“We had a call in for tomorrow. Someone’s sick,” Sadie said.
Avery sat up. “I can work.”
“You don’t even need to ask.” I rested my head on her shoulder and batted my lashes at her. “You know I’m the sweet sister.”
Avery slugged me with a light fist to my bicep.
“Um…I didn’t ask. You’re both already on the schedule. Avery is morning shift; you are afternoon. The problem is that I had told the rehab center that I could volunteer tomorrow. Listen, could one of you volunteer for me while the other one helps all day? I promise I’ll make it up to you. I’d cancel, but I promised.”
Avery waved her hands in front of her. “Count me out. I hate any kind of doctor’s office, you know that.”
“I don’t mind. Actually, I prefer it over serving food. I’ll cover for you.” I offered a reassuring smile. “Of course, you’ll have to tell me where the rehab center is because when I left we didn’t have one.”
“It’s about to be finished. Same guy who did the renovations to my bakery won the bid on the center. He’ll be your contact tomorrow.”
“Who’s that?” I asked.
“Kevin Slayder.”
Chapter Three
It had only been one day, and my sisters were already turning my life upside down. If Avery had sung any more love songs over breakfast, I was going to beat her with my bagel. I’d never been so happy to leave the house and head to volunteer somewhere. I left a few minutes early so I could have time to drive by the plantation home before I was due at the center. Based on all the wood stacked outside and the supplies, it looked like the new owner would be fully restoring the beautiful home. Of course, I’d keep an eye on the place to make sure he or she didn’t change it into some modern-looking business or something else ridiculous.
I’d come back tomorrow and maybe offer to help. I’d always been so busy with school and work, this vacation left me a little unnerved without a tight schedule.
I followed Sadie’s directions and found the new rehab center. It was small compared to the big facilities in and around Atlanta. I pulled in and parked in front. The structure looked clean, with glass windows and door, but the porch resembling Aunt Cathy’s house in Creekside, Tennessee, gave it a touch of Southern charm.
My phone beeped, and I saw it was a message from Edward.
You are the call, and I am the answer,
You are the wish, and I the fulfillment,
You are the night, and I the day.
What else—it is perfect enough,
It is perfectly complete,
You and I.
I recognized the poem from one he’d read to me a few months ago, “Bei Hennef” by D. H. Lawrence. Part of me wished he’d called or Facetimed me, but it was a miracle Edward would even text since he was more a lover of the perfectly scripted written word. He’d left love notes for me all over campus and in my backpack over the last year. The clock on my dash showed nine forty-five, so I still had a few minutes.
Thanks to the help of a quick search on my smartphone, I quickly found a reasonably poetic reply, one from William Shakespeare’s “Sonnet XLII.” I figured I’d get bonus points for using words from the legendary man whom Edward loved to live his life attempting to emulate.
All days are nights to see till I see thee,
And nights bright days when dreams do show thee to me.
With still ten minutes to spare, I decided to see how his day was going, so I called him.
“Hello, Zoey,” Edward answered.
“Hello, Edward. How’s your day going?” I asked.
Papers shuffled in the background, so I imagined Edward sitting behind his oversize mahogany desk looking studious as always. “All is well. I’ll be dining with Dr. Holliman tomorrow night.”
“He’s on the Board of Trustees, right?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“That’s good. Are they still going to name the new dean of Arts and Sciences before Christmas?” I waited, willing him to say yes and to get in his car tomorrow to drive down to Magnolia Corners, to me.
“Yes.”
“Great! When will you be here?” I held my breath, hoping he’d say in a few days.
“About that. Why don’t we go somewhere for Christmas to celebrate? I’ll sweep you off on a literary tour in England. We’ll visit Stratford-upon-Avon, and—”
“No. You promised Edward,” I said flatly.
“I know, but just think about it. I mean, what is there to do down in that little town? You can visit with your sisters while I finish working, and then we can leave on vacation.”
I thought about it for a minute but decided a promise was a promise. “You said you’d meet them. You gave me your word.”
