by Cindy Kirk
“That seems odd.”
“I thought so, too.”
If playing cards would take his mind off Ruby and how pale and scared she’d looked when they’d wheeled her off to surgery, Jeremy was all for it.
When Fin sauntered to a table near a sunny window, he followed and dropped into a chair opposite her.
Jeremy leaned back in the plastic chair. “What do you want to play?”
“Gin rummy?”
“Works for me.”
Fin fumbled around in her purse, then pulled out the deck. Her triumphant smile quickly morphed into a frown. “What the—”
Jeremy leaned close. “What’s the matter?”
“These aren’t playing cards.” She puffed out her cheeks, flipped through several more cards. “They all have questions. Relationship-type questions.”
“Why would Marigold give them to you?”
“As a joke.” Fin’s eyes narrowed. “It’s probably a dare. She’s probably going to ask me if I played.”
“Easy solution. When you speak with Xander tonight, ask him a couple of them. Then you can honestly tell Marigold you and your fiancé played the game.”
She gave her head a little shake. “Xander won’t take time for such silliness.”
The slight catch in her voice tugged at his heart.
Pompous Ass, he thought. “Lay one on me.”
Her eyes lit up. “You’ll play?”
“I’m willing to answer a question or two, so long as you reciprocate.”
Her sudden grin had Jeremy’s heart skipping a beat. For a second he forgot all about his grandmother.
She shifted her attention to the cards. “I’ll find—”
“No cherry-picking.” Jeremy lifted them from her hands. He shuffled, then set the deck on the table and fanned out the cards. “Pick one.”
“I want an easy one.”
“Don’t we all.”
Staring at the cards as if she could see right through them, she closed her eyes and pulled one from the middle of the deck. She handed it to Jeremy with a flourish. “You read it.”
“If you could write a note to your younger self, what would you say in only three words?”
Fin groaned. “Next card.”
“No do-overs.” Jeremy wiggled the card. “Do I need to start the timer?”
“What timer?” Fin paused. “Oh, you were kidding. Well, just remember, smart guy, that you have to answer the question, too.”
“First I get to hear yours.” Jeremy leaned back in the chair and studied her. Had he ever known a more beautiful, more intelligent woman?
“Three words.” Fin chewed on her lower lip, her gaze unsettled. “Don’t be afraid.”
“What?”
“My three words are don’t be afraid. Now, it’s your turn.”
“What do they mean?”
“I don’t think that’s part of the game.”
“Of course it is. The point of any of these types of questions is to get better acquainted. Just tossing out don’t be afraid doesn’t serve the spirit of the game.”
Fin rolled her eyes.
He linked his fingers together and waited, curious to discover what she meant. The Fin Bloom he remembered was fearless, strong, and courageous. What could she possibly have had to fear?
“When I was younger, I worried that I wasn’t enough. Not pretty enough. Not smart enough. I worried I’d disappoint my parents, that I would do something and they would be ashamed and disappointed.” Her eyes settled on him. “When we dated, I worried I couldn’t be what you wanted me to be.”
When he opened his mouth, she lifted a hand, stopping him. “Not that I knew what you wanted, but, anyway, there it is.” A look of melancholy settled over her face. “If I could write that note, I’d tell myself to not be afraid, to trust in myself and in the love of family and friends.”
Jeremy leaned across the table, said nothing, only gave her hand a squeeze. It felt as if she’d shared something private and intimate with him.
“Your turn.” Her lips curved in a slight smile. “If you could write a note, what would you say to your younger self? Remember, use only three words.”
The question was, he realized, more difficult when you were the one forced to answer it. But he hadn’t let Fin beg off, so he wouldn’t ask for clemency. “Go for it.”
“Go for what?”
“Go for what I wanted. Pursue fearlessly.” Oddly embarrassed, Jeremy shrugged. “I knew by the time I was sixteen that there were two things I wanted in this world. Making my home in Good Hope was one of them.”
