Little Red and the Wolf

you blame my parents for your wife’s death. You blame me.”

Gray dropped his gaze, his expression softening. “No. You were just in the car. She was dead. You weren’t.”

“Yes, you do. You blame me, just like I blamed her…” Gray met Maizie’s gaze, but he didn’t stop her from continuing the thought. “All this time, you couldn’t stand the sight of me. Made Granny keep me away. Stick to the path, Maizie. Stay away from that part of the forest. Beware of the big bad…wolf.”

“Maizie…”

A knock at the door stopped the conversation cold.

“Mr. Lupo?” Annette was quiet on the other side for a moment. “Mr. Lupo, I have a message for Ms. Hood. I’ve also brought breakfast.”

“Come in,” Maizie said when it was clear Gray wouldn’t respond. He stood stoic, feet planted, his back to the windows, his arms folded over his stomach.

Annette opened the door, juggling a bed tray, her bright smile vanishing when it met Gray’s dark glower. “Oh. I’m sorry. I’ve interrupted-”

“No. It’s fine. We’re…” Maizie glanced at Gray, “…finished. We’re done.” She looked back to Annette hovering half-in, half-out of the room.

“What’s the message, Annette?” Gray asked.

One hand under the tray, she pushed up her glasses then grabbed the tray again. “Oh. Yes. Green Acres Nursing Home called. They’d tried to reach Ms. Hood and when they couldn’t they called here. Apparently Ester had a small health scare.”

“What?” Maizie’s heart stopped.

“Oh, no, no,” Annette hurried. “She’s fine. It was just a scare. They took her to the hospital last night and released her this morning. She should be back at the home by now.”

This morning? To the hospital and back already? “What time is it?”

“It’s nearly four,” Annette said.

“Four? PM?” Maizie watched her nod. “That’s not possible. I slept more than fourteen hours?” She looked at Gray.

His gaze remained fixed on Annette, silent, his brows tight, jaw stiff. It wasn’t until Maizie spoke again that he flicked his attention to her.

“I have to go.”

“Where?” he said.

“Where do you think? I have to make sure my grandmother’s okay.” She went to the bathroom and grabbed her sneakers. They were speckled with blood, but it wouldn’t affect how well they’d protect her feet.

“Annette told you she’s fine.”

Maizie came out hopping, struggling into one shoe and then the other. “I have to check for myself.”

“So call Green Acres. You can use the phone here.”

“I’ll call from the cottage. I want to shower before I go in to see her anyway.”

“Shower here.”

“I don’t have any clothes.”

“What you’re wearing is fine.” He slid his hands into the pockets of his robe. Shrugged. “Or I’ll send Annette out to buy you something more suitable. Whatever you need.”

Why was he making this so difficult? He should want her gone as badly as she wanted to go. Except that she didn’t really want to leave him. Gawd, so much had changed so fast. Everything had gotten screwed up and twisted. She wanted him as much as she had twenty minutes ago.

But how could she stay when he obviously hadn’t worked out his feelings about her part in the accident? How could she stay when she hadn’t worked out how she felt about his part in her parents’ death?

“You have to stay, Maizie.”

“I really don’t.” She focused her gaze on the opened door. She couldn’t bear to look at him. She couldn’t risk seeing that look in his eyes-anger, blame, hate. She’d rather never look at him again.

“It’s not safe,” he said. “You don’t understand-”

“No. You don’t understand.” She closed her eyes, emotions clogging her throat. She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t. “I don’t have time for this shit. I told myself I didn’t have time for a romantic relationship from the start. I told Granny. I’ve already neglected the shop. And now I’ve neglected Granny. That’s enough. I don’t have time for this. I don’t have time for you.”

She ran. It wasn’t mature, it wasn’t brave, but it was the only thing she could do. She had to get away, get some distance from all those feelings, the memories, the confusion of what she thought she knew, what she thought she wanted. She had to get some distance from him.

By the time she reached the cottage she’d made herself sick. She’d run the whole way and gotten a stitch in her side, and her stomach was tying itself into knots.

She went in the backdoor. She’d left it unlocked last night. “I just need to eat something.”

In the kitchen all she found were a few cans of diet soda and two jars of peanut butter. She leaned against the counter, soda beside her, and ate. It was the best peanut butter ever. She looked at the label after every few bites. “It’s not even name brand.”

She finished the jar in minutes, scraping the spoon on the bottom to get every speck of creamy brown heaven. When she could see through the clear bottom, she tossed the empty jar in the trash and had the other opened before she realized what she was doing.

“Crap. I should just spread it directly on my ass.” She scooped the spoon in three more times, then finally set the jar down and backed away. When she reached the steps her stomach growled, then cramped. She winced and after a few seconds the pain subsided.

She jogged up to her bedroom and grabbed her cell phone from her purse. She had Green Acres on speed dial. “Hi. This is Maizie Hood. I’m calling to check on-”

“Maizie, hi. This is Clare, from the front desk. Your grandmother is fine. She had a little angina attack last night, but they checked her out at the hospital and she’s already back. She’s sleeping now. I can tell her you called.”

“Thanks, Clare. Tell her I’ll be in tonight.”

“You bet.”

Maizie snapped the phone closed, tossed it to the bed and snatched her fuzzy robe from the rocking chair as she passed. Her stomach rumbled again and she winced through the twinge of a cramp. “An entire jar of peanut butter in one sitting does not do the body good.”

She went to the bathroom and pulled the cream shower curtain from the old clawfoot tub. She turned on the hot water, let it run. A shower would make her feel like herself again.

Although last night’s shower had made her feel better than herself, better than she had in years. Even with the injuries, she’d never felt so good, so turned-on, so alive. Was it Gray or something else?

Naked in front of the medicine cabinet mirror, Maizie eyed the bite on her shoulder. Two little puncture wounds and twin runs of red dots. She turned, peering over her shoulder. The back was a little worse, some scabbing but still remarkably healed. She put her foot on the toilet seat and checked her calf. The bite was nearly healed just like her shoulder.

A cramp made her grab her stomach, she winced, bending a bit to take the pain. It passed, but the intensity was obviously increasing. What was wrong with her?

Maizie shook her head, put her foot down. “Ugh. You’re fine. This isn’t some horror flick or fairy tale.”

More likely Gray had some sort of curative agent in his water to keep the animals on the preserve healthy. Yeah, that made more sense than her turning into a… She wouldn’t dignify the thought.

Maizie stepped into the tub, adjusted the water temperature, closed the curtain and pulled the lever for the shower. Warm water cascaded over her body, washing away every touch, every kiss Gray had left on her. Too bad it couldn’t wash away the hot memories of his body pounding into hers.

Or the craving for him to do it again.