by Eve Gaddy
As Maya started to wander away she heard the woman, whose name she’d already forgotten, say, “Can you believe someone brought that?” pointing at Maya’s dessert. “I’d be afraid to eat it.”
Jack’s eyes met hers and she could tell he was struggling not to laugh. “I think it looks delicious,” he said firmly, scooping a large portion onto a paper plate.
“Oh, Jack, you should have a piece of my chocolate meringue pie. Now this is delicious.” She pointed to the paragon of pies, as yet uncut, its fluffy, whipped topping perfectly browned and just begging to be eaten.
At that exact moment, a foam football came sailing over Jack’s head to land on top of the pie, splattering chocolate filling and meringue all over Ms. Perfect Pie’s white blouse.
Chapter Two
To Maya’s surprise, her dessert’s appearance didn’t seem to bother anyone, except, of course, Ms. Perfect Pie. It certainly didn’t faze the boys, who dug into everything on the tables with abandon. The girls were more discerning in what they ate, but she noticed a number of them, not including Carmen, had gone for her Death by Chocolate. Of course, they ate the chocolate pie that had been flattened by the football as well, so that didn’t say much beyond teenagers would eat anything.
“So, you and the doc, huh?” said a voice at her elbow.
Maya turned to find one of her old friends, Tamara Casey, standing beside her with a knowing smile on her face. The two of them had kept up with each other sporadically through the years and Maya had made a point of seeing her whenever she returned to Marietta for a visit. Tamara was heading the “pick up” committee of one of the Spirit Club’s fundraisers.
“Ha-ha. There is no ‘me and the doc.’”
“Oh, really? You two looked pretty cozy when you came in the gym. Heating up that old flame again?” Tamara waggled her eyebrows.
Maya couldn’t help laughing. “All that happened a long time ago. So, no, there’s no firing up the flame.” Which was, on her part at least, a big fat lie. She glanced over at Jack, who was surrounded by women. “Besides, Jack appears to be on everyone’s ‘most eligible bachelor’ list. Especially that one,” Maya added, nodding at Ms. Perfect Pie.
Tamara pursed her lips. “Too true. Velma is newly divorced. She’s like that with all the single men. As for Jack, though,” she leaned in to whisper, “he never dates anyone more than a few times. And if he’s slept with anyone from Marietta since his wife died, she’s not talking.”
Interesting. And a little surprising. After all, he’d been a widower for a long time now. “I remember Amy mentioning Jack’s wife died suddenly. Some kind of accident, I remember. It’s been several years now, hasn’t it?”
“Yes, it has. I’m not saying he hasn’t had sex since then, but he’s been awfully discreet if he has.”
“He hasn’t dated anyone seriously since she died?”
“Not that I know of,” Tamara said. “And I would have known. Nothing stays secret long in Marietta.”
“That’s the truth.” Maya glanced over at Jack, still surrounded by women. “Do you know what happened? Amy didn’t know much.”
Tamara nodded. “It was horrible. Brianna was crossing the street and a car ran a stop sign. She lived for a few hours, long enough to say goodbye. Gina was only ten when her mother passed. Jack doesn’t talk about it, and no one brings it up.”
“No, I don’t imagine they do.”
“You’d have liked Brianna,” Tamara said. “Everyone did.”
They went on to talk of other things, but Maya couldn’t help wondering what Brianna Gallagher had been like. Having seen her picture in the local paper a number of years ago, she knew the woman had been beautiful. Jack had met and married her when he was out of state, during medical school. That, and what Tamara had just told her, was the extent of Maya’s knowledge about Jack’s late wife.
A short while later, Maya heard a commotion over by the food tables. Expecting another football mishap, she glanced over and saw her daughter, clearly distressed, her face turning red and blotchy, visible even from a distance.
As Maya rushed over, Carmen puffed up before her eyes. The boy she’d been talking to scrambled out of the way as quickly as he could, leaving Carmen to turn redder and more swollen by the second. As Maya reached her, Carmen clutched at her throat. “Can’t . . . breathe . . .” She turned wild, beseeching eyes to her mother.
