by Wolfe, Lacey
He scrolled the mouse over the link that would show him how many others were bidding. One user name from the list of bidders stood out: N***M. He laughed because the letters N and M made him think of Nurse Molly. There was no way it was her though—the odds of that happening were ridiculous.
Either way, whoever it was, this bidder wasn’t getting his clock. He changed his maximum bid to an outrageous amount. Once it was confirmed, he shut down his computer, satisfied he’d win.
Luke glanced at his calendar and saw that today was Molly’s big day.
He sat at his desk, gathering papers for a criminal hearing, but he wished he could be there with Molly. How was she feeling? Nervous, excited, scared? Probably a mixture of all of those emotions and more. Today she was moving into her dream house. And, if he knew her, she’d be sleeping there tonight. She’d be close to him—just down the street. He wanted to see her or maybe send flowers, but he’d left the ball in her court, just as he said he would. Even though she texted him once in the past two weeks, it was still up to her when a move was made.
He’d told her that he was falling in love with her and she hadn’t said it back. Not that she had to, but being shot down like that had hurt, even if he did understand why she had done it. To be honest, he really hadn’t thought Molly would keep him at arm’s length as long as she had.
Sammy and he had settled into a routine. He now attended school in the district Luke lived in. The bus brought him to the station each day after school. Sammy loved it because he got to play with Annie’s daughter each afternoon. Life was going well, minus not having Molly in it.
From what he knew, Leslie was getting help and starting to straighten her life out. Currently one day a week, the three of them were meeting for dinner so she could see Sammy and vice versa. It had been a hard talk to have with his son when it came to why he was now living with him and not his mother, but Sammy took it well. As much as Sammy hid it, Luke was sure he missed his mother more than he was letting on. He was proud of his son for being so strong.
Luke loved having Sammy in his life daily. It was an adjustment though, because for over a year he only had him every other week. He cooked every night, watched cartoons, and often found himself in bed early. He certainly was no longer living the bachelor lifestyle. Not that he ever really was.
“You about ready, sheriff?” Officer Smith stood in the doorway.
“Yeah, give me a few moments. I need to take care of something first.”
“You got it. I’ll meet you out front.”
He returned his attention to the computer and logged onto one of the flower websites. He browsed the selection and found a bright bunch of flowers that spoke welcome home to him. Yes, he was supposed to be waiting on her move, but was it so wrong to give her a little nudge? He didn’t think so. And he honestly didn’t know how much longer he could stay away before he came up with some sort of scheme to see her.
* * *
“Congratulations!” Diane handed Molly the keys to the house.
Holding the shiny keys in her hand, she gazed at them. Holy cow, the day had finally come. Everything was signed and finalized. Now, all she had to do was go to her new home.
“Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. This is so exciting! I hope my nerves can finally settle down.”
“They will. This process keeps you on pins and needles.”
Diane had no idea. Just this morning she’d thrown up after breakfast when she realized she’d forgotten to fill out a change of address form at the post office. She’d been so worried something was going to go wrong at the last moment.
“Any plans to celebrate tonight?”
“None. Except spending the night in my new home. Power and everything is scheduled to be on today. My friends are going to help me get my bed there. Then tomorrow the movers load up my other house and bring it to my new place.”
“Then be glad you’re doing nothing tonight. You’re going to need your rest for tomorrow.”
Molly grinned. She couldn’t wait. Diane walked her out to her car, hugged her, and said to call if she needed anything. After Molly climbed into her vehicle, she couldn’t believe she was about to drive to her new home. She squealed out loud and bounced up and down in her seat. After a few moments of excitement, she finally calmed herself down enough to make the drive to her new home.
She parked her car in her driveway. She was home. It was a great feeling. As she climbed up, she gazed at the two-story house. The familiar warmth spread over her as she made her way up the front porch steps. She took a moment to stand on the porch and look out over the front yard.
“I’m home.”
