by Pamela Bauer
She nodded. “A couple of people at work had it earlier this week. Maddie gave me some over-the-counter tablets this morning that seem to have helped.”
Garret walked over to the sink, where she stood arranging the flowers. “Sometimes over-the-counter works just as well as anything I could prescribe. Are you feverish?”
“I don’t think so.”
He pressed the back of his fingers to her cheek. “You’re warm. You shouldn’t be out of bed.”
“I know, but I hate staying in bed on a day off. I’m going crazy cooped up in my room.”
“I know the feeling,” Dylan piped up.
“And I’m hungry,” she added.
“You’re welcome to have some of my dinner,” Dylan spoke up. “Jennifer sent over a hot dish. It’s in the oven.”
She smiled gratefully. “Thanks, but I think maybe I should just go back to bed. You don’t need my germs around while you eat.”
Garret continued to stare at her. “I can bring your dinner upstairs to you.”
“I can’t let you do that,” Krystal told him, oblivious to the signals Garret was sending her. “You put in all those long hours in at the hospital. You don’t need to wait on me during what little time off you have.”
“We could get Jason to take a tray up to her,” Dylan suggested, which had his brother shooting a nasty glance his way. “I’d offer, but as you can see—” he gestured to his sling “—I’m short one hand.”
“Please. I don’t need anyone waiting on me,” Krystal insisted then promptly sneezed. “Oh! Excuse me.”
“You really should be in bed,” Garret repeated.
“All right, but first I have to finish arranging these lovely flowers. It would be a shame to see them wilt after Dylan walked through all that snow for them.” She put the final stem in the vase, then wiped off the bottom with a paper towel. Then she looked at Dylan and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll put them in a place where they’re sure to be noticed.”
She padded out of the room, carrying the vase.
As soon as she was gone, Garret confronted him. “You didn’t waste any time, did you?”
Dylan straightened in his chair. “What are you talking about?”
“Hitting on Krystal.”
He patted the chair next to him. “Quit looking like a bull ready to charge a red flag and sit down. I’m not hitting on Krystal.”
“I suppose the flowers were to cheer her up because she’s not feeling well,” he said on a sneer.
“The flowers weren’t for her. I bought them for Maddie, only she’s gone, so Krystal offered to put them in water,” Dylan explained.
If he’d expected Garret to be appeased, he was wrong. “Maddie? Why are you giving her flowers?” he asked, his eyes narrowing to even tinier slits.
“Maybe because she’s been nursing me for the past two days,” he answered, not wanting to admit the true reason. If he did, he knew Garret would have reminded him of Jeffrey’s existence. He didn’t need the reminder. “They’re simply a thank-you.”
His words didn’t chase the suspicion from Garret’s face, but his brother did sit down at the table. “Where is Maddie anyway?”
“Over at her boyfriend’s.”
That finally seemed to placate Garret.
“You want to stay for dinner?” he offered. “There’s more than enough.”
Garret shrugged. “Sure. You could probably use an extra pair of hands.”
“And you can make sure that Krystal gets dinner in her room,” Dylan said with a sly smile.
He tried to look innocent but failed. “I can take a tray to her.”
“You’ll make the sacrifice, eh?” Dylan said dryly. “Hey—what’s with this, little brother? I’ve been home almost a week and I need Shane to tell me that you’ve had your eye on her? Why didn’t you just say something that day we had lunch at the hospital?”
“Because I haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell of getting her to look twice at me. Do you know what kind of guys she dates? Those guys who spend more time at the gym than they do at work and have arms the size of my head. She’s not interested in a tired and wimpy resident whose idea of a good time is eight hours of sleep.”
“You’re not wimpy,” Dylan argued. It was true that of the four brothers, Garret had the slightest build, but he was in no way a weakling.
“You, Jason and Shane all have Dad’s physique. I had to take after Mom’s side,” he said on a note of disgust.
“Yeah, the ones with all the brains,” Dylan reminded him. “None of Dad’s relatives are doctors. And what makes you think Krystal doesn’t value brains over brawn?”
He gave him a look that said, Are you kidding? “Have you talked to her at all?”
“No, but maybe you should. If you want her, go after her,” Dylan urged him. “If you want some advice, I’d be happy to—”
He cut him off. “Just forget it. I don’t need my big brother helping me get a woman.”
Just then the timer rang. “That’s dinner.” Dylan raised his arm in the sling. “I’m at your mercy.”
That brought a smile to his brother’s face. “If you think you are now, wait until I help you with your exercises.”
Dylan liked the easy camaraderie that followed. It reminded him of what life had been like when they’d been kids and on kitchen duty together. Jason didn’t come home for dinner, but he did return about the same time that Shane stopped over. When it looked as if Jason was about to bolt rather than listen to his brothers try to convince him to stay in school, Dylan suggested the four of them play cards.
To his surprise, they all agreed to a friendly game of poker. One of the ground rules was that there be no discussion of any issues that might cause a difference of opinion. It was the first time Dylan had had a chance to enjoy the company of his brothers as adults, and he found he liked the experience.
