Shutdown (Nitro Crew, #4) Read online

  I tossed my phone on the nightstand and sighed. Not that I was even thinking about him, but to have two guys basically tell you to beat it in a month was a bit more than my bruised heart could take.

  Roc had been the one to really wound me, and this guy was just the icing on the cake.

  No more men.

  My heart couldn’t take it anymore.

  *

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Roc

  “You’re doing great, Roc!”

  I grunted and pushed against the weights.

  “Give me three more and then we can move onto getting you moving without the walker.”

  I grimaced and finished my last three reps on the leg bench press. I had been waiting for today.

  Walking without parallel bars or a walker. I had been making steady progress all week and had been blowing away my physical therapist.

  “Stand up and let’s get this belt on you.”

  I shakily stood but gained my balance quickly. Braun, the physical therapist, tightened the gate belt around me and grabbed hold of it at my back. “Let’s hit it.”

  Today was the day I was going to be able to have Karen go home, and I was excited as hell. I had been walking around my room without assistance the past couple of days and only used the wheelchair when I had long distances to go.

  I was well on my way to being back to normal. Or as normal as I could be after breaking both of my legs.

  “This is insane, Roc.” The weight of Braun’s hand at my waist disappeared. “My hand is there, but I’m not holding on unless you need me.”

  My walk wasn’t as smooth as it used to be, but I was walking.

  I was fucking walking.

  There was a slight soreness in my legs, but it was bearable.

  We did a few laps around the hallways of the rehab center then ended up back in the large rehab area.

  I sat down on the weight bench where I had started and panted. “Holy hell.”

  Braun laughed and unhooked the belt from me. “How do you feel?”

  “Like I’m fifty-one.”

  “Guess that’s better than feeling older than you really are?”

  He was right, but I was sick and tired of feeling old. The past month had been nothing but feeling that way. I was hoping soon that feeling would go away.

  “Let’s go around a couple of more times.”

  “You sure? You’ve done amazing already.”

  I nodded. “This time without the belt.”

  “Roc, I don—”

  “Without the belt,” I grunted. “I’m the one paying you, so if I say without the belt, then that is what we’re going to do.”

  Braun held up his hands. “If that’s what you want. I know you can do it but I’m just worried with you being tired that your balance might be off.”

  I shook my head and stood. “Let’s fucking go.”

  My legs ached and protested when I put all of my weight on them.

  There wasn’t going to be running away from shit anymore.

  First, I was going to get my walking back and then I was getting Mave. She had been on my mind too much for me to forget her, so the only thing to do was come at her head-on.

  *

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Mave

  “There’s a delivery for you down at reception.”

  I glanced up from the computer screen. “What?”

  Delaney leaned over the desk and whispered. “Someone sent you flowers.”

  “Huh?” My brain couldn’t comprehend what Delaney was saying. Who the hell would be sending me flowers?

  She knocked on my head and laughed. “Are you awake now? Someone sent you flowers, and they are at the reception desk.”

  I was locked away in my office on the peds floor trying to be invisible. I had picked up so many shifts in the ER that it seemed like I hadn’t even left the floor.

  “Who sent them?”

  Delaney rolled her eyes. “You’re gonna have to go down there and get them. I wasn’t that nosy when I looked at them.”

  Now, it was my turn to roll my eyes. “What good of a friend are you if you can’t do my snooping for me?”

  “I actually didn’t see them. I was in the lounge getting a cup of coffee when I heard a few of the nurses talking about the huge vase of flowers for you.”

  I stood up and stretched my arms over my head. “I can only imagine what they were saying.”

  Delaney waved her hand. “Those are just unnecessary details, girl.”

  That just proved they were talking shit about me. “Come with me to get them.”

  Delaney shook her head. “Unfortunately, I only had time to run up here to tell you about them. Dr. Dickhead is on the rampage right now. I swear to God, that man is just a walking and talking dick.”

  “But everyone just thinks he’s so charming and nice,” I laughed. “How can you not like him?”

  Delaney walked with me to the elevator and rode down to the first floor with me. She headed off to the ER while I made my way to the front entrance where registration was.

  I spotted the flowers and was thoroughly impressed with how large they were. I smiled at Pat who was working the desk.

  “Look what came for you,” she gushed. “They are so beautiful, and they just smell amazing. Everyone keeps commenting on them.”

  I put my hands on the vase and slowly spun it around. “They are something.” I looked for a card tucked into the flowers but I didn’t see one. “Was there a card delivered with them?”

  Pat shook her head. “Nope. The delivery man just said they were for Mave Clark.”

  “Interesting.” I had been hoping they were from Roc, and they could have been, but without a card, I didn’t know.

  If I texted him a thank you for the flowers, I ran the risk of them possibly not being from him and making the awkwardness between us even worse. I hefted the flowers into my arms with a smile to Pat and made my way back to the fourth floor. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I struggled to pull it out as I juggled the flowers in my arms.

  Who were they from?

  Of course it was Delaney. She should have just came with me to get them.

