Carolina Grace (Southern Breeze Series Book 3)

by Regina Rudd Merrick

  When he turned, as she did, to survey the lack of seating, he sighed. That’s when she realized who he was. Dr. Butler. He turned a little further and recognition registered in his eyes. He remembered her.

  “Hi. Weren’t you here for the twin birth last night?”

  “I was. You’re Dr. Butler?”

  “Yes, and you’re . . . Charlotte?”

  She smiled. He did remember. “Yes. Charlotte Livingston. Most people call me Charly. I answer to either.”

  He gave her a dazzling smile, and she felt a little dizzy. Wow. She didn’t think she had reacted so to a smile since about ninth grade. She looked past him and saw Lydia watching them with a comical smirk on her face.

  “Charly. Nice.” He turned to check the line in front of him then back to her. “I’m Rance, by the way.”

  “Hi, Rance, nice to meet you.”

  “Likewise, Charly.”

  She noticed the depleting line in front of him. “Um, I think you’re up.” She stifled a giggle.

  “May I help you, Dr. Butler?” Lydia was milking it for all it was worth. Glancing between the two of them, she was cheesing it up, big time.

  “Hi Lydia.” He turned to the counter, studying the menu. “I’ll have a double shot espresso on ice, please, with a shot of syrup.”

  “Coming right up. Busy day today?”

  “Always.” He grinned at the barista as he paid his bill and turned back to see Charly glancing at the tables. “I see one table over there. If it’s still there when we get our drinks, would you join me?”

  This was unexpected and a little exciting. “Sure.” She looked at her watch. “I don’t have long. I brought my nephew to see his new siblings and thought I’d leave the family unit alone for a bit. I don’t want to leave him too long.”

  “No worries. I don’t have long either. I’m on a half-hour break, and I think ten minutes of it is already gone.” He paid for his drink and moved to the side to wait for his beverage.

  Charly moved up to the counter, twisting her lips in a smile.

  “Good morning, ma’am, and how may I be of service today?” After the official greeting, Lydia leaned closer and whispered, “You know him? Oh my goodness, oh my goodness.” Her eyebrows were almost at her hairline.

  Charly looked around to make sure they weren’t being overheard. “I’ll have a café mocha, skim, with whipped cream.” Then she whispered. “He helped deliver the twins last night. Have you seen them?”

  “They are perfect. I ran up to see them before my shift started. But back to Dr. Butler.” Lydia rang her up and took her money. “What’s the scoop?”

  “No scoop, simply an accidental meeting for coffee.” Charly winked at her friend. “I miss you, and we need to talk.”

  She glanced at the good-looking doctor waiting for his drink. “I’ll call you when I get off work.”

  “Gotcha.”

  Charly wasn’t sure, but she sensed his eyes on her. She smiled at Lydia as she received her change and moved over next to Rance. Awkward.

  “Rance?” The barista called his name and handed him the beverage and straw.

  “Thanks.” He turned to her. “I’ll go grab a table before someone else does.”

  She nodded. “Be there in a minute.” She could see Lydia craning her neck to see where they were going to end up.

  Cup in hand, face warm, she made her way through the mix of hospital employees and people visiting loved ones. When she sat down, she noticed his drink was half empty.

  “You’re almost finished.” She took a tentative sip of her hot beverage and opened the lid to stir it a bit. “One reason I always let them put whipped cream is to cool it down. I learned the hard way.”

  “Don’t you hate burning your tongue on something you love? Pizza is the worst.”

  “Pizza. Yes. The cheese on the roof of your mouth. Ouch.” She laughed and looked into his intense blue eyes. Whoa.

  “I guess that’s why I started getting them iced. I can down one of these in a few minutes. It’s one step away from intravenous coffee infusion.”

  When he smiled, his whole face lit up, and his eyes crinkled into slits.

  “Are you from around here?” Charly took a sip and tilted her head, looking at him. She felt as if she should know him but didn’t know how.

  He twisted his lips. “Charleston. Grew up in Mount Pleasant and graduated from high school there, I’m sure a little ahead of you.” He grinned. She was surprised when he gave her his graduation date, five years ahead of her.

