Chapter 369
Just as Niamh predicted, Lana showed up with a six–pack and a bag of snacks
On the phone, Niamh hadn’t told Lana that Elmer was awake–or that he was coming over. She’d only said she’d have a special guest waiting, an old friend they hadn’t seen in ages.
She’d wanted to surprise Lana.
When Lana knocked, it was Elmer who opened the door.
The instant she saw him–alive and standing in the doorway–Lana let out a scream that rattled the windows and probably half the neighbors, too.
“Come on, Lana! The neighbors are going to file a noise complaint,” Niamh groaned, half laughing, half mortified.
If she’d known Lana would react like this, she’d have just told her everything upfront, given her time to brace herself. So much for a happy surprise–this was pure shock.
Elmer looked a little lost, not quite understanding the commotion. “Lana, I just woke up from a coma–not back from the dead. You can relax.”
Lana stared at him, eyes wide and unblinking. She reached out, pinched his cheek, then smacked his head–not gently.
“Does that hurt?” she demanded.
“Lana!” Niamh couldn’t help shouting. Elmer was barely out of the hospital–he didn’t need a concussion on top of everything else.
Elmer just shook his head, amused and a little exasperated. “You hit that hard–aren’t your hands hurting?”
Lana still seemed unconvinced, her gaze fixed on Elmer as if he might disappear at any moment. But he stood there, very much alive.
To Lana, waking from a coma or coming back from the dead didn’t seem all that different–either way, she’d gotten her friend back against all odds.
They all squeezed onto Niamh’s small living room sofa, beers in hand, catching up beneath the warm lamplight.
Elmer had gone to high school with Niamh and Lana, back in Port Solaris. y then, Niamh had already changed her name from Katarina Quinn to Niamh.
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Chapter 369
The three of them–Elmer, Lana, and Niamh–had been inseparable. At school, they’d gained a bit of a reputation: Elmer, the golden boy, Niamh, the campus beauty. Everyone assumed they were destined for each other–a perfect match.
But in reality, they’d never dated. Niamh knew Elmer liked her, he’d never tried to hide it. He’d confessed once, and she’d turned him down, telling him she couldn’t let go of her first love.
She’d thought that would ruin their friendship, but Elmer had just smiled and said he’d keep trying. And he did, never letting awkwardness get in the way.
Niamh had played piano since she was a child–talented, passionate, dreaming of conservatory life. The summer before their senior year, Elmer and Lana had traveled with her to Aldenville for a major piano competition.
That competition changed everything. Not just for Niamh, but for Elmer, too.
“I’m sorry, Elmer…” Niamh’s voice trembled, her cheeks flushed from the beer and her eyes shining with tears. “I mean it, I’m so sorry… If I hadn’t asked you to go back to the hotel to get my necklace, you wouldn’t have been in that accident. You wouldn’t have…”
…ended up in a coma.
Elmer hadn’t just been the popular guy at school; he was also top of the class, with a future as bright as they came. His parents ran a successful business and had pinned all their hopes on him. If they could have chosen, they’d have wanted Elmer to go into politics–and with his grades and his drive, it wasn’t out of reach.
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