“Do you know she hasn’t even set foot in here since that day she caught me here with you and found out I was buying it? Wouldn’t you think she’d be at least a little curious?”
“On her rational days, I’m sure she would be, but she’s pregnant. I don’t know how many of those days there are,” Connor said, regarding him with sympathy.
Noah looked around at the open, airy space with its gleaming hardwood floors, big windows and dream kitchen, every top-of-the-line detail chosen by Mick, whose expertise was undeniable.
It was a great starter house for a new family, with a huge fenced-in backyard and close to the town green. Noah had planned to show it to Caitlyn right after the renovations had been completed. He’d hoped she’d begin to see the possibilities for the future they could build together in a place he knew she loved. Their child could grow up surrounded by family. Now he had to wonder if she’d ever set foot inside.
“You sprang it on her,” Connor reminded him.
Noah nodded. “Obviously a bad idea. I should have mentioned it before we ever drove down here that day, instead of letting her catch us here like I was trying to put something over on her. Maybe that’s forever tainted her view of this house.”
“Too late now to rethink that,” Connor said. “If it’s any comfort, I was a really slow learner about this stuff myself. I finally figured out that women may love surprises, but that doesn’t extend to anything that implies you’ve made a big decision without them.” He gave Noah a sympathetic look. “Did you know that I bought a house for Heather before she’d said yes to marrying me?”
Noah shook his head.
“Big mistake,” Connor told him. “She wanted to buy the house herself, so she was furious that I’d stolen her dream house out from under her. It took a very long time for her to believe Driftwood Cottage was hers with no strings attached. Thank goodness she finally accepted that my motives were pure—at least mostly pure—and married me despite my boneheaded mishandling of the situation.”
“So, what am I supposed to do now?” Noah asked. “My medical practice is here. I’m living upstairs. Should I ditch it and start over?”
“That would be a crying shame,” Connor said. “You couldn’t find a better place than this. It’s one of Dad’s original houses in the town.”
“Well, what, then?” Noah asked in frustration.
“In our family we’re big fans of groveling,” Connor said, looking entirely too happy about the prospect of watching Noah do just that. “The men have had to do it a lot. It comes with the territory. We’re stubborn and impulsive and we spend a lot of time trying to make up for our mistakes.”
Noah laughed, despite the sour mood he’d been in ever since returning from his latest visit to Cait.
“You’re laughing, but I’m serious,” Connor said. “The big romantic gesture is another favorite. Figure out what Caitlyn wants more than anything else in the world, then prove you understand by getting it for her.”
Noah absorbed Connor’s advice and realized he’d just been given the best clue he was ever likely to get. From here on out, he was pretty sure he knew exactly what to do to ensure the future he wanted, one that would make both of them happy. What he couldn’t figure out was why it had taken him so long to see it, when the clues had been there all along.
* * *
When Caitlyn hadn’t heard from Noah in days and he continued to ignore her messages, she swallowed her pride and went in search of Jill Marshall for a heart-to-heart talk. She needed an outsider’s objective perspective. She sighed. No, what she really needed was advice from the one person on staff who Noah had always considered to be a friend.
“Do you have time for coffee?” she asked Jill.
The nurse regarded her with surprise. “Something the matter? Is Noah okay?”
It was telling that Jill immediately assumed that she was only talking to her because there was a problem with Noah.
“He’s fine. At least, I guess he is. I think I upset him the last time he was here, and now he’s not speaking to me.”
Jill regarded her with immediate sympathy. “Give me five minutes to finish up this chart and I’ll meet you in the cafeteria,” she said, then added, “I take my coffee with cream and a lot of sugar.”
“Thank you,” Caitlyn said. “I’ll have it ready.”
She found a table with some privacy. Though there were always people around, most of those nearby were patient family members, rather than hospital staff.
When Jill finally joined her, she sat down with a sigh. “Boy, is it good to be off my feet for a few minutes.” She studied Caitlyn with concern. “You must feel that way, too. You’re not pushing yourself too hard, are you?”
“I’m fine,” Caitlyn assured her.
“How much longer before the baby’s due?”
“Sometime between Christmas and New Year’s,” Caitlyn replied. “I can’t wait.”
“Is that because you’re eager for the baby or because you’re tired of being pregnant?” Jill asked.
“A little of both,” Caitlyn told her.
“Well, I know Noah’s on top of the world. He can’t wait for the baby to get here,” Jill said.
Caitlyn thought she heard a chiding note in the woman’s voice, but she let it pass. She’d probably deserved it.
“Look, I know how you feel about Noah and how close he is to you,” she began.
“Out of all the medical students, interns and residents who’ve come through here over the years, he’s one of the best,” Jill confirmed. “They all have a place in my heart, but Noah’s something special.”
“I agree,” Caitlyn said softly, unable to stop her eyes from filling with tears. “And I am so afraid I’m going to blow things with him. He’s tried so hard to be patient, but I know he’s tired of waiting for me to come to a decision.”
“Then why haven’t you made one?” Jill asked bluntly. “If you don’t mind my saying so, he doesn’t deserve to be jerked around the way you’ve been doing.”
