by Aliyah Burke
It didn’t take long, and she verified the dates in question were free for her to go down to Orlando.
“Thank you so much. We’ve heard such amazing things coming from your hospital and we’re looking forward to implementing some of them into our work.”
“It’s my pleasure. And I will see you in two weeks. Thank you for getting me out of Iowa for part of the winter.” This season had come in with a vengeance and was making her ever regret not once taking a position in a state where they didn’t have to deal feet of snow and ice in the winter. While it wouldn’t be heading to Mexico the temperature of Florida when she watched the Weather Channel was hellaciously better than anything she had in her forecast currently.
His laugh sounded kind and welcoming. “Our pleasure. Thank you.”
Eva hung up and walked back into Taylor’s room where he watched for her with expectant eyes. “Ready?” she asked with a smile.
He nodded and beckoned to her. “I went, now it’s your turn. I waited for you a little bit then because you weren’t here, I took another turn.”
She settled beside him. “Two turns in a row? Okay, let’s see what happens now.” She studied the checkers board and made her moves.
The smile on his face was worth everything to her. Damn if she didn’t want to scoop him up and hold him tight.
Later that night, she was at her parents’. Her sisters were also in attendance and shot her sympathetic gazes when their parents were looking.
Her father squeezed her shoulder as he walked by carrying the pitcher of water for the table. “I’m sorry your young man didn’t make it, but I’m glad he’s helping people.”
She bit her cheek to keep her anger contained and ensured that none of it leaked out into her tone. She had to be careful because her parents would pick up on it in a heartbeat. “Yes, me too.” Her sisters met her gaze and it irked her to see sympathy in their eyes, not because she didn’t believe it was real, but because if he’d been a man, this wouldn’t have happened to begin with. “I got a call from the cancer society down in Orlando and they’ve set a date they’d like me to come down and share some of our practices.”
Her family turned their attention to her. This type of singular focus from her family, she could handle. She was good at her job and had no problems talking to people about this.
“When would this be?” Ever the ADA her sister, always with the questions.
“Right after New Year’s.” She placed the basket of rolls down that she’d held in her hand. “He, Mr. Quintero, just called me today and asked if I was available. I cleared it with Tony who says it’s a great idea for me to go. So I’ll be down there for about a week. Perhaps longer if I think I want to stay warm.” She gave a pointed look out the window to where the conditions had turned to whiteout. Eva gave another thought to the fact this was one of the worst winters they’d had on record for well over two decades.
“Congratulations, honey,” her mom said with a warm smile. “I’m sure you’ll help them out a lot down there.”
She returned the gesture before clearing her throat. “That’s the plan, anyway. Just wanted to let you know because I’ll be getting all ready on this end for the doctor who’s covering for me. Unfortunately, what that is going to mean then is a lot of late nights and I’m sorry to say, no family dinners until after I get back.”
Thankfully they understood, may not like it, but they definitely understood.
After they finished the filling meal and dessert, she stood with her sisters in the kitchen doing dishes with Tara while Shai put the remaining food away.
“Did you talk to him?”
“I’ve ignored all his calls, Tara. Not planning on picking up. I told him like I told you two. He made his choice.” Her sister had a soft blue apron on over her outfit, making her look even cuter and more pixie like.
“I liked him. I know you did. We are sorry it didn’t work out.”
She put her hands in the hot water, grateful to be inside, instead of out in that weather. “I’m sorry, too, but when I think about it, I got the goal I was after.” A swift glance ensured her folks weren’t around. “It was all about sex after all and I got more than that week.”
Her sisters laughed.
“That’s the truth and from the slow way you’re walking when we saw you with him here, means you were getting a hell of a lot of that.” Shai tossed the empty container at her. “Unless you’re into something else you haven’t been telling us about.”
Eva blushed and shook her head. “Don’t even go there. All it was between us was sex. A lot of it and good sex.” Her brain burned with that lie. She’d gotten to know him and he her. At least, she thought she had.
“Good?”
She side-eyed Tara. “Yes, good.”
“I bet it was way beyond good. Surely, you can find a different word to use.”
Her body heated up at the memories of her time with Grant. “I could, Tara, but I’m not, because I’m not discussing the sex I had with a man in the kitchen at our parents’ house.”
Her siblings snorted and began laughing. She joined in then they dropped it away and finished while talking about something neutral. Current work situations. They knew from previous experience that if they got out of control with their laughter, their parents would be in to find out what was going on, just like they’d done all through their growing up years. And this isn’t something she wanted to explain to them.
There wasn’t any way she was about to sit here and discuss how Grant had his cock shoved up inside her wet, needy pussy and made her weep in pleasure, all right here in this kitchen. Oh, hell, no, ain’t nothing on this earth going to have her in the middle of that discussion. She’d prefer some root canals without any Novocain or perhaps a hernia surgery without any anesthesia.
The sisters all decided to crash at Tara’s place, given it was the closest to their parents’ place and with the weather they didn’t need to be out driving for longer periods of time. They caravanned it to her apartment and Eva was ready to head for bed after she took a nice hot shower.