“And you made that happen. You came back after college, took over the family’s business interests, and now you’re the mayor.” Fin studied his face. “What was the second?”
“That isn’t important.”
“C’mon, go for it.” She grinned. “What else?”
“You.” An ache looped around his heart, squeezed. “I let you go. More accurately, I pushed you away. That’s my biggest regret.”
Her smiled faded. “Everything works out for the best.”
He cocked his head. “Does it?”
She flushed, gave a little laugh, and pushed the cards to him.
When she started to reach for a card, he placed a restraining hand on her arm. “My turn to pick.”
He pulled a card from the top and handed it to her.
“Name something you’ve done that you should have apologized to your partner for,” she read.
“We should have done one and called it good.”
“I read it.” Her hands twisted together. “You answer first.”
A familiar heaviness centered around Jeremy’s heart. He didn’t want to answer the stupid question. Didn’t want to think about the past. While the cards might fill up the time, they’d also brought the past he and Fin had once shared—along with mistakes he’d made—front and center.
Could this be a blessing in disguise? Maybe this conversation was what he needed for closure.
Jeremy kept his gaze focused on her face. “I never apologized for how I acted right before I left for college. I promised I’d never leave you, then I did. I’m sorry.”
She reached over and lightly touched his hand. “I never held that against you. Our families were both in upheaval. My mom was sick and your parents were experiencing . . . challenges. You were afraid they might split.”
Though the fears had been real, he waved the excuse aside. “I wasn’t there for you, not like I should have been.”
When a sadness filled her eyes, Jeremy didn’t stop to think. He rose, rounded the table, and pulled her into his arms. Though she stiffened at first, it took only a second for her to relax against him. As they had all those years ago, they melded perfectly. It was as if ten years apart had never happened. He tightened his hold and accepted the comfort she offered.
“She’s in recovery.”
The unexpected voice had them springing apart and jumping to their feet.
Dr. Lyons, the cardiovascular surgeon who’d performed the surgery, swept off his surgical cap with a weary gesture. “Mrs. Rakes came through the surgery in good shape. She’s lucky she didn’t wait any longer to have the procedure. With the vessels so blocked, she could have had a massive MI at any moment.”
“But she’s okay?” Jeremy asked the doctor and felt Fin take his hand.
“Yes.” The doctor gestured to the chairs they’d just vacated. “Let’s sit down.”
Jeremy wanted to see his grandmother, see for himself that she was okay. But he sat.
For a few minutes the doctor talked about the surgery itself before moving on to what they could expect now. “She’ll be in ICU the next couple of days. Right now, I’m keeping the tube down her throat. It shouldn’t be in long, but if we need an open airway, we have one. Though I anticipate an uneventful recovery, because of her age, I plan to keep her in the hospital another three to five days after she’s transferred out of ICU.”
“Dr. Passmore told he
r to expect to be in the hospital a week.” Fin’s fingers stole over to clasp Jeremy’s hand. “That seems to be what you’re saying, too.”
“If she’s doing really well, I may send her home in five days.” The doctor turned to Jeremy. “I understand she’ll be coming to your house.”
“It’s actually her home, but yes, she’ll be staying with me.”
“You can expect her to have some side effects from the procedure.” Dr. Lyons leaned forward. “She’ll have pain from the incision, and you may notice some short-term memory loss.”
Jeremy exchanged a glance with Fin.
“As well as confusion and trouble with time,” Dr. Lyons continued. “Those are reactions to the anesthesia and will go away as she recovers. For safety, someone needs to be in the house with her at all times. If that’s a problem, I can have our discharge planning staff look at skilled nursing facility placement. There are a number of fine—”
“That won’t be necessary.” Jeremy cut him off. “If I can’t be there, I’ll hire someone to help.”
“I’ll be there, too.” Fin’s quiet voice was a balm to his raw nerves. “Between us, we’ll see she gets the care she needs.”
