by Deanna Chase
“Brinn, you can take off. I’ll lock up tonight,” she said.
Brinn glanced up, surprised, smoothing her long, sleek hair. “You’re sure?”
Yvette eyed the young woman, feeling envious of her youth and the possibilities ahead of her. Brinn had recently graduated from college and had landed back in Keating Hollow, indicating to Yvette that she’d given the city a try and the one thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to come home… for good. Yvette didn’t know why, but she could relate. She’d come home after college as well, only she’d brought Isaac with her, and they’d started a life together.
What would’ve happened if Yvette hadn’t gotten married? Would she still be right here at her bookstore, pining over her business partner? She doubted it. Isaac had been the one to encourage her to open the store in the first place. For that, she had to thank him, because she couldn’t imagine herself anywhere else. “Yes, I’m sure. Go out with your girlfriends, or get Rhys to take you out. You deserve a little fun in your life.”
Brinn laughed. “Rhys? Seriously? We grew up together. My mom used to babysit him and has pictures of us in the bathtub together. I think I was two and he was four. I’m certain we can’t recover from that humiliation.”
Yvette laughed. “Okay, maybe not Rhys. But there are other cute boys in this town. Go find one and let me live vicariously.”
“Yvette?” Brinn asked as she slipped out from behind the counter. “Are you all right?”
“Of course.” Yvette forced a bright smile, even though she felt like she wanted to curl up in a ball and pretend the world didn’t exist for a while. She needed to lick her wounds and come to terms with the fact that any fantasies she’d had about a relationship with Jacob were over. “I just want you to have some fun for a change. When’s the last time you went out with Hanna?”
She shrugged. “Not since before the holidays. It’s been busy.”
“Well, how about you go find her and grab her for a night of dancing? Then tomorrow you can tell me all about the hot guy you met.”
Brinn laughed. “You know what? I think I will.” She squeezed Yvette’s hand and said, “And you know what you should do?”
“Watch Practical Magic for the twentieth time and gorge myself on Miss Maple’s chocolates?”
“You should go to the brewery and ask Rhys out.”
“Rhys? You’ve got to be kidding me. He’s too young for me,” Yvette said, shaking her head.
“No, he isn’t.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s in his twenties. Come on, Yvette, you’re not that old.”
“Old enough,” she muttered. Then she peered at Brinn. “Why Rhys?”
A mischievous smile claimed her lips. “Because Rhys is the best looking guy in town and if Jacob got wind of it… well a little jealousy can go a long way to helping a man get his head out of his backside.”
Yvette stared at Brinn, her mouth hanging open. Then she threw her head back and laughed. When she finally caught her breath, she said, “You know, you just might be on to something there.”
Brinn nodded. “We make a good team.”
Yvette hadn’t taken Brinn’s suggestion of asking Rhys out seriously, but a half-hour later she still found herself sitting at the bar, eyeing the gorgeous man. He had his back to her, and she could see the muscles rippling across his shoulders. He must work out, she thought. There was no other explanation for that body. None of the other guys looked like that after the long days of moving beer cases around. It didn’t hurt that he had dark hair, dark eyes, and a backside that made most woman salivate.
Unfortunately, Yvette wasn’t most women. She’d also known Rhys for most of his life and had never seen him as anything other than a friend. The idea of asking him out just to annoy Jacob was out of the question. She didn’t want to play games with anyone. All she really wanted was a beer to drown her sorrows.
Rhys slid a dark stout over to her. “Dinner?”
“Yeah. I better go with—” A loud crash came from her father’s office. Yvette was on her feet in seconds and right behind Rhys as he flung the door open to find Lincoln Townsend sprawled on the floor. A wooden chair had been knocked over, and one of the legs had split.
“Dad!” Yvette’s chest ached with fear and emotion as she pushed Rhys out of the way and knelt by his side. His skin was gray and clammy and chilled to the touch. “Call an ambulance!”
Rhys picked up the office phone and dialed.