After a few moments of pure bliss, she unlocked the door and pushed it wide open. She walked inside and left the door open. Her heels clicked on the hardwood floorboards as she slowly walked through the house, looking at everything, trying to take it all in. She stopped in each room and envisioned what furniture would go where. Of course, she needed to go shopping. She didn’t have nearly enough to fill even half the house.
She went out the back door and onto the deck. Holding onto the railings, she overlooked the overgrown back yard. The two trees in the back caught her attention. She thought of Sammy and the treehouse Luke was going to build his son. As the sadness of not seeing or talking to Luke began to creep in, she had to push it away and remind herself that before long, things would be right again and they could work on a future…if he still wanted one.
Once back in the house, she decided to explore the upstairs. After Theresa and Sandy got off work, they’d all meet at her old place to collect her bed. Then they all planned to spend the night together in her new place. It was going to be great.
As she entered her foyer, where the stairs were, she heard a truck coming down her driveway. She paused and looked to see who it was. It was a flower truck. The delivery guy climbed out, opened the back door, and pulled out a vase of the most gorgeous and colorful flowers she’d ever seen. He greeted her as he climbed her steps.
“Are you Molly Harper?”
“I am.”
“These are for you.” He handed the vase to her.
Molly thanked him. She closed her front door and carried the flowers to the kitchen and set them down on her counter. Her guess was that Diane sent them. Pulling the card off, she opened it and read.
Congratulations on your new home. Enjoy your first night.
-Luke
She reread the card several times before pressing it against her heart. She had hoped to get the place unpacked and set up before calling Luke and begging him to give her another chance. It was going to be hard to stick to her plan. Especially knowing he wasn’t living too far from her now. He had to drive by her house each day on his way home.
And she knew she’d find herself watching.
Chapter Twenty-One
Luke sat in traffic, his jaw clenched. A part of him wanted to rip the steering wheel off just to see if it would make him feel slightly better. But he knew that wasn’t the answer—Molly was.
Each day as he drove by her home, it had been quiet. No movement at all. In fact, it was almost as though it was still a vacant house for sale—but he knew differently. He couldn’t quite understand why she hadn’t called and at least thanked him for the flowers.
Each time he noticed a new box on the front porch, his blood boiled.
That morning, he’d spotted a green trashcan sitting on the curb for pickup. He’d almost stopped and gotten out to check if the flowers he’d sent were in there. It seemed like Molly’s life was moving forward and, for some reason, he wasn’t a part of it. Why was she doing this?
“Can we visit Nurse Molly? You said she moved in.” Sammy leaned toward his dad from the back of the truck.
“We can’t just stop by without an invitation.”
“I bet she wouldn’t care.”
He wasn’t sure at this point if she would care or not, but he had to stick to his guns—even if he cheated with flowers. He’d left it up
to Molly to make the next move, and she seemed to be taking her sweet time.
“I could fake being sick and we could visit her at work.”
Luke grinned. It wasn’t a bad idea, but he couldn’t let his five-year-old think lying was OK. “It’s never a good idea to tell a story. You’re asking to get sick if you do that.”
“Aw, Dad, I want to see Molly. I like her, and she smells really good.”
Luke laughed. “What does she smell like?”
“Kinda like a flower. Isn’t that how girls are supposed to smell?”
Luke supposed. Some smelled fruity, others spicy. It all depended on the woman, he supposed. But he did agree; Molly often smelled like a flower.
“If I can’t fake being sick, let’s at least stop by. Please, Dad.”
Luke sighed. Between his heart and his son, it looked as though they were about to take a pit stop by Molly’s work to see if she was there. After they pulled into the parking lot, he turned to his son. “There is no guarantee she’s here.”
“Then we’ll stop by her house.”
Luke smiled. His son was determined—more determined than he was.
Luke took Sammy’s hand, and they walked across the parking lot and inside. He was nervous. What if Molly didn’t want to see him? Or she got mad because she felt as though he were getting pushy. This had been a mistake. Why had he let his five-year-old talk him into this?
“Luke, what are you doing here?” Kim glanced at Sammy from behind her desk. “Don’t tell me Sammy is sick again.”
