Guy Next Door (9781460341179)

by Tippens, Missy

  They flipped off the lights and locked up. Bryan walked Darcy to her car.

  “It really is good to see you again,” he said. “I hate that I haven’t been home in so long.”

  “I imagine you’ve been really busy.”

  He crossed his arms and leaned against her car, feet crossed at the ankle, as well. A pose she remembered well. Only back then he appeared to do it nervously. Now he looked confident and relaxed.

  “I have been traveling a lot,” he said, angling toward Darcy, leaning closer. “But I should never get too busy to come see my friends.”

  Was he flirting? For some reason, her face grew hot. Surely, he didn’t think she was flirting with him. Especially after their conversation inside. “I’m sure your mom and sister are glad to see you.”

  “Yes. They’re glad you called me. I’m glad, too.”

  This was getting way too personal. “I appreciate the donation. You can bring those items with you on Saturday. And if you’d like, I can give you a receipt for your taxes.”

  “Sounds good.”

  She reached for the door handle, hoping he would move so she could leave before she embarrassed herself further.

  He didn’t budge. “Actually, I was hoping you would go out with me sometime while I’m here. That is, if you’re not dating Luke or anyone else.”

  She nearly gasped. He had been flirting. “No, I’m not dating anyone. The thing with Luke, well, it’s a little complicated. I can’t lie about that. I’ve recently realized I may, um, have feelings for him.”

  “I understand. I’d like a chance to change those feelings.”

  She nearly swallowed her tongue. Managed to nod.

  “How about tomorrow night?”

  She couldn’t go out with Bryan. Could she? “Well, um…I, uh, work tomorrow night at the mall. Friday night, too. I’m sorry.”

  “Saturday, then? After we finish setting up?”

  Luke’s words, telling her she needed to date and find someone nice, hammered through her mind. That, and the horrified expression on his face as he pulled away from their kiss.

  This was a nice, talented, generous man standing here in front of her, looking at her as if he was genuinely interested. She’d be crazy to say no.

  Besides, it could be one step in gaining her freedom. Freedom from the hold Luke had on her. “Okay, sure.”

  A slow, sweet smile slid across his face, and his emerald eyes lit. “I’ve wanted to hear you say you’d go out with me since high school. Even summers during college. Just never had the nerve to ask you. I look forward to it.”

  He opened her door and helped her inside. Polite, solicitous, successful…and cute. Someone even Luke would approve of.

  Darcy truly did need to get out and enjoy life. This would be good for her, would help take her mind off what she couldn’t have.

  She’d have to do a lot of work on her attitude, though. Because despite Bryan’s attributes, all she could think about was what if, instead of Bryan, Luke had asked her out?

  * * *

  “I’m admitting Mrs. Hunt to the ICU,” the emergency room doctor said.

  Luke’s heart sank. “I thought it was the stomach flu. She’s had intestinal symptoms, now fever, aches and chills.”

  “Yeah,” Burt said. “That’s what Grace’s doctor told Luke yesterday.”

  “I suspect food poisoning and am afraid the infection may have spread. Appears to be some kidney involvement. We need to run more tests, get her stabilized. Why don’t you two go up to the ICU waiting room until we get her settled?”

  Ice ran through Luke’s veins as he and his dad took the elevator to the second floor in silence. The small waiting room walls were lined with chairs littered with discarded newspapers and magazines. A utilitarian room that didn’t offer much comfort to worried family members. A woman sat in the corner reading a book and barely gave them a glance as they entered.

  Luke paced the floor, wishing he could call Darcy. She’d understand the medical jargon, might be able to tell them more about what was going on.

  While Luke paced, his dad sat stoically, looking shell-shocked.

  Please, Lord. Dad can’t take more loss.

  Word of Granny’s arrival in the ICU didn’t take long. He and Burt headed to her glassed-in room at the perimeter of the nurses’ station. She was either sleeping or nonresponsive and looked frighteningly sick with her pale, clammy skin, hooked up to an IV and machines that beeped and whooshed.

  Fear clawed at his insides. He reached for his phone and clicked on the one name he knew he could count on.

  “Hello?” Darcy said.

  “Granny’s been admitted to the ICU.”

  A sharp intake of breath sounded on the line. “I’m on my way up.”

  He’d forgotten she would be at the hospital working. They’d had a rough night with Granny, and he’d lost track of time. At the moment, he was grateful to know Darcy was nearby.

  Arriving a few minutes later, she slipped in the door.

  Burt stood and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to grab some coffee and meet Noreen in the lobby.” He’d been wild-eyed since they came in the room. Though he’d been with Luke’s mom every minute of her illness, it had taken its toll. Burt didn’t do hospitals well.

  Once he left, Darcy scooted two chairs beside the bed and made Luke sit, then sat beside him. “Tell me what you know.”

  “She doesn’t have the stomach flu. More likely food poisoning, and the infection has spread. Kidneys may be involved. They need to run tests.”

  “I checked before I came up here,” she said. “They sent some cultures to the lab, including blood cultures. If anything grows, I’ll be the first to know.”