Maya’s world stood still and her mind blanked for a moment. She realized Carmen must be having an allergic reaction to something. Before she could speak, Jack was at her side. “Does she have an epinephrine auto injector?” he asked her.
Adrenaline for allergic reactions? “No. She’s never . . . No, we don’t.”
“I need adrenaline right now,” he said in a voice she’d never heard. He didn’t shout, but he said the words clearly and forcefully. They’d drawn a crowd and Jack, busy with calming down Carmen, snapped again, “I need an auto injector of epinephrine. The nurse’s office will have one if no one else does.”
Maya started to go, but a woman handed Jack something. “Here, Dr. Gallagher. I have another one too, if you need it.”
“Thanks.” He took it and immediately shot the medicine into Carmen’s thigh. “This will help,” he told her frightened little girl. “You should be able to breathe easier very shortly.”
“What if she can’t?” Maya asked. She thought she sounded oddly calm, but her mind had been shrieking since she first saw Carmen puff up.
“We give her another shot. But she’s already breathing easier, so it’s helping. Come on, let’s get her to the Emergency Room.”
“We called 911,” another woman told him. “But they didn’t know how long it would take.”
“I’ll drive. That will be quicker.” He picked her up and started toward the door, taking Maya’s agreement for granted.
Heart pounding, Maya followed.
Some time later, Maya followed Jack out of Carmen’s ‘room’ at the hospital—one of several curtained off cubicles in the Emergency Room of the Marietta hospital. “Are you sure she’s all right?”
He answered patiently, though she’d asked him the same question several times. “Carmen responded well to the treatment. To be safe, we’ll keep her here a few hours, but I don’t expect her to have any further problems.”
“But she might,” Maya said anxiously. “You said it was a possibility.”
“A remote possibility,” he said, and patted her shoulder. “At this point it’s very unlikely. She’s in the hospital, Maya. We’ll take care of her, I promise.”
“I know. I can’t help but worry.”
“Entirely natural. She’s your daughter. Of course you’re worried.”
“Carmen has never had an allergic reaction before. Nothing this severe, anyway. It scared the hell out of me. How do I make sure this doesn’t happen again?” Now that the immediate danger was past, the stress settled in to wreak havoc on Maya’s nerves. She’d done all right during the crisis. Afterward was a whole different story.
Jack spoke soothingly. “You can’t. The best she can do is try to avoid the allergen and keep an injection pen with her at all times.”
“You really think she’s allergic to grapes? She’s eaten them before with no problem.” The epinephrine injection had made the swelling in Carmen’s throat subside so that she could breath. Once at the hospital and after further treatment, she had improved even more rapidly. Jack and Carmen had then discussed in detail what she’d eaten. Apparently, she was in the process of eating grapes when she started to feel ‘funny.’
He nodded. “Yes, I do. She said she felt fine until after she had eaten several grapes. Her throat began to close up immediately. She swears she didn’t eat anything else. Even so, she could have drank something without thinking about it. I drew some blood and sent it to the lab to be certain. We should have the results soon. However, the fact that she was actually eating the grapes when she went into anaphylactic shock is a strong indication that they’r
e the culprit.”
Anaphylactic shock. Just the words were enough to scare her to death. “I’m really glad you were there. I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t been.”
“I’ve seen a number of these reactions before. It wouldn’t have taken you long to recognize what the problem was, too. I just happened to be quicker.”
While she had known Carmen was in distress, Maya wasn’t sure she’d have known that Carmen needed epinephrine. But thank God Jack had. Several important things had resulted from the experience. First and foremost, Carmen was going to be all right. Secondly, she and Carmen were now aware of her allergy and what to do if it happened again. “Thank you,” she said.
Jack smiled and patted her on the shoulder again. “Carmen’s going to be fine. Be sure and fill the prescriptions I gave you.”
