Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 60931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60931 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 305(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 203(@300wpm)
I ring the doorbell of the two-story home and inspect the well-manicured yard while waiting for someone to answer.
“Hello. You must be Eric.” A man greets me with a friendly smile. I’d guess he’s at least in his mid-forties from the gray mixed into his dark hair.
“I am.”
“Come in. I’m Shaun. Nice to meet you.”
I step inside the entry and shake his proffered hand. “You too. Is this your place?”
“Yeah. I got it as a foreclosure. Last summer Anna helped me renovate the main level. She has impeccable taste.”
I think about that comment for a second. “Mmm. How is she?”
“See for yourself.” Shaun gestures for me to follow him.
Anna’s in a leather recliner with a baseball game on the large television screen. She gives me a weak smile, much like the one she gave me at the hospital. I have a feeling she’s still on pain meds.
“Surgery go well?”
“It did.” She winces while trying to adjust in her chair.
“Anna, I will run to the store since your friend is here. Anything specific I can get you?” Shaun grabs his wallet and key fob from the kitchen island.
“That yogurt I like. You know which one?”
“Of course.” He smiles at her. It’s an endearing smile. It’s the way Anna deserves to have someone smile at her.
For the record, I used to smile at her like that, but then I unknowingly took a shit on her book in front of her friends. So I suppose she never noticed my level of endearment.
“Raspberry or vanilla?” he asks.
“Both.” She reaches for the glass of water next to her chair and takes a sip.
“Can you stay until I return?” Shaun asks me.
“Sure.” I size him up the way he did to me when I arrived.
He gives me a high-chinned nod like he’s watching me. Hell, he probably has indoor cameras in this place.
“Have a seat.” Anna gestures toward the sofa while Shaun disappears out the back door.
“You live in a beautiful house.”
She rubs her lips together and returns the water glass to the end table. “It’s a great neighborhood.”
“Shaun seems … nice.” I lift my ankle onto my opposite knee, going for casual yet confident—of which I am neither.
“He’s the best. I don’t know what I would do without him.”
Must be nice. She clearly knew what to do without me—never look back.
While I comfort my bruised ego, Anna sighs. “I still can’t believe you’re here.”
“About that. I, uh … wasn’t exactly forthright with you the other day.”
“Oh?”
I rub the tension from my forehead. “I write for several online publications, and the managing editor at Benevolence asked me to get an exclusive interview with you. I didn’t know it was you in the video until Robbie, the ME, had her assistant send me your name and the hospital. I nearly told her I couldn’t do it, but then I …”
Anna waits with an unreadable expression. “You?”
“I was curious. I wanted to know the story for myself, not the online publication. I wanted to know where you lived and why you moved away from Des Moines. And I wanted to know how you’re doing. Did you write that great novel? Did you get married? Have kids? And …” I shrug. “I knew if I told Robbie I couldn’t do it, I would not be able to stop thinking about you. So here I am.”
After a few seconds, Anna blinks and returns several slow nods.
“I …” Shaking my head, I run my fingers through my hair. “I should have said all this at the hospital, but seeing you again messed with my thoughts. And you were groggy.” I frown. “Much like today. So I didn’t want to show up out of the blue and grill you about the incident, then leave just as quickly to write up a story as if seeing you didn’t matter.” I sound like an idiot. I’m talking so fast and grabbing whatever words pop into my head that Anna has to think I’m … an idiot. It’s the best word, maybe the only word.
“Do you want the story?”
Pausing my fidgety fingers and spinning thoughts, I relax because she’s relaxed. Granted, she has the advantage of pharmaceuticals. “Yes. No. I don’t even care now.” I laugh. “Sorry. This isn’t going how I thought it would go.”
“How did you think it would go?” She cants her head.
“I thought I’d see you and things would feel … different. But they don’t.”
Her lips twist into contemplation for several seconds before her smile grows in tiny increments. “There’s not much to tell, to be honest. I was out for a jog. I saw these kids straddling a dead tree hanging over the water. I didn’t see any adults nearby. And by the time I jogged closer, one of the kids was in the water, holding on to a thin branch with one hand and the dog’s collar with his other. The little girl was reaching for the boy. I yelled for her to hold on. And after that, I didn’t give it much thought. I scooted along the fallen tree to help get the kids to safety. They were crying, upset about the dog struggling to get to the shore, so I made my way back along the fallen tree, just far enough to help the dog get out of the water. As I started to scoot backward, I heard a splintering sound, and in the next breath, I was under the water with my foot wedged between the tree and the rock. I swear I was on the verge of blacking out or dying. The panic. The pain. The burning in my lungs.” She frowns and blinks back her tears. “And that’s when I was rescued.”