by Carol Ross
“Mémé, I don’t—”
“Shh. We’ll talk about it later. Seth is worried about our peanut here, too. And Quinn. Those two boys are peas from the same pod. Just...let him be here for you.” Her grandmother nodded toward the table. “There’s your coffee. Now take it and get.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Standing, she picked up the drink, walked around the bed and kissed her grandmother on the forehead. “Thank you for the coffee,” she whispered, but they both knew the words encompassed so much more.
In the waiting room, she was surprised to discover Seth perched on a sofa by himself watching a cooking show on a muted television. It didn’t take him long to spot her. He stood, and then watched as she crossed the room to him.
“Seth...” Shaking her head, she blinked away fresh tears.
“Hey,” he said, his voice soft and brimming with sympathy and love. And because she craved the comfort she knew she’d find there, she absolutely could not resist walking forward the last few steps. He reached out, took her into the circle of his arms, and held her close. Victoria laid her cheek against his chest right in that sweet spot she loved. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to memorize every sensation: the perfect pressure of his strong arms, the warmth of his skin, the delicious scent of him mixed with a hint of coffee and peppermint. She’d thought she’d never have this chance again.
“Seth,” she breathed him in. “I...” I love you. The words escaped from her heart but then got jammed in her throat. She needed to tell him how she felt, but she didn’t want him to think the declaration was due to gratitude or exhaustion or some other extraneous emotion. Waiting for the right moment would be better.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” Another long soothing moment passed before he asked, “How is she?”
Victoria liked that his first question was about Scarlett. Staying wrapped in his arms forever was incredibly tempting. Unfortunately, being a grown-up was more important so she stepped back enough to see his face. Keeping her hand in his, she gestured toward the sofa. He followed her lead and they sat together, side by side, and that felt amazing, too. Having him here with her felt so...right. She knew she should send him away, but she didn’t have the strength.
“Good, considering. I mean, she’s going to live through this so...”
“That is the best news. Any idea how long they’re keeping her?”
“Dr. Larkin says a couple of days at least. In case of infection or complications. It’s so ugly, Seth. I’m no doctor but it looks bad. I’m worried she’ll lose her hand.”
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Okay. Well, let’s let the doctors worry about that for now. Quinn’s dad says she has the best doctor.”
“Yes. Extragrateful for Dr. Larkin and to Griffin for knowing to call him. All the doctors and nurses have been amazing.”
“What can I do?”
“You can tell me if you got the job?”
“Oh, that’s right, you don’t know...” He raked a hand through his hair. “So, after I left last night they announced—”
“Wait, you left before the announcement?”
“Yes, when Quinn texted, we were all at our table waiting for the ceremony to begin. Anyway, the CEO announced that they were holding off on making a decision until they could do an investigation into your situation.”
“An investigation?”
“Their legal department isn’t sure how to handle these circumstances.”
Oddly, the news felt like a disappointment. She’d accepted her fate. All an investigation would accomplish was more misery, more time for her name to be dragged through the mud.
“But I withdrew.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “Apparently that didn’t satisfy them. That’s all I know. You should be expecting a phone call from Marissa. They know about Scarlett, so it probably won’t be soon. Do you want to tell me what really happened?”
In her mentally overwhelmed state, the temptation was nearly irresistible. But the facts hadn’t changed and confiding in him would only involve him. And possibly cause him future harm. She’d confessed to Henry in a moment of weakness and now could only hope that he remained unscathed. A possibility that seemed more likely since she and Henry weren’t the ones romantically involved. She didn’t want to risk Seth’s future, too. She wouldn’t send him away, but he had to know what he was facing.
“Seth, you know you shouldn’t be here, right? An investigation isn’t going to change the outcome for me. The decision is still going to come down to you and Henry. Just being here with me could hurt your chances.”
“It’s my decision to be here. I want to be here, if you want me.”
“I do. Of course, I do. I’m so glad you came.”
One arm was already around her shoulders, and now he looped the other around her body and pulled her close. “Good. Me too. We can talk about the rest later, whenever you’re ready. Right now, all you need to do is concentrate on Scarlett.”
* * *
LATER THAT DAY, they moved a stable Scarlett out of intensive care and into a room on the fourth floor. With plenty of people to tend to the patient, Seth tried to figure out the best way to help. Overhearing a conversation between Effie and Corinne as they devised a schedule for working at the resort and spending time at the hospital gave him an idea. One that might be the answer for him and someone else.
He found Quinn and his dad in the new waiting room.
“Hey, buddy, how you holding up?”
Quinn’s cheerful smile was a bright contrast to the bluish crescents beneath his tired eyes. Poor kid looked dead on his feet. “Sitting with Scarlett for two hours was great. We had milkshakes and french fries and watched a movie until she fell asleep. It was awesome. She’s going to be okay.”
“That is awesome,” Seth agreed. “She’s doing really well, isn’t she?” At Quinn’s nod, he said “I have a plan I wanted to run by you.”
“Sure.”
