Page 21 of Fracture

“What are you sorry for?” Karli asked.

“Because you’ve all been worn out because of me. Coming out here. Driving back. Away from home and jobs and whatever else you have going on. Other people in your lives.” Lorelei didn’t meet his gaze when she spoke, and Vinnie wondered if she was trying to find out if he was single.

No. He couldn’t go there. He couldn’t think about it. He already crossed a line with her. He wouldn’t do it again.

“Well, we’re here for dinner. Let’s eat, then we can find a hotel,” Cade said.

They filed out and into a local restaurant that had great reviews online. The hostess led them to a booth, but Vinnie stepped in and asked for a table since Lorelei was on crutches and sliding into a booth wouldn’t be easy.

Cade and Karli sat on one side of the table, with Vinnie and Lorelei on the other side. He propped her crutches against the wall behind them, out of the way of the foot traffic, then made sure she was okay before he sat next to her.

He should have let her ride back with Cade and Karli. Then he’d already be home and away from the temptation that was Lorelei Sloane.

Their server came over and took drink orders, leaving them with a list of specials and a few recommendations to consider.

“I’m getting tired, too,” Karli said after they ordered dinner. “This was a good place to stop.”

“We need to see if there are hotels available,” Cade said, pulling out his phone. “Oh, the place we passed on the way here has space. How do we want to do this?”

It was the question Vinnie had been dreading since Cade mentioned stopping for the night.

“I wonder if they have a suite with a few rooms. Something where we could stay in the same space,” Karli suggested, looking at Cade’s phone with him. “What about this one?”

Cade tapped the screen, then nodded. “Yeah, that should work. Two bedrooms plus a living room and kitchen. I’m going to go ahead and book it so we can just go there and check in.”

Vinnie was partly grateful they didn’t ask his opinion and partly annoyed. Two bedrooms plus a living room. He didn’t have the money for a place like that, but he would figure it out.

Vinnie didn’t say much through dinner. He focused on his food and silently observed Lorelei. She seemed increasingly uncomfortable as they sat there, but he wasn’t sure if it was pain or something else. All he knew was he was ready to get the hell out of the restaurant by the time the check came.

“We got this,” Cade said, grabbing the check before Vinnie or Lorelei could object.

“You don’t have to do that,” Vinnie argued.

“You’re driving your own vehicle and taking us back. The least we can do is cover your expenses on the way,” Cade told him without looking up from his wallet. “That means we’re paying for the hotel, too.”

“No. I can’t accept that.” Vinnie was not a charity case. Not anymore. He paid his own way. He didn’t rely on others to support him.

Karli reached over and grabbed his hand. Vinnie looked at her and saw all the emotions she’d kept hidden for days. “When Lorelei went missing, I knew something was wrong. It wasn’t like her to disappear. But I don’t have the skills to do anything about it. I’m an art therapist, not an investigator or anything like that. I barely slept. I was borderline insane.” Karli drew a breath and let it out, her emotions spilling over and a tear racing down her cheek. “When we heard you found her, I nearly collapsed with relief, even though she wasn’t okay. She was alive. And that’s because of you. It doesn’t matter to me that Lorelei doesn’t know who I am, I love her. She was my best friend when we were little. Life took us in different directions and we haven’t been as close in the last few years, but she’s family. Losing her was unimaginable. And because of you, it wasn’t a reality. So, us paying for a few meals for you and a hotel room for all of us to stay in and your gas and whatever else is not charity. It’s gratitude. It’s not much in the big picture, but it’s us saying thank you for not giving up on her and for doing what you did and bringing her back to us.”

“And if you ever need anything, we hope you’ll think to call and ask us because this isn’t enough. There’s no limit,” Cade added.

Vinnie wanted to argue, but he understood it. He’d felt that same level of gratitude before. He still did. It was something that never went away. Something you never lost. When someone changed your life, you never forgot it. “I’m happy I arrived when I did.”

“So are we. Now, no more arguing, we’re paying. Cade’s good for it,” Karli teased.

Cade just shrugged. “Business is good.”

Vinnie had never been on the receiving end of gratitude, but it felt good. Even better knowing Lorelei was safe, and he’d never let anything happen to her again.

Lorelei looked at her cousin differently after Karli’s declaration. To hear the emotion in her voice, and to see it, told Lorelei her relationship with Karli was another thing she wanted to change. Karli and Cade dropped everything to be there for Lorelei. They stayed, they were riding back with her instead of flying, and they were paying for everything.

Lorelei never considered the cost of their trip until that moment. She had no idea if she had money or credit cards somewhere, or where her handbag was or anything. She was just rolling through life without a thought to how she was going to pay for things.

Or a thought to what her disappearance did to the people who cared about her. Karli told Lorelei her parents had passed years ago, explaining why no one arrived saying they were her parents, but there was other family. Karli asked them all to give Lorelei time and space, but Karli didn’t stay away. She pushed aside her fears and pain and sat by Lorelei’s bed every day, helping her change and eat and use the bathroom and do everything.

It was a level of safe Lorelei needed. A level she only felt with Vinnie.

Vinnie.