“Yes. You’re right.” He sighed. “Why don’t we plan on meeting at that great restaurant in downtown one night? We’ll all eat together, and then I can sweep you away to the airport right after.”
“But you said you’d come here.” I heard the disappointment in my voice, and I didn’t care if it made me sound like a child.
“Zoey, please. Listen, I want to meet your family, but I need a vacation. I’ve been working so hard. More than anything, I want you all to myself. We’ll have plenty of more Christmases together. I’ve got to get back to work now. I’ll count the minutes until we meet again.”
Click.
I sat staring at my phone screen for a moment. Did I call back and demand he come down here, or did I set up dinner with everyone? He was busy, so busy, and coming down here would take time, but I wanted to be with my family. That being said, a vacation where we could spend time together without worrying about who saw us would be delightful.
The clock turned to nine fifty-eight. I straightened my white button-up shirt, slung my purse strap over my shoulder, and marched toward the sliding doors. It was time to face Kevin and his judgement. This time, I knew I’d be seeing him, so I wouldn’t be caught by surprise, leaving me breathless with shock. That’s all it had been, a shock to see him.
An excitement built inside that I hadn’t felt in a while. The idea of working with people instead of keeping my eyes trained on a book sounded good for a change.
The doors slid open, revealing a charming lobby that felt homey instead of clinical. A design that was outside the box with its pleasant muted colors and hardwood fixtures. Had Kevin designed the building, too? No way… He was a contractor, not an architect.
I spotted a man in a wheelchair behind the low front desk. He smiled at me with bright white teeth and soft eyes. He looked vaguely familiar. Perhaps he’d gone to our high school, but I couldn’t recall his name. “Can I help you?”
I straightened and put everything else out of my head so I could focus. No thoughts of Kevin building this center, or Edward’s desire to run away for Christmas, or my sister’s meddling ways. “Yes, thank you. I’m Zoey Dixon. I’m here to volunteer today. I believe Kevin Slayder is expecting me.”
There, that sounded professional. I wasn’t sure why I had been worried about Kevin distracting me. He was a construction worker, a contact the rehab center had obviously utilized to get volunteers. It wasn’t like he was a therapist I’d run into constantly.
“Ms. Dixon. Yes, Kevin told me you’d be arriving. Let me call him.”
“If he’s unavailable, I’d be happy to speak to someone else. I’m sure he’s busy finishing the building.”
“He’s not working construction. That’s done.” He dialed his cell.
My palms were sweating, and the back of my neck was damp despite the cool temperature.
He rolled into his office, and I could hear his muffled speech before he returned with some paper on his lap that he set on the desk.
“Kaley will be out in a minute to escort you to the therapy gym.” He went to work filing and then disappeared into the office again.
Kaley? That sounded familiar. Why wasn’t Kevin coming out to get me? He was the contact. Of course, it was better this way.
/> A tall brunette with perfect hair and a peppy step exited a side door with a winning smile. It was Kaley Foster, head cheerleader and Kevin’s high school girlfriend. The perfect girl who won the hearts of everyone she met. “If it isn’t sweet Zoey. I heard you were in town.” She flung her arms around me as if we were besties reunited. “Kev told me you’d be here today, but I thought he was crazy.”
She hooked her hand in the crook of my arm and dragged me toward a door on the other side of the lobby. “We’re so excited to have you here to help us. There’s so much to do. Equipment is still being set up while patients are already being seen. Not to mention computer issues, labeling, inventory, and so much more.”
I fell into step with her by the time she swung open the door to a large room with parallel bars, exercise equipment, bikes, treadmills, and tons and tons of boxes.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m so thankful to have this place. I mean, we used to have to drive an hour, sometimes even three hours each way, for therapy depending on traffic. Now, if anyone is injured, they don’t have to go so far. Isn’t it amazing?”
I spotted Kevin across the floor, and he waved. Apparently, my Kevin brain hadn’t improved, and it took me a second to lift my hand to wave back.
