A Little Boy Whispered, “Your Toe Moved”—Then My Fiancé Went Pale
Chapter 01 - A Little Boy Whispered, “Your Toe Moved”—Then My Fiancé Went Pale
## chapter 01 - The Boy Beneath My Table
The first thing I noticed about the boy was that he didn't belong there.
Not at Café Bellmont, where the cheapest lunch cost more than most families spent on groceries in a week. Not among the white tablecloths, crystal wineglasses, and men discussing investments beneath cream-colored umbrellas.
He couldn't have been older than ten.
His sandy-blond hair fell over his eyes. His brown shirt looked two sizes too big, and there was dirt along one knee of his faded jeans.
I was waiting for my fiancé, Daniel Cross, when I felt something brush against the footrest of my wheelchair.
I looked down.
The boy was crouched beside me.
"Hey," I said, startled.
He didn't run.
Instead, he stared at my bare right foot resting on the metal plate.
Then he touched the side of the footrest.
"Ma'am?"
His voice was barely louder than the traffic beyond the patio.
"Your foot moved."
For a second, I thought I'd misunderstood him.
My legs hadn't moved voluntarily in eighteen months.
Not since the accident.
Not since three doctors told me the damage to my spinal cord was permanent.
"I'm sorry?"
"Your big toe."
He pointed.
"It moved when you reached for your glass."
My heart gave one violent beat.
A waiter hurried toward us.
"Kid, you can't bother customers."
The boy started backing away, but I raised my hand.
"Wait."
Every conversation around me seemed to disappear.
I stared at my foot.
Move.
Nothing.
Move.
Still nothing.
The boy looked disappointed.
"Maybe it was just a reflex," I whispered.
He shook his head.
"My mom used to work with people who couldn't walk."
Before I could ask another question, Daniel appeared behind him.
At forty-two, Daniel could walk into any room and make people believe he owned it. Perfect suit. Perfect smile. Perfect confidence.
Until he saw the boy beside my wheelchair.
Then something changed.
Just for a second.
Daniel's face went pale.
"Claire," he said sharply. "What is he doing here?"
The boy looked from Daniel to me.
Then he whispered something that made my blood turn cold.
"I've seen you before."
Daniel grabbed the handles of my wheelchair.
"That's enough."
But the boy wasn't looking at me anymore.
May you like
He was staring directly at Daniel.
And suddenly, Daniel looked terrified.
