Lost Summer: A Gripping Romantic Suspense

by M T Stone

  “No.”

  “Right after the oil collapse in the eighties. Can you imagine learning that you have oil, but you completely missed the opportunity to get out of debt and set yourself up for a better future? It was almost thirty years before he got a second chance.” Olivia sat back and folded her arms, matching his disposition.

  “But he’s rich now!” he protested. “You can’t tell me that he doesn’t have millions.”

  “He shared a lot of it with Ryan and the other kids,” she informed him.

  “And Ryan threw his share away? What a fucking genius!” Carson perked up in his seat, releasing the first chuckle of the evening.

  “He made some mistakes, but I’m guilty of overspending too,” she admitted. “Everyone thought it was going to last. I can’t blame it all on him.”

  “He should’ve known better. Now he can’t even scrape together a half-million. Where is the rest of it coming from?” The vindictive look that crossed his face only added to the frustration that Olivia was already feeling. “You can’t say I didn’t give him an out,” he added.

  Olivia sighed, trying to suppress the anger that was brewing inside her. This man who claimed to love her more than anyone in the whole world had never developed any tact. “You know that I was an only child and I lost both of my parents in a horrific accident. The only things I have that represents my upbringing are a few distant cousins and four quarters of land where I grew up. I’m going to sell half of that land to raise the other half-million. So I’m giving him an out as well, because that’s how much I love my daughter and husband.”

  Carson sat back in his chair, seeming stunned by the admission that she actually loved Ryan. “I can’t believe that I rescued your daughter from some psycho who almost certainly would’ve killed her, and now you’re treating me like this!” he said, leaning in and staring at her with those piercing blue eyes.

  There was a time when Olivia could’ve gotten lost in those incredible eyes, but now she could only see hatred. Maybe he had been able to convince himself that he had done all of this out of love, but the look in his eyes confirmed that it was nothing more than revenge. Revenge against her and most of all, against her husband. No matter how all of this turned out, it was going to leave her and Ryan financially devastated. Surprisingly, though, she felt more love for her husband right now than she had felt in the past ten years. Maybe going through a life-storm together wasn’t the worst thing for their relationship.

  “You really had me fooled the other day, acting like you really cared about Summer and me. No one has ever been able to hurt me the way you do. In spite of it all, I’m selling the land to pay you,” Olivia told him before polishing off the second glass of wine and getting up from her chair. “I will thank God every moment of every day that my daughter was rescued, but I honestly wish it hadn’t been you.”

  “Where are you going?” Carson asked in an annoyed tone.

  “I’ve lost my appetite,” she replied, clutching her purse. “You can have my salad. You should be eating more vegetables anyway,” she added before turning and storming out the door.

  As she walked past the window, she glanced inside to see Carson pushing everything to the other side of the table, making room for both entrees. What a schmuck! She looked upward, thanking her lucky stars that she had always resisted any physical temptation that she might have felt over the years. One moment of weakness would’ve undoubtedly destroyed her entire life. Carson would have immediately thrown any act of infidelity back in Ryan’s face. She blew out a long alcohol-infused breath, thankful that she had listened to her inner voice and avoided him in spite of her desires.

  Two big glasses of wine on an empty stomach, however, had not been a wise decision. She pulled out her key fob and clicked it to make sure her car doors were locked instead of getting behind the wheel. The two-mile walk back to the hospital would give her time to work through some of her anger in addition to sobering her up. Both were good things, but she immediately regretted the three and a half-inch heels she had worn to dinner. She never would’ve guessed that she would end up walking across town in them.

  Chapter 23

  When Dylan arrived at Summer’s room, he found her in an upbeat mood, so he felt a little better about her condition. After a few minutes of random conversation, she once again began talking about the picture from Facebook. He could tell that it was still bothering her, so he dug through his bag and found the copy that he had printed out at the library. He folded it so that he was out of the picture and showed it to her. “Did it look like this?” he asked, trying to determine if maybe it had been printed on the same printer.

  “It’s the same picture, but the one he had was really blurry,” she replied with a puzzled look on her face. “I remember wondering why it was so blurry.”

  “That can happen if you blow up a small picture or if he used a really shitty printer,” he replied, picturing Leo using one in the back of a gas station or truck stop. “There aren’t many options out in the backwoods.”

  “I still would be shocked if he knew how to use a computer,” she said with a snicker. “He was definitely a backwoods guy if there ever was one. You, on the other hand, are looking really good today.” She gave him the same naughty look that she had given him a few days earlier. “Maybe it’s because I was thinking about you all afternoon. It helped to take my mind off all of this other crap.”

  “You’re not the only one,” Dylan admitted. “I spent the first half of last night worrying about your health and spent the last part of the night reliving last Friday night.” He shot her a grin. “Needless to say, I was exhausted this morning. It’s been a long time since I needed a nap before noon.”

  She snickered, reaching out for his hand and pulling it onto her lap. “It seemed to help my breathing when I thought about being with you,” she replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “You definitely know how to bring the naughty girl out in me. I didn’t even realize she was in there.”

  “Jesus, now you’re going to get me all revved up,” he replied, narrowing his eyes at her. “It’s not like we can do anything about it here.”