“Listen to me prattle on so. I guess not much changes, huh?” She bounded across the floor and stood on her toes to whisper something in Kevin’s ear, her hands on his shoulders.
My breath caught, and I bit my lip. What did I care? It wasn’t like I was a high schooler watching them walk hand in hand in the hallways.
There was no reason for my chest to ache at the sight. We were all grownups, and I liked Kaley. Good for them. We could all be happy now. Perhaps Edward and I could double date with them. Okay, maybe not, but I was still happy for them. Kevin and Kaley were always meant to be together. And I had Edward now. The romantic, mature, amazing man who I’d be on vacation with soon. That was if my sisters didn’t kill him for stealing me away before Christmas.
Chapter Four
The therapy gym sounded like a day at the races with the construction and clients working. A drill whirled, and some men spoke in the corner while assembling some contraption. Kevin strutted toward me in that way that made him look like a runway model. His dark hair fell over his brow with a messy sophistication. “Hey, glad you’re here.”
“You are?” I asked, the tone of my voice hitching involuntarily.
“Sure. We could use the help.” Kevin waved for me to follow him.
“Right, of course. Well, I’m here to volunteer, so put me to work.” I watched an older gentleman using a strange utensil that wrapped around his hand, scooping up fruit and putting it in his mouth. His smile gleamed across the room when he managed to take a bite of a piece of strawberry the first time. Another patient, a woman maybe in her mid-forties, was lying on her back while a therapist moved her leg around in all directions.
Kevin led me to a back office in the corner. Inside were four laptops, one on each desk, shelves full of books, and several rolling desk chairs.
“I’m not surprised you stepped up when Sadie couldn’t make it. I always thought you’d be a pediatrician or a therapist someday.” Kevin snagged a tool belt from the corner and wrapped it around his waist. The look of sexy contractor was complete.
I wanted to bang my head against the glass window of the office to pound my wayward thoughts from my brain. “Really? Why would you say that?” There, at least I managed a coherent thought. That was better than I ever had in the same room as Kevin in the past. It was a childhood crush, nothing more. Sure, he was handsome, but we had nothing in common. He’d stayed in Magnolia Corners to work in construction. I’d left to go to college. He was an athlete. I was a bookworm.
Kevin closed the distance between us and looked down at me. His eyes were intense but soft. “Because you’ve always had the kindest heart I’ve ever known. I remember the day that Susie Richards tripped over something and her tray flew across the linoleum floor in the cafeteria. All the other kids laughed, but not you. You marched across the floor and helped her up, took her to the bathroom, and even lent her the sweater you’d been wearing to cover up the spaghetti stain on her chest. You didn’t have much back then, yet you still gave from the heart.”
We both stood there for a moment. I couldn’t believe he remembered that when it had happened so many years ago.
“Not to mention you’re beautiful.” He broke eye contact, stepped back, and scratched the back of his neck.
“What?” I asked, not sure I’d heard him right.
He marched past me and out the door. I followed after him like that little lost freshman puppy, through the gym and down another hallway. I’d definitely heard him wrong.
“I’m just saying you have something special. A unique gift that makes you perfect in an allied health profession. Most girls I’ve met over the years are either kindhearted or beautiful or smart,” he said while slicing a knife hand in the air, as if karate chopping made what he said factual. “You’re the only one I’ve ever met that is all three. I think you’d make an excellent therapist. You’re smart, so the information will be retained. You’re sweet, so you’ll always make the patients feel uplifted and special. And that beautiful smile of yours will light up their day.” Kevin pulled a badge on a cord from his belt, tapped it to a scanner, and the door popped open.
“I’m sure you’ve met plenty of women like me.” We were in a small storage room stacked full of boxes and equipment. He pulled several down from shelves and placed them on the ground.
“No, not really,” Kevin said as if we were talking about the color of the exercise ball instead of what he thought about me.
“What about Kaley? I mean, you must feel that way about her.” I studied the box as if it contained a hidden treasure.
He chuckled. “Kaley?”
