“What’s that?”
“Do you think it’s necessary for me to have someone with me all the time?” Susan asked.
Dr. Michaels looked from Susan to Kari and back again. “As long as you are comfortable using your cane and you can avoid stairs, I think you should be fine on your own.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
“You’re welcome.” He scribbled something on her chart and reached for the door. “I’ll want to see you back in two weeks.”
As soon as he left, Susan turned to Kari. “You heard him, right? I don’t need a babysitter anymore.”
“Miss Susan, I don’t think you ever did,” Kari said, choosing her words carefully. “But I appreciate you teaching me so much over the past few weeks.”
“Well, it was nice to have some company when Ryan was gone,” she said. “And you do make pretty good scrambled eggs.”
“Why, thank you.” Kari waited until they were in the car before she asked, “Where were you supposed to meet Jenny for lunch?”
Susan shifted to look at her. “Weren’t you coming too?”
“I thought you might want some time alone with your friend.”
“What would you do?”
“I don’t know. Probably go grab a sandwich and study.”
“Young lady, you need to spend a little time enjoying life.” Susan gave a definite nod. “Do you like Mexican food?”
Recognizing the question as an offer of friendship, Kari nodded. “I do like Mexican food.”
“Good. Then you’re eating with us.” She pointed at the upcoming intersection. “Take a right at the light.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Chapter 28
Ryan couldn’t believe it. He had spent the past week and a half looking forward to seeing Kari, and now that he had a night off, she wasn’t anywhere to be found. He had texted her three times already, hoping he could take her out, but so far, he hadn’t gotten any response, and his knock on Ben’s door had gone unanswered. Where was she?
“You know, if you keep pacing that way, you’re going to wear a path in the carpet.”
Ryan turned to see his mother standing behind him, her cane in her hand.
“Hi, Mom. I thought you were still in your room.”
She slowly made her way to the living room and gingerly lowered herself onto the couch. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“There’s nothing to talk about. I was just trying to get hold of Kari, and she hasn’t been answering my texts.”
“Probably because her phone died today when we were using the GPS on it.”
“What?”
“I got turned around on our way back from lunch. I know her battery was almost spent by the time we got home.”
“Any idea where she went after you got back?” Ryan asked. “I haven’t seen her since this morning.”
“She said something about helping Maya, but I’m not sure what it was.”
Ryan considered the new information and opened his phone again, this time sending a text to Maya. Can you ask Kari to call me? I think her phone is dead.
“You know, I don’t remember ever seeing you like this over a girl before,” Susan said as Ryan paced across the room again.
“It’s just that I don’t get many nights off during the season. I wanted to take her out.”
“I don’t think she’ll care if you go out or stay in. I like that about her.”
Ryan turned to face his mother. Sitting on the couch opposite her, he said, “I thought you didn’t like her.”
“I didn’t know her.” Susan readjusted herself on the couch, and Ryan was surprised to see her look of apology. “I know I was difficult when I was in the hospital and when I first got here. I wasn’t myself, and I was worried about you getting into a serious relationship so soon after breaking up with Brandi.”
“How did you know things were getting serious between me and Kari?”
“Mother’s intuition. You’re different with her.” She waved a hand through the air. “What I think doesn’t matter though. It’s how you feel about her that counts.”
“I love being with her.”
“I already figured that much,” she said dryly. “Can you picture a future with her?”
“I don’t know. It’s weird.” Ryan raked his fingers through his hair. “One minute I can imagine having days like today when I get home and she’s here waiting for me. Then I remember what she wants in life, and I wonder if we can make a future together.”
“Medical school is demanding.”
“Yeah. It’s like her dreams and mine are completely incompatible.”
“What do you mean?”
“I work summers. For now, she’s off summers. I’m locked into a contract for the next four years. She would be looking at switching schools in two and starting her residency in six.” Ryan leaned back on the couch. “And from what I’ve read, med students usually don’t do their residency all in one place. It’s hard to fathom how we can find time together when she’s going through that.”
“Have you talked to her about her plans?”
Overwhelmed, he nodded. “A little bit, but there’s not much we can talk about until after she takes her MCAT and has an idea of where she will go to med school. Those decisions are at least a year away.”
“You’ve never been one to make it easy on yourself.”
“Isn’t that the truth.”
Susan fell silent for a moment before speaking again. “She’s nothing like Brandi.”
“I know.” Ryan pushed himself forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “That’s just the thing. Brandi was so focused on what she wanted in life, we never would have been happy together. With Kari, I’m afraid if I tell her how I feel, she’ll let my dreams take over hers.”
“You’re in love with her.”
“Yeah.” His heart squeezed in his chest. “Is love supposed to be this difficult?”
“I don’t exactly have the best track record in that area, but from what I’ve seen, anything worth having is worth working for. Sometimes that involves sacrifices.”
“I guess it’s not all fairy tales in the end, is it?”
“No, but that doesn’t mean the effort isn’t worth it.”
