And Then What?
Page 18
“What?”
His phone rang, so he said, “Excuse me.”
That didn’t make sense. I was almost positive Mason wouldn’t have said that. Or, if he did, he didn’t mean it. If he did mean it, I needed to hear it directly from him. I waited until Mr. Cartwright was off the phone and approached him. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for us, Mr. Cartwright, and I know that you’re just trying to protect him, but with all due respect you don’t know him as well as I do.”
He didn’t seem impressed with the accusation and he didn’t say anything before he turned and walked out the door.
Mason was obviously in the hotel somewhere, so I rushed over to the double doors that led to the kitchen, searching for Luis. He wasn’t in the kitchen, so I wandered around on the pool deck and finally found him by the hot-tub bar. “Hey Luis. I need a favour.”
“Anything.”
“Could you find out which room Mason Cartwright is staying in? His dad would have booked all the rooms at the same time.”
“Sure.”
“And I’ll need you to give me a key too.”
He looked at me suspiciously. “I could get fired.”
“Oh, then never mind.”
He smiled. “Just kidding.”
I slid the card through the lock on the door and the light flickered green. I turned the knob and pushed the door open as I knocked. It was dark in the room because the curtains were drawn. I walked through the living room towards the double doors that led to the bedroom. The doors were open wide. The bed was empty and still neatly made. The light wasn’t on in the bathroom. It felt weird. Although it looked like he wasn’t in the bedroom, I could feel that he was.
I closed my eyes and listened for his breathing. He was seated on the floor with his head propped up against the side of the bed, looking at the wall. He didn’t even get startled, he just stretched his arm out so I would join him on the floor. I grabbed the pillows off the bed and propped them behind his head, then slid down next to him.
“I have the same cancer my brother died from.”
I sighed and reached over to hold his hand. “They have better treatments now than they did then. And your dad will pay for the best treatments possible.”
“He doesn’t know yet.”
“Do you want me to tell him?”
“No, maybe just be with me when I do.” He inhaled deeply and tightened his arm around my shoulder. “How did you know?”
“I could tell that Murphy was concerned when your wounds wouldn’t stop bleeding. Then the nurse gave me your lab results and she said you needed to see a doctor as soon as possible. Then I read the letters that you wrote to me.”
“Really?” He sat up straighter. “You went back to the camp?”
I reached for his bag and pulled out the wind chime, the letters, and the picture he had sketched of me. “We took Hector back and I picked up some of your stuff. Thank you for the letters. I loved every one.”
He exhaled heavily and rested his head against the mattress again. “I’m going to miss the people in the village.”
“I know.” I smiled as I remembered. “You should have seen Hector when he led us into the village. He got a hero’s welcome and he soaked it up. Maybe when you get better we can go back to visit him together.”
I watched his chest rise and fall a couple of times as he breathed. “I might not get better, Derian.”
“You do.”
“Cody didn’t.”
“You do.” I moved to sit facing him. “I know you do because a long time ago I had a vision of my wedding day. You were there and you gave me two really amazing wedding gifts. I’m not planning to get married until I graduate, and, as you know, it takes a long time to become an architect. Obviously, you’re going to be around for a long time.”
He chuckled. “What do I give you? You can save me the hassle of shopping around.”
“It’s a surprise, but I’ll give you a hint. One, is my all-time favourite car. The other one you promised to give me on our very first date.”
He thought for a second then said, “A ’63 Corvette Stingray and a trip to New York to visit the Guggenheim. Those are good gifts.”
“Yes, they are. And too generous, so don’t actually give them to me.”
He nodded, but I knew he’d try. “Does Trevor know you’re here?”
“Yes, and he understands.”
“Of course he does.” He sighed and then got up to sit on the edge of the bed, with his elbows rested on his knees. “You made the right choice with him.”
“What you and I have is really special in a different way. I need you in my life, as a friend,” I said and turned my head so I could see his face. “You do realize that I’m going to go with you to every one of your treatments and make you drink highly nutritious vegetable-and-wheat grass concoctions from the juicer.”
