Gloria’s expression tightened. “I do not pack my own belongings. Even if I did, my condition would prevent any such activity.”
So the momentary rapport was gone. Well, it had been good while it lasted.
“No problem. I’ll collect everything. Do you have a suitcase? If not, I’m sure there are some shopping bags in the staff’s lunch room.”
The older woman practically crackled with outrage. “You will not put anything of mine in a shopping bag. Do you know who I am?”
Lori was careful to keep her back to her patient as she pulled a suitcase out of the closet by the bathroom. Gloria knowing she found this conversation kind of funny wouldn’t help things. “Sure. You’re Gloria Buchanan. Speaking of which, I think I’m going to call you Gloria. Mrs. Buchanan is so formal and we’re going to be getting really close.”
“Not after I have you fired.”
Lori set the suitcase on the only chair in the room and opened it. “You don’t want to fire me, Gloria. I’m really good at my job. I have experience with both heart and orthopedic patients. I’m tough enough to bully you into doing everything you should be doing. That’s going to get you on your feet faster. Because here’s the thing. Old ladies who break their hips have one of two outcomes. They get better or they die. My patients don’t die.”
Gloria glared at her. “You’re not a very nice person.”
“Neither are you.”
Gloria stiffened. “How dare you? I am incredibly polite and thoughtful.”
“Really? Want to hear what the staff here has to say about you?”
“They’re a group of incompetent fools. Everything about this place is substandard.”
“Then you’re going to love my standards.” She leaned close and lowered her voice. “I’m a real bitch about getting it right. You should respect that.”
“You will not swear in my presence, young woman. I won’t tolerate it.”
“Fair enough. I won’t swear and you won’t act annoying.”
“I’m never annoying.”
“Should we take a vote of your peers?”
“I have no peers.”
Which, Lori remembered a little too late, was sadly correct. From what Reid had told her when he’d hired her, Gloria didn’t have any friends at all and her grandchildren rarely had anything to do with her. No wonder she was so difficult. It was heartbreaking.
Lori finished packing Gloria’s belongings. There had been a few nightgowns, some undergarments, the clothes she’d been wearing when they’d brought her in, two books and a few cosmetics. Nothing else. No flowers, no get-well teddy bear, nothing personal. Nothing from family.
It was one thing if the elderly were alone, Lori thought, getting really annoyed with the Buchanan grandchildren. But when there was plenty of family hanging around and they were all just too busy with their own precious lives, it really pissed her off.
Lori pushed aside her feelings and moved next to the bed.
“So here’s the plan,” she said, lightly touching Gloria’s arm. Physical contact helped with healing. “I’m going to get the nurse to give you something for the pain. The trip home is going to jar you and that will hurt. The stuff she’s using is pretty strong, so expect to be a little out of it for a while.”
Gloria’s eyes narrowed as she jerked her hand free of Lori’s touch. “There is no need to speak to me as if I’m eight. I’m completely capable of understanding without a lengthy and moronic explanation. Fine. Get the nurse in here. She’ll be delighted to indulge her sadomasochistic tendencies on my person one last time.”
“Okay, then. Be right back.”
Lori walked to the nurses’ station where Vicki was ready. “We’re good to go. If you want to give her the shot, we’ll head out.”
Vicki stepped from around the counter. “So? What did you think?”
“I like her.”
Vicki stopped in midstride and stared. “You’re kidding. You like her? Gloria Buchanan? She’s mean.”
“She’s alone and in pain and scared.”
“You’re giving her way too much credit, but, hey, if it gets her gone, I’m all for it.”
REID SAT in his houseboat and wished he’d bought a condo in a security building instead. Here, on the water, he was too exposed, too accessible. He’d closed all the blinds and pulled all the shades, but that hadn’t kept the press away, dammit. They were everywhere—setting up cameras on his dock, crawling up to his balcony. Speedboats kept zipping by outside.