Yvette grabbed her dad’s wrist and found a thready pulse. “He’s alive,” she said. “But his breathing is shallow and his skin... Good goddess,” Yvette breathed. “He looks like we’re losing him.”
Rhys relayed the information to the 911 operator while she held her dad’s hand, not having the slightest clue what to do to help him. Tears filled her eyes, and she whispered, “Don’t you dare leave us now, old man. You still have to walk Noel down the aisle when Drew finally decides to make it official. And Faith, she’s yet to meet her special someone. You have to be around to give whoever that is the third degree.”
His eyes fluttered open and he blinked a few times before focusing on her. “What about you?” he whispered.
She smiled through the tears as relief rushed through her and made her head spin. “What about me?”
He cleared his throat. “I’m not going anywhere until you meet your someone.”
Yvette laughed. “I’d certainly prefer it that way, and as long as I’m making requests, let’s just say we expect another forty or fifty years, okay?”
“You don’t ask for much, do you?” he said and tried to roll over, but he winced and clutched at his left arm.
“You’re hurt,” she said.
“It’s just a bruise.” He tried to push himself up into a sitting position using his right arm, but Rhys bent down and put a light hand on his chest.
“Just stay still, Lin,” Rhys said gently. “The paramedics are on their way. Let them check you out before you make anything worse.”
Her dad started to protest, but Yvette said, “Dad, please.”
She didn’t know if it was the fear in her voice or the effort it took to try to fight off Rhys, but Lin stopped struggling and rested his head back down on the wood floor. Rhys shrugged off his hoodie, balled it up, and placed it under the older man’s head. “Don’t worry, Lin. They’ll be here any minute.”
Yvette sat back on her heels, pulled her phone out of her pocket, and hit Noel’s number.
“Keating Hollow Inn, this is Noel. How can I help you?”
“It’s Yvette,” she said into the phone. “There’s been an accident. Dad fell—”
“Dad fell?” Noel shouted into the phone. “Where? When? Is he okay?”
“In his office, just a minute or so ago. The ambulance is on its way. Can you meet us at the emergency room and call Faith and Abby?”
“They don’t need to—oomph.” Lin rubbed at his chest.
Yvette’s mind raced. Had he had a heart attack? Should she be shoving an aspirin in his mouth?
“They don’t need to come to the emergency room,” Lin finished.
Rhys chuckled. “Sure, Lin. You can’t expect to pull this kind of drama and not have every Townsend sister lining up to tell you how to take care of yourself.”
“Don’t I know it,” Lin grumbled.
“Yvette, are you still there?” Noel practically shouted into the phone.
“I’m here. Just keeping an eye on dad. What was that?”
“I said I’d call them, and I asked how he’s doing. If he’s complaining about the ambulance that’s a good sign.”
Her sister’s words made Yvette let out a small, sad chuckle. “Yes, you’re right. He’s complaining. So he can’t be that bad, right?”
“Right,” Noel said. “I’ll meet you in the emergency room as soon as I can.”
“Drive safely. I’m going with dad in the ambulance.” Just as she said the words, she heard the piercing sound of sirens drowning out everything else. “They’re here.
Gotta go.”
Yvette scrambled out of the way as the paramedics rushed in. They checked Lin’s vitals, gave him oxygen, and got him on the gurney in record time.
“Is he going to be all right?” Yvette asked as she ran alongside the gurney.
“We sure hope so,” Vinn Cantor said. He was a sweet man who’d been on the job in Keating Hollow for over ten years. He’d been riding the same unit with Ferris Eros for over five years. Unless one of them was sick or on vacation when someone called for an ambulance, Vinn and Ferris were the two who showed up.
The two men lifted Lin into the vehicle. Vinn jumped in after him while Ferris held out his hand for Yvette. “Get in. We’re almost ready to roll.”
“Thanks,” Yvette said and took a seat against the wall, while Vinn locked the gurney in place and checked Lin’s vitals again.
