by Grady, D. R.
After they were seated and started eating, Rylan finally broached the subject of Nina to these three women whose opinion mattered to him.
“So, I know we’ve sort of discussed this, but would any of you have objections to me asking Nina, I don’t even know her last name, out?” Why hadn’t he paid attention to her last name when he delivered Trixi’s lunch?
“Her name is Nina McCormick.” Trixi swallowed some tea.
“And we wholeheartedly support your decision to ask her out,” Katy added.
His daughters exchanged conspirator’s satisfaction. “She’s perfect for you, Dad. Sweet and funny and smart.”
“She’d look good in this house, too.” Katy’s saucy grin further reassured him.
“Unlike that creature we encountered on your front doorstep. What was she doing here?” His mother sprinkled salt on her vegetables.
“Chrissy discovered I’m living here now.” He forked up more of the succulent filet mignon on his plate.
All three of his dinner companions showed obvious signs of disbelief and interest in his statement.
“I’ll bet she’s grinding her teeth in frustration right about now.” His mother sampled her vegetables.
“I don’t particularly care either way. I’m relieved she’s out of my life.” He tried the colorful medley on his plate. It was nice to be here, eating with these women.
“We are too, Daddy.” Trixi patted his hand and then ate some carrots. “Do you like living here?”
“Other than missing you, yes. I was restless and edgy because I knew it was time for me to leave your house.”
Katy sat up with a gasp. “This is why you ended up getting taken in by that woman.”
“Yes. But now I’m having a hard time concentrating on my work because Nina keeps slipping into my mind.”
Trixi clapped her hands in glee. “You need to ask her out.”
He nodded. “What are my chances?”
This time when Katy and Trixi exchanged glances, he didn’t even try to read their thoughts. Sometimes it paid to be patient.
“Well, she’s shot down all of the doctors and administrators who’ve asked her out recently.” Trixi curled her bottom lip between her teeth.
That didn’t sound good.
“Why?” his mother asked.
“She says she doesn’t like to date people she works with.” Trixi shrugged.
“She was married but is now single?” He needed to make absolutely certain of this before he proceeded to the next step.
“Yes, her husband was military and killed in action. Now her son is also in the military.”
“I didn’t know about her husband. No wonder she’s so worried about Jon.” Katy set down her water goblet with a thump.
“Nina doesn’t talk about her late husband much.”
“Her son is fighting in a war zone now?” Rylan cringed for Nina.
“Yes, just like her husband, who was killed at least fifteen years ago. Jon was still in school.”
“So she was a single parent for a time,” his mother said.
Trixi nodded. “I think it was difficult for her.”
“You know a lot about her.” Katy speared a roasted potato.
“Yeah, Nina and I became friends a long while ago. I eat lunch with her whenever our schedules allow it. And we talk.” She turned to him. “From the beginning I’ve thought she’d make a great stepmother.”
“From the beginning?” he questioned wryly.
“Oh yes. But the timing wasn’t right.”
“Why not?” Katy popped the potato into her mouth.
“Because Dad wasn’t showing much interest in dating back then.”
“Oh.” He winced at how she figured out he was interested in dating now.
Would he ever live down the error of Chrissy?
“Yeah, but at least your engagement proved to all of us you’re serious about dating now.” Trixi offered up her most mischievous grin. “You also don’t work at the hospital.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Did Nina actually give you your lunch bag?” he asked.
Trixi had just taken a bite, but she nodded vigorously and chewed just as fast. “She blushed.”
It was his turn for red cheeks, as under the knowing looks of three of his favorite women, he couldn’t halt the color.
Taking command of the conversation again, he said decisively, like the CEO he was, “I’ll ask her out tomorrow. I’ve got a meeting close to the hospital.”
It wasn’t until three sunny smiles greeted him that he realized he had just been manipulated by three pros.
Chapter 15
Waking the next morning, Rylan assessed his situation and came up with, mostly content. He awakened in a bedroom he had loved since childhood. He had earmarked it as his own back then. Odd he hadn’t realized then, in his childish dreams, that these suites wouldn’t be his without a few sacrifices.
For instance, he wouldn’t inherit the house until his father died. He’d rather be living in Trixi’s guesthouse than without his dad, but that good man had been gone nearly as long as Rylan’s wife. The heart attack that killed his father caused Rylan to make some changes in his own life. He had started a tough exercise regimen that molded his body into something he was pleased with.
He might not have the hard muscle of a man half his age, but then again, he might. Since he didn’t spend any time viewing other men’s bodies, he didn’t know, but at least he didn’t cringe these days when he looked in the mirror. His body was honed and hard from the exercise he did each day to keep a heart attack at bay.
At the same time he had also altered his eating habits. Gone were the foods he and his dad had enjoyed to excess and in were foods he had grown to love, fruits and vegetables and the like. He still indulged occasionally, because it was impossible to abstain while living with Trixi.
Since he was so subtly manipulated last night into asking Nina out, he planned to do so today. His heart beat a little faster. Here he was, in his early-to-mid fifties, and anticipating asking out a woman who made him feel like a teenager again. Rylan was most gratefully happy he wasn’t a teen any longer, but it was nice to feel some of those giddy moments again.