They wanted a story and they wanted it now. No one cared that he was totally humiliated. His manager had told him the interest would die down in a few days and to just lay low until then. Great advice, but where was Reid supposed to go? This was his town. Everyone in Seattle knew who he was.
His cell phone rang. He glanced at the screen before answering it, then frowned when he saw his grandmother’s name and number. If she’d read the morning paper, he was going to be verbally beaten and left for dead.
“Yes?” he said, his voice clipped.
“It’s Lori Johnston. Your grandmother’s day nurse. Your grandmother is leaving the rehab facility now and should be home within the hour.”
He grinned. “Let me guess. You want me to stop by and cheer her up.” So much for Miss Priss’s disdain. She needed him. Eventually they all did.
“Not exactly. She’s been given some medication and is pretty out of it.”
“You’re drugging my grandmother?” he asked in outrage.
Lori sighed. “My God, don’t be such a girl. Of course I’m not drugging her. I asked the doctor to prescribe some pain medication. In her condition a car ride can be excruciating. Not that you would care.”
He ignored that. “How did you get her phone?”
“I took it from her purse and before you start squealing in protest, I did it because I need to get in touch with you. No one sent the woman flowers or anything. There wasn’t a get-well card or note in her room. I find that astonishing. I’m surprised any of you could bring yourself to actually give her medical care. Why didn’t you just put her on an ice floe and push her out to sea?”
Reid opened his mouth, then closed it. To anyone who didn’t really know Gloria, the lack of attention was pretty horrible.
“She’s not a flower kind of person,” he said at last.
“Is that the best you can do? Claiming an allergy would have been a lot smarter. So you’re the rich baseball player, right?”
“Ex-baseball player. I was a pitcher.”
“Whatever. Order your grandmother some flowers. A lot of flowers. Have them delivered at regular intervals. Do you hear me? Throw in a few stuffed animals. Bears, cats, giraffes, I don’t care. Something to give this poor woman the illusion that her family cares if she lives or dies. If you don’t, you’ll be answering to me and you won’t like that.”
Her concern was misplaced, but he respected her enthusiasm. “You don’t scare me.”
“Not yet, but I will.”
CHAPTER TWO
LORI GOT GLORIA SETTLED at home with a minimum of fuss. Of course, the fact that her patient was practically unconscious really helped things along.
Lori unpacked Gloria’s suitcase, confirmed her physical therapy appointment for the next morning and picked out something light for her evening meal. While the older woman was getting better, she’d lost a little too much weight in the past few weeks. Lori intended to put some meat back on her fashionably thin bones.
She was on her way to look in on her patient when the doorbell rang. She answered it and found two delivery men, each holding several vases of fresh flowers. One had a giant giraffe tucked under his arm.
“Perfect,” she said as she motioned for them to leave the flowers on the floor of the foyer. Lori had already picked out several strategic spots for floral displays in Gloria’s room. “I appreciate the fast service.”
“The guy who ordered these wanted us to ask if you’re satisfied now.”
She grinned. �
��Tell him not even close.”
The man shrugged, then he and his partner left.
Lori grabbed two of the larger vases and headed for the study. She’d just finished with the last arrangement when Gloria opened her eyes.
“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice surprisingly strong for someone who had, until this second, been zonked on pain medication.
“Putting out flowers. Your grandchildren sent them. Aren’t they beautiful?”
“No. I hate flowers. And I see no reason for my grandchildren to send me anything. They’re far too selfish.”
Lori agreed with that, but kept her smile cheery. “I love the smell. Don’t you?”
“Absolutely not. Cut flowers die quickly and that depresses me. Take them away.”
“Sorry, no.” Unfazed by Gloria’s complaints, Lori made one last trip to grab the giraffe and returned with it.
Gloria actually raised her bed slightly and glared at the stuffed animal. “What is that? It’s awful.”
Lori hugged the cuddly creature. “It’s here to make you smile. I think it’s adorable.”
“You have very low standards.”