Lin blinked up at the man, the oxygen mask still covering his face, making it difficult to talk.
Yvette reached out and took her dad’s hand in hers. Then she leaned closer to him and said, “You always did have a flair for the drama.”
Lin let out a small chuckle and squeezed Yvette’s hand.
When Vinn was done, he glanced up and met Yvette’s gaze. “I won’t let anything happen to him.”
She wanted to tell him he damned well better not let anything happen to her father, the man who was respected and loved by the entire town, but she held her tongue, knowing her words would only be spoken out of fear. Instead she said, “Thanks, Vinn. We all appreciate your help.”
“Just doing my job,” he said softly, but he nodded and tipped his hat.
“Sta lirting with my dier,” Lin mumbled from beneath the oxygen mask.
Yvette frowned as she peered down at her father. “What?”
Lin flicked his gaze to Vinn and then to Yvette and back to Vinn again.
Vinn laughed. “He told me to stop flirting with his daughter.”
“Dad,” Yvette said, shaking her head in exasperation. “He’s just being kind to me because… well, obviously this is kind of a scary situation.” Though now that he was trying to protect her from the very single paramedic, she took that as a good sign that he’d be all right. In fact, as she watched her father, she noticed that his color was improving.
“I’ll behave myself, Mr. Townsend. You have nothing to worry about,” Vinn said, but he wasn’t looking at Lin when he spoke. Instead, he was staring straight at Yvette. His smile widened, revealing a surprising dimple in his left cheek.
Something shifted in Yvette, and she started to see Vinn in a different light. There was no denying he was a good looking man. His deep blue eyes, combined with that dimple, were enough to make any woman sit up and take notice. But combine his looks with his desire to care for the community, and he seemed downright irresistible.
Why hadn’t Yvette ever considered him before? She knew the answer as soon as she contemplated the question. He was a good seven or eight years older than her, and she’d been married for the last decade. If Vinn asked her out, would she go? Last week she’d have said no. This week? Maybe.
Yvette shook her head. What was she doing thinking about dating the paramedic while her father was being rushed to the hospital? Was she that desperate for a date? Pathetic, she thought.
“What’s wrong, Yvette?” Vinn asked her.
“Nothing. Just worried about my dad.” She tightened her grip on Lin’s hand and spent the remainder of the trip avoiding Vinn’s gaze.
Chapter 17
Yvette grabbed Noel’s hand when she spotted her father’s oncologist heading for them. Since Lin was still under her care for the cancer, she’d been called in to check on him. Yvette and Noel stood at the same time. Faith hadn’t arrived yet, and Abby was still out of town.
“Dr. Sims,” Yvette said, as the doctor reached them. “How is he?”
“Is it the cancer?” Noel asked.
“Yes and no,” Dr. Sims said, waving a hand to invite them to sit back down. When they were settled, she pulled up a chair so that she was sitting across from them. “This episode was caused by severe dehydration. It appears he just fainted. We have him hooked up to an IV, and we’ll keep him overnight for observation, but I think he’ll come out of this with just a few bumps and bruises.”
“No broken bones?” Yvette asked. She’d been worried he’d fractured something when he went down.
“No broken bones,” Dr. Sims confirmed. “We shot some x-rays, and everything is fine on that front. He’s suffered some tissue damage, so he’ll be sore for the better part of a week, I’d imagine, but he’ll heal.”
Yvette let out a sigh of relief, but Noel leaned forward, her hands fidgety. “Does this mean he needs to start treatments again?”
Dr. Sims frowned at Noel’s question. “Start again?”
“Yes,” Noel nodded. “You said this episode was and wasn’t due to the cancer. Does that mean the last round didn’t work as well as we hoped?”
Dr. Sims cleared her throat. “Were you under the impression he’d stopped treatments?”
“Yes,” both Yvette and Noel said at the same time.
The two sisters looked at each other, and then Noel turned to the doctor and said, “He told us he was done with treatments for now. Is that not true?”