His phone rang, and he looked down to see Kari’s number.
Susan pushed herself up to a stand. “Take your call. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
* * *
Kari passed a box of books to Ryan and gave him an apologetic look. When she’d called him earlier, she had explained that she needed to stay home to help Maya finish unpacking before their friend arrived tomorrow. She hadn’t expected him to volunteer to join the effort. “You know, you really don’t have to do this.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure there are other things you would rather be doing with your night off.”
He carried the box across the room and set it beside a bookshelf. Then he turned to face her. “The only thing I had in mind was spending time with you. I’m doing that.”
“But still.” She knelt beside him and started shifting books from the box onto the shelf.
Ryan put his hand on her shoulder and waited for her to look up at him. She saw something in his eyes she wasn’t accustomed to, an intensity that wasn’t characteristic for him. He took a moment before he said, “Ben and Maya moved into their house the same day I did. I’ve been completely unpacked for two weeks. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that my house is all done because you’ve been helping me instead of your brother.”
“I didn’t do that much,” Kari said. “Besides, most of your furniture came with the house. Maya and Ben didn’t get their last furniture delivery until yesterday.”
“Why did it take so long?”
“They didn’t want the store in Phoenix to ship anything until after they closed on the house, and Ben asked them to delay it another week so he would be in town when it got here.”
“That makes sense, but it doesn’t change the fact that my house already feels like home because you spent the time to make it that way.”
Kari smiled. As compliments went, it was a good one. “I had fun helping. You really picked a great house.”
“Seems to me that we picked it together.”
“Hey, Ryan. Where are you?” Ben said from the hallway.
“In here,” Ryan called.
Ben poked his head into the living room. “Can I get you to help me set up the bed in the guest room? It’s a two-person job.”
“Sure.” Ryan stood and followed Ben upstairs.
Kari watched him go and tried not to resent that Lauren’s impending arrival had put a damper on her ability to spend more time with Ryan tonight. She shook that thought away. Ryan was right. Had she been helping Ben and Maya instead of staying at his house with Susan, Maya would have finished unpacking long before now.
Turning back to her task, she considered what the doctor had said today at Susan’s appointment. If Ryan’s mother didn’t need someone with her all the time, that meant she would be free to go to Ryan’s game tomorrow night. She finished shelving the books and went in search of Maya to receive her next task.
Kari entered the kitchen to find Maya rinsing serving dishes. “The books are put away,” Kari said. “What else do you need done?”
“You’re taller than me. Can you put these in the top of that cabinet?”
“Sure.” Kari grabbed a dish towel and started drying the clean dishes, then proceeded to put them away. “Were you planning to go to Ben’s game tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I thought since you’ve been staying with Ryan’s mom, I could let Lauren use our extra ticket.”
Kari’s heart dropped. “Oh.”
Maya turned to face her. “What?”
“I was thinking about going to the game. Miss Susan’s doctor said she didn’t need to have someone with her all the time.”
“I’m sure we can figure something out. Maybe Ryan has a ticket you can have.”
“I don’t know . . .”
“Did I hear my name?” Ryan asked, walking across the family room toward them.
“Yeah,” Maya answered. “I was just saying you might have an extra ticket for tomorrow night’s game for Kari. I told our friend that’s coming to visit that she could use one of ours.”
“I can make sure we have one for you,” Ryan told Kari. “Did you want to drive over to the game with me or hang out with your friend tomorrow?”
“I’d love to go in with you,” Kari said with complete honesty, “but I should probably spend some time with Lauren while she’s here.”
“In that case, why don’t you drive in with Maya, and I can bring you home,” Ryan suggested. “That way we can spend some time together.”
“What do you think, Maya?” Kari asked. “Will that work?”
“Sounds great. Ryan, would you mind giving Ben a ride tomorrow so we don’t have to take two cars?”
“No problem,” he said. “What else do you need help with?”
“Are the beds set up in the guest rooms?” Maya asked.
“All the furniture is in place, and Ben is putting sheets on the beds,” Ryan told her. “I already took the boxes out to the curb with the trash.”
“I think I’m ready to call it a night. Thanks so much for your help.”
“You’re welcome.” As soon as Kari finished putting the last dish away, he added, “Kari, can I get you to walk me out?”
“Sure.” She turned to Maya. “I’ll be right back.”
* * *
Ryan took Kari’s hand and led her onto her brother’s front porch. All day he had been looking for a moment to be alone with her, and he had finally realized it wasn’t going to happen unless he forced the issue.
She pulled the door closed behind her. “Are you sure it won’t be a problem to get me a ticket for the game tomorrow? I can always try to buy one myself.”
“It’s not a problem, Kari,” he said, once again struck by how different she was from the other women he had dated. “I’m happy to get a ticket for you. I’ve missed having you at my games.”
Her expression warmed. “I’ve missed being there.”