  I made it back to the fourth floor and set the flowers on my desk. I inspected the flowers more closely before I texted Delaney.

  After I pricked my finger on two of the roses, it was verified there wasn’t a card.

  No card. No idea who they are from.

  Roc. She replied simply.

  I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t sure if flowers delivered were his style. Not a clue. Won’t know.

  Ask him.

  Uh, yeah. That was big fat no. The man had basically opened the door and pushed me out of it. I was doubtful they were from him. Get back to work. I’ll talk to you later.

  Chicken.

  Damn right, I was a chicken.

  I moved the flowers to the corner of my desk and spent the rest of my day staring at them trying to figure out who had sent them.

  The chicken in me won out, and I didn’t text Roc.

  My heart wasn’t ready for that.

  *

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Roc

  “You send her flowers?”

  I looked up from the stats I was reading. We had just run the car full-out, and I was checking to make sure the numbers were looking good. “Who?” I asked.

  Harlyn closed my office door and sat down in the chair in front of my desk. “You know damn well who. Mave. Did you send her flowers?”

  “Why? Did she get a delivery or something?” I looked back down at the sheets in front of me.

  “You’re not going to play coy with me, Dad. Tell me right now you sent her flowers.”

  “Might have.” I scribbled a note on one of the pages and set it on top of the stack in front of me.

  Harlyn busted out laughing. “Might have? You also might have sent her the biggest bouquet the hospital has ever seen too. Delaney said the whole hospital was buzzing about who could h
ave sent Mave flowers.”

  “Didn’t send ‘em to get people buzzing.”

  Though, part of me wondered if word of the flowers had gotten to Mave’s ex. That asshole needed to know that he had fucked up a good thing and I fully intended on picking up where he left off.

  “Then why did you send them?”

  I looked up at her. “Is this really the only reason you came in here? I’ll have to let Brooks know that he’s paying you to bug me and get no work done.”

  She snatched the papers out from under me and held them over her head. “I’ve gotten all of my work done. I did payroll and got the guys lunch. Nothing else for me to do. Now tell me why you sent Mave flowers when four weeks ago, you made her leave.”

  “Don’t mess with those papers, Harlyn. I need to go over those with Frankie to make sure what I’m seeing is right.”

  “Tell me what happened with Mave and I’ll give them back.”

  “Harlyn,” I thundered. I was not going to have this conversation with her.

  “Roc,” she shouted back.

  “I don’t know what the hell I did, Harlyn. I told you that. After you and Delaney left, she acted weird. She didn’t want to be around me or even talk. I told her to leave because it didn’t seem like she wanted to be there.”

  “What? That’s crazy. She totally likes you.”

  “What?”

  How in the hell did Harlyn know that?

  “She liked you. Anyone could see it. I told her you didn’t really date much.” Harlyn’s face paled. “Oh crap.”

  “Oh crap, what?” I demanded.

  “Uh, well, I might have mentioned that you were talking to some chick though a dating app before the race.”

  “Harlyn,” I growled.

  “And uh, well, looking back on it now, I might have made it sound like you were still talking to the chick.”

  I buried my face in my hands and groaned. “Jesus Christ, Harlyn. That is why she didn’t want to fucking be around me. She thought I was hitting on her when I had another woman I was talking to.”

  Harlyn cringed. “I didn’t think she would get so bent out of shape about it. I mean, it wasn’t like you two were official or anything. I was thinking it would prod her to take the next step with you, not run.”

  “Her husband cheated on her from day fucking one, Harlyn. You really think she would want to start a relationship with a guy who dating another woman?”

  Holy hell. Now this was all coming together.

  “Double shit,” Harlyn whispered. “I thought you were seeing a chick in one of your apps though.”

  “I wasn’t seeing her, Harlyn. We were fucking talking,” I hissed. “But that was before the accident, and it was nothing. After the accident and Mave moved in, I never even opened the damn app. I forgot about the woman until I opened the app last week, messaged her I had met someone else, and then promptly deleted the app.”

  “Triple shit.”

  Everything made sense now. Mave acted like she didn’t want to be near me because she thought I was just like her ex-husband.

  “How the hell am I supposed to fix this?”

  “Well, the flowers were a good start.”

  “She doesn’t even know they are from me, Harlyn. I didn’t put a name on the card.” Why in the hell had I thought that was a good idea?

  “What? Why not?” Harlyn gasped. “I just thought Delaney was pulling my leg when she said they didn’t have a card.”

  “Because I had a fucking plan, but now that shit isn’t going to work because I somehow have to convince Mave I wasn’t dating someone else when I was trying to be with her.”

  Harlyn tapped her nails on the armchair of the chair. She jumped up and cupped her hand to her ear. “Remy?”

  “You are so full of shit,” I muttered.

  “Yeah, I think Remy just hollered for me. I gotta go, Dad.” She bustled out of the office and said over shoulder, “You’ll figure out the whole Mave mess.”

  “Don’t you go sticking your neck into this mess any more than you already have, Harlyn,” I shouted. “I will handle this.”

  She had already made a mess of everything that I didn’t want her trying to get involved anymore.