“So, I’d like to make things easier for Victoria and everyone. There’s not a lot I can do here at the hospital, but I’ve been thinking there’s quite a bit I could do at Bayou Doré. Right now, Effie and Corinne are planning on taking turns driving back and forth. But they’re already tired, and Victoria isn’t going anywhere. She shouldn’t have to. But maybe I could go and hold down the fort.”
Quinn nodded, as if he agreed this did indeed sound reasonable.
“Problem is, I don’t really know what I’m doing. You still planning on sticking around here until Scarlett is released? Because I could seriously use your help. Maybe we could work it out so your dad or I could bring you back here for visits.”
Quinn’s forehead crinkled. Seth could tell he was thinking it over. He glanced at Griffin. “What do you think, Dad?”
“It’s totally up to you, Quinn. I told you I’d stay here at the hospital as long as you wanted. But I think Seth is on to something. Imagine what a relief it would be to all of the Thibodeauxs if they knew the resort was taken care of so they could just focus on Scarlett. I am certain they’d feel better about trusting Seth with the task if you were there. You know the place as well as they do. And Seth is right, I’ll bring you back to visit whenever you want.”
Quinn agreed with a solemn, “I’ll do it. Let me make sure it’s okay with Scarlett first. I told her I was staying.”
* * *
FOR THE NEXT four days Seth and Quinn were acting comanagers of the resort. Quinn worked harder than Seth had ever seen a kid work. They were up before dawn to clean and stock the restrooms. Each day brought a new adventure of checking in new guests, saying goodbye to others, answering the phone, answering emails, answering questions, making reservations, canceling reservations, rearranging reservations, renting boats and equipment, selling supplies like soda, ice and countless bags of chips and marshmallows. They also cleaned the cabins
, made beds, picked up garbage and performed every other task that was required no matter how big or small.
Some they had to manage more creatively than others, like the guy who had them stumped when he came into the office and demanded to move campsites because his had too many mosquitoes.
Studying the reservation list, Quinn, in a brilliant move, suggested, “Okay, B-7 is available. It’s further from the lake so that ought to do the trick.”
A completely illogical solution, but they didn’t see the guy again until he checked out the next day, a happy camper.
A couple of afternoons, Griffin drove Quinn to the hospital. When the evening chores were finished, Seth would wait for Victoria to call. She’d update him about Scarlett’s condition, express her concerns about her recovery, and tell him about her day. Seth never pressured her to discuss her past or their future. Instead, he did his best to lighten her mood with funny stories about his and Quinn’s exploits as comanagers. Then he’d fall into bed, exhausted and satisfied that he was doing what he could to make her life easier. And hopeful that he might finally, truly, earn Victoria’s trust.
* * *
WITH MÉMÉ SITTING with Scarlett and Mama off getting takeout, Victoria found a quiet spot outside in the hospital’s courtyard to take care of the correspondence she’d been neglecting. First, she texted Henry with an update about Scarlett’s condition. She was careful not to reference her “situation” or the investigation. She didn’t want any kind of record floating around out there that could be hacked or stolen and-or misconstrued.
Moving on to email, she tackled the resort’s messages first as they’d be the easiest to manage. She’d given Seth a lesson in how to handle reservations and respond to common inquiries. Anything else that he wasn’t sure about she instructed him to leave in the inbox for her to handle. There was only one message on behalf of a family interested in renting the whole place for a reunion. She felt a welling of gratitude toward Seth and Quinn for watching over the place.
In her personal inbox, she found an email from Marissa inquiring after Scarlett’s condition and asking that she call as soon as she felt comfortable. She and Gerard had already sent Scarlett flowers. Victoria was touched, and in the process of responding when she heard someone approach.
“Excuse me, Victoria?”
Victoria looked up and into the face of Olivia Wallace. “Are you kidding me?” She started to stand.
Olivia thrust out a hand. “Please!” She cried, and then fired off a barrage of words, “Wait! I know I am the last person you want to see right now, but I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
“You actually think we’re going to have a conversation?”
“I am so sorry,” she said, as if Victoria hadn’t refused her request. She placed an envelope on the table in front of her. “This is a written apology. Law Dog will be posting this along with a follow-up story soon.”
Victoria sighed. “That’s nice. But the damage is done, isn’t it?” Victoria wanted to accuse her of ruining her life, but Olivia Wallace wasn’t responsible for that. She was just the messenger. An irresponsible one, yes, but not the underlying cause. That didn’t mean she wanted to have a chat with the woman, however.
She began gathering her things even as Olivia took a seat across from her. “You know what the weird part about all of this is? That story isn’t even about you. It’s about your ex-husband. He’s the one who is supposed to be suffering the damage.”
“Yeah, well, he’s rubber and I’m glue.”
“What?”
“You know that old kids’ saying ‘I’m rubber, you’re glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you’? That’s the way it works with Austin. Everything bounces off him and then sticks to me.”
“Me too,” Olivia said and barked out a sharp laugh. “He’s getting me fired.” Then, turning serious, she eyed Victoria thoughtfully. “It’s true, isn’t it?”
“What are you referring to?”