Tara had also decorated her place for Christmas in a gold-and-red theme. The fire was going strong in the hearth as Eva shrugged off her shoes and wriggled her toes in the thick rug before the flickering flames. “Looks great, Tara.”
“Thanks. You two up for a drink and some gossip?”
Tired or not, she loved gossiping with her sisters. “Absolutely, just let me go grab a shower and change out of these clothes.”
All of them had clothing at the other’s places since they dropped in quite often and sometimes crashed there. Eva grabbed some sweats and a long-sleeve tee then snagged a shower, moaning in pleasure as the hot pellets pounded into her tense muscles. When she finished and dressed, she joined her sisters in the living room where warm toddies had been made and waited for her.
Fingers curved around the heavy Tinkerbell mug, she took a sip. Heavenly. “Perfect drink on a night like this,” she commented, settling in on the sofa.
“Thank you. You do your Irish coffee well, I do toddies.”
They both looked at Shai. “What? I do a lot of things well. I just don’t feel the need to advertise it. But I understand you two, it’s your one thing. Be proud.”
Eva smacked her with a pillow and Shai screeched, moving her drink out of the way.
“Don’t spill it, now! This is precious.” Shai sucked the drops off her finger that had splashed over. Her brown eyes glinted in the firelight. “My precious, my precious,” she laughed.
“You two,” Tara said, shaking her head. “How are we on Mom and Dad’s present?”
“All wrapped and secured at my place.” Shai grew serious again. “So even if they come snooping, they won’t find anything. I left a note in my phone about where I hid the damn thing because I didn’t want to forget.”
“Awesome. Who’s doing breakfast on Christmas?” Eva put her attention on both sisters.
“I have that as well,” Shai stated. “Y
ou two are on Christmas dinner.”
Eva gulped. She and Tara could cook but it was a passion of Shai’s.
Her sister understood the look and chuckled. “I’ll be there if you need any help, don’t worry. You know it ends up being all of us anyway.”
That was true. “Does anything else need to be picked up for the meal?”
“I’ve gotten everything on the lists. I’ll take it to Mom and Dad’s Christmas Eve Day. Since none of us work, then we can start making things for Christmas Day meal if that is best.”
Eva settled back into the sofa and listened to her sisters talk. She finished her toddy and began dozing off. When she woke later, she was alone, the fire still burned and she had a blanket draped over her. The mug she’d held was no longer there. The room was dark aside from the fire.
For a moment, she debated on getting up and heading to bed. Fuck it, Tara’s couch is so damn comfortable. I’ll stay right here. So she tugged up the blanket even more and snuggled back down, giving in to the need for more sleep.
When she woke the next morning, it was to the smell of breakfast cooking with her sisters talking and laughing quietly in Tara’s kitchen. She listened to them for a short time, enjoying being with her family before she sat up slowly and rubbed her eyes.
“Breakfast is ready in five minutes,” Shai announced.
“Get ready for work, then you can eat.” This from Tara.
“Which one of us is the eldest?” she asked, standing.
“The one who opted not to sleep in a bed last night,” Tara teased.
“I was comfortable and warm,” she admitted.
“Go get changed.” Shai accompanied her order with a gesture using the spoon in her hand.
“Yes, mother.” Eva trotted back to the room she used while staying over and pulled out some clean scrubs. As she folded up the clothes, she slept in to take home and wash, her phone rang.
Reaching for it, she shook her head when she read the name on the screen. It was Grant’s sister’s number. Not this morning, I’ll not let this sway my day. Today will be a good day. Today will be fine. I am stronger than this and I will survive.
Pep talk over, phone call ignored, she went to eat, then headed into work. She was determined to enjoy the holiday despite her disappointment of not being able to share the time with Grant. Along with the disappointment of cutting him out of her life permanently.
* * * *
Grant grumbled as he made it through customs. He had disembarked from a flight from hell. Delays, massive turbulence, screaming children, vomiting people—hell, his shoes had to be thrown out. They were not going into his car. He was more than capable of driving home in socks. He didn’t feel his clothing to be much better.
In the parking garage, he opened the back, tossed his bags in then swiped the extra pair of footwear he always carried. Once he’d exchanged them, he tossed the ruined pair in the trash.
Behind the wheel, he closed his eyes and took a few breaths, embracing the silence. And the lack of up and down sharp movement. Exhaustion heavy on his shoulders, Grant longed to claim his bed and sleep for a few days. After a nice hot shower, of course.
But he couldn’t and he accepted the reason being a certain woman in Iowa who’d turned his life upside down. A female who epitomized sexy to him and made him want nothing more than to be with her.
Yeah, you showed that so well when you bailed on Christmas.
Okay, so his subconscious should shut the fuck up.
He licked his lips and put the keys in the ignition. Iowa and Arizona weren’t exactly neighbors, so he had a while before he could see her. Technically, he had to be back to work in three days.
With a sigh, he turned off the ignition and climbed out before swiping his carryon that had another change of clothing within it and jogged back inside, beelining it for the ticket counter.
“I need to book a flight to Iowa please.” He coughed and provided the city he wanted.