“Don’t worry, I will.” Carmen would have an auto-injector of medicine to keep with her at all times, and Maya intended to see that every place her daughter frequented would have one too.
Plus, she’d make sure Carmen knew that she needed to carry her injector with her everywhere. No exceptions.
Maya watched Jack walk down the hall. Who would have thought all those years ago that Jack would become the doctor who saved her little girl’s life?
Indecisiveness was not in Jack’s makeup. So, the fact that the following day found him staring at his cell phone screen between every patient irritated the crap out of him. Why was he debating asking Maya out? Do it or not, he thought, but make up your damn mind.
He’d dated since Brianna died. In fact, he’d been out with half the single women in town. Once, at any rate. One date didn’t mean anything. Except this was one date with Maya Parrish. Who, if anything, had only grown more beautiful over the years. More beautiful, more fascinating, sexier . . .
The sizzle was still there. For him, he thought, remembering his reaction to Maya prior to Carmen’s crisis. Maya felt something too, he was sure of it. She had looked as shocked as he was when they touched. When their hands met his had tingled. How crazy was that?
Not one of the women he’d dated since Brianna died had sparked more than a mild interest. He’d liked them all, but he’d rarely been tempted to have more than two dates with the same woman. He’d loved his wife very much, and he knew he always would. But Brianna had been gone for a long time now. Jack had thought his sex drive had died with her, but it came back with a vengeance the moment he saw Maya again, up close and personal.
One part of him said, “Oh, hell, yeah. Go for it.” The cautious part yelled, “Are you nuts? Remember what happened last time you got involved with Maya.”
He went with “hell, yeah” and punched in the cell phone number she’d given him. “Hi, Maya. It’s Jack,” he said when she answered.
“Hi.” She sounded surprised. “Are you calling about Carmen? She’s fine. She went to school this morning.”
“That’s great. Glad to hear there were no permanent ill effects.”
“I can’t thank you enough. I was scared out of my wits.”
“An allergic reaction like Carmen had is frightening, especially if it’s the first one you’ve seen. And even more so, when it’s your daughter.”
“That’s the truth.”
“Checking on Carmen wasn’t the only reason I called. I know it’s last minute, but do you want to go to dinner tonight?”
Silence. “Um . . . You’re asking me on a date?”
“Yes.”
More silence. “Do you think that’s wise?” she finally said.
He laughed. “Obviously, or I wouldn’t have asked you.” When she hesitated again he added, “It’s just dinner, Maya.” But was it?
“All right. Thanks. Casual or dressy?”
“Casual. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
After hanging up, he realized he was grinning like a fool. Wise? Probably not. But irresistible? Oh, yeah.
Chapter Three
“Why are you getting dressed up?” Carmen asked Maya later that afternoon. She came in and threw herself on Maya’s bed, flat on her back and spread-eagled. “Aren’t you going to the movie with Aunt Amy and me?”
“No, I’m going to dinner.” Having changed three times, Maya contemplated a fourth. “Do you like this one, or this one?” she asked her daughter, holding up two different outfits.
Carmen ignored the question. “Dinner? With who?” she asked suspiciously.
“Dr. Gallagher.”
“You have a date?”
Maya turned around and looked at her daughter, who was now sitting up on the bed. Only a teenager could look so incredulous at the thought of her mother dating. “Yes. I’ve had them before, you know,” she added dryly. Not to mention, Carmen’s father had remarried. What was so shocking about Maya having a date?
“But . . . but you just met him.”
“Actually, I went to high school with him.” And almost married him, Maya thought. “Why are you frowning?” After placing both outfits on the bed, she rifled through her closet and pulled out another sweater. She held it under her chin and looked in the mirror. You look like a corpse in that color, she thought, sticking it back in the closet quickly.
“He’s my doctor. Isn’t it like, illegal for you to date him?”
Maya laughed. “He’s not my doctor. And even if he were, it wouldn’t be illegal for me to date him.”
