Wrong Way Renee (36 page)

She clasped her hands in prayer.
Please call me, Joe.

Five minutes later, after
splashing her face with water
,
sh
e returned to the party
and got herself another glass of sangria
. Becky and Charles
regaled
the other guests about the
ir
wedding and honeymoon plans while
Char
winked at Renee every few minutes.

After they'd finished eating, the sound of thunder in the distance sent them inside. Everyone helped clean the kitchen as
Cleave
packed doggie bags for each couple to take
as they left
.

“I'm not feeling well.
”
Renee
rubbed
her stomach. It was true, after all. Her
insides were
in knots after hearing
Char
's news about the diamond ring.

“I was hoping we'd have a few minutes alone, sweetheart,
”
Cleave
said.
“I'd like to speak to you.”

Warm fear washed over her.
“I'm sorry. I'm tired from working all week and all the conflicts we seem to be having these days at the salon. I'm the one who's running interference all the time lately. Things didn't us
ed to be so complicated there.”

He wrapped his arms around her.
“I
t doesn't matter. You don't have to deal with any of that
garbage if you don't want to.”

Every hair on her body stood
on end
. She disengaged herself from his grasp.
“It's not garbage to me,
Cleave
. It's a business Becky and I have built into something. It's where six people work and hundreds of people
get their hair and nails done and I’m proud of it.”

He shook his head.
“You're taking me all wrong. I mean
…
you don't have to work. Marry me, Renee. Sell your share of the salon to Becky. Or give it to her as a wedding gift. I love you and I want you to be my wife. When we go to Atlanta, I want to introduce you to my family as my
fiancée
. We could be planning a wedding and a honeymoon like Be
cky and Charles are right now.”

Heart thudding, sh
e turned her back on him.
“I can't give you an answer right now.
”
How could she tell him she wasn't in love with him? He'd been so good to her. He was making such an effort to woo her friends and family.

She spun around to face him.
“
We’ve known each other
less than three months. How could you know you wa
nt to spend your life with me?”

“I've never been more sure of anything my whole life. Please think about it.
”
He pulled her toward him.
“Will you think about it?”

She nodded.
“But right now I need to go home.
”
Time to think was
definitely
what she needed. She drove home in the
cold
February drizzle, unable to concentrate on the road. As she turned into her complex, she took the curve too
fast
. The Jeep skidded
and
slammed into a light pole.

H
er neck snapped forward, then back, hitting the headrest hard. The air bag deployed with a
deafening pop
, pinning her against the seat. Her chest burned.

Tiny dots of silver light floated before her eyes. Her world grew dim then faded into blackness.

Chapter Eleven

“Are you all right, ma'am? Tell me your name,
”
a man was saying.

She opened her eyes to
a uniformed officer standing next to her.
Joe?
But his face was
fuzzy and
just out of view. Trying to shift enough so she could see his face, she felt a stabbing pain behind her eyes. Her car door was open and the moon
was
low in the sky.

The deputy moved aside as a fireman bent down to look at her. She
got a better look at
the deputy next to him, but it wasn't Joe.

“Can you tell me your name?
”
the fireman said again.

“Renee Wright.
”
Her voice was hoarse.

“Let's get you out of he
re, Renee. Does anything hurt?”

“My neck and my head.
”
A sharp
pinch
gripped her back.

“Ca
n you feel your arms and legs?”

Sh
e wiggled
her toes and moved her fingers. “Yes. They're fine.”

Another fireman came over, reached around her and fastened a cervical collar around her neck. Then two paramedics placed a flat white board with black straps on the ground next to the car. They helped her out of the car, guiding her down onto the board, fastening straps around her chest, waist, legs and ankles.

Then
they
lifted
her
onto a waiting stretcher. Her neck
ached
and her head felt
as if
she'd been hit with a hammer.
All the men were soaked from the rain.

An ambulance was parked nearby, its back doors open and ready like the
gaping
mouth of a
monster
full of lights and gadgets. The paramedics loaded her into it
and drove her to the hospital. H
ours later, she was released
to her parents
with a neck brace and instructions for her care.

A nurse handed her a list of local orthopedic doctors.

Her father
took the paper,
wadded it into a b
all and threw it in a trashcan.
“You'll
see
one of the guys we use at the office, honey. I'll have my secretary get you an appointment first thing in the morning.
”
He
took her arm
and helped
her
into
the backseat of
the
SUV
.

