The Nurse's One Night to Forever

by Janice Lynn

  She’d been in surgery just as early and she wasn’t sleeping, her nagging voice pointed out.

  Pulling up his phone number, she attached the pictures and typed a message.

  Here these are. Sorry it took me so long.

  Before she could change her mind she hit Send, then closed her phone and stared up at the stars dotting the night sky and peeking through the trees.

  Almost immediately her phone dinged, indicating a new message.

  Thanks.

  Her pulse went crazy, obviously thinking it was going for some world record. Hands a little shaky, she typed...

  You’re welcome.

  You in bed?

  She should be in bed. With him, that nagging voice added. Riley grimaced and answered him.

  No. Outside stargazing. You?

  Same.

  His answer surprised her. She typed again.

  What?

  I’m on my balcony, looking at the stars and letting go of the day’s stress.

  Bad day?

  Not really. Just missed seeing you.

  She closed her eyes. She’d missed seeing him, too.

  Part of me wants to say that the day isn’t over.

  Even as she admitted it she surprised herself—and no doubt him. She was playing with fire and was going to get burned.

  He messaged back.

  I like that part of you. You should listen to it more often.

  Despite her misgivings, Riley smiled.

  You think?

  I’d be there faster than you’d believe if you invited me.

  I want to...but I won’t.

  I was afraid of that.

  Don’t be mad.

  I’m not. I don’t understand your reasons, but I do get that this isn’t easy on you.

  But it should be, shouldn’t it? She bit into her lower lip. Should she try to explain her reasons to Justin? Really, it wasn’t any of his business. Despite what had happened, they weren’t dating.

  He was texting again:

  Giving in to one’s desires? Easy as pie.

  Are we talking dessert or the numerical pie? For the record, I never was good at math, so if you want to impress me, better make it dessert.

  Why was she being flippant? Because she didn’t want to discuss her reasons for being so afraid to give in to all the things she wanted to do with Justin? Because she was afraid? Or because she’d learned better than to take that risk when Johnny stood her up?

  Any flavor you want. Just name it.

  Sighing with a mixture of wistfulness and resignation at how Justin tempted her, Riley typed back.

  I’ll have to think on that one. Night, Justin.

  Night, Riley. Text me if you change your mind. We could stargaze together.

  Struggling with a mixture of giddy anticipation and leeriness, Riley reread her messages, typed some words...

  Bring Key Lime!

  Doing so made her smile even when she knew she’d never send them.

  That was when it hit her. Prior to last Saturday she’d have thought Justin would have been out on a date. Never would she have assumed he’d be at home stargazing when he was off work the next morning.

  She’d seen him with several different women over the months she’d known him. Why was he alone now? Had she misjudged him? Would a player really be alone on a Thursday night? Why was she so glad he was alone?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  “PLANS TODAY?”

  Tell Justin yes, Riley ordered herself, even as she heard herself say rather sleepily into the phone that had just awakened her, “Nothing specific. Why?”

  “I’m taking my Wilderness Group out on a kayaking trip in the Congaree National Park. One of the other adults canceled and I need a certain adult-to-child ratio.”

  Riley yawned and then, making sure not to disturb Daisy, who was curled next to her, rolled over in bed to look at her clock.

  “I thought you might want to go,” Justin continued.

  “On a kayaking trip with your Wilderness Group?” She didn’t even know what a Wilderness Group was.

  “Nothing like a bunch of seven-and eight-year-olds floating down a river, right?”

  “You’ve lost your mind.”

  He laughed at her comeback. “That means you want to go with me! I’d hate to disappoint the kids...”

  Ugh. Justin was emotionally blackmailing her with the thought of seven-and eight-year-olds.

  “How many kids are we talking about?”

  “Nine signed up for the trip. I’m hoping they’ll all show.”

  “You’re taking nine kids out on the river?”

  “They’re great kids,” he assured her. “Plus there’ll be another adult there, and a guide.”

