Within These Walls (Within These Walls #1)(59)

“Maybe.”

“Can we read those parts together?”

Her cheeks flared up from that comment, causing me to laugh. I got my book list. It was a long one.

“Hey, do you want to watch a movie?” I asked, flopping down beside her on the bed.

“Oh my gosh, that reminds me!” she exclaimed.

“What?”

“Have you seen the news?” Her expression was now much more serious.

“No, I usually avoid it.”

“You should probably turn on CNN or pull up their website,” she suggested, reaching down to pull out her laptop.

That thing was reaching geriatric years, but with the hospital Wi-Fi, it was passable for Internet use. I plucked it out of her hands and flipped it open.

“Why? What should I be looking for?” I asked, typing CNN into the search engine.

“You’ll see it.”

I clicked on the website, and as soon as the site loaded, I saw several headlines—a tropical storm, something about a celebrity—and then my eyes stopped.

“‘Cavanaugh Dynasty Headed for Disaster’?” I announced, repeating the headline to myself.

I looked up at Lailah, and she nodded.

“It’s all over the news,” she said.

I clicked on the link to bring up the full article. A full-color picture of my brother was included, showing him walking through the doors of Cavanaugh Investments. He looked older, and his eyes were downcast as he tried to avoid the cameras and attention.

My eyes quickly skimmed the words, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. The phrases poor business decisions, family in turmoil, and investors not happy all popped out at me.

“My father’s and brother’s little scheme to cover up my whereabouts has finally leaked as well as their lack of business skills. How my father managed not to run the business into the ground sooner has never failed to astound me. It was my grandfather’s vision, not his.” I shook my head, shutting the laptop and setting it aside.

“Are you going to do anything?” she asked softly.

“No. They made the mess, so they can clean it up,” I answered. “My place is here now.”

Twenty-one: Flynn Rider—Lailah

I’D JUST FINISHED my lackluster lunch of lasagna and broccoli when there was a knock on my door. My heart fluttered in anticipation, wondering if it was Jude about to grace my presence, but then I realized I had no idea when or even if he was going to visit me today. When I’d asked him yesterday, he’d been especially vague, actually sidestepping the conversation altogether.

I gave my okay to enter and felt my jaw hit the floor.

Weighed down by an assortment of glittery gowns, boxes of shoes, and several other bags, my mother and Grace entered my room and nearly collapsed as they dumped things on the end of my bed.

“What the heck?” I said, looking around for some sort of clue. “Are we playing dress-up?”

Grace’s eyes lit up, and it was then that I noticed she wasn’t dressed for work. Instead, she wore a pair of slim dark jeans, pink ballet flats, and a flowery top. Her hair was pulled back into a large neat bun at the top of her head. I’d never seen her out of scrubs. She looked beautiful and exactly how I would have pictured her—girlie with a touch of class.

“We are here to get you ready,” Grace announced.

“Ready for what?” My eyes darted around the room from her to my mom, who was not nearly as excited but still showing more emotion than I usually saw out of her.

“I can’t tell you,” Grace said.

“Okay.”

“It’s another one of those crazy ideas your boyfriend thought up,” my mom added with a slight smile and a roll of her eyes.

She was warming up to Jude. It was taking a while, but slowly, she was coming around. Maybe by the time we were in our forties, she might work her way up to a hug.

“So, where do we start?”

We started with dresses. Grace had brought a huge selection, all with various styles and colors.

“Where did you get these?” I asked.

“Never you mind that,” she answered with a wave of the hand. “Jude asked me to handle the beauty side of things, and I did. Now, which one do you like best?”

I looked through all my choices. Some were sweet, and some were sexy. I chose several to try on, but my eyes kept going to one—a strapless mint green gown that reminded me of Jude’s eyes. I saved that one for last. Grace loved everything, and my mother even got teary-eyed from seeing me in something other than sweats and jeans. But when I came out in that last dress, there was silence.

It was stunning. The bodice was simple with a sweetheart shape that gave lift and shape to my otherwise straight body. The part that made it interesting was the lace overlay covering my scar just perfectly, curving around my collarbone, but it was still see-through enough that the sweetheart-style was visible. The dress hugged at the waist and then flared with wisps of fabric cascading elegantly down to the floor.

They both stared up at me.

“It’s perfect,” Grace finally said.

“It’s lovely,” my mom chimed in.

“Yay!” Grace exclaimed. “Now, let’s choose shoes!”

Those were an easy choice. I went with a flat silver sandal. The dress was long enough, so no one would see my shoes anyway, and since I’d never in my life walked in heels, I didn’t want to start now. I actually wanted to get out of this hospital sometime in the near future.