“I don’t think so.” She propped up the giraffe in a corner. “Okay, that’s all done. Let’s get you something to eat. You must be starved.”
“I’m not hungry at all. Go away.”
Lori did as she requested, but only went as far as the kitchen. She popped the entrée into the microwave and checked the rest of the tray. Everything seemed to be in place.
After the microwave dinged, she collected the steaming food and carried it back into the study.
Gloria might claim to not want dinner, but she’d raised her bed in anticipation of eating. A good sign.
“Here you go,” Lori said, setting the tray on the table in front of her.
Gloria stared at the food, then pushed at the table. As it was on wheels, it slid away.
“This is disgusting. I will not eat it. Take it away. I’m not hungry.”
Lori put her hands on her hips. Most of her crabby patients at least started out being pleasant. It usually took a couple of days for the anger and fear to come out. She had to respect that Gloria started as she meant to go on.
“You’re too thin,” she said calmly. “There are one of two ways to fix that. You can eat and gain back a couple of pounds, or we can hook you up to a feeding tube. I have to tell you, based on professional observation, you’re going to want to eat. The feeding tube route is pretty unpleasant. However, it’s an option. After all, you’re rich, right? Nothing but the best for you.”
“Then why are you here?”
Lori blinked. Okay—so there was nothing wrong with Gloria’s mental reasoning skills. “I’m the best. And really expensive. You should respect that.”
Gloria looked her up and down, then sniffed. “You’re shabby and poor. I can smell the poverty on you.”
“Is that from personal experience? After all, you started out poor. Wasn’t your first job working as a maid in a hotel?”
Gloria glared at her. “I will not discuss my past with you.”
“Why not? I’m actually interested in how you got from there to here. You were running an empire at a time when most women were afraid to dream that big. You’re a pioneer. I respect that.”
“You think I care about your opinion on anything?”
Lori thought for a second, then smiled. “Yeah, I do. Not enough people respect you, which is their loss.” She pushed the table back over the bed and nudged the tray a tiny bit closer to Gloria. “I picked out the meals for the first few days, but the catering service left a menu. I’m happy to let you look it over and choose your own food. Or if you’d prefer to hire a cook, that’s fine, too.”
Gloria kept her expression neutral, but Lori thought she saw a flash of emotion. She just couldn’t tell which one.
“You’re very free with my money,” Gloria muttered.
Lori laughed, even though she knew the other woman wasn’t trying to be funny. “One of the perks of the job. Do you want me to cut up your chicken?”
Gloria’s gaze narrowed. “Only if you want me to stab you with my fork.”
“I’m pretty spry. You’d have to move quickly.”
“I would be motivated.”
At last—a flash of something very close to humor. A good sign. “Okay—I’ll let you eat in peace. Do you want the television on?” She opened the cabinet doors, exposing the television and DVD player, then left the remote on the bed. “Call if you need anything.”
BY FOUR-THIRTY that afternoon, Lori felt as if she’d been the victim of a hit-and-run. Her momentary breakthrough with Gloria was nothing more than a distant memory once the older woman finished complaining that her bed was too hard, her pillows too soft, that her sheets had an odd smell and that the television buzzed.
“I’ll get a serviceman in here as soon as possible,” Lori said, doing her best to be patient. She also had to keep herself from looking at her watch. This had been the longest afternoon of her life. And to think it had only been a half day with Gloria.
She kept telling herself that Gloria was unhappy for a reason and that things would get better.
A little after five she headed for the kitchen and found a tall, pretty, large-breasted woman unpacking a giant tote bag. Her uniform marked her as a nurse. Her physical description told Lori who had done the hiring.
“Hi,” the woman said, smiling brightly. “I’m Sandy Larson, twilight nurse. Which is a first. Usually I’m the night nurse. On call when it’s dark. Hey, that sounds like the title of a book. Or a porn movie.” Sandy grinned. “Not sure which I’d rather be in. On a good day…”
Lori did her best to greet the woman pleasantly, despite the sudden knot in her stomach. What on earth was wrong with her? So Reid had gone true to type with the other nurse. What did Lori care?