“Besides, if you buy a ticket, you wouldn’t be able to get one in the friends’ box. I’m sure you’ll want to be able to sit with Maya and your friend.”
“That would be the ideal, but mostly I want to be able to see you play.”
He moved closer and lowered his lips to hers, his stomach jumping into his throat as it had the first time he had kissed her. A cricket chirped in the background, and the heat of the night enveloped them. Sliding his hands to her back, he drew her closer and deepened the kiss.
When he drew back, Kari looked up at him and said, “I missed you.”
“I missed you.” He wanted to give her more words, words he ached to share, words he prayed would be returned. Instead, he asked, “Have you decided where you’re going to school this fall?”
“I put in my application for George Mason yesterday.”
“You’re staying in Virginia?”
“That’s my plan,” she said. A touch of insecurity crept into her voice. “Is that okay with you?”
“It’s more than okay with me.” Though he wanted to ask what would happen after she finished college, he swallowed the question. Instead, he lowered his lips to hers once more and let himself enjoy the moment.
Chapter 29
Kari heard the doorbell ring and tried to drum up some enthusiasm about Lauren’s visit. She had spent the past several hours helping Maya finish cleaning the house to get ready for Lauren’s arrival, which hadn’t left them much time to spend with the guys.
She reminded herself that Lauren had been a good friend her freshman year. When Kari walked down the stairs, she discovered Maya had beaten her to the door. Lauren rushed in and gave Maya a hug.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you!” She turned to Kari. “And, Kari, how are you?”
Before Kari could answer, she was trapped in a hard embrace. How the shorter girl could have such strength in her slender arms was beyond her. Recognizing Lauren’s “how are you” question as just a greeting, Kari said, “Lauren, you look fabulous. New York must be agreeing with you.”
“Thanks.” She brushed her light-brown hair over her shoulder. “My internship has been so much fun, and, of course, there’s nothing like the nightlife in the city.”
Maya pulled the door closed. “Let me show you to your room, and then we can all catch up over lunch.”
“Sounds good.” Before she followed Maya toward the stairs, Lauren added, “Oh, I almost forgot. Kari, I brought you a present. It’s outside.”
“You did?”
Lauren waved toward the door. “Go out and you’ll see.”
Suddenly wary, Kari looked over at Maya, who gave her an I-have-no-idea look. As the other two continued up the stairs, Kari opened the door and walked outside. She closed the door to keep the heat out and only managed to take three steps before she saw Lauren’s gift was the one person she didn’t want to see.
Slightly taller than her, his dark hair perfectly styled, Austin rushed forward even as she turned to go back inside. “Kari, wait.”
She reached for the door, but he anticipated the action and positioned himself between her and the house. With no choice but to face him, Kari spoke with frost in her voice despite the ninety-degree weather. “I can’t think of any reason for you to be here.”
“I’m sorry to show up like this, but you have to let me explain.”
“Explain what? That you were cheating on your fiancée with me?”
“It wasn’t like that. Deb and I agreed to see other people while she was gone. We wanted to make sure we really did love each other enough to get married.”
“And yet you never mentioned to me that you were in love with someone else.”
“That’s just it. When I started going out with you, I realized I wasn’t in love
with her, not really.” His brown eyes bore down into hers. “You were the one I wanted to be with.”
She folded her arms across her chest and let herself remember the embarrassment and hurt that had cut through her when she’d learned the truth. “I’m afraid it’s a little late for that now.”
“Kari, please give me another chance. I’ve been miserable without you.”
“Let me get this straight. You deceived me, your father pulled my internship from me, and now, because you’re miserable, I should just fall in line and take you back?” She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
“I can understand you being mad, but my dad and I didn’t have anything to do with your internship falling through. That just happened.”
“You know, Austin, it doesn’t matter.” Kari threw her arms up and let them fall to her side. “I’ve moved on. I hope you can do the same.”
He edged forward. “What if I don’t want to move on? What if I want another chance to make this up to you?”
“There is nothing to make up to me,” Kari said. “Not anymore.”
“I don’t understand.”
“The truth is I’m involved with someone else. Looking back, I realize I didn’t really know you when we were dating, and I know now that we never had a future together.”
He stared at her as though trying to determine if she was telling him the truth. “I guess all I can do, then, is wish you the best.”
Kari motioned toward the door. “Would you mind letting me into the house now?”
He moved to the side but not enough to let her pass. “There is one more thing I needed to ask you.”
She crossed her arms again. “What’s that?”
“Since you’ve obviously moved on, would you call Vanderbilt and drop the grievance? It’s caused my father’s ethics to be called into question, and I don’t want him to suffer because of our misunderstanding.”
“I see.” Now she did see. He didn’t really have any interest in her. He was here for a purpose, and she was the means to an end. Because all she wanted was for this conversation to end, she said, “I’ll think about it.”
Austin moved aside, and she reached for the door. Before she could open it, his fingers curled around her arm. An edge came into his voice when he said, “Don’t think too long.”
Chance for Home Page 17