by Abby Gaines
She gave him the tiniest nod—yes, this was about Meg’s squeamishness. Annoyance surged through her. Surely Meg could get over her hang-up for her fiancé’s sake. Shouldn’t she want to be here for Daniel?
“The airline won’t let staff refuse to work more than three days a year,” Trey said to Daniel. “Meg’s already had her three days.”
Which was an impressive improvisation—Sadie was certain there was no such rule. She wasn’t certain Meg deserved her brother’s defense.
Daniel nodded. “Yeah, she’d be here if she could.”
“The surgeon said the coronary angiogram showed at least three lesions.” John Wilson spoke up suddenly. “It wasn’t clear if there were enough target vessels.”
“There’s every chance it’ll look better when he gets into the heart and has a look,” Daniel said, to comfort him.
Sadie had done enough human biology in her freshman year at Princeton that she could follow the discussion that ensued between father and son. She asked a couple of questions, and both men seemed to appreciate the distraction offered by explaining things to her.
“I’m going to find coffee,” Trey announced abruptly. “Anyone else want one?”
After he’d taken orders and left, the discussion petered out. Daniel’s father wandered over to the first-aid poster pinned to the wall. Though he presumably knew all the information it held, he stood there, reading intently.
Daniel moved to a chair at a right angle to Sadie’s. “Thanks for sticking around.”
“What are friends for?” She touched the back of his hand. “I want to be here for you.”
Instinctively he glanced down at his cell phone. There had been no further messages from Meg. He set the phone on the chair next to his and leaned forward, hands clasped between his knees. His right knee brushed her leg, but he didn’t pull away. “Sadie, right before I told you guys about Mom’s heart attack, Meg said you and Trey were…”
“Making out.” Sadie repeated Meg’s words.
“Yeah.” He met her gaze. “Is that true?” Sadie nodded.
“I see,” Daniel said quietly.
“Is that—is it a problem for you?” Sadie asked, softly enough that his dad wouldn’t hear.
Daniel stared down at his clasped fingers. “I like Trey, but you and he don’t have much in common.”
“Nor do you and Meg.”
Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose.
Sadie leaned in. “Would you mind if I was dating Trey?”
He turned troubled eyes to her. “I could hardly object, could I? Not when—” He broke off.
“No,” she agreed faintly. Daniel was admitting he was jealous.
“Sadie…” He pulled his chair around so he was facing her, and took her hands in his. “You’re a wonderful woman.” He swallowed. “You’re very special to me. I wish—”
“You wish Trey would hurry up with that coffee?” Trey said roughly from behind him.
Sadie stifled a shriek. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I figured.” He didn’t look away from Daniel’s hands until the other man had released Sadie.
Daniel stood. He ran a hand around the back of his neck. Trey shoved a coffee cup at him.
“Sadie and I are leaving now,” Trey said.
She didn’t argue. She needed oxygen, needed space to process what had just happened.
“I’ll call you when there’s some news,” Daniel told her. He glanced toward the window that overlooked the parking lot. “I wish Meg was here.”
“She would be if she could,” Sadie said. It sounded unconvincing, and she wasn’t surprised when Trey grabbed her arm and practically dragged her out the door.
He didn’t speak until they were outside the building. In the hour they’d been indoors the day had warmed up. The sun beat down on the asphalt and bounced up in waves that made the air shimmer.
“Was making Daniel jealous part of the rationale for kissing me this morning?” Trey asked, without expression. His eyes scanned the parking lot as if her answer didn’t matter.
“It never occurred to me,” Sadie said.
He looked down at her. Grunted. “Truck’s this way.”
She followed him between the rows of vehicles. His long legs meant he was soon getting away from her.
“I kissed you because I wanted to kiss you,” she called after him. Two kids, walking on either side of their mom, giggled. The mom gave Sadie a sympathetic look. Trey strode on.
Her mind traveled backward to that kiss, back to the sensation of his hands on her curves, the intensity in his face… Her stomach fluttered.