Her mother
looked perfect as ever in a pink polo shirt and
Bill
Blass jeans with a pink and white grosgrain ribbon belt.
“Let's take her to the house,
Luther
. That way I can take care of her. She shoul
dn't be alone.”

“No, I'm okay. I want to go to my own apartment and sleep in my own bed,
”
sh
e protested.

“Pumpkin, be realistic here. You're hurt. Whiplash can make even the simplest things much more difficult to do. Believe me, I have lots of experience with this stuff.
”
He buckled her in then climbed into the front passenger seat.

Her mother steered out of the lot.
“You don't even have any transportation. I think your car is totaled
.”

Damn it.
What was she going to do? She'd have to take time off work to buy a new car. The last time she'd renewed her auto insurance, she'd increased the deductible to lower the premium. That was a great idea. Now she'd have to come up with a thousand dollars just for the deductible. Plus, they'd probably give her less than her car was worth. Yes, this was going to really
suck.

H
er dad
looked over his shoulder at her
.
“Honey, this is going to cost more than I think you can afford. I'll help you find a car
and give you the down payment.”

Tears
burned
her eyes.
“Thank you, Daddy. But I thi
nk I should do this on my own.” She’d gotten herself into this mess and she should get herself out. Come to think of it, she was in a lot of messes.

“Renee, honey, there's no need to be stubborn. You're already in debt up to your eyeballs. Your father and I only want to help. So does
Cleave
. I called him to let him know what's happene
d. He's meeting us at the house.”

“
Mama
, why did you do that?
”
She
slowly turned her head to look out the window.
Raindrops blurred the streetlights.
She didn't want
Cleave
there. She didn't even want to be there herself.
“I need to take care of Apple.
Can't you please take me home?”

“Apple will be fine for one night. We'll go and bring her to the house tomorrow,
”
her mother
said.

“
I don't plan to
stay
more than one night.”

“You may not have a choice
.
” Her mother switched off the radio.
“
I'll have to take you to the doctor. What if you have ano
ther appointment the next day?”

“I'll go look for a car after my appointment.
”
She folded her arms, pouting.

Her father
laughed
.
“You used to make that fac
e when you were a little girl.”

“You both bring
out the helpless child in me.”

T
hey pulled up in front of the house
.
Cleave
was waiting,
leaning against his BMW
in the drizzle
. He hurried
over
to help
her
out of the Escalade
the second
it stopped.
“Are you all right, honey? I was scared to death. What happened?
”
He led her to the door under a big black umbrella.

“I don't know. I
guess I took a turn too fast.”

“I wish you'd have s
tayed with me.”

Elizabeth
shot
him
a disapproving look he ignored.
He lowered his voice.
“Sorry. Do yo
u want to go back to my house?”

“No.
I'll stay here for the night.”

“
Luther
says your car is totaled. I'll arrange for a rental in the morning. I'll h
ave them bring it here.”

“Will they do that?
”
Sh
e let
Cleave
help her into the
living room
.

“Sure they will. You don'
t need to rush into a new car.”

“That w
ould be a big help. Thank you.”

They followed her mother to Renee's old bedroom, which still
looked just as it had when
sh
e was in college. Her University of Florida Gators pennant hung on the wall along with her National Honor Society medal from high school
and a poster of Denzel Washington she used to stare at for hours
.

A collection of nesting dolls lined the shelves over the whitewashed wood desk. The bed had a floral print bedspread that matched the curtains. Suddenly,
sh
e was glad to be there. She eased her sore body onto the bed.

“I'll be downstairs. If you need anything, call me.
”
Elizabeth left the room, leaving the door open, as she had when Renee was a teenager in her room with a boy.

“Some things never change.
”
Renee smiled.

“The room?
”
He sat down next to her.

“No, my
Mama
.”

“I guess I should let you get some sleep. Please consider my offer. I'd love to have you at my house. The housekeeper will be there tomorrow, so you
won't be alone during the day.”

“Thanks, but I have to go to the doctor in the morning. Then I'll need to
go home to take care of Apple.”

“Why do
n't you bring her to my house?”

Nice try.
“Because your dog would eat her.
”
She
patted
his
knee.
“You're wonderful. I appreciate all you're do
ing. But I'll be fine.”

“I can take a hint. I'll call you tomorrow. Sleep tight.
”
He kissed her forehead, then left.