Timmy was sitting cross-legged with his little hand on Beau’s head, stroking the golden retriever lovingly. “I don’t want to disturb Beau. I don’t get to see him as much as I’d like.”
“And how much would that be?”
“Every day,” Timmy replied.
“All day,” Annie added as she looked up at Maddie. “Besides, we already snuck our cupcakes, and my dad would be mad if we ate more than one.”
“Yeah, especially since it’s nearly our bedtime,” Timmy added sadly. “I wish our bedtime was at ten o’clock so I could pet Beau for a couple more hours. See how much he likes it?”
“Yes, he does,” Maddie answered. “But before you know it, your dad and Sarah will be married, and then you’ll be living here and you can pet Beau all night long if you want.”
Timmy sunk his cheek into his palm with a very glum look. “It’s taking forever for them to be married. I keep waiting and waiting. I don’t see why we have to wait anymore. This is just stupid.”
Annie exhaled deeply. “It’s because of the wedding. They have to finish planning the party and everything. It’s a lot of work.”
Timmy gazed up at Maddie again. “I don’t need to have a party. I just want us all to be together and be a family.”
Luke, who was listening to the entire exchange from the entrance to the dining room, walked over to them. “I agree with you, Timmy. I wish we were all together already, as well. But see, this is Sarah’s wedding, and she wants it to be very special. Do you know why?”
“No.”
“Because we’re very special to her. We are a unique situation, when you think about it. She’s not just getting married to some guy, she’s getting a whole family all to herself. She’ll have me and Annie and you. And I can’t think of anything more wonderful than that, can you?”
Maddie stared at Luke with tears in her eyes. In all her life, she’d never heard a parent talk to a child the way Luke just had. And she’d never seen so much love and sincerity come from a man. Sarah was more than lucky to have found Luke.
Maddie had grown up without a dad and had seldom reflected on what a father’s role should be. Watching Luke, she realized that someday, she actually would want children and a real home...and a man who truly loved her and cared for her.
What’s happening to me? I’ve never had these thoughts before. Is it because of Nate?
“No, Dad,” Timmy said. “I guess that does make us very special. But I still don’t see why a party has to take so long to get here. Maddie and Sarah made this party in just one day and I think it’s a really good one,” Timmy said.
Luke looked up at Maddie and saw her tears.
Quickly, she wiped them away with her fingertips.
You okay? he mouthed.
She nodded. “You just have the most wonderful kids. And Sarah is so blessed to have you.”
A smile born of understanding and humility curved his lips. “I’m the lucky one here. And there’s no question in my mind that Sarah was heaven sent to me.” He looked down at Annie and Timmy who were watching him. “No question.”
Just then, Maddie’s cell phone rang. It was Alex.
“Hey, beautiful! Excited about tomorrow night? I am,” he said breathlessly.
“I am. I just told my friends you were sending a car. They’re very impressed.”
“Really? Good. I’ll send one every week. That should bowl them over. Anyway, I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing.”
“You’re working?”
“On your deal. As always. Nothing I wouldn’t do for my beautiful girl.”
“Thanks, Alex,” she said with a smile as Sarah walked by. Maddie turned away from Sarah’s probing eyes and went to a corner to finish her call. “Listen, I have to go.”
“Call me after you’re in the car and on your way. We can talk then. Have a good time tonight,” he said. “Be well.”
“Good night.” She hung up, looking down at her phone. Alex was truly going the extra mile for her. She wondered if he worked this hard for all his clients, or whether his dedication was tied to the crush he clearly had on her.
George walked up to Maddie and placed his hand on her elbow. “Could we step over here? I’d like to have a word.”
“Sure. What’s wrong?” Maddie asked.
George led her to the far corner of the living room near a pair of upholstered club chairs and an English Hepplewhite table with a crystal lamp on it.
“Before you go to Chicago and meet the investor, I want to see you to go over a few points in the contract.”
“Is there anything wrong?”
“Not wrong. But I want to make certain you understand the particulars. Mostly just legalities.”
“Okay.”
“When you meet with him, you ask any questions you feel like. From this first investor, all others will come. He needs to believe that you’re not desperate or needy in any way.”
“But I’m not.”
“If he were to meet with you and decided he didn’t want to go through with the deal, would you be disappointed?”
“Yes. No. I...” She looked around the room at her friends who were all chattering about her news. She turned back to George. “I would go back to things as they were.”
“Precisely. And we would try to find another investor. That’s the truth of it. But the other side of it is that it might never happen again.”
Maddie looked down at her wineglass. “I see what you’re saying.”
“Maddie, I also think you should pay Austin McCreary a visit.”
“Austin....”
“If Ann Marie hadn’t gone to him and talked him into putting up the loan money for you to start your business, you wouldn’t have Cupcakes and Coffee at all.”
“I’ve paid him back in full. You know that, don’t you?”
“Yes, you told me when we worked on the business plan. He never signed any kind of paperwork that entitles him to your recipes or concepts, so legally, he can’t sue you for any of the money from the franchise. But anybody can sue anybody for anything. Winning is another matter.”