Oddly, Caitlyn found the direct talk reassuring. She needed to speak to someone who wouldn’t pull punches. Better yet, she needed that from someone who wasn’t an O’Brien.
“I know that,” she told Jill. “I just don’t want to make a huge mistake. On my sane days, I know I should have figured this out months ago. I love Noah with all my heart.”
Jill looked dismayed. “Then why would you believe that marrying him would be a mistake? Half the women on staff would be smart enough to jump at the chance.” She leveled a look into Caitlyn’s eyes. “I’ve told him that, too, but he wants you. That makes you incredibly lucky in my book.”
“Mine, too.”
“Then say yes,” Jill said as if it were a simple decision.
“What if I get it wrong? I could wind up breaking his heart.”
“He seems willing to take that chance,” Jill reminded her. “He believes in the two of you. A word of caution, though,” she added. “Even a man as patient as Noah won’t remain in limbo forever. And there will always be women around who’ll be eager to jump in and console him, even in a town as small as Chesapeake Shores.”
Caitlyn frowned at that. “Have you heard something?” she asked, even though she doubted any rumors floating around in Chesapeake Shores would have reached Baltimore.
“Of course not,” Jill said with a touch of exasperation. “He’s in love with you. I’m just warning you that could change. Don’t drag your heels forever, Caitlyn. You wanted my advice and that’s it.” She stood up. “I need to get back on the floor. You coming?”
“I’ll be there in a couple of minutes,” Caitlyn told her. She needed to think about what the older woman had said. It was one thing to feel pressured from all sides by her own family, but Jill was unmistakably on Noah’s side. She, better than anyone else
, probably knew the limits of his patience, and she’d left Caitlyn with the distinct impression that she might be testing them.
* * *
Exhausted by the end of a very long day at the hospital and fretting over what might be going on with Noah, Caitlyn fell into bed that night expecting to sleep soundly. Instead, her thoughts were whirling in a hundred different directions. She was almost grateful when her phone rang, even though it was nearly midnight. She yawned as she answered.
“You can’t possibly be asleep already,” Carrie said. “I called the hospital first and they said you’d just left for home a half hour ago.”
“After twenty-four hours on call,” Caitlyn told her. “What’s up? And please make it quick, because I can’t promise not to fall asleep on you.”
“I thought I’d fill you in on what’s going on down here,” Carrie said. “Mom, Noah and I went furniture shopping today.”
Caitlyn felt a quick stirring of jealousy. It was particularly unreasonable given the fact that she’d told him she had no interest in going with him.
“Really? For Noah’s house?” she asked, careful to keep her tone neutral.
“Of course. He told us you weren’t interested in helping.” Carrie, who rarely shut up, suddenly fell silent. “Was he right about that, Caitlyn?” she asked as if she couldn’t quite believe it.
“I did tell him he should get whatever he wanted,” she admitted.
“And he took that to mean it would be okay, because you have no intention of ever living in that house,” Carrie concluded. “No wonder he kept telling me to choose whatever we thought worked as if he couldn’t care less about what went into the house.” She sighed heavily. “Sweet heaven, Caitlyn, for a smart woman, you don’t have a grain of sense.”
Caitlyn winced at the condemnation she heard in her sister’s voice. “I didn’t mean it that way.”
“Then what’s your interpretation, because I don’t know how he could have taken it another way.”
Caitlyn struggled to come up with an explanation that made any sense at all. “I was only saying that I was too busy to come to Chesapeake Shores right now and look at furniture.”
“Not much better,” Carrie said. “Caitlyn, this is your life and I’m certainly in no position to tell you how you should be living it, but Noah’s an incredible man. People in Chesapeake Shores—and I don’t mean just family—have fallen in love with him. Pretty soon you’re going to come off looking like the bad guy. Believe me, it’s tough for any O’Brien to lose favor like that, but you just might do it.”
“I’m not worried about what people there think of me,” she claimed, though it did hurt just a little to imagine being viewed as the one in the wrong, while Noah came off as the local hero. “I can’t let that influence me.”
“Then you need to explain what will influence you,” Carrie said. “It’s certainly not Noah or your family.”
“I’m trying to do the right thing here,” Caitlyn insisted. “For Noah, the baby and me.”
“Want to know what I see?” Carrie asked. “I think you keep telling yourself that you’re considering all three of you, because you know that’s what you should be doing. The way it looks to me, though, your needs are the only ones that actually count with you right now. I almost feel sorry for Noah.”
Caitlyn thought she heard something a little too protective in her sister’s voice. Noah was exactly the sort of man Carrie had always wanted. She could almost see the two of them together, and when she did, it made her blood run cold.
“Stay away from Noah,” she ordered fiercely.
“What?” Carrie said, sounding shocked.
“You know exactly what I mean, Carrie. He’s not available. You don’t want to be in the middle here.”
“And you think that’s what I was suggesting, that I’m right here to pick up the pieces when you break his heart?” Carrie asked, her voice filled with indignation or maybe genuine hurt that Caitlyn would think her capable of trying to steal Noah.
“Weren’t you?”