  “So they think it could be in her blood? That’s really serious, isn’t it?”

  “I’m sure they’re following protocol. They’ll look for anything and everything.”

  Luke could depend on her to keep him informed. And to do her job well. “I remember how frustrated you were to be a student when your dad was so sick, then got pneumonia. You felt you had no way of helping. Now here you are, in the right place at the right time to help Granny.”

  “It’s the part of my job I love best.” She stood and felt Grace’s forehead, smoothed back her hair. “She’s still feverish.”

  He got up and slid an arm around Darcy’s waist. Took hold of Granny’s soft hand, running his thumb over knuckles that felt dry, probably from dehydration.

  Darcy’s hands rested on the bed rail, clamped together so tightly her fingers were white at the knuckles. He worked his way between her hands so that he could take hold of one. “I’m encouraged, knowing you’re watching out for her.”

  “I’ll do everything I can on my end.”

  Having her nearby warmed the iciness that had rushed through his veins the moment the doctor had mentioned the ICU. “This sounds crazy, but I wish now I hadn’t mentioned to her that I’d asked Dad to move.”

  “How did she react when you told her?”

  “Said she wished I’d move back here, but then she was typical Granny, being supportive, telling me I could succeed on my own.”

  Smiling, Darcy smoothed the pillow beside his grandmother’s head. “She loves you so much that you could do just about anything, and she’d think it was wonderful.” She glanced at him over her shoulder. “So what did Burt say?”

  “Said he wouldn’t move, wouldn’t want to start over in my practice.”

  Gazing at him in the semidarkness, her irises appeared nearly black. “Were you honestly surprised?”

  “Actually, I was. Of course, I formed my plan when he was depressed and talking of moving. Noreen in the picture has changed his outlook.”

  She turned back to watch Grace.

  He di
d the same, quiet, comfortable.

  “I’m sorry I avoided you this week,” she whispered. “Except for calling you after the robbery, of course.”

  Glad they could talk, could be friends again, he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “I understand. I’m glad you showed up today. You didn’t have to.”

  “Yes, I did. I love Grace, too.”

  She’d come purely out of concern for his grandmother. And maybe to support him as well, loyal to the core.

  He was blessed to have a friend like Darcy.

  Friends who kissed like they had?

  The thought, unbidden, wouldn’t leave his head, especially with her standing so close.

  He stepped away, looking out at the nurses’ station. Through the glass, Luke spotted Burt, Noreen and their pastor approaching.

  “I need to go down to the lab,” Darcy said. “I’ll let you know if the cultures grow anything.”

  “Thanks. I’m glad to know you have my back.”

  After the mistake at the lake, Luke was glad they were once again on friendly terms. With Granny so sick, he needed that now more than ever.

  * * *

  The next day, Darcy and her coworker Lois checked Grace’s cultures in the morning and again in the afternoon.

  Nothing. No pathogens, nothing suspicious.

  Helpless, Darcy had asked Lois to check one more time later in the day and to call if she discovered anything.

  Darcy prayed for Grace as she cleaned the dark surface of the work area, the familiar smell of the bleach solution burning her nostrils.

  Once she discarded her lab coat and vinyl gloves, she washed her hands. Time to drive to Glitzy Glenda’s for her shift there.

  “Darcy, come look,” Lois called from the back of the room.

  “What is it?”

  “I did another check of Mrs. Hunt’s blood cultures like you asked and thought one bottle looked suspicious. I did a Gram’s stain and found something strange.”

  Oh, no. Grace had been in the hospital for over twenty-four hours, and Darcy had hoped that by now they would have had at least a preliminary identification of the cause of her infection. But she certainly hadn’t wanted to find the organism in Grace’s blood.

  Darcy hurried to the back of the lab where two microscopes were set up. Lois’s big brown eyes shone with concern as she moved out of the chair and Darcy took her place. Peering into the eyepiece, she fine-tuned the focus to examine the stained slide.

  She gasped when she discovered Lois had found something all right. “She has septicemia. The infection has gotten in her blood.”

  “Yeah. What is that organism, though?”

  The bacteria was unusual. Darcy moved the slide to look at different areas. Something about the view under the microscope nagged at her, looked vaguely familiar…

  “Oh, my goodness. Could it be?”

  “You think you’ve seen this before?”

  “Yeah, an organism on my final exam in Bacteriology class looked like this.” Had Grace eaten tainted food? “This may be Listeria.” Darcy’s stomach twisted as she thought of the how the bacteria could kill those with weakened immune systems, could kill the elderly. Grace qualified in both cases.

  “Listeria? We don’t have the necessary equipment to identify that here.”

  “We’ll have to send it off to the state reference lab.” The thought made her sick at heart. Now they’d have to wait to identify the organism. “I’ll call the results.”

  While Darcy pulled up Grace’s specimen record on the computer, she jotted the results on paper. She might not be able to confirm anything, but the least she could do was tell the doc her suspicions, so he could make sure he was treating for the bacteria, just in case.

  Darcy located the name of the physician and had him paged. She didn’t have to wait long. When the doctor called the lab, she filled him in on their discovery, giving only the facts.

