Shady Bay Read Online Free Page A

warm. The air smelled like sandalwood. I fell swiftly asleep. 
    “Wake up, sweetie.” Cool fingers lightly squeezed my hand.
    A groan filled the room and I tried to crawl further into the warmth around me.
    “Wake up. We need to check your head.” It was the old lady.
    “I’m fine. Go away.”
    “The hell I will. This is my house. Now wake it up!” She slapped my cheek a little firmly than I thought was wise with someone who could have a head injury.
    “Fine!” I opened one eye and sure enough she sat beside the bed I was tucked in to and looked at me with narrowed eyes. “I’m fine.”
    “You have to get your head examined.”
    “Lady, you have no idea.” I snorted.
    “Everybody’s a comedian. Sit up.” When I hesitated, she prodded again. “Up. Now.” Soon, she was jerking me up and stuffing pillows behind my back. That’s when I noticed that we weren’t alone. Two guys were in the room with us. Probably a bit older than me, and hotter than any other guys I’d seen back home. They looked at me like I had four heads. Oh, no. Did she tell them I was dumpster diving? Or trash can diving? Or trash eating, or whatever? Their eyes--pity. Yep, she told them. Shows on their faces. Poor hungry trash-eater. I can see it.
    “Look. I’m fine. I’ve gotta go.” I threw the covers off of me and tried to stand before losing my balance again. One of the hotties grabbed my elbow and helped me lay back down. His hair was short and dark and he looked like he hadn’t shaved in a couple of days, but what was so remarkable about him was his eye color. Jade green. So pretty. I must have been staring or smiling because he smiled, revealing a deep dimple on his left cheek. Holy mother of all dimples. That is hot.
    “I’ve got ya.” He smiles. “Look, my friend Brody over here is a Paramedic and he’s gonna look you over. Okay?”
    I nodded. Brody eased over and sat down on the edge of the bed opposite Hot Dimple. He opened a black canvas bag and grabbed a stethoscope and one of those light things, which he used to torture my eyes and look inside my ears, nose , and throat. It was awkward and I prayed I didn’t have any ear wax or boogers. “Your pupils are equal and reactive. Everything else looks good. Can I take a listen?” He held up the round end of the stethoscope with a hopeful look on his brow.
    “Okay.”
    “Just breathe normally.” He warmed the round thing on the stethoscope before putting it on my skin. First he listened to my chest and then moved around to my back.
    “Take a few deep breaths.” I complied.
    “Sounds good. Lay down for a moment.” I eased back and laid down, looking at the ceiling. I flinched when the scope landed on my stomach.
    “Oh, I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong there. I hit my head.” I sat up quickly. But the concern etched on his face indicated that he’d already figured it out.
    “Hey, um…Jax, Celeste, can you wait outside for just a minute. I need to talk to her about a few things and then I’ll give you some instructions. I think she’ll be fine, but you’ll have to watch her for the next couple of days and wake her up several times a night. I’ll explain all that in a minute, but...I need a minute with her.” He smiled at them, but it didn’t reach his eyes.
    Hot Dimple Jax and Celeste didn’t even bat an eyelash. They filed out of the room, closing the door behind them.
    “You okay?” Brody asked softly. His hair was reddish-brown and his eyes were blue. Not dark blue like sapphire and not baby blue, but somewhere in between.
    I nodded. “I’m okay.”
    “You’re hungry. Stomach cramping?”
    I didn’t look at him. Suddenly the pattern on the old lady’s quilt was very interesting. “Yep.”
    “You’re going to be fine. You might have a mild concussion and might have a headache for a couple of days, but you’ll be alright.” Brody stood up, his AC/DC t-shirt and jeans betraying the softness underlying the hard exterior. He pulled out his