The doctor closed her eyes and muttered something unintelligible to herself. Then she shook her head and said, “Your father started a new round of chemo three weeks ago. It’s likely the reason he passed out is because he had a treatment yesterday. I told him he shouldn’t work for at least two or three days after any treatment. But from the looks of it, he was back at the brewery. Is that right?”
“Yes,” Yvette said. “That’s where he passed out.”
“From now on, I’m only clearing him for six hours of work a week and at the brewery only. No work in the orchard. And he needs to be drinking water. No beer. No alcohol of any kind. Juice is fine but no soda. Want me to write this down?”
“Yes,” Yvette said, knowing if she could show the doctor’s words in writing to her stubborn father, she’d at least have a leg to stand on when he flat-out refused to do as she instructed.
The doctor made a note on the chart. When she looked up, she said, “Listen, all three of us know Lin’s going to do whatever it is he wants to do. But try to keep him from overdoing it and keep plenty of fluids in him. And while you’re at it, feed him as many calorie-rich foods as you can find. I’d feel a lot better if he gained back those twenty pounds he’s lost since the diagnosis.”
“Dr. Sims,” Noel asked, “can you tell us where we are with his cancer treatment? Is it worse? Should we be worried?”
Yvette held her breath while she waited for the doctor to answer. She didn’t think she could take it if his condition had worsened.
“His numbers are looking better, but not enough for a break in treatments. I’m guessing he’ll need at least another two or three rounds before we see the kind of numbers we’re looking for. The answer to your question is that right now, he isn’t getting worse. In fact, if he takes care of himself, I could easily say he’s making progress. But if he exhausts himself again, infection could set in, and that could be catastrophic. I can’t stress enough how important it is that he takes it easy over the next few months.”
“If it’s so important,” Yvette said, “is it wise to let him work at the brewery? I know my father, and he really likes having his fingers in every aspect of the business. I’m not sure he can stick to six hours.”
Dr. Sims grinned. “I was originally going to give him ten, but since we’ve discussed this before, I’m well aware of his tendency to overwork himself. That’s why we’re back at six. As far as not working at the brewery at all, I think it gives him a sense of purpose and community. And I’m certain those two things are worth it for his mental health. We just need to get him to start listening to his body.”
“You’re devious,” Noel said, eyeing the doctor in admiration. “I like it.”
Yvette
laughed. “Dr. Sims isn’t letting any patient of hers get out of line. That’s for sure.”
Dr. Sims chuckled and rose to her feet. “I do my best. If you’re ready, you can go see your dad now. Tell him I said hi and that I outed him. Thanks to that release form he signed months ago, you two and your other sisters have full access to his medical condition. So don’t hesitate to ask if you need me to explain what’s going on.”
Noel and Yvette rose as well. They both thanked the doctor for her candor and then headed for their dad’s room.
They found him sitting propped up in the bed, sipping on something that looked an awful lot like hot chocolate.
“Who’d you charm that out of?” Noel asked him.
“The pretty brunette nurse who keeps coming in here and checking my IV bag,” he said.
Yvette walked over and sat on the edge of his bed. His color was back, and he honestly looked better than he had in days. How had she been so blind that she hadn’t seen how sick and exhausted he’d looked? “How are you feeling, dad?”
“Better now that I have this.” He nodded to the hot chocolate. “The ride in the ambulance was something I could’ve done without, though.”
“Yeah, about that—” Noel started.
Lin cut her off. “Your sister has a thing for one of the paramedics.”
Noel blinked. “Faith has a thing for Vinn or Ferris?”
Lin chuckled while Yvette wondered if either would notice if she just slinked back out of the room.
“Not Faith,” Lin said. “Yvette.”
“Jacob is a paramedic?” Noel blurted out.
“Jacob?” Lin asked. “Jacob Burton?”
“Um…” Noel glanced at her sister and flushed as she mouthed, sorry.