“Boy, you really are messed up if you think I would ever hurt you like that,” her sister said heatedly. “I think I’d better hang up before I say something I’ll regret. I hope you’re already regretting what you said to me.”
The call disconnected before Caitlyn could muster a single word of apology. She knew she owed her sister that. She’d known it the instant the hateful words left her mouth. But with Jill’s earlier warning echoing in her head, she’d leaped to a dark and unwarranted conclusion.
If she kept on doing that, she would lose Noah. And she’d lose all respect for herself in the process. It was probably past time to head to Chesapeake Shores and make her peace with everybody. Especially with Noah, she thought, before it was too late.
13
Mick had heard enough of Carrie’s side of the conversation with her sister to know that it had gone exactly as he’d hoped.
When Carrie turned to him with a dark scowl, he wasn’t a bit surprised. Sometimes, though, sacrifices had to be made for a greater good.
“I hope you’re satisfied,” his granddaughter grumbled. “My sister hates me. She thinks I’m after her man, which is absurd. I would never do that to her. Never!”
She gave Mick a defiant look as if daring him to contradict her or to suggest that she ought to make a few moves toward Noah to up the ante in this game. Even Mick, for all his certainty that they were on to something, wouldn’t be quite that foolish. He was hoping to stir the pot, not open a permanent rift.
Carrie was just getting warmed up apparently because both hands went on her hips in a pose he recognized all too well.
“And, just so we’re clear, I doubt Noah would ever look at another woman, at least not without Caitlyn cutting him loose once and for all,” she said. “You should know that about him, which makes this whole scheme of yours crazy. Caitlyn should know that, too.”
“Your sister’s not thinking all that clearly these days,” Mick responded. “It’s up to us to give her a little shove and get this situation handled. That baby of hers needs its daddy.”
Carrie sighed. “So you’ve mentioned about a thousand times. And I know you’re right. Besides that, Caitlyn needs Noah way more than she realizes. Otherwise, I would never have let you talk me into making that call and implying that I’m interested in Noah. What if she never speaks to me again? I could hardly blame her when I’m the one who actually hinted that I wanted to steal Noah away from her.”
Mick waved off the possibility. “You’re twins. You’ve always squabbled. You get over it.”
Carrie regarded him with exasperation. “It’s one thing to squabble over who has the bigger room or who gets the bigger piece of cake at our birthday party. It’s quite another to start fighting over the same man, especially when one of us isn’t even interested. You do realize this could blow up in both our faces. If Noah ever figures out what we’ve been up to, he won’t be too pleased, either. And forget Mom’s reaction. She’ll never speak to either one of us again. She hates playing games.”
His granddaughter buried her face in her hands. “Why did I let you talk me into this?” she mumbled. “I should call Caitlyn back right this second and tell her everything. She’ll believe me if I tell her you were behind that call. She knows the lengths you’ll go to in order to get your way.”
Mick refused to let himself feel even a moment of regret for making Carrie so miserable. Extraordinary circumstances required extraordinary measures. “Stop your fussing. There’s no reason your mother or Noah will get wind of this,” Mick said calmly. It’s the one thing he was certain of. “I’m not talking. I don’t need your grandmother or Ma on my case, either. And your lips are sealed, correct?”
“Locked tight,” she confirmed, though she sounded a little less convincing than he might have liked. She cou
ld prove to be the weak link in this plot, after all.
Still, he nodded happily. “Then we’ll just sit back and wait to see how long it takes your sister to come roaring down here to claim what’s hers.”
“If you don’t mind my saying so, Grandpa Mick, I think you just might have gone too far this time,” Carrie said direly. “Worse, you’ve got me out there at the tip of that rotten limb with you.”
Mick laughed. “Oh, who are you trying to kid? You enjoyed every second of wiggling that knife around in your sister’s back. You’ve got my genetic code when it comes to adventure and meddling and pushing the boundaries.”
Carrie sighed heavily, but there was the faint hint of a smile tugging at her lips. Mick waited her out.
“Oh, okay,” she finally admitted. “It was kind of fun trying to pull that off. Caitlyn’s being too stubborn for her own good. She needs to get with the program before Noah loses patience.” She leveled a look into Mick’s eyes. “I’ll tell you one thing, though. None of this would have been necessary if Jenny had just tossed her bridal bouquet in my direction.”
Mick couldn’t say what he really wanted to in response to her lament, that not catching that bouquet had been the best thing that could have happened to her. Unlike Caitlyn, Carrie needed to figure out her own value before she got attached to the first man to come along. The very last thing he wanted for her was to see her spending her life in the shadow of some man.
That trip to Africa they’d taken together had been an eye-opener for her. She’d realized there was a whole big world outside of her comfort zone and that she had what it took to make a real difference in it. He figured there were a few more lessons in store before she lived up to her full potential the way her sister had.
* * *
Noah always kept his cell phone off during office hours, though most days he found time to check it once or twice for messages. Today he hadn’t even had a chance to do that. Thankfully, calls from patients came to the front desk and were handled by his receptionist or nurse unless there was an urgent need to interrupt him. Personal calls could wait.
The Christmas Bouquet Page 18