“Soonest flight I have leaves in two hours,” the perky redhead behind the counter told him with a smile that appeared painted on her face, it never wavered.
Grant dug deep and scrounged up one in return. “Thank you, I’ll take it.”
He’d changed into some clean clothes but still wanted good sleep and a hot shower.
“Preference?”
“First class, please.” At least there he could stretch out a bit and sleep on the flight.
She set him up efficiently and he soon had his boarding pass in hand, as he strode toward security. Grateful for the short lines, he didn’t take long to get past their and to his gate, bringing his irritation down a few notches.
Sliding into a hard, plastic seat, he deposited his carryon between his feet and leaned back. A quick glance to his watch informed him of how much time he had until boarding. He struggled to stay awake while waiting and didn’t dally when they called them up.
He declined any drink and just opened his blanket and covered up with it then propped his head up with a pillow. Then he went to sleep.
While it was utterly amazing what a few hours of sleep could do for a person, it wasn’t nearly enough. He woke during the descent and didn’t tarry in disembarking. Fingers flexing around the handles of his bag, he hastened to the exit and shivered at the cold.
Didn’t think this through the clearest. In Uruguay, then back to Arizona. Now I show up where it’s covered with snow on the ground and more coming down. Dressed in clothing for a warm climate. Fuck, it’s cold here.
Hailing a taxi, he got in the warm vehicle and shared the address. The city was beautiful at night and he would have taken a bit more time to enjoy it but the need to see Eva gnawed at him and he hated how the taxi appeared to be driving up a molasses-covered hill.
Her place was dark and he hopped out. “Wait here for a moment,” he said to the driver.
If she were at the hospital, he would be heading there next. Jogging to the door, he tried the bell. Three times. There wasn’t any sound from behind the wood. No movement, no lights, nothing.
Cursing, he wheeled around and went back to the taxi. Giving the hospital as his next destination, he again occupied the backseat.
This, too, was a dead end as she wasn’t working. He crossed his arms and thought about where she may be. Her parents’ place? Grant wasn’t keen on showing up there this time of night. Shai wouldn’t be in her office but there was a chance that Tara would still be at hers.
So he headed there. Escorted up by security, he fought a yawn, walked along the darkened hall and paused before the door while the man with him knocked.
“Come on in,” Tara called out.
“Don’t stay too long now, Ms. Monroe,” the man beside him stated as he waved him in the office.
“You know me, Marcus. Here until the job is done.” She looked up and while the smile never slipped, Grant witnessed the change in her eyes, the warmth vanished from them, leaving behind what he assumed to be the woman people got to face in court.
Grant waited, not all that patient while they finished chatting and he exited the room, so it was just the two them, alone.
Those black eyes watched him with no emotion. The pink bangs didn’t soften her appearance and he would never accuse her of being welcoming. “What are you doing here, Mr. Harrison?”
“Looking for your sister. She wasn’t at the hospital nor her place.”
Tara reclined back in her chair, eyes assessing and damning. “Let me get this straight, make sure I have all the facts. You were supposed to come be with her over Christmas, yet instead of being a man about it, you ran out of the country and didn’t call her until after you’d landed in Uruguay. During which point there wasn’t really anything further for you to say, aside from how sorry you were.” She leaned forward, hands clasped on her smooth desktop, fingers laced. “What the hell makes you think I would help you find her and not have you thrown in jail?”
He drew back slightly. “Jail? For what?”
“Whatever
charge I want to trump up on you.” She spread her hands over the desk. “You hurt my sister. Made her cry. I don’t like you.”
“I know what I did was wrong. May I sit?” He waited a few seconds before taking a chair, even though she never nodded her agreement. “I was a pussy and I hid from my feelings. I want to explain this to her and move on.”
“You expected her to what? Just wait for you to come to your senses? In case you haven’t noticed, Doctor, my sister is a damn fine catch. It’s not like there aren’t other men who would be happy to have her in their life. Besides, she’s moved on from you.”
His gut soured at her words, but he maintained his blank expression.
Tara didn’t let up. “In fact, for all I know, she’s in bed with someone right now, enjoying his—”
“I get it.” The words rolled from his mouth on a growl. He didn’t need to hear this at all. Bad enough he hadn’t been able to be with her over Christmas but to hear her sister speak as if she were already with another man. That was torture on an entirely different level. Again, nothing he could, or would, let her in on because given her expression, she’d only want to rub it in further.
“Do you? Really? She’s not going to take you back.”
“Yes.” He longed to yell but contained his tone. “I get your point. She could be with someone else.”
“And happy. She could be happy.” She shifted in her seat. “That’s the most important part of it all. My sister’s happiness.”
“I get it.” His tone got sharper. He frowned again. “Why won’t she take me back?”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Wanted to make sure you understood. I don’t like you, Grant. You hurt my sister. Had her believing in you and how you were going to treat her right. She had fallen in love with you and you, what did you do? You broke her heart. Now that would be enough of a reason but there’s more.”
His head snapped up. “She loves me?”
“I said she’d fallen in love with you, not that she still was in love with you. Not that it matters, she won’t allow you back in.”