  “Maybe we can still do something.” She gave him a coy smile. “I think you should use your fingers the way you did that night. I’m pretty sure it would help me feel better.” She started moving his hand up and down along the thin bed sheet that covered her bare bottom.

  “I don’t know, you’re still not eighteen.” Dylan pulled his hand back. “I came a little too close to getting in trouble the first time.”

  “I don’t really care about that. It’s not like were going to do it or anything,” she said looking frustrated. “Just slip your hand under the sheet.”

  “At least let me close the door.” Dylan was a little surprised by her sudden burst of bravado, still not positive whether she was kidding. Nevertheless, he walked over and closed the door after looking out into the hallway. “The good news is the hallway is empty. The bad news is that there is no lock on this door.”

  “I’ll try to be quiet.” She gave him another flirtatious look and coaxed his hand under the covers. She had already pulled her gown up, so he was immediately met by the soft, supple skin of her bare thigh.

  “I’m sorry, I haven’t shaved since Friday,” she admitted, seeming embarrassed by the thought.

  “It feels just fine to me.” As if most guys care about those things. “I wasn’t expecting perfection, since you’ve been kidnapped and spent the last couple of days in the hospital. He moved his hand down the inside of one thigh and up the other before settling in between her legs. “Mmm, now this feels nice and smooth,” he whispered, slipping a finger between her moist lips. “I can definitely tell you’ve been thinking about this.”

  “Oh, fuck. That’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about.” She moaned as he massaged and teased her while bending down and kissing the side of her neck. “I want you inside me,” she begged, clutching onto his arm and pulling it to her. He pushed his t
hick middle finger inside her and began to caress that incredible spot that he had showed her a few nights earlier. Whoever wrote that Cosmo article that claimed there was no such thing as a G-Spot was full of shit. “God, that feels so amazing.”

  Her cheeks instantly flushed, and she moaned softly as he continued to move his finger back and forth until he felt the little bumps rising against his fingertip. Dylan’s cock was now straining painfully against his jeans. He was completely turned on by the fact that he was able to do this for her. He pushed in as deeply as he could and began to wiggle the tip of his finger, immediately causing her to lose control. Encouraged by the twitching of her legs and abdomen as well as her contorted facial expressions, he increased the pace. Within seconds, she began to orgasm just as she had done that first night. He leaned down again, kissing her neck and whispering in her ear, “You are so fucking sexy right now . . .”

  Unfortunately, neither of them had given any thought to the monitors which had detected her elevated heart rate and blood pressure. Her eyes immediately popped open at the sound of the alarm, and she began scrambling to straighten out her gown and the sheets, knowing that a nurse would come barreling through the door at any second. Dylan stepped away from the bed, shoved his evidence-soaked hand in his pocket, and strode over to the window. He pretended to be casually looking outside when the nurse burst into the room.

  Summer did her best to recover quickly, but her flushed cheeks were an instant red flag for the nurse. “What’s going on? You look like you’re burning up.” She placed a hand on her forehead and slapped a stethoscope to her chest. “Your heart is just racing. You must be having an adverse reaction to the meds.”

  “It’s not the medicine,” Dylan spoke up, not wanting to jeopardize her treatment. “I kissed her and then we started making out a little, and the next thing we knew, the alarms were going off. I kind of have that effect on women.” He shrugged and took a step toward the bed.

  “Seriously?” The nurse slung the stethoscope back around her neck and looked back and forth between them with a definite scowl on her face. “You two are unbelievable. Do you know how sick she is?” She glared at Dylan with fire in her eyes.

  “We’re sorry,” Summer replied, beating him to the punch. “It was really stupid, but we just started dating, so—”

  “So you can’t keep your hands off each other, I know. I remember being your age,” the nurse said, finishing her thought. “Just give your body a few days to stabilize before you do anything like that. Your pulse hit one eighty, for Christ’s sake.” She shook her head and actually cracked a faint smile before turning toward the door. “Now, this door stays open! If you even think about closing it, I’m gonna kick your ass out of here,” she threatened, turning her fierce glare back toward Dylan.

  There was nothing like getting a harsh tongue-lashing from a pissed off nurse roughly the same age as his mother to instantly squash a hard on. He nodded in agreement and simply held his tongue, not wanting to say anything that would extend her visit.

  “I’m sorry,” Dylan whispered as soon as the nurse was gone. “Fuck, I should’ve noticed that your pulse was going nuts.”

  “Don’t be sorry. That was totally amazing,” she replied in a hushed tone. “I haven’t felt this good since Friday night. I think the increased blood flow will make the medicine work better.” She smiled, still displaying rosy cheeks and a dazed look in her eyes. She then settled back into her bed, and over the next few minutes, it became obvious that she was drifting back into her previous lethargic state.

  “I’ll always be here for you,” he whispered, regretting that he may have overdone it. “It doesn’t matter how long it takes you to get well. I’ll be here.” She snugged her fingers around his and gave him a weak smile.