Should have had breakfast. Most important meal of the day. All she’d consumed were two and a half cups of coffee—no wonder her veins were buzzing.
Trey pointed his key ring, and up ahead lights flashed on his truck.
Sadie hastened to catch up. “I, uh, really liked kissing you,” she said. She didn’t know why she felt so guilty. She and Trey had literally gone into the kiss eyes open, intending only a moment of pleasure.
He rolled his eyes. “Sadie, when a beautiful woman asks if she can kiss me, I don’t argue. Yeah, it was a hot kiss, but you started it, and it didn’t mean any more to me than it did to you. Which was nothing, right?”
“Right,” she said uncertainly. So much had happened since they’d kissed, she didn’t know which way was up. “Uh…are you sure?”
He held the door of the truck open with exaggerated courtesy. “Certain,” he said firmly. “Even if it was the best kiss in the history of the sport, I would never get involved with a woman who’s on the rebound.”
He closed her door with a decisive click.
A WEEK LATER, Angela Wilson was still in intensive care, her recovery set back by postoperative renal failure. Her condition had been life threatening, but she was slowly improving. Though she’d be in the hospital a while yet, her doctors were optimistic she would be well enough to leave before the wedding.
Which meant the preparations continued. Nancy Kincaid called a Saturday-morning meeting at the Confederacy Inn in Germantown, the hotel reserved for the wedding reception.
Sadie hadn’t seen Meg for a couple of nights—her friend had been flying. She’d arrived in late last night, but texted Sadie from the airport to say she would stay at Daniel’s. Meg’s absence meant Daniel hadn’t been around either, though he’d touched base by phone. Daniel’s jealousy, or emotional confusion, or whatever it was, had been short-lived. As far as Sadie could tell, he and Meg were as close as ever.
Their meeting was held in Blue Mood, a jazz-themed lounge bar on the hotel’s top floor. Meg and Daniel were there, of course, along with Nancy. And Trey.
Sadie hadn’t spoken to Trey since he’d dropped her home from the hospital. He’d been distant during the drive…but so had she. She’d had a lot on her mind, not least of which was Trey.
He might be able to kiss her like that and think nothing of it, but she wasn’t so sanguine. She felt as if she’d opened a Pandora’s box. She’d slammed the lid shut quickly, but not before a few troubles escaped. She shouldn’t have kissed him. What was meant to be simple had complicated matters.
Now Trey was talking to his mom and Daniel. He hadn’t acknowledged her when she arrived.
Sadie sat down next to Meg on the couch nearest the baby grand.
“How’s Daniel’s mom?” she asked.
“Doing okay, I think.” Meg pulled a lip gloss and compact mirror from her purse. “I haven’t seen her.”
“Still?” Sadie asked.
“I’ve been working,” Meg said defensively. “And I’m always in a rush to get to the airport or home again.” She swiped gloss over her lips. “Besides, it’s not as if the old bag likes me.”
“Meg!” Sadie said, shocked.
“Honestly, Sade—” Meg glanced over her shoulder to check Daniel was engrossed in his conversation with Nancy “—the woman’s totally hung up on education. The moment she learned I didn’t have a
graduate degree, I swear she started talking more slowly.” Meg snapped her mirror closed.
“I’m sure she’ll improve over time.”
“She’s been getting worse rather than better.” Meg’s mouth tightened with hurt. “I wouldn’t mind if she’d gotten to know me and then decided I’m awful, but she judged me from the moment she first saw me.” She tipped her head back against the couch. “Once the wedding’s over, I’ll just avoid her for the next fifty years.”
“You live in the same city, and Daniel’s close to his parents,” Sadie said, worried. “Meg, I know you love Daniel, but people’s families are a big part of them. I know what it’s like when family can’t accept you as you are, because you’re different from them. It hurts.”
“I know.” Meg sounded watery. She pulled a tissue from her purse and blew her nose.
Sadie ached for her.
