Free The Sharpest Edge by Stephanie Rowe

underwater for almost too long. He hasn’t woken up yet, and we have no way of knowing if he ever will. If he does, we can’t predict the amount of brain damage he has sustained. He may wake up and be fine, or he may never be the person he was before the accident.”
    To her horror, tears welled up before she even knew they were coming. What was up with that?
    Sean’s arm slipped over her shoulders, his fingers twisting in her hair. “But he could wake up and be as good as new, right?” His voice was tight, clipped.
    It felt so good to be held by him. She couldn’t keepherself from leaning into him as she wiped her cheeks, even though she knew she had no right to do so.
    The doctor nodded. “It’s possible he could be fine, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up if I were you.”
    “You aren’t us,” Sean said quietly. “Is there anything else you can share?”
    “No. I do recommend you spend time with him. Sometimes that can make a difference.” The doctor gave them a brief smile. “I have to run, but if you have any questions, have the nurses’ station page me.”
    “Thank you,” Sean said.
    Kim managed to mutter something appreciative and the doctor rushed off.
    The second he left, she turned toward Sean at the same instant he lifted his other arm around her. She pressed herself against his chest and he buried his face in her hair. They said nothing, just clung to each other, holding on to the one thing they could touch.
    It was Sean who spoke first, his voice muffled against her hair. “Will you come see him? Please?”
    She released him and stepped back. “I can’t.”
    “Dammit, Kim. Why not?”
    “This is why.” She pulled her mom’s letter out of her pocket and handed it to him. “I received it three days after she died. Don’t read it now, and I want it back when you’re done with it.”
    He started to unfold it and she grabbed it from his hand, folded it and shoved it into his front pocket. “Later, Sean.” She gave her head a little shake to clear it. “Any leads on my dad’s accident? Or on Jimmy?”
    He drew his shoulders back in a visible effort to gather himself. “Helen let me check your dad’s personal files. For the past two months, he’s been withdrawing fairly large sums of money on a regular basis, but we couldn’t find any evidence of what he was spending it on.”
    Kim frowned. “What does that show?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “If Helen was the one who tried to kill him, do you really think it’s smart to tell her you don’t think his crash was an accident?”
    He lifted an eyebrow. “You don’t trust me to be circumspect?”
    She had no energy for a fight. “I don’t know. I’m too tired to think. What can I help with?”
    “Is there a place in the house that your dad used to hide stuff?”
    She frowned. “He had a hidden safe in his office, but I don’t know if it’s still there.”
    “Let’s go check.”
    “Now?”
    “Unless you have other plans? Maybe with that friend of yours? Alan, you said his name was?”
    Was she imagining the annoyance in his voice? “Alan is in California. And no, I have no other plans.”
    “Fine. I’ll follow you in my car.”
    “Fine.” Just what she needed. More alone time with Sean.
    “T HE DOOR’S LOCKED .” Kim sighed and leaned her head against her dad’s office door. “I forgot, he locks it now. I don’t have a key.”
    She looked so exhausted that Sean started to raise his hand to touch her hair the way he used to, but he dropped his arm instead. Why did he still want to touch her? Hadn’t he seen all he needed to know that their past was over? Last night, she’d eviscerated him with her statement that she’d been afraid that she’d end up killing herself if she married him. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to shove away the ache. Why couldn’t he hate her? That comment alone should have done it.
    But he couldn’t hate her. He shoved his hands deep intohis pockets and his fingers hit the letter