  “I’ll be out of here by my birthday,” she whispered back, in spite of the fact that she had been struggling to breathe all day. She closed her eyes, and the smile slowly began to fade until it was gone. He just stood there, admiring her strength and relentlessly positive attitude. That strength was something he admired in both Summer and his uncle. They always seemed to have complete control over their emotions. No one or nothing ever seemed to be able to hurt them. Carson was right. Even though Dylan had worked hard to build his physical strength, he needed to work on the mental strength to go along with it. Observing Summer was definitely a good first step in that process.

  By the time Ryan and his parents returned, Summer was fast asleep and Dylan was sitting silently in the chair next to the bed. He had been watching her sleep for almost an hour and thinking about all the things that he hoped to experience with her. For now, he kept his thoughts to himself, but at least it helped to pass the time. There was no way he could even think of leaving her alone after seeing how quickly she had slipped back into such a weakened state. Even though she never woke up again, he enjoyed spending every minute with her.

  “She’s sleeping again?” Ryan asked, his voice loaded with concern as he and his parents returned to the room.

  “She was fine when I got here, but after talking for a little while, she was completely exhausted,” he explained.

  “Sweet little Summer,” Cliff added, stepping up to the bed and running his fingers through her hair. Tears sprang from the corners of his eyes as he looked down upon her with an expression of pure love. “She always had so much spunk as a little girl. I thought she was going to be the death of me. This just isn’t right.”

  “She’ll be okay,” Madeline declared with a certain conviction in her voice. “She’s come this far, so she’ll pull through. I guarantee it.” She put her arm around him and pulled him to her side.

  Ryan picked up a slip of paper that was sitting on the side table. “The doctor said this was going to make her very tired. They have her on something called ‘Amphotericin B’. It’s a very powerful medication that will go after the parasites directly. There are a ton of bad side effects, but without it, there’s a chance she could die.” His mouth settled back into a frown as he tossed the scrap of paper back onto the small table. “The consulting doc from Mayo said that it’s lucky she’s young and was healthy going into this.”

  “She’ll be strong and healthy again,” Madeline reaffirmed, nodding her head and rubbing her hand along Summer’s left arm.

  “You bet she will,” Cliff concurred prior to clearing his throat and walking out into the hallway to catch a little air.

  Madeline leaned down and whispered into Summer’s ear. “You need to get well, little girl, or I’m afraid you’ll take your grandfather with you.”

  “Mom!” Ryan exclaimed, taken aback by her words. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

  “Well, you know your father . . . he’s soft-hearted to a fault. I don’t think he’s slept more than a half-dozen hours since we first got the news that she was missing,” she told him. “You’re lucky you got my personality. He was ready to cash in all of those municipal bonds that we’ve accumulated over the past seven years to pay off Carson. Thank goodness I was able to talk some sense into him.”

  “Yeah, that debt is my responsibility,” Ryan agreed. “I’m glad you guys are willing to back the loan, but I’m going to work hard to pay it back myself.”

  “I know you will, but we aren’t going to live forever, you know.” She smiled and rubbed her hand back and forth along his shoulder blades. “That money will go to you kids one day, and if there’s any debt left, you’ll be able to pay it off.”

  “I know. We’ll be fine,” Ryan assured her with a hug. “You’re right about Summer too. She’s going to be strong and healthy again. Now take Dad home and get some rest.”

  “I’d better get home too,” Dylan muttered, leaning over to give Summer a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll be back in the morning to see how she’s doing.”

  “We’ll see you tomorrow, Dylan.” Ryan reached out to shake his hand. “You’re a pretty good kid. I’m sorry again for letting my grudge with your uncle cloud that fact for such a long t
ime. I’ve never been a fan of tattoos either,” he confessed, referencing the sleeve of tattoos on his right arm that had continued to grow over the past few years.

  “That’s all right.” Dylan grinned. “Carson can definitely be a pain in the ass. Sometimes, I’m amazed that he and my dad were raised in the same house.” He then explained that the tattoos had begun as a tribute to his father and that the first one was the motto of the infantry division that he had been a part of. “It means ‘I’m Ready,’ and I thought at age sixteen that I was ready to take on the world,” he explained.

  “Okay, now I really feel like a jackass,” Ryan confessed. “I always thought it was something derogatory.”

  As he left and walked down that now familiar hospital corridor, he felt as if he was slowly being accepted by Summer’s entire family. She was really lucky to have a family who cared about each other as much as they did. He knew his own mother and sisters cared about him, but they hadn’t felt much like a real family ever since their dad was killed. His thoughts were cut short by a text from Carson. Ah, back to my real family.

  Chapter 24

  Olivia’s legs and hips had been sore from standing around on tile floors for the past several days, but that was nothing compared to the excruciating pain of walking home in those damn high heels. She hadn’t worn them in years because her feet couldn’t take it anymore, so it was definitely torture. After the first mile, she relented and pulled them off. She then began walking in the grass next to the sidewalk. It felt good to walk barefoot in the grass, something else she hadn’t done in recent memory. With each step, she felt the tension beginning to ease, and by the time she reached the hospital parking lot, she was reluctant to put the shoes back on. Dylan found her sitting on a bench just outside the door, massaging her foot in preparation for some additional torture.