Mom grabbed the chair arms and half-rose, then froze, a grimace of pain twisting her features.
“What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Back,” she gritted through clenched teeth. “Can’t move. Hurts.” She raised pleading eyes to Hannah. “Call Doc.”
Hannah gently grasped her mother’s arms and tried to lower her into the chair, but she let out a gut-wrenching wail of pain.
“That’s it. I’m calling an ambulance.”
“Back spasms.” Hannah pressed the phone to her ear and paced the hallway of Trappers Cove’s little community hospital. “Doctor says it can feel like an electric shock.” She chuckled. “Mom concurred, at the top of her lungs. She’ll be on some strong muscle relaxants for the next few days. That means I’ll have to stay close. Knowing her, if someone’s not keeping an eye on her, she’ll try to come downstairs and carry on as usual.”
The thought of her mother crumpled at the bottom of the narrow staircase brought back the image of poor Gus, struck down in his office. A whole-body shiver quaked through her body. She wasn’t ready to lose her mom.
Xander’s voice grew sharp. “I’m on my way.”
But as much as she craved the reassuring warmth of his arms around her, she’d reached her absolute limit. “No, please don’t.” She softened her tone. “I know you want to help, and I’m grateful, but it’ll be easier if I handle this on my own.” She cut off his protest with, “You’re the best, Xander, and I’m so glad to have you in my life, but we’ve both got a lot on our plates right now. How about if we meet up again in a few days when the dust settles, okay?”
His sigh whooshed into the phone. “I’ll miss you, Hannah. Promise me you’ll call if there’s anything I can do.”
“I promise. I’ll miss you too. And Xander?”
“Yeah, beauty?”
Her heart pinged at the sweet nickname. “This isn’t me putting distance between us. I just need to focus on Mom and theBeaconfor a few days. But I’ll be thinking about you every hour.”
She could hear the sad smile in his voice as he murmured, “Thank you, love. I’ll count the minutes.”
Hell, she missed him already—his touch, his warmth and humor and laughing dark eyes. But that was the cold, hard truth about being a grown-up. Sometimes, what you want takes a back seat to what needs to be done, even if you are falling in love.
Chapter Nineteen
Withthenewconstructioncrew scheduled to start on Monday and Hannah busy caring for her mom, Xander found himself with time to kill.
Though trendier by far than Trappers Cove, Carroll Beach offered decent hotel prices in mid-March, so he treated himself to an overnight stay with an ocean view, hoping the change in surroundings would get him unstuck.
One way or another, his inherited building would be ready for re-opening in a month or two, and he still had to fill it with merchandise, choose a branding direction, and name the damn thing—without UFOs, aliens, or planets.
As his old Prius crested the steeply arched Astoria-Megler Bridge, the morning drizzle eased, and sunshine peaked through the clouds, lifting his mood. The picturesque port city of Astoria spread out before him, its cute Victorian houses arrayed up steep hills above the mouth of the Columbia.
“Freakin’ beautiful,” he exclaimed. “Note to self: bring Hannah down here for a romantic weekend.”
His lips curved into a smile as he imagined a candlelit seafood dinner overlooking the port, huge freighters and sturdy fishing boats sliding past, the bridge lights twinkling like Hannah’s eyes—
A hulking eighteen-wheeler nearly sideswiped him as he rounded a curve while foolishly gawking at the bridge.
Heart pounding like a conga drum, he forced his focus back to the present moment. With another hour of twisty roads to go, he couldn’t afford to let his mind wander.
He switched on a playlist for the early aughts—good years before he felt the curse’s weight—and belted along with The Black-Eyed Peas—because why not? No one here to complain, and like will.i.am, he had a good feeling about today.
He rolled into Carroll Beach a little before noon. After checking into his room, he unpacked his overnight bag, then stuffed a small notebook into his jacket pocket, ready to be filled with inspiration. Maybe he’d been spending too much time around Zora, but he had a hunch the answer to his branding problem would be found here. Still humming, he strolled toward Madrona Way, the town’s main drag.
Now this was more like it. Unlike Trappers Cove, where Main Street was a patchwork of architectural styles from quaint to shabby, all the buildings along Madrona Way were fronted with the same redwood shake siding. Pansies nodded from planters in courtyards fronting clusters of shops.
He lingered in front of an art gallery’s jewelry display. Those delicate gold earrings set with glittering red stones would look stunning against Hannah’s creamy skin. And that hand-painted scarf would complement the rosy shade of her lips. He leaned in closer to check the price tags.
Yikes!
Extravagant gifts like these would have to wait until his business was in the black. Nevertheless, he snapped photos of pieces that piqued his interest, then jotted a few notes:artistic, classy accessories for women.He spotted a wide man’s ring embossed with swirling, surf-like lines.And for men.Shouldn’t be too hard to find local jewelry artists willing to sell their work on consignment in a dedicated corner of his new mini-mall.