By the time Shane and Garret left, it was after midnight and Maddie still wasn’t home. Dylan sat up watching music videos with Jason, waiting to hear the sound of her pickup in the alley.
When his youngest brother went to bed and she still wasn’t home, he accepted that she was spending the night with Jeffrey. As he lay awake on his makeshift bed, he chastised himself. What had he thought? That just because they were friends and they had a nonserious, companionable relationship that she didn’t share a bed with him?
The truth was he’d hoped that was the case. He punched his pillow and tried not to think about her with another man.
Moments later, he heard a key in the lock, followed by a door opening and closing. Then footsteps on the stairs. So she hadn’t spent the night with Jeffrey after all. A smile spread across his face and he closed his eyes.
MADDIE WOKE Sunday morning determined to act as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened to her yesterday. She’d pretend Dylan hadn’t kissed her, that he hadn’t left her the biggest and most beautiful bouquet of flowers she’d ever received and that she felt no different toward him today than she had last week.
Only it wasn’t easy to do, not when the first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was the bouquet of flowers. He’d left no card. If it hadn’t been for the note Krystal had put next to the vase, Maddie wouldn’t have known who had left them.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true. When she’d seen the flowers sitting on her nightstand, she’d had a funny sensation in her stomach. And when she’d looked among the flowers for a card and found none, she’d known they weren’t from Jeffrey. He always included a poem when he sent her flowers. There was no poem, only a long slender stick protruding from the vase with “You’re Someone Special” written in blue across the top.
Then she’d found Krystal’s note. “So the kiss didn’t mean anything, huh? He walked to the florist to get these for you. Lucky you. K.”
Maddie didn’t feel lucky at all. She felt confused. She’d gone to see Jeffrey with the hope that being with him would have its usual calming effect. But he’d seemed a bit on edge becau
se she’d come on a night when he’d planned to work. She’d cooked him dinner, then finished the Eleanor Roosevelt biography while he’d immersed himself in his research. She frowned at the memory.
It was no wonder her neck was stiff this morning. She’d fallen asleep on his couch and he hadn’t bothered to wake her until he’d finished working. If she’d known she’d spend the evening alone on his sofa, she could have gone home after dinner.
Only then she would have had to see Dylan. Dylan, who never missed an opportunity to tell her how much he wanted to be with her. Dylan, who could make her tingle by simply looking at her. Dylan, who’d walked all the way to the florist to get her the flowers.
She’d always taken great pride in not letting her emotions get the better of her, yet this morning she felt as if she had very little control over herself.
She only hoped that she could get downstairs to the shower without having to see him. Once she was dressed, she’d go to church, stay for coffee and donuts, and maybe even stop by to see her friend Natalie on the way home. Jennifer and Shane were picking Leonie up at the airport at two. It would be much easier to face Dylan in a room full of people than one-on-one in the hallway.
She tiptoed down the stairs with her towel and shampoo in her hands. She wanted to peek to see if he was still asleep, but didn’t think she should take the risk of being noticed. When she reached the bathroom without bumping into him, she breathed a sigh of relief.
Showering as quickly as possible, she wrapped a towel around her head, pulled her robe back on and opened the door. No one was in the hallway and the house was quiet. She returned to her room to dress for church. She was just about to pull on her full-length coat when there was knock on her door. To her relief, it was Krystal.
“You going to church?”
“Yes. How are you feeling this morning?” she asked, buttoning her coat.
“Better. My head’s still stuffy but at least I don’t ache all over.” She looked past Maddie’s shoulder into the room. “How did you like the flowers?”
“They’re lovely,” she answered honestly.
“I thought so, too. Did you have fun last night?”
“Yes, I always enjoy myself when I’m with Jeffrey.” She told the white lie, not wanting to get into a discussion about her love life. “I’d better go or I’m going to be late. Do you have everything you need? I can stop at the drugstore if you want me to get you more flu pills.”
“No, I’m good. I’ll see you when you get back.”
Maddie nodded, then started for the stairs, pausing to ask, “Do you feel well enough to make lunch?”
“Sure, but Maddie, that’s not the answer.”
She feigned innocence. “Answer to what?”
“You’re going to have to face Dylan sooner or later,” the younger woman warned.
“I know. I just prefer it to be later,” she said, then started down the stairs.
Maddie used the side entrance, which meant she could leave without having to go through Leonie’s living quarters. The sun was shining, the air bitterly cold as she unlocked her pickup and climbed inside. To her horror, the inside dome light was on.
She inserted the key in the ignition only to hear a sickening grinding sound when she tried to start the engine. She groaned, angry at herself for not noticing the light was on when she’d come home.
She got out of the pickup and headed back up the walk to the house. Before she could reach the door, she saw Dylan. He had on his leather jacket, but no gloves or hat.
“Having trouble?” he asked.
She rattled her keys. “Truck won’t start. I think the battery has run down.”
“I can give you a jump. There are booster cables in the garage.” He looked at her inquisitively, waiting for either a yes or a no to his offer.
She knew it would be silly to refuse. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“I don’t mind.” He stepped around her and headed toward the pickup. “We’ll use Mom’s car to get yours started. I’ll move it next to your truck.”