“Hey, Meg,” Trey interrupted. “If you could get over the broken fingernail or whatever your latest drama is and pay attention to this discussion, we might get out of here before midnight.”
Sadie glared at him; he spread his palms in a what did I do? gesture.
“Girls, I was just saying—” Nancy sat down the other side of Meg from Sadie “—we haven’t even talked about what the men are going to wear. I know you’ll figure it out eventually, Meg, honey, but not in time for us to actually get things done.”
Meg shrugged. Sadie fought a pang of irritation. Probably the same reaction Trey had to his sister ducking out of family responsibilities, she realized. Unlike him, it didn’t give her the urge to marry Meg off to a man whose parents didn’t like her.
“I’ll arrange my own tux,” Daniel said from the armchair opposite. “So will the groomsmen.”
“Trey, honey, I’m thinking no tuxedo for you,” Nancy suggested.
“Great idea,” Trey said. “Just a regular suit, then?”
“A new suit.” His mom’s eyes misted. “Remember that suit your dad and I bought Logan for his twenty-first birthday? He looked so handsome…maybe something like that, gray with that fine stripe?”
“Times have changed, Mom,” Trey said.
Sadie wondered if anyone else noticed the careful evenness of his tone.
“I guess,” Nancy said with regret. “Oh, Meg, I wish your dad and Logan could be here. I always imagined you walking down the aisle on your father’s arm. He’d be so proud of you, honey.”
Meg hugged her mom, and for a moment the only sound was sniffles and murmured words of comfort.
Trey strode to the picture window. “The terrace down there looks like a good place for photos.”
Nancy joined him. “You’re right, it’s perfect.”
The server arrived with their drinks, and Daniel took the opportunity to slip into Nancy’s seat on the couch and put an arm around Meg. He dropped a quick kiss on her mouth as he handed her her orange juice.
Maybe I should leave, Sadie thought. There’s no real reason for me to be here. She would make her excuses and go.
“Some of those roses will need pruning before the wedding,” Trey said. “You don’t want deadheads messing up your pictures. I’ll tell the hotel.” He eyed his sister and her fiancé. “Meg,” he said, his tone conciliatory, “have you thought about flowers for your bouquet? How about red and white roses with hypericum berries?”
“Or your father liked jonquils,” Nancy reminded them. “And Logan’s favorites were those Asiatic lilies.”
“Whatever,” Trey said. “You figure it out and let me know. We’ll source them through the garden center.”
Nancy made a note on her clipboard. “We need to agree to the layout of the function room, choose a menu for canapés…”
Sadie set down her water glass. “You don’t need me for that,” she said at exactly the same time as Trey.
He looked at her, spooked.
“Oh, you two,” Nancy said indulgently. “I’m not taking full liability for this wedding and then having you all think I should have done it differently.”
Trey glanced at his watch. “I have an appointment, Mom, so if you don’t mind…”
He was lying. Sadie didn’t know how she knew—she just did.
“I guess not,” Nancy said, clearly disappointed. “Though I was hoping we could have a nice family lunch in the grill downstairs.”
“Don’t see how we can do that when half the family’s gone,” Trey said.
His mother drew in a sharp breath.
“Don’t be a jerk, Trey,” Meg said. Daniel soothed her, running a hand over her hair.
“What’s your appointment?” Nancy asked with forced interest.
Trey hesitated. “Uh…”
Meg planted her hands on her hips, clearly about to accuse him of faking his appointment.
“It’s with me,” Sadie said.
Nancy’s gaze swiveled. So did Trey’s.
“I’ve hired Trey to design my garden,” Sadie said.
“Since when do you do landscaping?” Nancy asked.
Trey chugged his Coke.
“Trey has some amazing ideas,” Sadie said.
He lowered his glass and looked at her.
That was all she was going to give him. Way more than he deserved. And she’d done that only because today his brusque manner made him seem…vulnerable.
“Well,” Nancy said. “Well.”
“So Sadie and I need to go—” Trey hesitated “—for our meeting with…”
“That guy,” Sadie said. “About…”
“About that thing.” Trey grinned, and as she stood to leave, for the first time in days she felt like laughing.