“Okay then, we’ll plan on her going home once she’s discharged.” The doctor’s gaze shifted between him and Fin, then he stood and smiled. “Congratulations on your engagement. When I checked on her in recovery she was telling the nurses she decided to have the surgery so she could dance at your wedding. Regardless of the reason, she did the right thing in having the surgery.”
Only when Lyons had left the room did Jeremy slide his arms around Fin and pull her close, resting his forehead against hers. “Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Though she gave a little laugh, he felt her tremble.
“You saved my grandmother’s life.” He lifted his head, and emotion surged as he gazed into those sea-green eyes.
“Are you certain Xander will be comfortable with you living at the farm?” The eyes that met hers were clear and very blue. “I don’t want to cause trouble.”
“Xander trusts me.” Fin spoke with great conviction even as she wondered if that was true. Or was it that he simply didn’t care? Or that he wanted to secure the location site so much that anything went? She shoved the ridiculous doubts aside. “He probably thinks that if you’re around me twenty-four/seven, you’ll agree to anything just to get me out of your hair, or rather out of your house.”
Jeremy looked puzzled by the comment, and Fin decided it would be best if she just kept her mouth shut from now on. She was painting an unflattering picture of both her and Xander.
“Well,” he said after a long moment. “I won’t forget your generosity.”
“Jeremy is at the hospital with his grandmother now.” While Fin spoke with Xander, she tidied up the hotel suite she and Jeremy had called home for the past five nights. “He’s hoping to be there when the doctor does his rounds and find out when she’ll be released.”
She hadn’t expected Xander to inquire about Ruby’s health, and he didn’t disappoint.
“You’ve had lots of uninterrupted time with the mayor,” Xander’s voice probed, soft and smooth as glass. “Do you sense any change in his position on my proposition?”
Fin knew Xander wouldn’t believe her if she told him the truth, that she’d barely seen Jeremy since they’d checked into the hotel. The fact was, from day one they’d been taking shifts at the hospital. When Fin was there, he was back in the room, in bed, sleeping. Which was where she needed to be after spending the night in Ruby’s room.
“Fin?”
She realized with a start that Xander had asked a question and her foggy brain had yet to formulate a response. What had he asked? Oh, yes.
“I don’t sense a change yet, but the Your Wish Fulfilled Christmas event may change some minds.”
“When does that start?”
“I think it’s already started.” At least at the child’s home, Fin thought. Or maybe it was about to start. Since Ruby’s surgery the days had blurred together.
“Good. Keep me updated on how things are going.” Xander paused. “You sound tired.”
“I’m exhausted.” Though he hadn’t wanted to FaceTime, she offered a wan smile.
“I appreciate all you’re doing for me, Fin. I’ll make sure you’re handsomely rewarded if you pull this off.”
“Good, well, I’m going to bed now.”
As Fin was drifting off to sleep, one thought circled in her head. She’d be handsomely rewarded if she pulled this off. What would happen if she didn’t?
She woke to find Jeremy leaning over her. He smelled of soap and a familiar warm, male scent that made something tighten in her abdomen. Still half-asleep, she stretched and wound her arms around his neck. “Good morning.”
A slow smile turned up the corners of his lips. “It’s afternoon, but I’ve got some good news. They’re releasing Grandma Ruby.”
“When?” She laughed, for no reason other than the news.
“Now.” He laughed, too, his eyes dropping down to her mouth. “Or as soon as we can get the car packed and pick her up.”
“That’s not good news. That’s fabulous news.” Giving a little squeal, Fin pulled Jeremy down on top of her.
Even before his lips brushed hers, she knew the feel of his mouth, the softness, the warmth, the gentleness. Her sleepy blood hummed in pleasure as he kissed her with a slow thoroughness that left her weak, trembling, and longing for more.
Somewhere in her passion-filled brain, the thought struck her that Xander was her fiancé, not Jeremy.
