Collision Course Read online

  “Crap!” John was right. “Who the hell did this?” They had left off about one-fourth of the studs. She stood, looking at the corner. No, they hadn’t left it off. They had just stopped and not finished. She turned to go back to John and then decided to talk to her foreman instead. Bix would have this up and done before the day was finished.

  Chapter Three

  Urgent Care was quiet for a change as Val and Brie walked inside, the cool air swirling around them.

  “What’s going on?” Brie said. “I can’t believe there’s no one in here.” All the chairs were empty and a custodian was maneuvering a floor polisher down the middle of the gray tile. The screech of the small motor hurt her ears and she frowned down at the floor. It felt as if everything irritated her these days.

  Both Val and Brie knew the nurse behind the desk. “Hi, Linda.” Val pointed at Brie. “This one got hit by a skateboarder in the park across from her house.”

  Linda leaned on the counter and looked at Brie. “Still losing weight?”

  “No.”

  “Don’t want to talk about it?”

  “Right.”

  “We should get together. You take some of mine and we’ll both look better.” She pulled a form off the desk. “Tell me what happened.”

  “Val and I were walking toward my house and I got hit by a skateboarder in the park. My left side hurts. I need someone to look at it. Perhaps an x-ray?”

  “We can do that.” Linda typed information into the computer, printed the paper, and shoved it across the counter. “You know where to sign.”

  Brie bent, scribbling her name on the form.

  “Do you still like the volunteer work you’re doing for Omni Ambulance?” Linda asked.

  “I feel as if I’m always in training, but it’s interesting. I still like it.” Brie handed her the form.

  “Nice job the other night. The accident you and Sean brought in,” Linda said, taking a thorough look at Brie.

  “Just a shame. Kids drinking and lost control, slid into that tree. We had a terrible time getting them out of there.”

  “Are you up to date on shots?” Linda tapped several computer keys and looked at the information. “If you don’t quit losing weight, there won’t be anywhere left to give you a shot.”

  Brie didn’t answer. She simply turned and walked to a chair, sitting carefully. Her side was beginning to hurt again. “I have to call Mom,” Val said and walked out the front doors, dialing her cell phone. Her blue hospital scrubs made a whispering sound as she walked away.

  “Come on, I’ll get this started,” Linda said. Brie followed and tightened her jaw. God. She hated the chemical smell of hospitals. It always made her think of Niki’s death and the three months she’d spent in the hospital recovering from her own injuries.

  Brie tried to get comfortable on the hard examination room bed as she and Val waited for the doctor. There was a bruise the size of a watermelon just above her left hip. She traced what she could remember. She’d been talking to Val, smelled the freshly mown grass in her own yard, the noise of the dirt bike, pain, and then…what? All she could think of was red shorts and a caring voice. Wait, there was something else. A hint of a woman’s sweet sweat. She’d loved that on Niki. The slick skin, touching it with her tongue, the salty taste. She turned her head and looked at her.

  “What did you say when I called that kamikaze skateboarder a kid?”

  “Hardly a kid. She was a full-grown woman.”

  “Oh.” A woman had hit her? But she’d heard children talking.

  “There were children there?”

  “Two of them. A little blond girl, about six or seven, and a dark-haired boy, maybe ten, looked like his mother.”

  “A young woman, then?”

  “Mid-thirties, probably. Good looking, about your height. Nice muscles.”

  “Okay,” Brie said a little playfully. “That’s why you were laughing. I missed a good-looking woman?”

  “You may be down, but I’m hoping your eyes haven’t died.”

  Don’t count on it, she thought but said instead, “Classes start soon. I have to defend that paper I wrote several years ago, before the shooting. It’s due by this January and I’ve been working on it.”

  Val’s face brightened. “I remember your first year teaching at the university. Niki threw that great party for you, the ‘I am so proud of you’ party. You were twenty-four and I was twenty-two, just out of nursing school. I got the job at St. Luke’s three weeks later. That was the night Harold asked me to marry him.” She gave Brie a brilliant smile. What Brie didn’t say was that it was also the night that Niki had asked her to move in with her. She stared hard at the ceiling, willing herself not to cry again.