“IS TREY REALLY GOING to design Sadie’s garden?” Daniel asked.
Meg wove her fingers through his as they watched Trey and Sadie leave. Trey stood aside to let Sadie precede him into the elevator. Who knew he had manners?
“First I heard,” she said. “I guess he’s doing it because he has the hots for her.”
Daniel made a small, indistinguishable sound.
“What?” she asked.
He shifted to the front of the couch. “I like your brother,” he said, “don’t get me wrong. But Sadie needs someone a little more…intellectual.”
“Maybe she wants a fling,” Meg said. Admittedly that didn’t sound like Sadie. But then, Meg would have said she wasn’t the settling-down type. Lots of things were topsy-turvy. “Besides, Trey’s smart. If he hadn’t got a football scholarship he’d have been a candidate for an academic one.”
“I didn’t know that.” Daniel was still watching the elevator.
Meg nudged him. “If anyone’s going to worry about Sadie, it should be me.”
“I’m not worried.” He smiled down at her. “If she ends up half as happy as I am, I’ll be thrilled for her.”
Meg wriggled forward and kissed him. She still had to pinch herself that she’d found him, and she’d been uncharacteristically sensible enough to grab him, and somehow he’d been as much a victim of love-at-almost-first-sight as she had.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face against his collar. “I love it here.”
He laughed softly as he patted her back. “Here being…?”
“Right here,” she murmured.
“Stay as long as you like,” he invited. “Stay forever.”
She smiled against his warm skin. “I love you.”
His breath fanned her ear. “When we get done here, I’ll take you home and show you just how much I love you back.”
“If you two could stop canoodling for a moment—” Nancy set down the canapé menu she was perusing “—I’d appreciate your input.”
It was another hour before they escaped.
“I thought we might call in at the hospital,” Daniel said as he held the door of the Prius open for Meg. “Mom would love an update about the wedding.”
“I thought she was mostly asleep.” Meg clipped her seat belt.
Daniel came around to his side of the car. “We�
�ll give her a good reason to wake up. Besides, you haven’t seen her since the operation. Remember?” Just a hint of tightness in his smile.
“It’s all these extra flights to New York—such a pain.” She willed him to believe it. “I’m exhausted—how about we head back to your place and you can show me how much you love me.”
“Great idea,” he said as he reversed out of the parking space.
He was looking as tired as she’d claimed to be, Meg observed as they neared the city. When they got home she would give him a massage. Then, later, order in a romantic dinner for two.
They passed an interchange; she whipped her head around. “You missed your exit.”
“We’re going to the hospital,” he said. “Remember?”
Oh, heck, she hadn’t talked him out of it.
Meg slumped in her seat. Think. Think. The hospital was about a quarter mile from there. That gave her maybe half a minute.
I could just tell him.
But he would be so disappointed. And she would look shallow and stupid and all those things his family thought she was.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She sniffed.
“Honey? You okay?” Daniel flicked his turn signal as they reached the hospital entrance.
“I— No.” Suddenly inspired, she faked a suppressed sneeze. “I have a cold coming on—the cabin temperature was freezing on last night’s flight. I’ve had sore sinuses all day.” She faked another near sneeze.
He slowed for a speed bump. “Honey, you can’t come into the ICU with a cold.”
She widened her eyes. “I didn’t think of that. Imagine if I infected your mom…or anyone else.” He looked so disappointed that she didn’t suggest they get the hell away from this place. “You go visit with your mom. I’ll snooze in the car.” She would close her eyes and imagine she was somewhere else.
“Thanks, darling.” Daniel said. “That’s sweet of you when you’re not feeling well. I won’t be long.”
She felt like a heel.
CHAPTER TWELVE
SADIE’S IPOD WAS playing on shuffle as she compared the antioxidant profiles of three different wheat varieties. “Feed the wo-orld,” she sang along under her breath. Exactly what she wanted to do.