  Still, nine kids on a river... Sounded rather sketchy.

  “You’re sure it’s safe?” Because she wasn’t sure. They seemed too young.

  “We’ll have life jackets on the entire trip,” he assured. “Besides, it’s a slow float—not a white-water rafting trip. And the water isn’t up as we’ve not had a lot of rain. We just need one more adult. Say you’ll go.”

  “I’d be more a hindrance than help. Your seven-and eight-year-olds probably have more experience on a river than I do,” she admitted. “I’ve never even been in a kayak.”

  “All the more reason for you to say yes. Experience something new. You’ll have fun.”

  Maybe... Living in Columbia, she couldn’t drive around the city without passing over a bridge with a view of people enjoying the waterways in various ways. They always caught her eye with their colorful floats and kayaks.

  “You don’t even know if I can swim,” she pointed out.

  Her mother hadn’t been able to swim, but Riley had learned during the hours she’d spent playing at the community center, after her mother had dropped her off for the day while she worked.

  “Guess if you can’t you’d better not fall out of your kayak...”

  “Justin!”

  He laughed. “I’m teasing. Do you think I’d risk you or my Wilderness Group getting hurt? It’s a fun outing—a trip to get the kids outdoors, get some sunshine and see nature—not some kind of survival of the fittest training. I’ve taken them out before. Several times, actually. They’re experienced on the water, they respect it, and like I said they’ll be wearing life jackets at all times. I just need another adult present to keep my ratio of adult to kids correct.”

  She couldn’t disappoint nine kids. Plus, being outdoors, getting some sunshine and seeing nature sounded heavenly. Still, she was only a mediocre swimmer, and she really had never been in a kayak or a canoe. She wouldn’t be much help, surely?

  “You’re sure I wouldn’t be in the way?”

  “If you say no I may have to cancel. You won’t be in the way. You’d be doing us a huge favor.”

  Indecision tugged at her. A day on the river with nine kids. A day on the river with Justin.

  “There’s no one else you can call?”

  “At this last minute? You’re my last hope.”

  Justin’s last hope or ruin nine kids’ day? When she didn’t have anything better planned than catching up on her laundry and doing some yard work.

  “Fine,” she agreed, feeling a weight lift from her when she did so. Because of the kids. Not because she’d agreed to go out with Justin. At least that’s what she assured herself. “I can’t have a bunch of kids disappointed because I was too chicken to float down a river.”

  “That’s the spirit,” he encouraged, merriment evident in his voice. “And that’s the way to keep from disappointing a grown man who wants to float down a river with you today, too.”

  “You say that now...” Climbing out of bed, she looked at the lazily stretching dog. “A couple of quick questions: what do I wear and wha
t do I need to bring with me?”

  “Wear clothes you don’t mind getting wet. A bathing suit with T-shirt and shorts over it is ideal. Swimmer’s shoes. Bring a water bottle. Bring dry clothes to change into afterward. I’ll take care of everything else.”

  “Can I bring Daisy?”

  “The boys would like that. Let me see if I can rustle up a life jacket for her.”

  “Seriously?”

  She’d been mostly kidding when she’d asked, so his offer surprised her. Who knew they made life jackets for dogs? Or that Justin would not only humor her but be concerned for Daisy’s safety?

  “Would it make you happy to bring her?”

  Riley glanced down at the dog, looking up at her with her big dark eyes set in her cute, fuzzy white face. “Yes, as long as it’s safe for her, it would.”

  “Then, yes, I’m serious. I want you happy, Riley.”

  It was a fitting statement for him to make, given her and Cassie’s conversation on Thursday. Justin wanted her happy.

  And if the smile on her face now was anything to go by, she’d say he’d got his wish. Which seemed to answer a lot of the other questions she’d been struggling with since waking up in his bed. Before that, even.

  She’d been stressing over what to do about Justin from the moment her gaze had connected with his and he’d smiled, stealing her breath, making her hormones surge and upsetting the balance of her well-orchestrated life.