“Sue me?” Maddie’s eyes flew wide open. “Why in the world would he do that?”
“Greed. I don’t know how his family actually made all their money. It’s none of my business.”
“A lawsuit.” Maddie put her palm on her flaming cheek. “Uncle George...” She was once again filled with fear of the unknown.
“All these issues are part of the world you enter when you become a big business. You’ve been lucky that someone hasn’t pulled a lawsuit on you already, blaming you for an allergic reaction to a cupcake or coffee that was steamed too hot. Remember that lawsuit against McDonald’s? The woman who spilled the brew on herself? She won.”
“Oh, God.”
“I’m just saying these are all situations that can happen to you, so I want to make very, very certain you’re legally protected all the way around.”
“I understand.” She nodded.
“Try to see Austin soon so that he hears about the franchise from you and not from Helen Knowland. I like Helen, but she is such a gossip.” He shot a glance at Chloe, Helen’s granddaughter.
“You won’t believe this, but I had Chloe sign a letter of agreement that any conversations she overheard at the café, or anything I said on the phone with my suppliers or anyone else, had to remain private or she would be fired instantly.”
“You did that? And she signed it?”
“Yes. She wanted the job.”
“Good going.” George smiled and put his arm around Maddie’s shoulder.
Emily approached with a cupcake on a dessert plate. “May I interest you in a cupcake, George?”
“Actually, I had my eye on one of those red velvet on
es. Excuse me,” he said and walked away.
Emily smiled at her husband and then focused her gaze on Maddie. “We are all so happy for you, Maddie.”
“Thanks. I think.” Maddie sighed heavily.
“Oh, George does that to everyone when there are legalities involved. Enjoy the moment. All the rest will be work, and you know that. But I was curious about one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I noticed all your friends were here. I was surprised you didn’t invite Nate.”
“Nate?” Maddie stared at Emily blankly.
“Did you forget about him?”
“No, I didn’t forget. Believe me. But he hasn’t been here for the past eleven years, while I’ve scrimped to make all this happen. He hasn’t been part of my crowd, I guess. I thought I would talk to him privately.”
After their conversation at the café, she’d been surprised at how easily their friendship had returned. But she’d held back from inviting him. Was it because she knew he was only going to live in Indian Lake for a year? Or was it because she wanted to keep him as a friend and nothing more? Each time she thought about Nate, she was more confused than ever.
“Good. One-on-one is very good,” Emily replied, then bit into her chocolate-fudge cupcake.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
NATE FINISHED HIS morning rounds by seven o’clock and began a scheduled ablation procedure at seven-thirty. His surgical nurse was Sophie Mattuchi, whom he’d known since high school. He hadn’t heard a thing about her skills or reputation, but he made it his business to read over her file. Sophie had signed on at Indian Lake Hospital as a registered nurse out of Bronson School of Nursing in Michigan, and she’d gone to Indiana University Hospital–Indianapolis for two years for further training. She’d been back in Indian Lake for the past three years and everyone on staff liked and respected her.
From a private interview with Sophie, he discovered that she had helped care for Ann Marie Jensen in her off-duty hours during the woman’s last days.
Sophie had thirty ablations under her belt by the time Nate was hired at the new cardiac center. Her experience at this point wasn’t much more than his.
Though Dr. Caldwell believed that this procedure would take approximately three hours, Nate wasn’t quite so sure. The patient, fifty-year-old Gwen Petrowski, had undergone a triple-bypass surgery seven years earlier. She’d had two angioplasties and one stent put in. Studying the patient’s records and X-rays, he saw that she didn’t smoke or drink, which was encouraging. Unfortunately, she had a great deal of heart disease in her family history. Until eighteen months ago, her arrhythmias had been somewhat controlled by medication. But recently they had increased in intensity and length according to the readouts from her Holter Monitor test.
After scrubbing in and donning his sterile face mask, surgical gown, cap and booties, Nate entered the O.R. The nurses wheeled the gurney in and moved the patient onto the operating table.
Nate stood over his patient wearing his face mask, surgical gown, cap and booties. “Gwen, can you hear me? They gave you something to make you very drowsy. You’re in the EP lab now. You won’t feel anything as I insert this catheter into your groin and then as it goes into your heart.”
“I’m scared,” she said, trying to move her hand, but it had been strapped down.
Nate leaned over and peered into her frightened eyes. “You’re going to be fine. Everything is going to be just fine.” He touched the top of her head, which was covered in a surgical bonnet. “You believe me, don’t you?”
“Yes,” she replied, closing her eyes slowly. “I believe you.”
The anesthesiologist injected the drugs into Gwen’s IV.
Nate turned to Sophie. “Do you have the catheter ready?”
“Yes, Doctor,” Sophie answered. She stood at his side waiting for further instructions. “You just lead the way.”
Nate looked down at his patient. “You relax, now, Gwen. We’re going to fix this heart up for you. You’ll feel like a young girl again.”
Gwen tried to smile, but she was already falling asleep. “Promise?”
