Read Online A Letter for Annie by Laura Abbot - Free Book Online Page B

stack of shingles and moved them to the base of the ladder. A breeze gusted and the sharptang of salt filled the air. Scanning the horizon, he saw a bank of dark clouds massing over the water.
    Later, he didn’t know whether he’d used the weather as his excuse or whether he’d been motivated by a different reason—one he didn’t want to think about—but at the time, it had seemed as if there was only one decision to be made.
    Kyle abandoned the roofing project, ran to his truck and followed the little Honda to the physicians’ offices near the hospital.
     

    A NNIE SIGHED gratefully when she pulled into the circular driveway and parked by the handicap access ramp. Already they were five minutes late for the appointment. She heaved the wheelchair from the trunk, unfolded it and positioned it by the passenger door, making sure to lock the wheels.
    “Before, I could always walk in,” Geneva said with a hitch in her voice, as she lowered herself into the waiting seat.
    “Would you like me to bring your walker?”
    “Please.”
    “Here it is.” Startled by the deep, familiar voice, Annie wheeled around. Kyle waited at the rear of the trunk with the walker in his hand. “Got everything?”
    Annie nodded mutely, and Kyle closed the trunk lid. Then he said, “Give me your keys. I’ll park your car and bring the walker in. Just tell me which doctor.”
    Completely flustered by the fact Kyle had followed them, Annie mumbled, “Dr. Bari Woodruff,” and handed him her keys.
    Hooking the oxygen tank over the back of the wheelchair, Annie pushed Geneva toward the door. Even in her weakened condition, though, Auntie G. mustered the strength to say in a loud voice, “I think Mr. Becker is sweet on you, missy.”
    “You have an overly active imagination.”
    “I know what these old eyes tell me.” Geneva raised her arm in a forward-march signal. “Now, for heaven’s sake, let’s get this over with.”
    Thankful for the reprieve from a conversation she didn’t want to pursue, Annie pushed as fast as she safely could. Several people occupied chairs in the doctor’s waiting room and the receptionist told them they would have to wait a few minutes. After a nurse came to take Geneva for some lab work, Annie collapsed onto a vinyl-covered sofa.
    When the door opened and Kyle looked around the room, Annie waved. Spotting her, he set the walker against a wall and sat down beside her. Annie was both irritated and appreciative. It was getting more difficult to maneuver Geneva from place to place, but she didn’t want anything from this man, especially not kindness.
    “What exactly are you doing here?” she asked to break the awkward silence.
    He put his arm on the back of the sofa and turned sideways to look at her. “The truth? Damned if I know. You just looked like you needed someone to lean on and I was there.”
    “I could’ve managed.”
    “I’m sure you could have. You enjoy your independence, don’t you?”
    There was an edge to his voice that made his meaningclear: you liked it so much you walked away from Pete without a backward glance.
    “What’s wrong with that?”
    “Look, Annie, I didn’t come here to get into a verbal sparring match with you.”
    “Then back to my original question. What are you doing here?”
    Before he could answer, a nurse called Annie’s name. He gestured toward the wall. “Do you want the walker?”
    Annie gathered it up. “Thank you. You don’t need to wait.” Eyes fixed on the nurse, whom she followed down the hall, she didn’t look back.
    If she had, she would have seen Kyle shrug, then pick up a dog-eared magazine and sit back down on the sofa.
    The headlines swam: Middle East Violence Escalates, Six Panoramic Highway Drives, Male Menopause: Fact of Fiction?
    Disgusted, Kyle threw down the magazine and leaned his head back. Annie had cut right to the quick. What was he doing here? He didn’t normally think of himself as impulsive, but this was edge-of-the-cliff