  * * *

  Riley met up with Justin and the others at Three Rivers Park, where a rental company had their kayaks ready and waiting. Justin had his own kayak, with a small cooler strapped to the back and a smaller waterproof supplies box strapped to the front.

  Once in the river, the kids began having a blast, pretending they were pirates and that Justin was their Captain.

  “Is Daisy okay, Miss Riley?” asked Kyle, the youngest of the boys, from his kayak.

  The sandy-haired child had an impish smile and dark brown eyes, and he seemed to have made it his mission to keep a check on Daisy, never rowing too far away from Riley’s kayak.

  Supposedly she was keeping an eye on Kyle and one other boy, Jevon, who also stayed close to her kayak without her saying a word. Perhaps Justin had asked them to keep tabs on her? She wouldn’t put it past him.

  She glanced at her dog, wearing the life jacket Justin truly had come up with and looking absolutely adorable. Daisy was perched in the kayak, surveying the water with great interest, but not enough to be tempted to dive in at any point. She seemed content with taking in the scenery. Fortunately Riley had kept her kayak afloat thus far, with no tip-overs, and she and Daisy hadn’t taken any spills into the river.

  All the same, Justin had hooked her to Riley, so that the dog couldn’t get more than a few feet away even if she wanted to. Riley liked it that he’d thought of all these extra touches to keep Daisy safe, and knew he’d done the same, likely much more, for the boys.

  “Yeah, I think Daisy is feeling on top of the world,” she told Kyle. “This life being captured by pirates doesn’t seem to bother her.”

  Daisy was probably getting a big head with all the attention she was receiving from the kids—Kyle especially. The boys had been so excited to meet her, even if Daisy only looked at them as if they were crazy when they tried to get her to do tricks. Daisy’s one and only trick was to sit, and she only did that when she wanted—which wasn’t often.

  The boy paddled his kayak closer and held on to the side of Riley’s, keeping their crafts side-by-side as they floated along the gently moving river. Although there had been a few sections of water that her required paddling, they could have floated most of the trip like this, without any work other than making sure they didn’t run ashore or run into the rare downed tree.

  “Could have” being the key phrase. Because the boys weren’t content with a leisurely float and were only happy if they were paddling. If not for the guide slowing them down to point out various turtles, birds, and other wildlife, they’d probably have already finished their trek.

  “Captain Brothers didn’t really kidnap you, did he?” Kyle asked, his expression telling her that he hero-worshipped Justin more than a little and wouldn’t believe anything negative she said.

  Smiling, Riley shook her head. “Shh, don’t let the others know, but Daisy is the only real princess you guys are holding captive.”

  Kyle grinned. “I didn’t think so. Captain Brothers is too nice.”

  “Pirate captains aren’t usually nice, are they?” Riley couldn’t resist teasing the boy.

  “Captain Brothers is,” Kyle assured her. “He’s a nice pirate.”

  “That he is,” Riley agreed—although she wasn’t too sure about the pirate part. The more she learned about Justin, the more she admired him, and questioned her initial impression of him as a playboy.

  Which didn’t mean anything except that he was a good guy. Good guys existed. Who knew?

  “Are you Captain Brothers’s girlfriend?”

  At Kyle’s question Riley’s face heated—and not because of the hot South Carolina sunshine. “No.” Not even close.“We work together at the hospital.”

  In the way that impish little boys did, Kyle grinned. “Maybe you can be my girlfriend.”

  Not sure what to say, and certainly not wanting to encourage him, but knowing he’d meant the comment as a compliment, Riley smiled, part of her flattered that he’d do so. “Maybe... But I’m betting that when you grow up you’ll have lots of much younger girlfriends.”

  With a cheeky grin, Kyle waggled his brows. “I have lots of girlfriends now.”

