ever. Only it wasn’t. The fall was awful, and the injury sucked, but being with Boyd wasn’t horrible at all. He’d made her feel like everything was going to be okay from the moment he’d knelt beside her. And now he was asking her out for hot chocolate?

  But…he loved someone. Someone with a little buddy.

  “It’s okay if it’s too late,” he offered. “Or if you’re too tired.”

  “Boyd, before I answer…Are you married?”

  “Married?” He sounded exasperated.

  “I heard you on the phone. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop—”

  He touched her arm again, gently, without any tension, which put her at ease. If he were a scumbag, surely she’d feel some kind of tension in his touch.

  “Janie, I’m not married. I was talking to my sister, Haylie. She’s a single mom, and I worry about her and my three-year-old nephew, Scotty. We touch base every week.”

  “Your sister? I’m sorry. I feel so stupid. I thought…”

  “You thought I was a douche bag cheater? I get it. You don’t know me well enough to realize that I am anything but that kind of guy. One day I hope you will.”

  He began pushing the wheelchair again. “What do you say? Want to grab that hot chocolate, or are you too tired?”

  “Even though I just totally misjudged you?” He wasn’t even offended?

  “I don’t blame you. We live in a crazy world. You’ve got to be careful. So, what do you say?”

  “I’d like that, but only if you’re sure you don’t mind. I feel like I’ve taken up enough of your time already.”

  “Honey, you haven’t taken up nearly enough of my time.”

  **

  “I’M GOING TO tilt the front wheels up to get your chariot into the café, so hold on.” Boyd angled the wheelchair, causing Janie to lean back.

  “Every guy in the place is checking you out,” he whispered in her ear. “I might get a little possessive.”

  She laughed as he pushed the wheelchair over the threshold.

  “All right, let’s see. There are a few couples sitting whispering and talking, but the guys keep checking you out, so the women are probably going to give you the stink-eye in a minute. Maybe we should have had the doc put a few stitches in your face to make you a little less attractive.”
r />   Janie knew she was grinning like a fool, but she couldn’t stop. Boyd had a way of making her discomfort disappear, and the relief that came with that was immense.

  “Kiki will definitely love you,” she said as Boyd brought the wheelchair to a stop.

  “Yeah? Why?” He pulled out a chair, and Janie heard him moving it closer to her.

  “Because you don’t focus on my disability.”

  “Holy shit. You have a disability?”

  “Ohmygod. Boyd, you’re really too much.” She shook her head.

  “Why would I focus on the fact that you can’t see? There’s plenty of stuff I can’t do, and I don’t think I’d want you focusing on those things.”

  “Name one,” she challenged.

  “Well, you’re great at editing, and it sounds like you think you’ll be great at writing, which I don’t doubt, but I can’t write creatively at all. I seriously suck at it.”

  “That’s not the same, and how do you consult at TEC if you can’t write?”

  “I consult on the viability of the descriptions used in certain types of manuals, mostly medical. Technically, I’m fine, but creatively? Nope. Not for me. And now that I’m hanging out with you, I realize that there are two more things I can’t do: read braille or use a cane without whacking someone in the knees. I also can’t play tennis worth shit, and I’m not very good at relationships.”

  “Really? You suck at a lot of things.” She laughed softly. “I’m kidding, but I can’t believe you’re bad at relationships. You’re so warm and friendly, but even if you aren’t great at relationships, that’s not the same as being blind.”

  “I know it’s not, but I do understand what you mean. Some people’s disabilities are worn on the inside.”

  The sadness in his voice tugged at her heart, making her wonder what he wasn’t telling her. Just as quickly as that sadness appeared, his tone became happy again.

  “I hope you don’t mind that I’m not sitting across from you. It’s too far away with all these dudes around. I moved my chair next to you so I can do this.” He covered her hand with his. “Okay?”

  “Um…” Yes? No? She had no idea if it was okay or not to let him hold her hand now that the whirlwind of events surrounding her accident had passed, but she really liked him. So many people acted weird around her because she was blind. They spoke loudly, as if she were hearing impaired, or they didn’t speak to her at all, and gave her a wide berth that she could sense rather than see, making her feel like an outcast. Boyd treated her like she imagined he’d treat anyone, only he definitely seemed interested in her. But then again, he’d already confessed that.

  He moved his hand away, and she fought the urge to reach for it again. He made it so easy to like him. Where was the guy who seemed wrapped up in flirting and dated a different girl every month? The flirt was still there, but he was awfully attentive for a guy who she’d assumed didn’t have a serious bone in his body.

  “Sorry, that was the Neanderthal in me,” he said. “Funny, I’ve never been a jealous guy, but here I’ve only just gotten to know you and it bothers me to see these guys checking you out.”

  “I’m sure you’re reading them wrong. They’re probably wondering how bad of a driver you are to have left me blind and casted.”

  “You are a smart-ass, aren’t you?” He leaned in close again. She loved when he did that, like his words were meant only for her ears. “I’m going to walk up to the counter and get our hot chocolate while you figure out how to accept a compliment.”

  Ouch. Her phone rang with Kiki’s ringtone, and she dug it out of her purse as Boyd went for their drinks.

  “Hi.”

  “I’m gone for a few hours and you sprain your ankle? What the heck, Janie? Are you okay? Do you want me to come home? How did you get to the doctor? Oh God, did you have to take a cab? I’m coming home.” Kiki spoke so fast Janie couldn’t get a word in until she finally stopped to take a breath.