“Yeah, I mean, she must be something special if you’ve been with her all these years.”
He hesitated for a millisecond but then handed me a small box, lifted the other two himself, and headed out of the room again. At the end of the gym by the front windows, he placed his boxes down and took the one from my arms. “You’re right, she is special. More special than I even thought possible when we were in high school.”
I swallowed so loud I thought the men working in the corner could hear me over their hammering.
Kevin waved Kaley over from the corner where she’d been talking to the man in the wheelchair from the front desk. He was so fit on top, yet his legs had atrophied considerably.
Kaley plopped down on the therapy bed with a sigh. “We’re supposed to have this place set by the day after tomorrow for a full patient load, not to mention the uppity-ups will be here for a tour.” She lifted her left hand to her face, and I noticed a large diamond ring on her finger.
I blinked.
Kevin popped Kaley on the head with a foam noodle. “No complaining allowed. This was all your doing, remember?”
She snagged the noodle and swung it, popping him in the gut.
Kevin tossed it to the side and plunged into the box again. “You’ve never failed at anything in your life, Kaley. You know we’ve got this. If you doubt me, just ask Joe.”
The man in the wheelchair wheeled up next to me with a smile. “You’ve got this. No doubt.”
“What do you think, Zoey?” Kaley asked.
“I’m sure Kevin knows you best. If he says you can get this done, I’m sure you can.” There. That sounded politically correct, and there wasn’t even a hitch to my voice.
“Zoey over here thinks we’re still dating,” Kevin announced.
My neck flushed, and I scanned the area looking for the nearest escape.
Joe half laugh, half snorted.
Kaley fell back in laughter, her head smacking the vinyl therapy bed. “Us?”
I looked between them, trying to understand what was so funny.
After what seemed like several minutes, Kaley hopped up, snagged my arm, and turned
me to face Joe. “Hi, hon. I wanted to formally introduce Zoey to you. Zoey, this is my husband, Joe Deland.”
“Husband?” I took his hand outstretched in greeting.
“Yes, we’ve been married for what, six years now?” Joe said with a half grin.
Kaley slugged him in the shoulder. “Six months.”
“Congratulations. I thought I recognized you from school. Football team, right?” I asked.
“Can you believe she thought I was with Kevin?” Kaley rolled her eyes.
Joe shook his head before scooping Kaley onto his lap and spinning in a circle. “No way. Kevin never swept you off your feet like I can.”
Kevin tossed the noodle at them both. “I’m out of here. I’ve got to go deliver this box.” He hoisted one up on his shoulder and fled the scene of the embarrassing conversation.
Seeing Kaley and Joe together, happy, enjoying life, warmed my heart. Someday I hoped Edward and I would have some more lighthearted moments like that. He’d been so stressed about his promotion that we hadn’t really connected lately. All the more reason for me to go on vacation with him. We’d be away from the school and be able to have some us time.
“I better get back to work.” Kaley planted a kiss on his check and then wiggled free from his embrace. “Besides, now that Zoey knows Kevin is a free man, I’m going to go play matchmaker.”
“No,” I blurted.
She stopped midstep. “Why not? You’re back, he’s available, and you two are perfect for each other. Trust me, I know because I dated him, and I wasn’t right for him.”
“I’m involved with someone else.” I turned my focus to the boxes and began taking out therapy equipment and placing it on the bed.
“Funny… The way you looked at him, I was sure you reciprocated his interest.”
“Reciprocated?”
“Um…yeah. Didn’t you know he had a thing for you in high school? You were one of the reasons we broke up.”
Chapter Five
I plopped down on the sofa and sipped my peppermint hot chocolate Avery had made me. The aroma filled me with the holiday spirit, and I relaxed into the pillow. It had been a long and grueling day. Not from the work. I enjoyed assembling equipment and helping fix small issues with the building, not to mention hanging out with the therapist and patients a few times. It was Kevin’s presence that twisted my words around, making me the court gesture of clumsiness in the therapy room, that wore me out.
The Sweet Bride Page 2