When she opened her mouth to inform Jeremy of that fact, he changed the angle of the kiss, deepening it. A smoldering fire burned in her, a sensation she didn’t bother to fight. Matching heat, as strong as her own, radiated from him, urgent now and hungry. His hand slid under her top, flat against her hot skin.
Fin squirmed with need as those fingertips inched slowly higher.
When his telephone rang, a harsh, jarring sound resembling a fire alarm, she ignored it and planted a kiss against the base of his throat, reveling in the salty taste.
The phone continued to play the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” until Fin was ready to snatch the darn thing from his pocket and fling it across the room.
His fingers had almost reached her breasts, and the tips tingled with anticipation.
Still, the song played on.
With a muttered oath, Jeremy jerked his hand back and sat up, pulling out the phone. “Rakes.”
He closed his eyes for a second, then chuckled. “It sounds like her. We’ll be there within the hour.”
Fin propped herself up on one elbow. “What happened? Is Ruby okay?”
“She wanted the nurse to call and say that even though she is eager to go home, we didn’t need to rush. She, ah, wanted us to take time to enjoy the room one last time.”
Even as Fin’s breasts yearned for his touch and her lips longed to meet his just one more time, she knew they’d narrowly escaped disaster. “I’d say that phone rang at just the right time. Or you and I would have been enjoying this room a little too much.”
Jeremy’s sigh was heavy with resignation. “I’m guessing that means it’s time to pack up and head out.”
Fin couldn’t help it. She leaned over and gave him one last kiss. “You always were a smart guy.”
Chapter Eight
Two days after Ruby returned home, Fin moved into Jeremy’s house. As Ruby needed someone around and she and Jeremy were splitting caregiver duty, it didn’t make sense for her to drive back into Good Hope when her shift was up.
Xander had been ecstatic when she told him the news, telling her he couldn’t buy this kind of access to the mayor. She wondered if he’d feel the same if she told him about the kiss she and Jeremy had shared the day his grandmother had been released from the hospital. She planned to tell him; the guilt she felt each time she thought about how she’d responded wouldn’t let her
keep something so important from him.
What she’d said about window shopping might be true, but that didn’t extend to kissing a man, or thinking about doing more with that man . . .
Tonight. She’d tell Xander tonight. For now, she would enjoy the warm sunshine and lunch with Ruby and Jeremy on the terrace.
“Having you join us for lunch is a nice surprise.” Fin took the last bite of the goat-cheese-and-olive-stuffed chicken breast, letting the delicious flavor linger in her mouth. She set down her fork with a sigh.
Jeremy’s best move since his grandmother had come home from the hospital had been to convince Dinah Pratt, who’d cooked for Ruby before, to come out of retirement to prepare heart-healthy meals for the three of them for the next month or so. Fin had argued she was up to the task, but Jeremy insisted she had enough to do with keeping Ruby occupied and happy.
Having eaten Dinah’s meals for the past three days, Fin was glad he’d prevailed.
“This sure beats a cold roast beef sandwich.” Jeremy stabbed a piece of perfectly steamed broccoli and popped it into his mouth.
Ruby sat back in her chair and smiled at them. There was healthy color in her face, and every day she grew stronger. She’d been confused a few times, and Fin and Jeremy had both noticed Ruby had difficulty keeping time straight, but the doctor had assured them these symptoms were transitory.
“Mrs. Rakes.” Dinah appeared in the doorway. “You have a visitor. He said he has an appointment.”
“Bring him out here, please.” Ruby straightened in her seat, her hands smoothing her hair. “And if you could bring us another pot of decaf, that’d be splendid.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dinah was nearly as old as Ruby, and the two had been acquainted since girlhood. Yet when she was on the job, she refused to call Ruby anything but Mrs. Rakes or ma’am.
It was puzzling, to say the least, Fin thought.
“Who did you invite?” Jeremy lifted his glass of iced tea. Not a fan of decaffeinated coffee, yesterday he’d asked Dinah to brew some sun tea.
Ruby gave a little laugh, color high in her cheeks. “I don’t remember.”