She followed him. “I thought you weren’t supposed to drive?”
“It won’t hurt me to back the car out of the garage and pull it alongside yours,” he insisted. He reached into his pocket. “Good thing I brought the keys.”
Concerned about his shoulder, she said, “Maybe I should pull the car out.”
“I can do it,” he stated confidently, then opened the garage door.
To Maddie’s relief, he had no problem, and in only a few minutes he’d hooked up the booster cables between Leonie’s car and her truck.
“You’re all set,” he told when her pickup was running.
“Thank you. I’m on my way to church.” She didn’t know why she said that. She didn’t owe him any explanations.
“Now you can get there.”
“Yes.” She knew she needed to say something about the flowers. “Thank you, too, for the flowers. They’re lovely.”
“I’m glad you like them. Did you have a nice time last night?”
She didn’t miss the way he emphasized “nice,” as if to equate it with dull. “It was very nice, thank you. And you?” She thought it was a little absurd how they were talking to each other as if they were polite strangers.
“Shane and Garret came over. We all played cards—even Jason. We had a good time. All got along. No fighting.” A hint of a smile curved his lips, as if he were proud of the accomplishment.
“Good. I’m sure your Mom will be happy to hear that.” She glanced at her watch. “I’d better get going or I’m going to be late.”
He nodded in understanding. “I’ll see you later?”
“Sure. Thanks again…for the jump.”
She climbed into the truck and backed out of the driveway, thinking how silly it had been for to her to spend so much energy fretting over seeing him again. He hadn’t said a word about their kiss. He had treated her as if she were simply a woman renting a room from his mother.
She should have been relieved, but she wasn’t. She was disappointed. And she knew the reason why. She liked being with him. He wasn’t just someone who made her heart beat a little faster. He was a nice guy, and that was something she knew could be more dangerous than good looks.
CHAPTER NINE
Dear Leonie: I don’t want to hurt my boyfriend, but I met this guy who wants to take me out for dinner—no strings attached. He’s only in town for a few weeks and my boyfriend and I have always agreed that it’s okay to see other people casually, but I’m feeling a bit guilty about seeing this guy. What should I do?
Signed: Needing permission
Leonie says: If you’re feeling guilty, this is more than a casual dinner. Be honest with your boyfriend.
DYLAN SUSPECTED THE REASON Maddie stayed away from the house most of Sunday was to avoid seeing him. Late in the afternoon she put in a brief appearance to welcome his mother home from her trip, but it wasn’t long before she was once more driving away in her pickup. Dylan wondered if she was going to meet Jeffrey.
Later that evening Krystal noticed his preoccupation with looking out the back window toward the alley. “Awfully interested in what’s happening—or maybe I should say what’s not happening—in the back, aren’t you?”
“Garret said he might stop by,” he told her as he let the curtain fall back into place.
“Really? Then you’re not looking for Maddie?”
“Has she been gone?” he asked innocently.
“As if you didn’t notice.” She leaned up against the counter and watched him move restlessly about the kitchen. “In case you’re wondering, she’s not with Jeffrey.”
He shot a dubious glance her way. “What makes you think she’s not?”
She gave him a mischievous grin. “This.” She reached into her pocket, pulled out a slip of paper and dangled it in midair. “He called looking for her earlier this evening and we had a nice little chat.”
“Then he doesn’t know where she is, either?”
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“No. He did tell me—”
Before Krystal could finish what she about to say, they were interrupted by Jason, who looked anxious to talk to his brother.
“You didn’t say anything to Mom about California, did you?” He kept his voice low, as if fearing his mother would come into the room.
“It’s not my place to tell her anything, Jason. You’re an adult, responsible for your own life,” Dylan told him.
“Yeah, I am. I wish you’d tell that to Shane.” He opened the refrigerator and got a soda.
“He’s just worried about you.” Krystal spoke up on Shane’s behalf. “You’re lucky. Not everyone has three big brothers looking out for him.”
Dylan could see that Jason didn’t regard his older siblings as being his good fortune in life. “So what are your plans?” he asked his brother.
Jason shrugged. “Mom won’t let me take Dad’s car back to school because she thinks you need it.” There was no mistaking the hostility in his tone.
“I do need a car. Once I get this sling off, I’m going to have to drive myself to physical therapy on a regular basis, but that doesn’t mean I couldn’t get a rental car to use while I’m here.” Dylan told him.
His face brightened. “You’d do that?”
“Sure, but it might take me a day or two to make the arrangements.”
“That’s okay. I can wait a week before leaving,” he said. “Do you think you could talk to Shane, too. He’s been giving me a hard time over all of this.”
“I’m not sure there’s anything I can say that will change his mind. He feels very strongly that you should stay in school.”
“Well, it’s not his decision to make.” Once more the defensiveness was in his voice.
Dylan held up his hands. “I didn’t say it was, but no matter what you decide, you need to discuss it with Mom,” he stated evenly. “You owe her that much since she’s been paying the bills for you to go to school.”
“I know, and I will,” he said a bit impatiently. “I need some time to figure it all out.”