  “Any idea what it could be?” he asked.

  “All I can tell you officially is what I saw on the stain. Honestly, the organism looks familiar. Like something I identified in class.”

  “Tell me your suspicions.”

  Her heart pounded in her ears. What if she was wrong? “I can’t say for sure, but it reminds me of Listeria.”

  He whistled. “You know, that would fit the history and symptoms. When can you have confirmation?”

  She let out a pent-up breath. “We don’t have the capability in a lab this size to identify the bacteria. Have to send it to the state, and that usually takes a while.”

  “Then I’ll make sure Mrs. Hunt’s antibiotic is effective against Listeria. If not, I’ll add something that will be. At this point, I’m ready to try anything.”

  What if her guess was way off and it turned out to be some other strange organism? If only she could give him more information.

  Listeria did have one unique characteristic, though. “You know, I might be able to rig up a test to give us more on the tentative identification. Unofficial, of course.”

  “Mrs. Hunt isn’t improving, so anything you can do would help.”

  Darcy hung up the phone, stowed her purse and slipped back into her lab coat and gloves.

  “What’d the doc say?” Lois asked.

  “He’s going to treat her for Listeria. I’m going to see if I can come up with a test similar to one I used on my exam.”

  Lois grinned. “Great idea. But won’t you be late for your mall job?”

  Her boss wouldn’t be happy, but the hospital took priority. The results could be critical. “This won’t take me long. My manager will have to wait.”

  Darcy set up the makeshift test and then rushed out of the hospital. On the way to the car, she tried to call Luke to give him the news but got no answer. She sent him a text telling him his granny’s cultures were positive and he could call or talk to the doctor.

  When Darcy arrived at Glitzy Glenda’s, her boss was at the shop entrance with her purse on her shoulder, ready to fly out the door.

  “I’m sorry Mrs. Johnson. I had to set up a test for a very ill patient.”

  “This store depends on you, too. I’m sorry, but I’m putting you on warning for this tardiness and for calling in sick at the last minute.”

  “I understand.” At the moment, Darcy didn’t care. With Grace’s health, Darcy had bigger things to worry about than a verbal warning. She would do whatever it took to help Grace, even if it meant losing this job.

  Clocking in at the cash register, her heart ached for Luke and Burt. How could they handle something happening to Grace?

  With God’s help. That was the only way to make it through times of struggle. Something Darcy needed to remember.

  Lord, help me depend only on You. And please watch over Grace, heal her of this infection.

  About an hour into Darcy’s Friday night shift, the pre-teen and teen customers began to arrive in droves, distracting Darcy from repeatedly checking her phone for messages from Luke. She even had pretty decent sales after trying Chloe’s tip to wear the jewelry herself. The move led to purchases, especially of the items she was wearing. She could only hope the sales success could help save her job.

  A half hour before closing, the pretty redhead showed up wearing her pink pearls. With a new set of friends.

  “Hi,” the girl said shyly, her face radiating happiness.

  A deep sense of satisfaction made Darcy feel like a proud big sister. “How’s it going?”

  “Great.” Her eyes sparkled, and she appeared more relaxed than on previous visits.

  “Are you enjoying your necklace?”

  “I love it. Wore it to school today and got lots of compliments.”

  Darcy nodded as she straightened a stack of wallets. “I’m glad.”

 
“Actually, I came to thank you.” Her fair cheeks turned pink.

  “For what?”

  “For encouraging me to meet some new, nice friends.” She gestured toward two girls who were across the store looking at belts.

  Pleased, Darcy gave a thumbs-up. “I’m really happy for you.”

  “I’m just glad you were brave enough to basically do an intervention for an unhappy stranger.” She grinned and blinked away tears.

  “Brave? Oh, I don’t think—”

  “You didn’t have to say anything to me. You could have ignored all of us. Or just tried to sell your purses and jewelry.”

  With a tentative smile, Darcy said, “I have to admit that’s what I did the first time you were here.”

  “You didn’t the next time, though. You said something, and it’s changed my life. Thank you.”

  Yet Darcy couldn’t have made that difference if Luke hadn’t urged her to step up. “Thanks. Good luck to you.”

  Darcy felt like a fake. She was anything but brave. She wouldn’t have even spoken to the girl without Luke’s encouragement, and she often acted out of fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of being unable to support herself. Fear of never being loved the way she wanted to be loved.

  She hadn’t had the nerve to tell Luke her true feelings the whole time she was growing up, not until years after the fact.

  And now? No way could she reveal that the crush had returned with a vengeance, that she’d poured her heart into their kiss. No, she was no role model. She’d been a flat-out coward where Luke was concerned.

  Could she change that? Should she? Or were some things better left unsaid—especially when the heart was involved?

  Chapter Eleven

  “And thanks to Darcy O’Malley from the lab, we have at least a guess as to what’s causing Mrs. Hunt’s infection.” The doctor stood at the foot of Granny’s bed, flipping through the chart.

  Darcy had information on Granny? Glancing at his phone, Luke found an unread text message from Darcy. He also had a missed call.