Accidental Tryst (Charleston #1)(77)

Trystan's eyebrows pinched. "To do what?"

"To get him a bed. There's a long waiting list, apparently. So unless you know someone . . ." I shrugged, imagining how I was going to spend the next few weeks. "Or can bribe someone, or just generally beg every day until they get annoyed enough to get you in."

Trystan rocked forward in his chair, intent suddenly on his laptop screen. "What's the name of the place you're going to see?"

"Um." I turned around, looking for my purse and bag that contained the manila folder Penny gave me before belatedly realizing they were still at Armand's. "I don't know. One of them's in Summerville. That's the one I want to go and see because it would be ideal. Close enough to visit."

"This place?" He swung his screen around.

"I don't know," I said, approaching. "I haven't looked it up yet."

"Well this place is in Summerville and it has dementia care and . . ." He laughed and shook his head incredulously.

"What?" I frowned.

"I'm part-owner. I'd say that was knowing someone, wouldn't you?"

I stared at Trystan. "Are you serious?"

"Yep. But I'm still learning the ropes. I have no idea about the Medicaid situation. Let me put in a call." He picked up his cell phone from the table next to him, and I reached forward and grabbed his wrist.

He stopped.

"Wait," I said. "You can't do that."

"Why not?"

"I—I don't know." I swallowed. "You've already . . . I still owe you so much."

His head bobbed back. "Owe me? What the hell, Emmy?"

I licked my lips.

"I swear to God," Trystan said in a low voice, "you better not have fucking slept with me because you thought you owed me."

"What?" I burst out, let go and pushed back from the table. "No! Ugh!"

He lifted his palms. "Sorry. Just making sure."

"God, Trystan."

"Jesus, Emmy. What am I supposed to think?" He grabbed at his hair. "You've acted really fucking weird since we . . . since we . . ."

"Fucked?" I supplied.

Trystan flinched. "I was going to say made love."

My heart climbed up my chest to my throat. "No, you weren't." God, he wasn't, was he?

He stood and snapped his laptop shut. "Actually, I was. It just took me a damn minute because I've never said that before. But rest assured." He held up a hand. "Temporary insanity."

I closed my mouth. It was dry. My ears rang. My skin felt hot. And pain. God, pain. It was all encompassing. It made me want to claw my skin off. "You should leave," I whispered. I didn't want to be told there was no place for me. Not ever again. This time I controlled my world.

"Check out's at ten a.m., right?" His tone was biting. "I'm sorry I overstayed my welcome."

"I-I'll go to Armand's. You j-just take your time."

He took a step toward me then stopped. But I'd already backed up. An automatic reaction. If I didn't leave right now, I was going to lose my shit right in front of him. Tears were like a salt tide roaring in from the edges of everything I could see, feel, and hear.

I turned and went to the door. Stopping for a moment, I took a breath. "Thank you," I said quietly, my voice wobbling. I couldn't forget he'd helped me, helped David, kept my phone when he could have ditched me high and dry. He was a good person. I knew that. And I knew he probably didn't understand the way I was trying to protect myself. When he realized how close we'd become, it would hurt worse when he pulled away. It was better this way.

"Goddammit, Emmy. Thank you for what, exactly?"

I answered by turning the handle on the front door.

"Please," he said, changing tack. "Please don't leave."

"Thank you for your help this week," I finished and opened the door and slipped through it, letting it shut behind me.

"Fuck!" he yelled so loudly it echoed around the outside courtyard, and I winced.





36





Emmy





I let myself into Armand's empty apartment and curled up on his couch. I wished I could go somewhere else, where Trystan didn't know where I was, but I needn't have worried—he didn't follow me. The tears I'd been afraid of never came. Instead, I felt cold, brittle, and exhausted. I pulled out the manila folder Penny had given me. Sure enough it was the exact place Trystan had shown me. Of course it was. I called and made an appointment to visit them later in the day, then I called a local rent-a-car place out near the Cooper River Bridge.

I grabbed my makeup bag from my suitcase and went to Armand's bathroom and made up my face. I braided my hair to tame it and then called a cab.

My phone was gripped in my fist the whole way to the car rental place and so quiet I actually checked that it still had battery life. I went to my photos, wondering what else Trystan had seen when he went through them. Weirdly, there were a bunch of pictures of food I hadn't taken. Meals Trystan had taken pictures of. Then I went to my messages to let Armand know where I was. I saw messages from Annie earlier in the week. I’d forgotten she'd texted Trystan thinking it was me. The messages were dated from Wednesday. Four days ago.