  “I’ve taught at Sparta for fifteen years,” Brie said and changed the subject. “Thanks for driving me over. Did you happen to see my book, the one I was reading in the park?” Val shook her head as Dr. Michael Wolfe pulled the curtains aside.

  “Brie,” he said, smiling and then nodding at Val. “The O’Malley girls.”

  “Don’t even start with me.” Brie held up a hand. “Someone on a skateboard hit me. Or I hit them.”

  “The good news first,” he said, handing Val the clipboard. His gray hair shone in the big overhead light as he looked down at Brie. “Nothing’s broken.”

  “But?” Brie let the words hang, knowing the other shoe was going to drop.

  “You’re off duty at Omni, at least until I’m sure your muscles are healed. That’s a hell of a bruise. How big was the person who hit you?”

  Brie looked at Val. She had no idea.

  “A woman, about one-twenty, give or take,” Val said and concentrated. “Around five-eight, about the same as Brie. More muscular.”

  Brie grinned. “Nice eyes and a warm voice. Does that count?”

  He thumped her lightly on the forehead. “You. Be quiet.”

  “The other woman had a cut on her eye and Brie had her blood on her hand. I was so worried about Brie that I kind of ignored her.”

  Dr. Wolfe frowned at the paperwork and looked at Val. “She was out? Immediately? Let’s fill out one more form, just in case. Come with me, Val.”

  They left and Brie stared at the ceiling. I was really out? Christ, what’s the point? She heard Dr. Wolfe say something to Val. He’d been her doctor for so long that she thought of him as family. He’d been a godsend when she and Niki were shot.

  People talked in the hallway, a man and a woman. She listened carefully and recognized the man speaking. It was a doctor she knew. When the woman spoke, Brie’s eyes flew open. It was the skateboard woman. Or at least it sounded like it.

  “We’re going to do some blood work on you, kid,” Dr. Wolfe said, coming back into the room with Val. At just thirty-nine she was a long way from being a kid. Brie looked at both of them and knew they had talked about her weight. “You’ve had the hep series for your job at Omni and you’re up to date on everything else.”

  “My favorite vampire,” she said wryly and let her arm drop, offering a vein.

  At that moment, the woman in the cubicle next to them said, “Ouch. That hurts.”

  “That’s the woman that ran into me,” Brie said. Dr. Wolfe and Val both looked at her as if she were speaking in tongues. “I’m serious, listen.”

  Automatically Val and Dr. Wolfe turned to look at the curtains, listening. Brie slid off the other side of the bed and went through the curtains.

  “Brieanna.” Val caught her just before she parted the curtains next to her own cube. “You can’t do that.”

  “Why not? I think it was my fault. The least I can do is apologize.”

  “Have you lost your mind? It was an accident.” Val turned her around and shuffled her back into the cubicle.

  “Fine. I’ll wait for her in the lobby.” The woman next door complained again. They were quiet, listening. Dr. Wolfe started laughing.

  “You’re going to get us kicked out of here, Brie. This is not legal, or et
hical. If you want to wait in the lobby, fine, but we can’t eavesdrop. You’re both in the medical field, you know that.” He shook his head, grinning. “My nurse will be in and draw the blood. I’ll get back to you, Brie, about the blood work. Now get dressed and get out of here. Oh, remember, ice and ibuprofen when needed and see me next Monday, unless I call you sooner.” He closed the curtains and left.

  Brie pulled on her skirt, slipped into her sandals, and looked at Val, who was poised at the entrance, watching her.

  “Cute top. Yellow’s a good color on you,” Val said, then pointed at the cubicle curtain. “Are you really going to wait for her? At least you might actually speak to another woman.” She grinned. “That’s hopeful.”

  “Hopeful?” Brie brushed past Val into the hallway. “More like wishful thinking.”

  Chapter Four

  The Urgent Care lobby was busy. Brie found a quiet spot near the big windows. Should she have sent Val home? Dr. Wolfe had given her ibuprofen but it hadn’t kicked in yet, and she wasn’t sure she could walk it. Maybe she should call her mother for a ride. She moved to wait near the door and stared out at the parking lot. That woman certainly was taking a long time, but there had been blood. Was the injury serious?