So long as she didn’t shoot him down.
Okay, time to stop these thoughts.
It was time for action now. After he called his brother-in-law, who had moved into his own house three days ago.
“Nina McCormick you say?” Johnny asked. Rylan couldn’t hear road noise, but knew his brother-in-law was also on his way to work, because Johnny mentioned it when he answered.
“Yes. The girls think I should ask her out.”
Laughter answered him. “I told Miriam the other night that I thought she was perfect for you.”
“Are you kidding?” Disbelief laced his voice.
“No. The minute I met Nina I told Mirry this. Your sister came in the next day to meet Nina and she agrees.”
If he’d had any reservations about this woman, his family was quickly stomping them to dust.
Even though he had an appointment near here this afternoon, he decided to go to the hospital this morning to see Nina.
“I’m heading in your direction.”
Johnny laughed again. “You’ve got it bad, Duvall.”
“Yeah.”
“My advice is to go for it.”
“Thanks for your help,” Rylan said dryly.
“You’re welcome. If you need real advice, call Mirry. You know she’ll have a thousand different ideas on what you can do for dates.”
“I have five nosy women in my life. Trust me, I’ve got ideas.”
Johnny laughed again. “You have got women. I didn’t even think about Shawna.”
“She and Reed are away on a business trip. That’s the only reason she wasn’t offering her advice last evening.”
“Got lucky there, at least.”
“Right. She’ll chime in when they return.”
They said goodbye as Rylan pulled i
nto the parking lot. He crawled out of the vehicle and soon entered the hospital. The first two people he saw were his daughters. Or they saw him. “Dad,” Trixi cried.
“Dad.” Katy wasn’t far behind and the two of them parted from the people they had been conversing with to launch into his arms.
“We’d ask what you’re doing here, but we can guess.” Trixi beamed at him with the same mischievous smile she’d perfected in her youth.
Katy’s exuberance might exceed Trixi’s. “Yeah, we want all the details when you’re done here.” She shared a bratty smile with Trixi. “Go get her, Tiger.” They pushed him in the same direction.
It was then he noticed the small grouping of people included Nina.
He swallowed but then managed to smile at her. Her return smile was glorious if a bit tentative.
They met in the middle of the busy hospital hallway, she obviously on her way to her station. He blocked her path.
“May I help you?” Her question was professional, but a delicate pink suffused her cheeks and encouraged him.
Rylan steered her out of the path of the foot traffic weaving and jostling around them. Her cheeks dimmed, but when their eyes met, they deepened again.
He lost his train of thought.
One delicate dark brow lifted and her blue eyes sparkled. A sweet smile twitched around her lips.
“I was wondering if you’re free for dinner some night soon?” His voice was even and usual, although there was an undertone of breathlessness, but maybe she didn’t notice.
The pink didn’t recede, but her eyes dropped before they lifted to his again.
“I’d like that,” she answered in a husky voice. She cleared her throat and he wondered if it was possible to fall even further under this woman’s spell.
He smiled and trailed a finger across her pink cheek. It was warm and delicate and he wanted to keep stroking her. Her eyes dipped again, as though she was shy, and he bet she was.
“When?”
Her eyes lifted and were clouded with confusion. “When?”
“When will you have dinner with me?” He smiled at her because he couldn’t help himself.
The pink deepened. “Oh. Oh, any time should be fine.”
“May I take you out this evening?”
Her smile spread warmth, and something resembling excitement, through him. “This evening works.”
He especially liked the way her eyes gleamed. “I’ll pick you up at six-thirty?”
She nodded then unzipped the purse hanging from her shoulder. “You’ll need my address.”
“Thank you.” His voice rasped.
Nina dug through the bag and extracted a business-sized card. Printed on it were her address, cell phone number, and email address. The back contained social media information.
His hand folded around the card, protecting it. “I’ll look forward to it.”
“So will I.”
He grinned and had to fight the urge to kiss her. It would never do, not when she was at work, in the middle of a fairly busy corridor. Of course, they were more on their own here in this darkened doorway, but it was still public.
When Nina glanced at her watch, she gasped and turned to hurry down the hall. Before she disappeared through the door at the end, she turned and hastily waved, then he lost sight of her.
It was a shame because he could have stared at her all day.
Rylan finally dragged his eyes from her to glance at the time. He needed to hurry or he’d also be late. When he exited the alcove, it was to find his grinning daughters waiting for him.
“Did she say yes?” Katy demanded.
Each girl took one of his arms and escorted him to the doors. “She said yes.” He couldn’t contain his glee at Nina’s acceptance of dining with him.
With happy shrieks, he soon had both daughters in his arms again. Laughing, he squeezed them before bending to kiss each grinning cheek, since it was acceptable to show his affection for them. “I’m late.” They waved him off.
The day was starting pretty well. Rylan whistled as he climbed into his car and headed toward work.
“What are you two cackling about?” Leo asked when he came upon them.
