Page 111 of Sugar & Ink
Her shoulders.
I wanted to check her neck.
Needed to check it.
But for a few seconds, I just held her.
Because she was alive.
Because I was holding her.
Because minutes ago, the woman I loved had a knife to her throat.
My own hands started shaking.
I hid it by holding her tighter.
“What happened?” I asked quietly.
Josie sucked in a jagged breath. “I was washing dishes.” Her voice was muffled against my chest. “The bell rang. I thought it was a customer.”
I closed my eyes. Of course she did.
“She came in and started talking. I tried to keep her calm. I tried, Rome.”
“You did good.”
“She came behind the counter.” Josie trembled harder. “I told her she couldn’t be back there, and she grabbed the lemon knife. I didn’t even think about it being there.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“I should’ve moved it.”
“No.” I pulled back just enough to look at her. “Not. Your. Fault.”
Tears streamed down her face. Her throat had a shallow cut near the side. Not deep and thankfully not life-threatening, but blood dotted her skin, and seeing it made me want to put my fist through a wall.
I grabbed a clean napkin from the nearest table and gently pressed it to the cut.
Josie winced.
“Sorry.”
“I’m okay.”
“No, you’re not.”
She laughed once, broken. “No. I’m not.”
I kissed her forehead. “You’re safe now.”
Brandi screamed from the freezer again.
Josie flinched.
I moved so my body blocked her view of the door. “Look at me.”
She did.