  She heard a voice, the voice, and swiveled so fast that pain shot up her side. A woman leaned against the desk. Hands propped on elbows held her head up, one leg curled behind the other. Brie shifted carefully to the left and looked. Val was right. She was a nice-looking woman. Supple body in khaki shorts, construction boots, T-shirt, and nicely muscled arms. Dark brown hair highlighted with gold fell over her ears.

  For the first time since Niki, Brie took a second look at another woman. A little rush rocked through her. A real look.

  She waited until the woman finished her paperwork and turned. Brie saw the huge shiner as the woman looked at her.

  “Hi,” Brie said cautiously. Her eye and the small cut looked terrible.

  “Hello,” the woman answered. “Didn’t expect to see you here. Are you all right?”

  “Just a bruise. A big bruise.”

  “Me too.” She smiled, holding her hand out. “Jordan Carter.”

  “Brieanna O’Malley.” Brie took the offered hand and immediately loved the smile. “That looks sore.” Without thinking, she gently touched the injured skin. “Oh. I’m sorry.”

  “No. I’m sorry.”

  “Ugh. Looks like it hurts. All I could remember was your voice, so when I heard you next to me,” she gestured down the hallway, “I waited to apologize.” Brie stood straighter with some effort. “It was my fault.”

  “I had to get to the site and the kids had me late already. Otherwise, I’d have followed you here. Did your sister give you the card I left?”

  “No. Maybe. I don’t remember.”

  There was a moment of silence and then both spoke at once.

  “Do you have a vehicle here?”

  “Do you need a ride?”

  They laughed and Brie said, “I sent my sister to pick up her kids. Would you give me a ride home? It’s less than a mile north.”

  “My truck’s outside,” Jordan said and led Brie through the doors. “Do you live close to the park?”

  “Across the street, actually,” Brie said. She stopped when they got to the big pickup.

  “What?” Jordan said. She opened the truck door.

  “Normally, I could get into your truck.” Brie shook her head. “Right now, with my side, I’ll never make it.” She took a step back. “Look, thanks, but I’ll walk. It’s a nice day and not that far.”

  “You’re hurt,” Jordan said. “I managed to get you into your sister’s SUV, so I think I can get you into this truck.” Before Brie could say anything, Jordan picked her up easily and adjusted her in her arms. “Are you on a diet?”

  Brie sighed. If one more person mentioned her weight today… “No, I’m not on a diet,” she said. Jordan deposited her on the seat and flashed that wonderful smile again. Brie took a breath.

  “Do you have dinner plans or someone coming home for a meal tonight?”

  Brie leaned into the one warm arm still casually draped around her shoulders. “No.”

  “Good. I’ll take you out for dinner.” Jordan jumped back to the ground effortlessly.

  Brie smiled as the big diesel motor started up. Talk about being swept off your feet.

  When they pulled into the restaurant, Brie uttered a surprised, “Oh,” and turned to Jordan. “This is the old drive-in where I hung out when I was in high school.” A huge pink sign hung above the building: Patrick’s, with garish purple and pink flowers all over it.

  “I grew up on the north side, so I never knew about this place,” Jordan said. “Hope you’re not into fine dining. Just great burgers.” Wind off Lake Michigan skittered through the truck, lifting her hair. She absently jingled the key ring in her fingers. “A couple of gay guys own this now.” She grinned mischievously. “I hide out here.”

  “What?” Brie said. “Hide out?”

  “Oh, before I forget.” Jordan leaned across Brie and opened the glove compartment. “I picked this up where we…met.” She held up the book Brie had been reading in the park. “Leave it here so we don’t forget it when I take you home. Don’t move. I’ll get you down.”

  Brie looked forward to those arms around her again and wasn’t disappointed. The taut rope holding her together relaxed several inches. Maybe being slammed to the ground knocked something loose?