  “A little bit.” She grinned back. “I went to Waccamaw. Where did you go to college?”

  “Clemson, then USC Greenville for medical school.”

  “Ah.”

  “What?”

  “My big brother was determined for me to go to Clemson, like him.” She swirled the cup in her hand, trying to keep the chocolate from settling to the bottom. “Good school.”

  “Where did you end up?”

  “Coastal Carolina.”

  “Also a good school.”

  She shrugged. “It was. I didn’t live on campus, but I loved being part of the school. Lydia and I commuted together.”

  “I like her. She’s good.”

  “She’s a whiz at anything she tries.” She shook her head in disgust as he laughed.

  “What did you study?”

  He didn’t take his eyes off her face, which was a little disconcerting.

  “Special education. I teach at Georgetown Middle School, across the way.”

  “Career woman.” He smiled and then startled when his pager started buzzing. “Here we go.” He looked at it then up at her. “Duty calls.”

  “I need to get back to Lucy’s room anyway.” They stood up, discarded their empty cups, and went to the hallway. “It was nice talking to you.”

  “It was.” He looked away then back at her. “Walk you back to the obstetrics floor?”

  “I’d like that.” She fluttered her fingers at a staring Lydia and led the way to the elevators.

  They parted ways at the nurses’ station, and Charly made her way back to Lucy’s room. Rance Butler. What a name. A little older than she thought. Still, he was in his residency, and medical school was a protracted affair, it would seem.

  She felt the grin on her face as she knocked on the hospital room door. Who had time for the opposite sex when there was so much life to be found in this room? As she peeked in, she saw Tom sitting at the foot of the bed, Hayes sitting next to his mother holding Evan, and Lucy holding MariAnne. Her heart melted into a puddle of goo. Her big brother was the luckiest guy in the world.

  “Can I please take a picture of this?”

  “I’ve been afraid to move lest we lose this picture.” Lucy chuckled and looked down at her brood with contentment. “I always knew I wanted kids, but I never thought it would be so satisfying to simply sit and hold them.” Her sigh brought tears to Charly’s eyes.

  She finagled Tom into the shot and took the picture. “Perfect.” She showed them the image. “Sorry I was so long. I ran into someone in the coffee shop.”

  “Friend or family?”

  Tom would be the one to ask, wouldn’t he? He would never stop being “big brother,” and truly, she didn’t want him to stop most of the time.

  “Both. Lydia, of course, because she works there, and Dr. Butler. We were in line together, and he remembered me from these guys.” She reached in to scoop up her niece, hiding her face in the perfection of new-baby smell.

  “I see.” Lucy stared at her until she looked up. She could feel her face heat.

  “What?” Charly gave Lucy a dirty look and then turned her attention to the baby. “Mommy is getting nosy, isn’t she? Yes, she is, and someday she’ll be asking you questions about every male you come in contact with.”

  “I can tell you right now her Mommy won’t be the only one.” Tom laughed.

  “You’re both practicing on me, huh?”

  “Of course we are.” Lucy’s smirk
said it all. “Dr. Butler is cute, isn’t he?”

  Charly’s lips twisted, trying hard not to smile. “He is. I was surprised he remembered me. There was a lot going on.”

  “Pu-leeze. What red-blooded American male wouldn’t notice you? You’re cute, you’re blonde, and you have a smile plastered on your face all the time.”

  Tom tilted his head and looked at his wife. “I think you described yourself, Luce.”

  “Maybe I did, but it applies to Charly too.”

  “We can’t help it if we’re two of a kind, now can we?” Charly batted her eyelashes at her brother and winked at Lucy.

  Lucy looked over at Charly holding the baby. “And it’s looking as if Miss MariAnne will fit right into our mold, doesn’t it?”

  “It does. Her hair is almost white, isn’t it?” Charly fingered the downy bit of hair, marveling at the miracle that, once again, here were children with parts of the same DNA as she.

  Hayes started squirming with the sleeping baby in his lap. “I’m thirsty.”