“I promise you that,” Nate said.
Nate began the procedure by numbing the area of Gwen’s groin where he would insert the thin guide wire. Along with the catheter and guide wire was an intravascular ultrasound catheter that Nate would direct up the blood vessel and into Gwen’s heart. He used a special dye that would help him place the catheter in the right spot.
“Sophie, I need another catheter here,” Nate said, extending his right hand.
Sophie placed another catheter wire in his gloved hand.
Nate went back to work, watching his progress on three different screens.
In an adjoining room were twelve computer screens that helped other nurses and assistants chart the procedure.
“Sophie, I want pictures of everything here. I think we have an upper-valve problem that may be trickier than we’d thought,” Nate said, studying the monitor.
“I’m sorry. I thought we were doing this procedure because the lower chambers of the heart were in question.”
“That’s my point. We may have to do both.”
“I understand, Doctor.”
“This is going to take all morning, if not longer. So buckle up, boys and girls,” Nate said with a low laugh.
For the next several hours, Nate used the electrodes at the end of the catheters to stimulate the heart. Once this was done, he could locate the exact position of the problem areas. Using a mild radiofrequency heat energy, Nate destroyed these areas, or “the mischief makers” he told the nurses he called them. Once this tissue was ablated, the abnormal electrical signals that had created the arrhythmia in the first place could no longer be sent to the rest of the heart.
Four hours into the operation, Nate took a break and went to the adjoining computer room and checked all the screens. The intravascular camera was excellent and revealed to Nate just what he knew he would have to do.
He went back into the surgery area and took the guide wires and catheters from Sophie’s capable hands. “I have it now, Nurse.”
“Yes, Doctor,” she replied and stepped aside.
For two more hours, Nate worked on the area at the top of the heart near the aorta, trying to ablate as much of it as possible. Nate knew that if this had gone untreated, Gwen would have found herself a stroke victim, or worse.
By the time the procedure was over, Nate was tired, hungry and thirsty.
He peeled off his surgical clothes and threw them in the large trash bin in the scrub room. “Sophie, did you talk to the family?”
“Yes, I did, but they’re waiting for you.”
“Good.” Nate pushed the swinging door open and strode toward the family waiting area.
Nate knew that the chairs in the narrow room with windows looking out onto the hospital courtyard could only be comfortable for an hour. Certainly not all morning long. Gwen’s husband, a thin man wearing jeans and a Green Bay Packers windbreaker, stood up the minute he saw Nate. Two teenage girls were immersed in playing games on their iPads.
“Doc!” the man said. “How is she?”
“She’s just fine. She came through like a champ.” Nate shook his hand. “I want to tell you, Mr. Petrowski, we did a lot more than we had originally planned, but I think I got it all. The procedure was twice as long as we had expected, but I found a great deal of damaged area at the top of the heart. That was pretty tricky, but I think it’s really good now.” Nate smiled confidently.
“You’re happy. I can see it in your face,” Mr. Petrowski said.
“I am. Happy for you. She’s going to be fine after her recuperation, of course.”
“When can we see her?”
“They’re taking her up to the room now. You can go w
ith them, if you like. She has to lie completely still for six hours. She’s pretty groggy, so it won’t be a problem. She’ll stay all night, and then I’ll check on her in the morning and we’ll release her as long as there aren’t any complications. Probably about eleven, I would think.”
Mr. Petrowski shook Nate’s hand again. “I can’t thank you enough, Doc. Gosh, this is just, well, a miracle.”
Nate nodded. “It is pretty miraculous. Even I think it is.” Nate stepped to the side as the girls rose from their chairs and smiled at him.
“Thank you, Doctor,” they chimed.
“You’re welcome,” Nate replied and then went back into the surgical area.
* * *
NATE HAD AN hour and a half until his next surgery. He knew just what he wanted to do with that time. He walked out the hospital doors toward the employee parking lot, and spotted Sophie at the entrance.
“Good job, Doctor,” she said brightly, pushing back her curly dark hair. She had lipstick on, and some blush, and she was wearing her street clothes.
“You going home?” he asked.
“Yeah. Carrie will assist you this afternoon.”
“Carrie. Hmm. I met her last week, but I can’t remember her.”
“Petite. Strawberry blonde.” Sophie smiled and then began rummaging through her purse.
“Ah, I remember Carrie,” he said.
Sophie tossed her curls away from her face and flashed him a provocative smile. “Well, see you Thursday.”
“Yeah,” Nate replied. She looked back over her shoulder as she walked away, and she waved to him and smiled again.
He waved back, scratched his head and bounded across the parking lot toward his car. Nate wasn’t quite certain, but if he didn’t know better, he would guess that Sophie was flirting with him.
Nate stuck his key in the ignition, turned the Hummer on and pulled out of the parking space.
Nate walked into Cupcakes and Coffee and found a line of over a dozen people. Chloe was waiting on customers as quickly as she could. Looking over the heads of the others in line, Nate noticed that Emily Regeski, Sarah’s aunt, was working the cash register. There was no sign of Maddie.
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