  “My lips are sealed,” she hollered. She ducked out of the office and darted out the front door.

  The Mave Mess.

  You mean, the Mave Mess that was all Harlyn’s fault?

  Jesus.

  I leaned back in my chair and stretched my legs out under the desk. I could keep going with my plan of sending her things every day, but I knew I was going to have to talk to her sooner rather than later. Right now, she thought I was a cheater who was trying to wiggle my way back into her life.

  That wasn’t what I wanted her to think at all.

  I just needed to figure out what to do now.

  I loved Harlyn more than anything, but damn if she didn’t make a mess of everything.

  *

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Mave

  “A dolphin, sea otter, and a whale.”

  I looked up from the chart I was looking at. “Are you telling a joke? A dolphin, sea otter, and whale walk into a bar?” I laughed.

  Delaney shook her head and walked into my office. She shut the door behind her and sat on the chair in front of me. “That’s what’s waiting for you down in reception.”

  My jaw dropped, and I wondered if Delaney had knocked her head on the way here. “Uh, what?”

  She held up one finger. “A dolphin.” She added another finger. “A sea otter.” Then added another finger. “A whale. Great white, to be exact. All at registration for you.”

  “Do you realize how crazy you sound right now? You’re telling me there are three wild animals waiting for me at registration.” I reached across the desk and laid a hand against her forehead. “No fever, but that doesn't mean much. You could have a concussion and don’t know it.”

  She knocked her hand away and shook her head. “No. I don’t have a fever and I haven’t hit my head. You need to get down to registration right now.”

  “Well, yeah,” I laughed. “A whale and dolphin can't be out of water for that long.”

  Delaney shook her head and grabbed my hand. She hauled me around the desk and out of the office. “They’re of the stuffed variety, but that’s what not makes them impressive.”

  “I still think you hit your head,” I grumbled.

  Delaney was talking foolishness. Who on Earth would send me stuffed sea animals?

  We made it to the first floor and over to registration where there was a crowd formed.

  “There she is.”

  “I wonder who would send these to her?”

  “I bet she sent them to herself.”

  “You think Dr. Clark knows about this?”

  I stopped by the person who said this and leaned toward them. They hadn’t expected me to hear them but I had. “I wish a thousand fire breathing ants onto Dr. Clark’s crotch, Annaline. Which means if you keep messing with him, you’ll get the same thing.”

  Annaline used to be my friend. That was, until I found out she had been fucking Dale while I covered his rounds for him. The friendship didn’t last, and she was still very much under the asshole’s charm.

  She gasped and furrowed her brow.

  I had never said anything bad about Dale in mixed company. ‘Til now.

  “Run along and tell him what I said, Annaline.”

  I was done being a doormat to these assholes. I didn’t have to be in the ER with them anymore so I wasn’t going to turn a cheek to their sharp tongues anymore. She stormed away, and everyone fell silent.

  I couldn’t stop people from gossiping about me, but I could change the way they thought about me. I wasn’t some weak female who wouldn’t stand up for herself.

  “Damn,” Delaney whispered next to me.

  I stuck my arm through hers and pushed through the crowd. “Too much?” I whispered back.

  “Just enough,” Delaney la
ughed.

  Sitting in front of the registration desk was a huge whale with a smaller dolphin next to it and a sea otter sitting on top of the whale.

  “Mave!” Pat jumped up from behind registration with an envelope in her hand. “Your secret admirer struck again!”

  She handed me the envelope, and I ripped it open.

  “What is it?” Delaney asked.

  “We never made it to the aquarium so I thought I would bring the aquarium to you. Roc,” I read out loud.

  “Oh, my God,” Delaney gushed. “That is the most romantic thing.”

  I folded up the letter and tucked it back inside the envelope. “It’s something, all right.”

  I crouched down in front of the whale and felt it’s soft fur.

  Delaney picked up the sea otter and hugged it to her chest. “Sea otters are my absolute favorite.”

  “That one looked like you could replace Jay with it.” It was well over three feet tall, and while it was the smallest of the three, it was still damn big.

  “Where are you going to put these?” she laughed.

  I stood up and looked at the pile of soft stuffed animals. “The better question is how the hell am I going to get them home?”

  *

  Roc

  “Delaney just called,” Jay yelled.

  “Good for you,” Remy replied.

  Jay flipped him off. “You’re a dick. I wasn’t telling you,” Jay pointed at me. “I was telling Roc.”

  Remy folded his arms over his chest. “Uh, why would Roc care about that? Are you oversharing today, Jay? We all have girlfriends here. No need to brag when yours calls. We’re all important here.”

  Jay put his hand in Remy’s face and looked at me. “Delaney called. She just had to help Mave shove a whale, dolphin, and a sea otter in her car.”

  A grin spread across my lips. I got confirmation they were delivered, but I had been waiting all day to hear anything about them. “They fit?”

  “Sea otter is in Delaney’s car right now, but I think that’s only because she wants the damn thing to come home with her. She just sent me a link to buy one of her own.” Jay held his phone up in my face.