  “Calm down. I’m fine.” She rubbed her sore hip. “Well, for the most part.”

  “Spill it, Janie. I’m a nervous wreck over here.”

  “The toe of my shoe got caught and I twisted my ankle and fell”—a spear of pain sliced through her with the memory—“off the subway platform.”

  “Ohmygod,” Kiki said in a painful whisper. “Off the platform? What the fuck? I’m sorry but…what the fuck? Janie, are you sure you’re okay? I knew I should have made you come home with me. You must have been so scared. How did that happen? You’ve been taking the subway for years.”

  Tears filled Janie’s eyes. Not from the memory of the fall, but from the sound of Kiki blaming herself and sniffling through tears on the other end of the phone. She swallowed hard, willing the tears away. That’s all she needed, to cry in the middle of the café.

  “It was a fluke. There was no one around, and I must have been distracted. I made a bet with this guy from work that I could write a romance novel, and I was thinking about that one second, and then I realized I was alone and I got nervous. My bag slid down my arm and I lost my balance. I tripped and fell ass over teakettle. But I’m okay, Kiki. I got lucky. Boyd came back to return my phone, and he rode with me in the ambulance, stayed with me in the hospital—”

  “I hate that I’m in Maryland,” Kiki interrupted, and Janie had a feeling she hadn’t taken in what she’d said. “Are you home? Did you do okay in the ambulance?”

  “Surprisingly, yes, I did okay. Boyd has been wonderful. He—”

  “Boyd?”

  “The guy who helped me. He totally distracted me in the ambulance, and he’s like you, Kiki. He lets me know what’s going on without making me feel like a burden.”

  “That’s great. We’ll send him a big thank-you when I get back, but where are you now?”

  “I’m actually out at a café with him.”

  “With Boyd?” The surprise in Kiki’s voice told Janie her best friend’s protective claws were coming out.

  “Yes.”

  “Can I talk to him?”

  “Kiki…” She knew this wasn’t a battle she’d win, because Kiki would always be her protector, no matter how much Janie might try to deny her that right. At least she didn’t smother her like her parents used to. Kiki picked and chose her protective moments.

  “How do you know he is who he says he is?”

  “He consults at my office, and the people at the hospital knew him. I like him. He’s nice.”

  “Ohmygod,” Kiki said, exasperated. “A strange guy is bringing you to your apartment and you’re not worried? Please can I talk to him?”

  “You go to strange guys’ apartments all the time,” she reminded her.

  “Not without texting you their name, address, and phone number first!”

  She had a point. Kiki might sleep with plenty of guys, but she always put safety first.

  Boyd’s hand landed on Janie’s shoulder, and he whispered, “The cup is hot.” She heard him sit beside her. He took her hand and guided it to the cup.

  “Thank you,” Janie said, loving the way he knew to show her where the cup was so she didn’t spill hot chocolate all over herself.

  “Is that him?” Kiki asked.

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Please put him on the phone.”

  Janie sighed. “Boyd, my overprotective best friend would like to harass you.”

  “Cool,” he said eagerly. Their fingers brushed as he took the phone, sending an electric current straight to her core.

  “I’m sorry,” Janie whispered. Boyd squeezed Janie’s hand reassuringly and leaned in closer with the phone between them, so she could hear their conversation.

  “I’m not,” Kiki said in his ear.

  “Hi. This is Boyd Hudson.”

  “Hi. This is Janie’s friend Kiki. Thank you for helping her tonight.”

  “No worries. Janie’s doing great, and it’s my pleasure to help her.”

  “That’s great,” Kiki said sarcastically. “Tell me, Boyd, where do you l
ive? And you need to know that even though I’m not there, if you do anything to hurt her, I’ll sic my brother Sin on you.”

  He cleared his throat, masking a chuckle. “Really, that won’t be necessary.” He told her which firehouse he was with and gave her his home address, his phone number, and his chief’s phone number, too.

  Janie was mortified, but once again Boyd acted like this happened every day, as if answering Kiki’s questions were no big deal. Kiki asked him a few more annoyingly intimate questions, and then she said, “Great. I’m going to Google you and call your firehouse. If you’re not who you say you are, a policeman will be at her apartment when you get there.”

  “Kiki!” Janie snapped. She took the phone from Boyd’s hands. “Okay, enough. I want to enjoy my hot chocolate. I’m fine. I promise.”

  “He does sound nice,” Kiki said. “But I’m still checking him out.”

  “Would you stop? I love you, but I’m really fine, and I’m going to hang up now because you sound a little too much like my mother.”

  “I can’t believe I’m not there. Just be careful. Love you.”

  Janie ended the call and exhaled loudly. “I’m sorry.”

  “Stop apologizing. She sounds like a great friend. And she’s right to worry. We’re in a big city with lots of crime, and we don’t know each other that well. How about tomorrow I take you over to the firehouse to meet the guys I work with?”

  “You want to see me tomorrow?” Her pulse quickened.

  “Yes, I do. What do you say? You’ll get out in the smoggy air for a nice chariot ride, and I’ll get to show you that I am who I say I am.”

  “I believe you are who you say you are, and you must have something better to do than hanging out with me.”

  “Why don’t you pretend like you believe me when I say we haven’t spent enough time together yet, and go with it? What’s the worst that can happen? You’ll meet a bunch of great guys and spend the afternoon with me. What could be better?”

  “You’re doing that thing you do, where you make everything feel like it’s going to be okay.”