Dalir's Salvation Read Online Free

or Celine leaving with a new boyfriend no one had met. Truthfully, she shouldn’t have had to sense it. A pang hit Ari squarely in the chest. The three of them were tight, like sisters. They should have mentioned their plans instead of blindsiding her with them. Don’t be so pathetic. Stop whining. Ari listed more items. It wasn’t like they were ditching her forever. They’d be back in a month. And right now, she had a job to do. She needed to restock before Brooke and the others showed up. They wouldn’t have time in the midst of catering to the Memorial Day weekend crowd.
    Ari slipped on her shoes and hurried into the storeroom behind the counter. She dragged the stepladder in place. Of course, what she needed was on the highest shelf. Note to staff: stock the more popular spa items within reach.
    She tugged up the slim skirt of her dress and stepped on the ladder. On the way up, her leg bumped the large, stuffed teddy bears they included in the new baby gift baskets. Ari stretched. Her fingertips grazed the flat carton. Shit. She climbed to the top of the ladder and rose to her toes. Another reason she needed high heels.
    As she edged the box off the metal shelf, the weight shifted. The carton knocked her in the chest.
    Ari fell back.
    Arms flailing, she made a grab for something, anything to break her fall. The teddy bears tumbled down with her. Pain exploded in her head. Moments later a deep, male voice penetrated through the pain-filled fog.
    A nice-looking guy with dark hair, and silvery eyes so brilliant they glowed, stared down at her with concern. His lips moved.
    What was he saying? She couldn’t hear him. Ari’s vision blurred and she sank into darkness.
    * * * *
    “You’re extremely lucky.” The young, blond doctor in the emergency room wrapped a stethoscope around the collar of his white lab coat. He smiled. “The EMTs said a bunch of teddy bears saved you. Apparently, they cushioned most of the fall.”
    Not that she remembered. She’d passed out and awakened with emergency personnel kneeling over her. “Guess the teddy bears are my new best friends along with the customer that found me.” Ari laughed. A sharp ache stabbed into her skull. She smoothed back her dark bangs. Luckily, her short hair would still cover the bump on her head.
    A brown-haired nurse dressed in pink scrubs helped Ari up to a sitting position on the bed. As the doctor checked her over, his ID badge dangled near Ari’s face.
    Brad Foster. Nice name, nice bod, nice everything. But even with the dimple in his cheek, he wasn’t as cute as the guy who’d come to her rescue. Just her luck to meet two hot-looking guys when she was a mess.
    “A customer, that’s interesting.” Dr. Foster washed his hands in a sink against the wall. “I heard one of your staff found you.”
    “Really? But I know I saw someone I didn’t recognize.”
    “Maybe he went to get help.” The nurse smiled and handed Dr. Foster a computer tablet.
    “Or you could be experiencing some confusion.” The doctor’s brow furrowed as he tapped in notes. “Bumps on the head are tricky.” No need to keep her overnight. Ice for the bump and pain reliever for the headache should do the trick.
    “Good.” Ari sank back against the pillows. “I’m ready to go home.”
    He chuckled. “Not so fast.”
    “But you said my head looks fine.”
    “No. I didn’t say that, but other than a headache, you should be fine.”
    “I know. I heard you.”
    He exchanged a puzzled look with the nurse.
    But Dr. Foster had said it so clearly. Hadn’t he? Cold ripples moved down Ari’s spine. Usually, she picked up on thoughts as pictures not complete sentences.
    Dr. Foster gave her an indulgent smile. “It’s best to be cautious with head injuries. Someone needs to stay with you tonight. Symptoms can sneak up on you.” He conferred with the nurse.
    Movement caught the corner of Ari’s eye.
    The guy from the store leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over