“That’s good because I don’t have anyone else.”
“Yes you do. Your parents—”
He cut me off. “My mom didn’t even come down here to make sure I was all right.”
“Maybe the thought of losing another son was just too difficult for her to face.”
“I’m not lost. I’m here.”
“Well, I’m here. And Sophie, Murphy, Doug, and Trevor would all lie down in front of a truck for you, too. Don’t ever think they wouldn’t.”
“They would be doing it for you, not me.”
“No. They would do it for you. You will never be alone. I promise.”
He didn’t say anything, but he seemed to feel better.
I moved to sit next to him and needled his ribs gently. “I knew I would be able to convince you to come home.”
He chuckled. “You do have a way of getting what you want. It’s quite a talent.”
“Mmm. Almost as slick as Chance Cartwright.”
“Almost.”
“While we’re on the topic of me getting what I want, I believe you owe me a day at the spa and a thousand dollars for the Liam email bet.”
“I can arrange that.” His head turned and he smiled. “And then what?”
“And then I want you to get better.”
He nodded. “You got it.”
I stretched my arm across his shoulder and squeezed. “Thanks.”
There was a knock on the door, so I stood and crossed the room to peek through the peephole. I assumed it would be his dad. When I saw who it was, I smiled and opened the door. Sophie and Doug stepped in with arms full of snacks, followed by Murphy, Kailyn, Orrett, his wife and their son, and Trevor.
“Thank you,” I whispered to Trevor and squeezed his hand as Mason appeared at the bedroom doorway with a touched expression in his eyes.
“I’m glad you aren’t lost anymore, Mason Cartwright,” Kailyn said as she hugged him around the waist. Then everyone else hugged him too.
It really couldn’t have been a happier ending.
The End
Acknowledgements
This is the third book in the series and it’s been an amazing adventure from start to finish. I am forever grateful to Charlotte Ledger and the team at HarperImpulse for seeing the potential in my stories and working with me to make the vision a reality. Thank you to my husband Sean for encouraging me to keep writing even when nobody was reading. Thank you to my critique partner Denise Jaden, Greg Ng (and the students and moms from his class who volunteered to read a very early rough draft of Britannia Beach), Rasadi Cortes, Erica Ediger, Jen Wilson, Belinda Wagner, Lisa Marks, Cory Cavazzi, my mom and dad, my brother Rob, my sister Luan, and the entire team behind the scenes at HarperImpulse and HarperCollins Publishers. I’d also like to send a special thank-you to the real Search and Rescue volunteers and first responders in the Squamish area, and the young adult bloggers and youth librarians who tirelessly introduce books to young readers.
Also by D.R. Graham
What are the Chances? Britannia Beach Book Two
Put It Out There, Britannia Beach Book One
&nbs
p; Rank
About the Author
D.R. Graham lives in Vancouver, Canada with her husband. She worked as a social worker with at-risk youth prior to becoming a therapist in private practice. Her novels deal with issues relevant to young adults in love, transition, or crisis.
Other books by D.R. Graham:
Put It Out There (Britannia Beach Series)
And Then What? (Britannia Beach Series)
Rank
One Percenter (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
The Handler (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
It Is What It Is (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
The Noir et Bleu (Noir et Bleu MC Series)
Hit That And You’re Dead
www.drgrahambooks.com
About HarperImpulse
HarperImpulse is an exciting new range of romance fiction brought to you from the women’s fiction team at HarperCollins. Our aim is to break new talent from debut authors and import the hottest trends from the US, bringing you the very best in romance. Whether that is through short reads for your mobile phone or epic sagas that span the generations we want to proudly publish romance fiction that gets everybody talking.
Romance readers, come and meet the team at our website www.harperimpulseromance.com, our Facebook page www.facebook.com/HarperImpulse or follow us @HarperImpulse!
Writers, we are simply looking for good stories! So, what are you waiting for? To submit, e-mail us at romance@harpercollins.co.uk.
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