“Dad just asked Nina out.” Katy bubbled over, just as she was.
“Dad?” His forehead creased. Beside him, Mark loomed and repeated Leo’s question.
“My father, Rylan Duvall, just asked Nina McCormick out for a date.” Katy sounded patient.
“Really? Nina is a great woman.” Leo flicked his bright tie back into place.
“We think so.” Katy watched their dad drive off.
“So he’s taking the delectable Nina out tonight.” Leo pursed his lips. “He works fast.”
“Are you kidding?” Katy scowled.
“No, I’m not.”
“It’s taken him forever.”
Mark remained quiet, because he was peering intently at Trixi’s face. Had she missed her mouth at breakfast? It looked like he was counting something. “How long has he known her?”
“Two weeks.” Her answer only held part of Mark’s attention.
“That’s fast.” Leo, like his brother, didn’t appear to be paying much attention to anything other than her...nose?
Trixi darted a questioning glance at Katy, who shook her head but grinned. This particular shake meant “not now” but it also indicated her friend understood what was happening. A plus that Katy caught on because she was still confused.
Since Katy was also amused, it must be okay. Leo got paged, so left with reluctance.
“It isn’t fast,” Katy argued. “He’s had two weeks to ask her out.”
Trixi eyed Mark’s coffee cup. It smelled strong. “He did have to break off his engagement to the gold digger, moved, and then there was that business trip.”
Mark, in the act of taking a sip of coffee, paused. “He was engaged to someone else? And he moved?”
“Yes.” Katy tugged out her phone to check the time. “To give him credit, he did act as soon as he could.
“Only because we manipulated him into it.” Did she have time to find another cup of coffee?
Katy chuckled. “You’re right. He’d have gotten there eventually, but it was a good idea to snatch him out of the clutches of that woman.”
Apparently satisfied with whatever had snagged his attention on her nose, Mark asked another question. “The gold digger is the ex-fiancée?”
“Yeah, Chrissy.”
“She tried to kick Trixi out of her own house.” Katy shook her head as red suffused her cheeks. “The woman hadn’t fully scoped out the situation.”
“Why not?” Mark asked. His eyes left her face, finally, to focus on Katy.
“Because if she had asked anyone in the area, she would have discovered Trixi owns the house, not Dad.”
Before he could comment, Mark’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the screen. “We have a meeting on your side.”
He took Trixi’s arm as though he planned to escort her to work.
“Thank you.” Her heart roared in her ears as she walked beside him. She wasn’t the most man-savvy woman by any means, but it sort of seemed like...
Mark tugged her closer and shattered those thoughts. As they passed through several busy halls, he stayed close. So near she could feel the heat of his body and his masculine scent enticed.
This man was far too potent for her. Yes, he did seem inclined to touch her. Yes, he did seem to like staring at her face.
Still, there was no way a man so high up in the food chain could have any interest in her.
Things like this didn’t happen in her world.
Mark muttered a few things he hoped Trixi didn’t overhear. It wouldn’t be hard, since she was so close. He made certain to keep her there. There were far too many males in this corridor alone and all of them smiled at her as she passed.
She fielded multiple greetings as they hurried toward the neonatal wing. All these masculine faces showing signs of obvious pleasure at
seeing her didn’t sit well with him.
Her casual greetings in response indicated she wasn’t excited by any of them and her disinterest appeased him. In fact, other than Leo, Trixi didn’t show any preference for any of the men they encountered.
This didn’t mean she wasn’t attracted to Leo.
But there was a glimmer of hope. It was obvious Leo preferred Katy, and Katy responded in kind.
Might as well see what Trixi thought of them. “Do you think Leo and Katy will get together?”
Trixi’s smile drew his attention to her lips. They were nice lips.
“Katy is interested in Leo,” she finally said.
He nodded. “I wondered. Leo is interested in her.”
“You’re sure?” Her voice was sharp, but he couldn’t discern the cause behind it.
“Yes, I know him pretty well.”
“I know Katy pretty well, and she’s displaying signs I’ve never seen before.”
They passed Dr. Calhoun, a man in his early fifties all the women found extremely attractive, and Mark wasn’t pleased with the warm smile the man sent Trixi. Nor did he appreciate the equally warm smile she returned. Mark’s teeth clenched.
He knew he shouldn’t, but he asked abruptly, “Are you interested in Calhoun?”
The look of disbelief she shot him almost made him smile. “Of course I’m interested in him. Every single female within one hundred miles of the man is.”
“I see. But you’re not planning to act on this attraction?”
Her snort was answer enough. So was the way she rolled her eyes. This woman had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen in his life. They were the first thing about her he had noticed. And only a small part of what fueled his interest.
The freckles scattered across her nose intrigued him, as did her agile mind. Her tiny frame was also appealing. Normally he was attracted to tall, elegant women. Trixi was far from tall, but she was elegant. Only on a smaller scale. Her petite stature charmed him, as did her figure. Her gentle curves were all a man could ask for.
“What are you two talking about?” Katy’s question drifted from behind them.
“He was wondering if I’m interested in Dr. Calhoun.”