Both of them are off before I can even say anything else. Lincoln comes back with a stack of pillows, and I grit my teeth and lift my leg so he can help me keep my ankle raised. Cash has ice packs, and he drapes a kitchen towel over my ankle before settling an ice pack on top of it.
The two of them fuss around me, bringing tea and water and snacks, acting more like mother hens than powerful Alphas for the moment.
It takes a good twenty minutes before I can convince them I have everything I need and make them sit back down and stop hovering over me.
“It’s not like you to be distracted at work,” Lincoln says after a bit. “Did something happen?”
Somehow, in the midst of everything, I managed to almost forget what got me here in the first place. I didn’t tell the three of them about the call I got from Paul two days ago, so they haven’t known it’s been on my mind constantly since then.
“My car is ready,” I say, just getting right to it.
That immediately shocks all of them into silence. It’s heavy, charged with unspoken emotions.
“So…” I continue, when it’s clear none of them are going to say anything. “It’s probably time I start thinking about moving out and what my next stop is going to be.”
“No,” Everett says, interrupting.
“What?”
“I mean—you should wait.”
“Why?”
“You’re about to spend almost all of the money you’ve made working here on fixing your car, right? You should save more before you leave. So you have a cushion before traveling with Cora. You never know what could happen.”
“He has a point,” Lincoln says quietly. “It would be better for you to stay here longer than end up stranded in some other town if something happens. And you’ll have more money for better lodging and better food. That’s important.”
“Plus, no other town is going to be as friendly and welcoming as Silver Falls,” Cash chimes in. “If you have to stick around somewhere until you’re ready to make a move, it should be here with people you know, who will look after you and Cora.”
Logically, I know they have a point. What happened with my car wouldn’t have been so devastating if I’d had more of a buffer in my bank account. I wouldn’t have had to subject Cora to shitty motels and gas station hot dogs if I had more money to spend. And she does deserve better than that.
It’s not how I planned this, but really, my plans have sort of gone out the window since I got stranded here. Cash is right that it’s rare for people to be as welcoming and kind as people have been here.
If this happened anywhere else, there’s no telling how it would have ended up.
My heart pounds in my chest, and I can’t really believe it when I open my mouth to agree with them. “You’re right. I should probably wait until I have more money.”
The three of them seem to relax at that, like they were waiting eagerly for my response.
“But I can go back to the motel or get a different place,” I add. “We don’t have to keep taking up space here.”
“Harper,” Cash says, leaning forward. “We told you that you’re welcome to stay as long as you need. We meant that.”
“Are you sure? I mean… it can’t be easy having me and Cora here. I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You’re not,” Lincoln says. “You’re not messy, you clean up after yourselves, and Cora is delightful. You’re the furthest thing from a burden.”
I look to Everett, who lifts an eyebrow at me. “Stop worrying about it,” he says.
I snort because I know he knows that’s one of those easier said than done kind of things, but I sigh, giving in.
“Okay. We’ll stay here.”
It is the practical thing to do. Staying here saves money I would be spending on a motel room, and that’s just more to add to the cushion. It just makes sense.
But there’s a part of me, deep down, that knows logic isn’t the only reason I’m agreeing to this.
Chapter 16