“Whatever,” Carmen said with a shrug. “His daughter’s a snot.”
Maya stifled the urge to tell her to get over it. “Why do you think that? You’ve only just met her.”
“She thinks she’s hot sh—snot,” she amended hastily when Maya gave her the evil eye.
“Well, I’m not going out with her. I’m going out with her father.” She held up an outfit in either hand. “Now, which one of these outfits should I wear?”
“The black one,” Carmen said, and left.
Which, since that described both of them, was no help at all.
“You look amazing,” Jack told Maya when he picked her up that evening.
“Thanks.” She had finally decided to wear dark skinny jeans, ass kickin’, black, Louboutin boots, and a double-breasted black knit jacket, loosely buttoned over a lacy black camisole. Did it say something that she was wearing all black? No, she decided. Unless, it meant she wanted to look her best.
Jack didn’t look so bad himself. He wore jeans and a black leather jacket over a cream colored button down shirt. His eyes were the same gorgeous green she remembered gazing into as a teenager. She noticed again that he’d filled out and put on some muscle in the intervening years. He must have caught her staring at him, because he gave her that slow, sexy smile she’d always loved.
Damn it.
After they got in his black SUV and buckled in, he said, “I thought we’d go to the Long River Cookhouse. The rainbow trout is fantastic.” He glanced at her. “Unless you’ve become a vegan or something.”
She smiled. “No, and not vegetarian either. I eat fish, fowl and beef.” She thought about that for a minute. “And chocolate, of course.”
“Still think chocolate should be its own necessary food group?”
“I can’t believe you remember that,” she said, laughing.
“I bought you a lot of chocolate. It’s hard to forget that.” He glanced at her. “You’re hard to forget,” he added.
He probably says that to all the women, she thought, pleased by the comment anyway. “You managed to forget me, though.”
“Forget? No.” He shook his head. “I moved on. Eventually.” He paused and added, “And so did you.”
“True enough.”
Maya didn’t ask Jack about his wife. If he wanted to bring her up, he would. But she couldn’t help wondering about his wife and his marriage. Like her, she knew Jack had married fairly young. During medical school from what she’d heard. Unlike hers, his marriage had lasted. Maya didn’t regret her marriage since it had given her Carmen, but if she were honest, she knew she and Graham sh
ould never have married in the first place. They were much better suited as friends. She shook off that thought. Her ex was the last person she wanted to think about tonight.
“I’ve been to the Cookhouse once or twice with Amy when I came back to visit. Who’s that guy who plays the piano there? Is he still there? He’s got a funny name. Older guy with a white beard and bushy eyebrows.”
“You must mean Fly.”
“That’s it. Is he still there?”
“Sure is. Fly is pretty much a fixture now.”
Silence fell. Surprisingly, it wasn’t terribly awkward. As they drove to the restaurant Maya looked at the countryside, enjoying being driven for a change. The Long River Cookhouse was built beside the Yellowstone River, almost at the V where the Yellowstone and Marietta rivers met. Marietta itself lay at the northern end of Paradise Valley. Several mountain ranges surrounded it, but the two visible as they drove south were the Absaroka Mountains to the east, and the Gallatins to the west. Both ranges rose high and magnificent above the valley, their peaks already snow covered though it was only early September. Winter came early in the mountains.
The wheat fields danced golden in the wind, waiting for harvest. Cattle grazed in other fields, dotting the landscape everywhere. This part of Montana was mainly cattle country. Although Maya knew there were horse ranches in the area, horses were not as prevalent. Some horse ranches had been there for years, but a number of them were newer.
“I didn’t realize until the Spirit Club get together that our daughters are the same age,” she said.
He smiled. “I didn’t know either until one—several, actually—of my patients told me this morning.”
“Several?”
He shot her an amused glance. “Maya Parrish is big news in this town. Not to mention, a fair number of my patients are old enough to remember the two of us were together in high school and they wanted to make sure I knew you had moved back.”