  “You rascal,” she teased, wondering at what age boys even started having girlfriends, much less lots of them. Seven seemed young. Still, what did she know about kids? And Kyle was adorable and seemed so proud of his claim. “A girlfriend in each port, eh? You really are a pirate.”

  He beamed. “Captain Brothers says I’m his first mate.”

  There went another big dose of that hero-worship.

  “That must mean you’re special. Daisy sure thinks so.”

  The boy’s grin widened.

  “Kyle? Are you making sure Miss Riley isn’t planning an escape?” Justin called from where he floated behind the group.

  Both Riley and Kyle twisted to look behind them at the man they’d been discussing. Riley couldn’t see Justin’s eyes behind his dark sunglasses, but his smile was wide. She imagined his eyes were twinkling with mirth.

  He’d stayed at the back the entire trip so far, saying he preferred to be where he could see all the kids and make sure no one got left behind or had any issues. The guide stayed in the front, leading their way down this somewhat shallow section of the Congaree River. Riley stayed near the back too, and Stan, the dad of a boy named Stephen, paddled in the middle of their small group.

  Although Justin had said he needed her there, Riley wasn’t so sure. One adult per three kids seemed a good enough ratio, although admittedly one adult to just over two kids was better. Not that she’d done anything other than help apply sunscreen to little faces and ears, and supervised as they’d applied it to other exposed body parts.

  Honestly, after the length of time Justin had had to spend getting her and Daisy settled securely into their kayak, she was probably more of a hindrance than a help.

  “Aye-aye, Captain!” Kyle called. “I’m questioning her.”

  “That he is!” Riley tried to hold in her laughter at Kyle’s salute to Justin.

  Kyle let go of her kayak and their boats separated. She expected him to row ahead. Instead he stuck close, pointing out a turtle sunning itself on the bank and talking to her about everything from baseball to his favorite video game.

  When they reached the place where the guide had stopped, ready for their lunch break, Riley stayed back until Justin had gotten out of his kayak, then watched him he
lp a few of the boys pull their kayaks up on the bank so they wouldn’t go floating away. She wasn’t exactly sure how to get out of hers without tipping the kayak over—which she’d rather not do.

  “I’ll take Daisy,” Kyle offered, wading out in the water to where Riley was trying to watch how the others were getting out of their kayaks. “That way she won’t be scared of falling in when you get out.”

  “Good idea,” Riley agreed, and unhooked Daisy’s lifejacket from hers, and handed the dog to Kyle. At least if she tipped the kayak Daisy wouldn’t get dumped into the water.

  Once Kyle had Daisy, Riley contemplated again how to get out of the kayak. The kids had made it look easy enough, but every time she shifted her weight the boat tilted.

  “Need a hand?” Justin offered, smiling down at her.

  “Or two or three hands,” she admitted, taking his outstretched one to balance herself as she attempted to get out of the kayak.

  With him steadying her, she managed to land with her feet in the water rather than her rear-end.

  “Oh, that’s cold!” she exclaimed as the calf-deep water soaked her tennis shoes. Justin had told her to wear swimming shoes, but she didn’t own a pair. These old tennis shoes had had to suffice.

  “Feels good,” Justin claimed, holding her hand and keeping the other on the rope attached to her kayak to keep it from floating away.

  The sun was shining down hot on them, but goosebumps prickled Riley’s skin as she climbed ashore to join the others. From the cold water or from where Justin held her hand?

  “Feels good if you’re a polar bear,” she mumbled as she carefully made her way through the river to the bank. “Thank you,” she added, once they were on dry land.

  Letting go of her hand to pull her kayak up on the shoreline, next to the others, he grinned. “You’re welcome. Can’t have my favorite girl taking a swim before the designated time. I’d have a revolt, with lots of boys diving in under the pretext of rescuing you.”

  Rather than answer she just smiled, and made her way over to where Kyle was cuddling Daisy. Once there, she glanced back toward where Stan and the guide had begun unloading the things bungee-strapped to their kayaks.