“No, you won't,” I said vehemently. There was no way Logan Hayes would be coming in my bedroom to wake me up during the night. There was no way he was getting in my bedroom again, period. The doctor's eyebrows went up into his hair as he looked back and forth between us.
“What I mean is,” I explained, trying to keep calm. The doctor didn't need to know about my hatred for the man who apparently saved me. “I'll have the hotel staff do it. No reason for you to lose sleep.”
“As you wish,” Logan conceded. He flashed me his most charming smile, one that said he thought he was going to change my mind. I nearly smacked him. If the doctor and nurse hadn't been looking at us like I might be crazy, I would have.
“Thank you, Dr. James,” I said, turning to shake his hand a final time. “I appreciate your help. I should go get ready for dinner.”
His grip was strong on mine as his eyebrows returned to their rightful places on his face. “Keep that cut clean and come see me if you have any questions.”
“I will. Thank you.” I put my hand on Tyler's shoulder and nudged him toward the door. He smiled back at the doctor, and the two of us headed out the door with Logan trailing right behind.
Chapter 7
The three of us walked quietly along the manicured path back to the main building. The wind had picked up, but it was still warm as the sun prepared to dip her toes into the ocean below. I couldn't believe the day was almost over. With all the excitement, I had completely lost track of time.
“Are you going to the welcome banquet tonight?” Logan asked as we rounded one of the resort pools. No one was swimming, but the water rippled gently in the breeze as we passed.
“Yes,” I replied hesitantly. I had already planned on going with Tyler and Maddy, but the idea of him being there made me a little queasy. Despite all Logan’s help today, I still didn't trust him. Once burned, twice shy. I wasn't about to let him ruin me again, even if he did save me from drowning.
“I'll see you there, then,” he said with a grin. “Take care of her, Tyler.”
Tyler nodded, tightening his grip around my arm, which was still draped over his shoulder, even though I was perfectly capable of walking on my own. “You got it. See you tonight, Logan.”
Logan's smile softened as he turned to walk down a separate path. His shirt was still missing the sleeve, but he strutted like he was wearing a tuxedo. I wished he wasn't so damn attractive. I didn't want to keep looking at him, but my eyes wouldn’t leave his form. When he finally turned the corner, I shook my head, trying to clear the image of him from my mind.
“Tyler?” I pulled my arm away and turned so that we were facing one another. He was no longer pale, but he still looked shaken by the day's events. I felt horribly for having scared him so badly. “I really want to thank you. You saved my life.”
I was expecting him to blush or shrug, but instead he bit his cheek and looked down at the ground. He looked like he had a terrible secret.
“What's wrong?” I asked, putting my hands on his shoulders. He fidgeted slightly, but didn't attempt to escape.
“I didn't save you. Logan did.” He dug the toe of his shoe into a small pile of sand, refusing to look up at me.
“What do you mean? Logan said you were the hero.” I squeezed his shoulders slightly and waited as he deepened the hole with his foot. He took a slow breath before he spoke.
“When I saw you fall, I swam over to you as fast as I could, screaming the whole way.” He looked up tentatively at me, his big brown eyes unsure of what I was going to think of him. “I got to you first, but with my life jacket and the waves, I could barely hold onto you. I was able to get your head above the water, but you would have drowned if Logan hadn't shown up.”
“So, Logan was the one who got me to calmer waters?” I asked, keeping my voice gentle.
Tyler nodded, his face crumpling. “I didn't even get the jet-ski and your life jacket until he told me to. I didn't know what to do. You weren't moving. All I could think was that you were dead.”
I pulled him to me in a hug, and his skinny arms wrapped around my waist in reciprocation as he buried his face in my shoulder. I held him tightly, smoothing the hair on the back of his head. I could feel his fear and shame vibrating through him. He thought he had somehow failed me.
The idea that Logan would forfeit the glory to a skinny teenager baffled me. The Logan Hayes I knew loved the spotlight. He relished being the golden boy who could do no wrong. If reporters were here, he would have posed for pictures and signed autographs as “Logan Hayes: Hero.” But, according to Tyler's story, he hadn't done that. He had given Tyler all the credit and accepted a supporting role. I was sure there had to be a trick behind it.
“Tyler,” I said quietly. He sniffled and pulled his face out of my shoulder to look at me. I smiled down at him. “Tyler, if you hadn't been there, I would have drowned regardless of Logan’s intervention. If he's giving you the credit, then you deserve it. I owe you a lot. If Logan says you saved me, then you saved me. He wouldn't lie about something like that. The man likes his spotlight too much.”
Tyler frowned. “But Aunt Liv, I really didn't do anything special.”
“I think you did. You are my hero, Tyler. I'm very proud of you.”
Tyler thought for a moment, and his frown slowly morphed into a bashful smile. “I'm glad you're okay, Aunt Liv.”
“Me too,” I said, giving him one last squeeze before releasing him. “Now, let's get you back to your mom.”
“You sure you want to do that? You know she's going to be furious with you,” Tyler told me, positioning my arm over his shoulder again. “I can't save you from her.”
I laughed. “It will be painful. But, I'd rather get her lecture on life jacket safety over with before we go to dinner.”
“The trick is to say you're sorry. A lot. And give her hugs. Whenever she gets mad, it's really just because she's actually worried,” Tyler said knowingly. I stopped short and he turned to look up at me.
“You are a smart kid, you know that?”
He shrugged. “Nah, I just know my mom.”
Chapter 8
I checked my hair in the mirror one last time before opening the door to leave. My injury was barely visible, but I was surprised my ears weren't still red from the lecture Maddy had given me. She delivered a talking to that would have made my own mother pat her on the back for a job well done.
I had followed Tyler's advice and apologized profusely, promising never to take my life jacket off again, and then hugged her. She had stared at me for a moment before hugging me back like I had just been resurrected from the dead, but that was the end of the lecture.