Lori brought Sandy up to speed on Gloria’s care. “She’s tired so she’s a little difficult, but not awful.”
“I can handle her,” Sandy said. “If my patients give me any trouble, I start talking about my favorite soap opera. That usually bores them into falling asleep. It’s why I love the night shift. You day girls work too hard.” She leaned toward Lori. “Gotta love this job, though. Twelve hours of pay for an eight hour shift.”
“It’s great. I’ll just go and tell Gloria goodbye.”
“Sure thing. See you tomorrow.”
Lori nodded and returned to the study. “I’m heading out,” she told Gloria. “I’ll be back in the morning.”
Gloria looked up from the magazine she’d been reading and stared at Lori over her glasses. “I can’t imagine why you would think I would care about your comings and goings. Stay or go. It doesn’t matter the least to me.”
Lori grinned. “I had a good day, too, Gloria. You’re more than welcome.”
REID PARKED his Corvette behind the Downtown Sports Bar and climbed out. He stood staring at the rear door for a full minute, then told himself it wouldn’t be so bad.
Ever since he’d blown out his arm and had to retire from baseball, he’d been working at the family sports bar. “Working” being a loose definition of what he did. In theory he was the general manager. In reality he came and went as he wanted, occasionally worked behind the bar, entertained customers with stories about his baseball career and life and hired the female staff. He’d always thought of the sports bar as a refuge—a place to hang where he was known and admired. Today it was nothing more than a house of shame.
Everyone inside knew him and he was willing to bet his impressive bank account that each one of them had read the morning paper.
“Goddamn it all to hell,” he grumbled, then used his key to let himself in the back door.
Figuring he might as well get it over with as quickly as possible, he bypassed the relative safety of his office and walked into the bar.
Instantly the low rumble of conversation stilled and all eyes focused on him. Reid kept moving.
/> “Hey, hon,” one of the waitresses called, her mouth twisted in some weird almost-normal smile. “Good to see you.”
He nodded and continued walking through the happy hour crowd.
“Reid!” one guy yelled. “How’s it hanging?”
Reid ignored that, scanned the clusters of patrons and saw two familiar faces in a corner. He headed directly for them.
“Reid.” Maddie, one of the waitresses, grabbed his arm. “She’s full of shit, okay? That night we were together was great. Let me know if you want me to sign a letter or something.”
He nodded at the busty brunette, knowing that they had spent the night in bed and unable to remember anything specific in the blur that was his sexual past.
He hurried over to greet his two brothers and sank gratefully into the chair they’d pulled up for him.
They’d positioned their table just right, tucking his chair next to a display case of sports crap. It meant he wasn’t in anyone’s direct line of sight.
Cal, his older brother, pushed a full mug of beer in his direction. “How you holding up?” he asked.
“How do you think?” Reid took a long swallow. “It’s a little slice of hell.”
Walker, his younger brother, grimaced sympathetically. “Sucks the big one.”
Reid eyed the nachos on the table, but he wasn’t hungry. “The worst part is I don’t even remember her. It was the week my team was in the playoffs. I’m sure I was drunk.” He shook his head. “What does it matter? She wanted revenge and she sure as hell got it. Reporters are everywhere. They’re crawling all over the houseboat.”
“It’s not a defensible position,” Walker told him.
Cal looked at Reid. “So speaks our brother, the former marine.”
“He knows what he’s talking about,” Reid grumbled. “I’ve got to get out of there. I thought about a hotel, but they’ll find me there. Someone on the staff will sell me out.”
“Come stay with Penny and me,” Cal said. “We have room.”
Reid hesitated. Their house was big enough, but Cal and Penny had a new baby. They were focused on other things.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’d be in the way.”
Susan Mallery Bundle: The Buchanans Page 2