Page 21 of Searching for Bristol
“Of course. I’m sure Elsie and Lil will both be happy to help.”
“Thanks. She’s tiny. Like, not even five feet tall. And slender. I have no idea what size she is though.”
“Lilly’ll figure it out.”
“She’s got long hair. I’m guessing my shampoo isn’t going to cut it. So she’ll need toiletries and womanly stuff too.”
“No problem. What’s the plan for when she’s discharged? She going home?” Ethan asked.
Rocky inhaled deeply, then let out the breath in a long sigh. “I don’t know. She doesn’t have anyone in Kingsport, and she won’t be able to get around well on her own. I told her she’d be welcome in Fallport, that she had lots of options for places to stay while she’s recuperating.”
There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment before Ethan asked, “She’s your Lilly, isn’t she?”
“I don’t know. How did you know Lilly was it for you?” Rocky asked.
“I just knew,” Ethan replied. “I know that isn’t much of an answer, but it’s not something I can explain. It was the horrible thought of her leaving after her job was over. It was her sense of humor. Her loyalty. But mostly it was just a feeling deep inside me that said if I let her go, I’d regret it.”
Rocky nodded. He knew what his brother was talking about. The thought of saying goodbye to Bristol was physically painful. “It’s only been a day since I met her,” he mused.
“Doesn’t matter. When you know, you know. Of course, that doesn’t mean things will turn out the way you want. Or that you’ll fall madly in love. Or that she’ll feel the same way about you. Life’s a bitch sometimes, and if you think she’s it for you, you might have to fight like hell to make it work. She’s got a life, as do you.”
“I know,” Rocky said. And he did. He hadn’t stopped thinking about the logistics of possibly dating Bristol. And how, after she’d had some time to think, she might realize that any feelings she had were a result of being rescued by him. The very last thing Rocky wanted was someone being with him because they were grateful for his help.
“Call me in the morning,” Ethan ordered. “Let me know what’s up. How long she’ll be there and what you need. I’ll send Lilly out in the morning to pick up some things for her and we can either bring everything up there, or we can meet you here in Fallport, wherever you’ve convinced her to stay. And for the record, you know she’s welcome here. We’ve got room.”
“Thanks. Your place was already one of the options I gave her.”
“Anything you need, anytime you need it,” Ethan said fervently.
God, Rocky loved his brother. “How was Elsie on the trail? Assuming she made it and liked the surprise Zeke had for her?” he asked, needing to talk about something other than his confusing feelings for the woman he’d just met.
“She did great. Hiking is never going to be her thing, but knowing she did it for her son…that’s pretty awesome. And yeah, Zeke did an amazing job of transforming the tower. Blow-up mattress, flowers, the whole shebang. We all helped him carry everything back out so he doesn’t have to return in the near future to clean up.”
“Cool. And Tony? He enjoy it?”
Ethan chuckled. “Enjoy is an understatement. Zeke and Elsie showed him the paperwork to change his name to Calhoun, like theirs, and I think his shriek of excitement was heard in the next county.”
Rocky smiled. “She’s good people,” he said softly.
“Yeah. And for the record? We’re gonna have more words about you going out on your own on a search, brother.”
Rocky sighed. It was wishful thinking that Ethan wouldn’t give him shit about his fuckup. “I figured we would. I know I messed up, and it certainly won’t happen again. But…having those sat phones would go a long way toward making us all safer. Even when we’re searching at the same time, we can’t all stay together. It’d be a big help if we could communicate with each other while we’re out there.”
“Agreed. I’ve been talking with the mayor about seeing if he can put pressure on the cell phone companies to get another tower out here too. It’s not safe that cells don’t work on 480 or in the forest. But it’s apparently a political thing…and complicated. It’s irritating as hell.”
Rocky didn’t envy his brother, and he was glad he wasn’t the one who had to talk to the mayor. Jonathan Coleman was an asshole, and trying to get him to open the purse strings for any reason was just about impossible.
“I’m gonna let you go. But I expect a call in the morning. I’ll reach out to the other guys and let them know what’s up. Assuming you’ve talked to Raiden?”
“Yeah. He was the first call I made once I had cell service.”
“Right. Then I’ll talk to you tomorrow and see you soon. Love you, bro.”
“Love you too. Send my regards to Lilly.”
“Will do. Later.”
Rocky hung up and resumed his pacing. He was glad to have his brother’s support, as well as that of the rest of the team, but at the moment, all he could think about was Bristol. Was the surgery going okay? Was the break as minimal as Doc Snow had thought?