  “Trade?” Charly handed her niece to Lucy and took little Evan into her arms as Hayes slid from the bed and went straight to his dad.

  Tom swung him up into his arms and held him, eye-to-eye. “How about we go for a walk? Maybe get some juice?”

  “Yeah. And maybe a cookie?” Hayes giggled as his dad tickled his ribs.

  “We’ll see.” He turned to Lucy. “Get you anything?”

  “I’ve got all I need right here. Love you, boys.”

  “Love you too, Mommy!” Hayes waved as they went out the door.

  “Okay, they’re gone. What did you talk about with the irresistible Dr. Butler?”

  “Oh, you. Quit trying to drum up business. We talked about where we went to school. Basic stuff. He is from Charleston, went to Clemson.”

  “Hmmm. I wonder if Tom or Jared knew him and didn’t realize it?”

  “He’s about five years older than me, so right between me and them. Clemson is a big school.”

  “Are you going to see him again?”

  Charly laughed out loud. “Luce, we met by accident in line for coffee. It wasn’t exactly a date.”

  “Relationships have started with less. Your brother and I met on a fix-up date looking at furniture.”

  “True. It seems like a lifetime ago, doesn’t it?” Charly sat on the edge of the bed and reached out to take Lucy’s hand in a brief squeeze.

  “Three lifetimes ago. Namely the lives of Hayes, Evan, and MariAnne Livingston.” Lucy’s smile was infectious, and her sister-in-law’s abounding confidence in Charly finding her Prince Charming was enough to build hope within her as well.

  Chapter Five

  Rance squealed his tires leaving the parking lot of the hospital. The top was down on the Jaguar. Finally. A long weekend. All he wanted to do was sleep, but he hadn’t seen his mom in a while. His dad, either, which was fine with him. Things had been tense between them for a while. Today he would enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. There had been little time on the beach or golf course for this doctor candidate.

  He touched “Mom” on his phone, and it rang twice before Anna Butler answered. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Hey, Son, how are you?”

  “I’m fine. Thought I’d come down for the night, if it’s okay with you and Dad?” Maybe Dad was out of town. He could hope.

  “I’m sure it will be. Your father has a meeting this afternoon at the Citadel. He said he’d be home for supper, and I’m cooking Chicken Parmesan. Sound good to you? Or we could go out, if you’d rather?” Her voice sounded nervous. An only child, Rance was used to tuning in to his mother’s moods. Something his father never seemed to care enough to do.

  “Chicken Parm sounds great. I’m ready for some of your cooking. I should be there in about an hour, and don’t make a fuss. I need a night away from the hospital.”

  “That’ll be nice. I’m sure your father hasn’t made any plans. Maybe the two of you could go fishing tomorrow. A father-son outing?”

  Fishing? With Dad? It had happened about three times in his lifetime as he recalled. Ashton Butler, a federal probation officer, had always seemed to have more time for the deadbeats and criminals he worked with than for his own son. He didn’t realize it at the time, but it was why he tried to push his buttons as a teen. He was constantly trying to get a rise out of him. And boy did he. Dad never got physical in his punishment, but the cold shoulder was worse. He dictated terms and left him to his own devices.

  Rance never let his grades suffer though. Academics was the one thing he had going for him. He was smart. He knew the only way to get out from under his dad’s thumb was to outsmart him, to be a success in ways he never could. The Academic Magnet High School he attended was a surprise to his dad. He didn’t think he could hack it. But he did. He hacked it well for a kid who wanted to put his fist through a wall on a daily basis.

  And then there was Mom. Mom was a peach. A little over-protective, he didn’t let her in on the more dangerous of his adventures. She would be scared out of her mind.

  Driving from Georgetown to Mount Pleasant was a long, flat, straight stretch of road. Once you left Georgetown, you couldn’t see the ocean from Highway 17. It was a lot of pine tree farms, Francis Marion National Forest, little houses, leftover hurricane damage from five years ago, little ladies with their woven basket stands, and churches. Why so many churches on this one stretch of road?