  Once inside, Brie stopped. The entire place was various shades of lavender, accented with light touches of pink and blue, all complemented by coffee-colored browns. Low lights from antique hanging fixtures softened the colors. It was a long way from what it had been when she had been in here as a kid. Jordan led them to an empty booth, sat down against the wall, and stretched her legs out on the faux leather. “I’m starving and I’m buying. It’s the least I can do,” she said. She examined her hands. “Darn, I’m dirty, Brieanna. I’m sorry. I didn’t notice.”

  Brie sat across from her. Jordan’s brown hair was cut with gold. Rich dark oak, Brie thought. Warm, just like her smile.

  “It’s Brie and it’s fine. I asked you for the ride.”

  “Brie? Like the cheese?” Jordan teased. “Give me a minute to wash up.” She was out of the booth and gone before the waitress could lay the menus on the table. Brie picked up a menu and began to study it. She had eaten cereal that morning and should have been hungry, but nothing looked interesting. Her therapist had said loss of appetite was a common indication of depression. “Well, duh,” she said to herself.

  Jordan came back to the booth and pointed at the menu. “See something you like? I always have the same thing, so I really don’t have a clue what’s on there.” She scrounged in her shorts pocket, pulling out a watch. “Ha. My watch. I thought I left it at home.” Then she pulled out a plain gold band and slid it on her finger.

  “Is that a wedding ring?” Brie said without thinking.

  “What?” Jordan said just as the swinging doors to the kitchen opened to men’s loud laughter. Patrick came striding into the dining room. He skidded to a stop when he saw them.

  “Brie,” he said. He pulled her out of the booth and hugged her. She almost screamed in pain.

  “Wait, Patrick,” she said, trying to breathe. She felt Jordan’s hand on her shoulder.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” He released her and she leaned back into Jordan.

  “An accident.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said and looked at Jordan. “What the hell happened to your eye?”

  “Same accident,” she said. “We had some sort of celestial convergence in the park by Brie’s house. I was on a skateboard and ran into her.”

  Brie sat down gingerly and Patrick bent to look into her face. “How’ve you been, love? We haven’t seen you since the memorial…we’ve been so busy with this.” He stepped back for a more thorough look. “My God, you’ve lost weight. Dinner’s on me for both of yo
u, and I mean it. We have George’s special tonight and you’ll love it.” Patrick grinned at them. “You girls look really banged up. Oh no. Don’t tell me, you’ve joined a roller-derby team.” He threw his hands up dramatically, laughing at his own words, and then gestured at the room. “How do you like it, Brie? It’s ours, George’s and mine.”

  “You quit your job?”

  “No, I come here directly after I’m done. We’re having a great time with this. Wait until I tell George you’re here,” he said, striding back through the swinging doors.

  “Are you all right?” Jordan asked. She peeked over the booth at the swinging doors. “Roller derby?”

  Embarrassed by the fuss, Brie changed the subject. “Do you come here often?” she said and then realized she’d just uttered the world’s oldest cliché. She blushed but Jordan didn’t appear to notice.

  “This has been my little secret, where I can hide from my mother. She’d never think of looking for me out here. A restaurant on the lake owned by gay guys.”

  Brie straightened. “I’ve known both George and Patrick since high school. This is kind of a historic place for all of us.” Uncomfortable, she turned the conversation again. “I seem to remember children today.”

  “My kids, Jenna and Tyler, ages six and ten.”

  Brie looked down. Married. “So you’re a mother and…”

  Jordan shifted her body and pulled a leather wallet out of her hip pocket. She took out a business card and pushed it across the table. Brie narrowed her eyes. That wasn’t typical of a married woman. A man’s leather wallet in the hip pocket.

  “I’m a finish carpenter for the family construction business,” Jordan said, pointing at the card. Kelly Construction was printed in black print over a green shamrock, followed by Jordan Carter, Finish Carpenter above telephone numbers and an e-mail address. “My dad and Uncle John started this before I was born. I’ve grown up with it.”

  “Do you like it?”

  “Almost as much as breathing and my kids,” Jordan said as Patrick appeared at their table again, holding two steaming plates.