Hey Jude (Lennox Valley Chronicles #1)

She’s breathing hard and fast, shaking and hugging her knees to her chest with her eyes squeezed shut. She looks terrified.

I put my arms around her and she crumples into my chest, heavy sobs spilling out of her.

“It’s okay, you’re safe.” I say quietly, smoothing her hair, touching her cheek. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

She shudders, quickly sliding her arms around my waist and squeezing hard like she’s scared I’ll let go.

“I’ve got you,” I say again, hoping I can bring her back from this. “It was just a bad dream.”

She squeezes me again, still breathing rapidly. I gingerly ease us back down on the bed. I hug her shoulders protectively, only letting go to pull the blanket up over us, tucking it snugly around her.

“Just a dream,” I reassure her again. “I’m here.” I rub my hands over her arms rhythmically, trying to soothe her as I wait for her breathing to slow down. Wet tears gather on my skin as she blinks against my chest, sniffling, and takes a long, deep breath.

“That’s it,” I say, “just breathe.”

I hear Murphy get up from his dog bed near the door and walk over to her side of our bed and sit down, keeping watch. He’s worried about her. He’s not the only one.

Her voice is small when she finally speaks.

“I was dreaming about,” she starts, then takes another deep breath to steady herself, “the robbery.” Her arms tighten around me again, the memories clearly still too close to bear. “The guy had his hand over my mouth and I couldn’t…”

My heart breaks for her. I take a deep breath. “Shhh,” I whisper. “Hey, it’s okay…” I smooth her hair away from her face again. “It’s over now. It’s all over.” I twist to kiss her forehead, then pull her back into a tight hug.

My thumb grazes small circles on her shoulder as we lie there in the darkness.

“I’ve got you,” I whisper into her hair.

Safe in my arms, her breathing slows. I stare up at the dark ceiling, an ache settling inside my chest.

* * *

Olena is quiet at work, contrasting the easy, flirtatious vibe we’ve had going lately. Her silence concerns me, especially after her nightmare last night. The tension I sense in her today feels worryingly different.

I work with Dimitri to spread loads of mulch over the new garden beds and keep a cautious eye on her, silently begging her not to shut me out again.

A rare moment of privacy presents itself when the crew breaks for lunch and we find ourselves alone again in the sunken garden.

“Hey, you okay today?” I ask, taking off my gloves and walking over to hug her. She’s standing next to the fire pit, where she’s been quietly peeling the protective plastic coverings off the new bench cushions. I run my hands down her back, playing with the ends of her hair.

She puts her arms around me and squeezes, then pulls back to look up at me. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me, okay?” She stands on her tiptoes and kisses me on the cheek, then drifts back to her work.

Something isn’t right. “Have you had nightmares like that before?” I ask, eyeing her.

“Jude, it’s okay, honestly.”

She gives me what looks like an attempt at a reassuring smile. I can tell she doesn’t want to get into it.

“Okay,” I say, narrowing my eyes slightly at her as I watch her work. I don’t buy that this is no big deal. It seemed like a pretty big deal last night. It felt like a big deal to me. “I guess… just let me know if you wanna talk about it.”

“I’m good. Really.” She smiles bravely at me.

There’s something she’s not telling me.

35

OLENA

“These stairs are gonna be killer to walk back up.” I turn to look up at Jude and squint in the bright light.