  Fresh, hot air, which was summer in the South. What did he expect? He cranked up the radio and set out to enjoy the ride, courtesy of the Rolling Stones.

  Mom must have been watching for him. She came out the front door as he was grabbing his bag from the back seat.

  “There’s my boy!” She reached out and pulled him into her arms. “I’ve missed having you around.”

  “Mom, I’ve been gone pretty much the last six years.”

  “I know, and you’re busier now and don’t get to come home as much. It gets lonely without you.”

  “I’ll try to call more.” He kissed her on the cheek and looked into her face. Was her hair a little grayer than last time he was home? She had colored her hair since he was in middle school, so it was getting harder to remember what her natural color was. She seemed a little washed-out. Maybe she was tired. “You doing okay?”

  She swatted his chest and looked down. “I’m fine.” She looked up at him and shook her head. “Now you get yourself in the house, and I’ll pour your tea. Sound good?”

  “Sounds like heaven.” He gave her a half-grin and picked up his bag on the floor. He put his arm around her shoulders and led her in.

  “You’ll be in your old room. I put clean sheets on there, so it should be nice and fresh.”

  “Mom, you didn’t have to go to any trouble. I can sleep anywhere these days. Having the opportunity to sleep is what matters.”

  “I know, and that’s why I wanted to make it extra-nice for you.” She opened the oven door to check on her meal, and the smell of chicken and marinara sauce tickled his nose and his taste buds.

  “Something smells wonderful.” He winked at his mother and looked around, spying another favorite. Chocolate pie. “How did you have time to make a chocolate pie?”

  “Hon, you know I can whip up one of those in less than a half-hour.” She pulled a glass from the cabinet and walked to the refrigerator to get ice. “Now you go get your stuff put up, and I’ll have a glass of tea waiting when you get back. I want to hear all about your adventures in the hospital.”

  “Noted. Be right back.”

  He grabbed his gear and walked through the house and up the stairs to his room. The stairway was lined with pictures, the majority featuring him, and a few sprinkled in of the family, including his grandparents, and a few great-aunts and uncles. He came from an uncommonly small family, it seemed to him. His mother’s parents had both died when he was small, so he had no memories of them. He spent time with his father’s parents and never felt as though he knew them.

&nbs
p; He dropped his duffle on the chair in his old room and stood there, looking around. The deep, cleansing breath he took reminded him his room still smelled like his room. He felt himself smile and relax. Coming home made all the drama that had gone before worth it.

  He jogged down the stairs and back to the kitchen, where his glass of iced tea and a plate of cookies awaited him. “You didn’t have to go to so much trouble.” He spoke with his mouth full of cookie.

  His mother laughed. “I know, but I like to spoil you when you’re here with me. I don’t see enough of you.”

  “I’ll bet Dad doesn’t share your opinion.”

  She shook her head. “Oh, you shouldn’t say that. He was asking the other day when I thought you might come home again. He misses you. It’s not his way to show his feelings.”

  He munched on another cookie, relishing the gooey chocolate and caramel. “He could have called me or come up to see me.”

  “He never knows when you’re going to be in the middle of something, and he doesn’t want to interrupt.”

  “Mom, he’s never called me. At least not since I’ve been in Georgetown. I may as well have dropped off the face of the earth. Maybe I should have taken the residency in Alaska.”

  His mother’s laugh bubbled to the surface. “You, without sunshine and ocean breezes?”

  “I could handle it.” He grinned at her. “In the summertime, anyway, when it’s sunny twenty-four hours a day.”

  “Your daddy’s a private person, that’s all.” She glanced over at him as she spread butter on the loaf of Italian bread that would become garlic toast. “I guess I am, too, to a certain extent.”

  “Is everything okay? You seem worried.” He’d noticed the little line between her eyebrows. It was her “worry line,” and he had watched as she made herself relax her face and try to smile.

  “There is something I’ve wanted to talk to you about but haven’t known how to do it.”

  Okay, now he was worried. Mom was always one who could put things on the back burner, and she seemed to think this couldn’t be put off. At least no longer than it already had been. “Mom, are you sick? Is Dad sick?”