Let Me Love You. Linda Walters

wondering if she’d broken a bone or anything else. Her ankle throbbed, her wrist hurt but her pride was even more injured. Looking around quickly, she realized no one had witnessed the fall and was grateful.

      Willing herself to her feet, Skye realized she’d probably sprained the ankle as she made several attempts to put weight on it. The quarter mile she’d already run made it impossible for her to hobble back the same distance without difficulty.

      Suddenly, she remembered she’d put her cell phone into the tiny pocket of the shorts. She reluctantly pulled it out. Lowering herself to a sitting position at the curbside, she dialed Nita’s number.

      After two rings, Branch growled into the phone. “Yeah.”

      Skye knew she’d probably never live it down but she had no choice. “Branch, I hate to wake you, but I need some help.”

      “Skye? What’s the matter?” Obvious confusion could be heard in his voice and she wondered if anyone at all realized she’d left the house.

      “Branch, I went jogging like I do every morning, only I tripped and fell.”

      “What? Why didn’t you tell someone you were going out? Where are you?” he asked.

      “I’m at the intersection of University and SW Sixth Street. I hate to ask, but could you come and get me with the car? I don’t think my ankle can support my weight right now,” she ended, her voice suddenly cracking.

      “Yeah, sure. Don’t move. Stay right there. I’m on my way,” he said as he placed the phone into its cradle.

      Nita turned over, flung an arm over his pillow and snuggled more deeply into the bedcovers. Branch watched her for a moment, thought of waking her, then walked toward his closet. He pulled on a pair of jeans, threw on the shirt he’d worn the night before and left the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind him so as not to awaken his wife. She deserved to rest after playing hostess until two a.m.

      He passed the kitchen, thought he heard a sound and looked into it. Terrance was standing over the sink, a glass of juice in one hand, bottle of Motrin in the other, looking very much like a train wreck.

      “Damn, man. What happened to you?”

      “Had a rough night, my man. What the hell are you doing up so early, dressed and looking as if you’re sneaking out?” Terrance’s questions were issued with a degree of real pain. Every effort he made to move his lips was rewarded with a quiver somewhere in his head and the Motrin he’d just swallowed had not yet begun to do its work.

      “Dude, take a ride with me. One of our guests has had an accident and I’m the resident EMT.” It took a moment for the statement to register, then Terrance put the glass down.

      “Sure, I’ll take the ride. Who the hell is dumb enough to be out this early in the morning though? Wait, don’t answer. Probably Lorenzo on his way to a beer run or some other self-serving errand,” he added as they walked toward Branch’s Escalade. The oversized vehicle looked formidable in the early-morning light, its black exterior adding class and elegance to a sports utility vehicle that ranked among the best.

      “No, actually it was Skye. I take it she runs every morning at home. Probably figured she’d do it here but I think she fell or something. I don’t know—she just called and said she’s at an intersection about twelve blocks away.”

      His words knocked the wind out of Terrance’s lungs and for a moment, he felt sick to his stomach. He wanted to ask several questions at once, then thought better of it. He’d know soon enough and in the interim, he didn’t want Branch to know that he was struggling with a growing interest in his wife’s best friend.

      When they pulled up some moments later, Skye was still sitting at the curb, looking very much like a woman who’d made up her mind to run a marathon that morning. Wearing no makeup, hair pulled back into an uncombed ponytail, the orange shorts and white tank top bearing road dirt and grime, she still appeared to be serious about her sportsmanship. She also looked embarrassed.

      Terrance and Branch walked toward her and Skye fought to keep the tears from coming. She hadn’t expected to cry but seeing the formidable rescue squad affected her sensibilities, confirming that without having had the cell phone, the outcome of a minor accident could have been much worse.

      “Thanks for coming. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t answered,” she said as they stepped to either side of her.

      “Stop thanking me. Nita would never forgive me if I don’t take good care of you. By the way, I didn’t try and wake her just now, knowing you’d be there soon enough to fill her in. I suspect she’s gonna give you hell for leaving the house without telling anybody though,” Branch said, a smile playing across his mouth.

      He hadn’t meant to scold Skye, but was concerned that she’d left without telling anyone. In his mind, the weekend meant that all their guests were his responsibility until they were well on their way back home. Accidents aside, he wanted to avoid anything bad happening to anyone in their midst, especially without him knowing about it.

      Terrance had remained silent until then. “Did you hurt any other part of your body?” he asked, pointing to her upper torso.

      “My wrist hurts a little, but this ankle is killing me,” Skye answered quickly.