“My source, who ghosted me, said that Austin was the one who committed the crime. You were innocent. He said that Austin implicated you somehow. But your name is in the notes as ‘admitting to everything’ and ‘taking a deal,’ so I printed that. Irresponsible, on my part, not to research that more thoroughly. Should have left your name out of the story.”
“Someone else would have found it,” Victoria pointed out. “Our relationship wasn’t a secret.”
“I know,” Olivia agreed. “I just wish it hadn’t been me.”
“Who is this source?”
“I don’t know. That’s the problem. The guy assured me that if I printed this story it would be Austin who was raked over the coals. The veracity of Austin’s account would be investigated. And there were others, he claimed, who would come forward. But that didn’t happen, and my source disappeared. And then it got picked up but you were the story. Probably through searches because of the outdoor show. Romeo Reels made you a hot ticket. Then I got caught up in that, and literally chased my own story. So dumb. I’m not proud of this. Seth James was right about that part.”
“Right about what?” she asked, her pulse shifting into overdrive at the mention of his name. “When did you talk to Seth James?”
“Oh, I didn’t talk to him—he talked to me. Told me off is more like it.” Olivia explained how she’d found Seth in the hall and how he’d defended Victoria. Causing a fresh outpouring of love on Victoria’s part because she’d left him without a word, and he’d still believed in her.
“That’s when I realized I was slamming you when I should have been defending you because if you have a juvenile record that has been sealed and or expunged, no one should even know about it, much less write about it.
“But listen, you already know all of that. And I know nothing I say is going to help you now. Not like you need. But what I can offer you is the chance to tell your story. If you want to. I recognize you have no reason to trust me, other than the fact that I’ve also been...glued by Austin Galbraith.”
Victoria chuckled at that.
“I’m a firm believer in karma and the idea that bad people will eventually get what’s coming to them. But I’ve also noticed that sometimes karma needs a little nudge.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
THEY KEPT SCARLETT in the hospital for three more days. Seth and Quinn had hung a huge “Welcome Home Scarlett” banner across the porch railing. Inside, they had flowers and cupcakes waiting. Twinkle lights and streamers decorated Scarlett’s room. A pile of books they’d ordered online sat on the nightstand, and a giant plush fish pillow lay across the head of her bed.
Seeing her smile as she took it all in made Seth’s heart squeeze in a particularly sweet way. As did the hug she gave him when he presented her with a card along with several lures he’d picked up for her at the show.
And her expression was pure gold when she studied the card. He’d signed, “Mr. James,” then crossed that out and replaced it with, “Seth.”
Grinning, she held the card up for Victoria’s inspection. “Mama, can I please call him Seth now?”
Victoria chuckled and shook her head. “Yes, you may, Scarlett.”
“Thank you. And thank you, Seth. I can’t wait to try ’em out.”
Scarlett wore out quickly from all the excitement. Soon Victoria and Corinne got her settled in her room to rest and have a nap.
Seth waited nervously while Effie walked around, inspecting the house, the yard, the office, and even taking a stroll around the campsites. Finally, standing outside the office, hands on hips, she frowned at a flowerpot beside the door. After plucking a wilted bloom, she studied Seth for a long moment. “Well, you boys have certainly done a passable job, haven’t you?”
Seth wasn’t sure what to make of her statement, but Quinn was elated, assuring him that “passable” was the highest of compliments where Ms. Effie was concerned. So Seth accepted t
he commendation with an optimistic satisfaction that lasted another two days. Because that’s how long it took him to accept that he and Victoria were never going to get the happy-ever-after he’d been wishing for.
* * *
SETH HAD JUST finished giving Victoria a hand with prepping the bass boat for a guided trip she was conducting the next morning when he paused to admire the sky. A swirl of clouds and color were teaming up to present a show-stopping sunset. Victoria followed his lead, and in silent consensus they walked over and sat in the same spot where he’d settled that first afternoon he’d arrived there and watched Scarlett land the bass. He felt so comfortable with this family, and in this remarkable place that it was difficult to believe only a month had passed since then.
And yet the comfort extended only so far where Victoria was concerned. He needed to acknowledge the painful truth.
Like she could sense that he was going to broach the difficult topic of their future, she took his hand and said, “Seth, I am so grateful for everything you’ve done for us. For me, for Scarlett, looking after the resort. And Quinn. I was so worried, thinking he’d never get over the guilt. I thought it might drive him and Scarlett apart. But if anything, it seems to have brought them closer.”
“I agree. I’m happy about that, too.”
Capturing his gaze, she finally said the words he’d been waiting for, longing for, “I love you.”
But now they were like a bittersweet arrow to his heart. He almost wished she hadn’t said them because he knew it no longer mattered. Not in the way he needed it to.
“I should have told you that ages ago. Even before I quit and came home. On the airplane I was so sad that I hadn’t told you how I felt. Then, I wanted to say it when I first saw you in the hospital, but I didn’t want you to think I was saying it because I was grateful you were there or something. But I do, I love you, Seth. I’ve never been in love before. Not like this. And so, I kept waiting for a big moment so I could share my big feelings.” She let out a bright little laugh. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”