Page 20 of The Candle Palace (Jamison Valley 6)
“It’s all right.” I relaxed deeper into the chair. Being around Milo was exhilarating. Confusing. He made my pulse race and palms sweat, but in his company, my spirit had never felt so at peace. In my thundering heart, I knew this was exactly where I was supposed to be.
I’d known the man just over a week. How did that make sense?
My feelings were so jumbled and unfamiliar, I needed time to pick them apart. And now was not that time.
“Milo, can I ask you a question?”
“Yeah.” He nodded, tilting his head in my direction, though he kept his eyes closed.
“Why do you want your parents to leave?” I’d promised myself to stay out of it, but the more he pushed them away, the more curious I became.
“They should be home, sleeping in their own bed. Eating at their dining room table, not a hospital cafeteria. They have work to do on the farm. They don’t need to be here watching my skin grow.”
He had a point, but Kirk and Teresa were devoted to their son. Milo was a grown man, but here they were, supporting him completely. Loving him without reservation. Did he know how rare that was? Did he know how special it was he had them both? I’d give anything to feel my dad’s unconditional love again, even for a moment.
“Can I ask you another question?”
“You don’t need permission, Sara. Ask me anything.”
I held a breath, working up some courage. “Why do you want me to sit with you?”
That question got his attention. Milo’s eyes opened slowly, fixing on me. “I like your voice.”
“My voice?” I’d always thought it too high-pitched and sheepish.
“It’s soothing. It makes the pain . . . It just—” He blew all the air from his lungs, his chest sagging into the bed. “When you’re in here, it’s easy to forget I’m such a screwup.”
“You’re not a screwup.”
He scoffed. “I almost got myself killed.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“I don’t know.” His eyes closed again. “How about a different question?”
“Okay.” Except all that came to mind had to do with the explosion and why he was here. All but one. “Who’s Jess?”
Milo’s lips pursed in a thin line, making me regret asking. A moment of silence passed without an answer and I was sure he’d ignore me. Then he turned once more and those kind eyes were brimming with regret.
“Jess is my boss. The sheriff of Jamison County. He is the toughest sonovabitch there is. And I almost got him killed too.”
Him. Jess was a man. I shouldn’t have been happy, given how Milo’s voice was full of grief, but my foolish heart had been terrified Jess was Milo’s girlfriend.
“I was burned in an explosion. But you knew that.”
I nodded. “It was in your chart.”
“How much do you know?”
“Very little.”
Milo lifted his shoulders and winced as he struggled to sit up.
I was out of my chair in a flash, reaching for the controls to raise the head of his bed. He couldn’t sit up completely due to the burns on his stomach. But we could lift him some to make conversation and eating easier.
After, I helped prop his shoulders and head up with an extra pillow. Then I took the water pitcher from his table and filled his plastic cup. “Here.”
“Thanks.” After a long drink, he wiped his lips dry and handed the cup over.