“No, he isn’t. Though he thought about faking it just to get in here.”
She laughed. “Honey, you can visit when you’re well. In fact, it’s nice to see healthy kids. We don’t see them too often here.”
“I imagine not.”
She handed Sammy a lollipop and then turned her attention to Luke. “Want one?”
He smiled. “I’m good.”
She handed him one anyway. “You’re never too big for a sucker. Let me guess, you’ve come by to see Molly.”
“Yes, we have,” Sammy said.
“Well, I hate to tell you both, but she’s not here. We don’t expect her back for a few days. Bless her heart, on top of moving, she seems to have caught a nasty bug.”
“She’s sick?” Luke furrowed his brow.
“Yup. She said it started a week ago and she assumed it was nerves, but now she isn’t keeping anything down. She thought it would get better after everything settled down, but it seems to have gotten worse. The poor girl.”
Luke gulped. That didn’t sound good at all. “I’m sorry to hear this.”
“I think Sandy’s going by tonight to check on her. Call tomorrow if you want and we’ll give you an update.”
“Thanks, I will. Bye, Kim.” He took his son’s hand.
“Bye, handsome little guy.” Kim waved at Sammy.
Once Sammy was buckled and Luke was in the driver’s seat, he let out a loud sigh. It pained him to know Molly was sick. What in the world could she have caught that would make her sick for so many days? Did she need to go to the doctors? Something didn’t sound right at all.
“Are we going to stop by her house now, Dad? Remember, I said if she wasn’t here we could go by her house.”
“I remember, but she isn’t feeling well. It’s best if you stay away. I’ll check on her tomorrow when you’re at school.”
That seemed to satisfy his son. Taking a deep breath, he started the drive home.
* * *
This was not how her new life was supposed to start. Molly grabbed a cold washcloth and laid it over her forehead. She’d once again attempted to eat breakfast, and not even thirty minutes later it came back up. Several kids had been in the clinic last week with this horrible stomach bug. Most of the staff had been wearing face masks, but those didn’t always stop the germs. Whatever this bug was, it was brutal. She was to the point that all she could keep down was unsalted crackers and warm tea. She was beginning to feel weak, and knew she needed to get one of the doctors at the clinic to check her out and make sure she wasn’t getting dehydrated. More liquids were going out than coming in. She had promised Sandy last night that if she woke up feeling like death again, she would call her to take her in.
It looked like she was going to be making that call. She just didn’t get it. Before she moved in, she’d been feeling queasy and assumed it had to do with everything going on. But now, it was as though she had a fully-fledged stomach bug. Typically in the afternoons she began to feel normal again and then, wham, it hit again. She’d never experienced anything like this before.
She flipped through the channels on her TV. Right now she had an antenna hooked up until she had the time to call the cable company. The choices were limited, so she settled for one of the morning news shows.
Her eyelids began to feel heavy and, much like the past few mornings, she drifted back off to sleep.
“Molly, are you in there?”
Rolling onto her back, she rubbed her eyes.
“Molly!”
Pulling herself into a sitting position, she realized someone was pounding on her door. She got up, pulled her robe tightly closed around her, and went to see who was here. Just as she opened the door, a wave of nausea swept through her. Placing her hand over her mouth, she took off for the half bath downstairs.
“Oh God.” She leaned her head on the cool toilet.
“Molly.” Luke stood behind her. “Sweetheart, are you OK?”
She didn’t have the strength to answer him.
“Have you been to the doctors?”
She shook her head.
“Can I take you?”
She nodded, though getting off this floor and away from the toilet was the last thing she wanted to do. She needed a few moments to get some strength back. “Give me a minute.”
“OK, I’m going upstairs to your room to get you some clothes to put on. I’ve opened a Gatorade for you, and I’m leaving it right here on the floor within your reach.” Luke set a bottle down near her.
Once he left and she could hear the squeak of the stairs, she grabbed the drink he’d brought. Taking long sips, she hoped this would give her strength to make it up the stairs to get dressed. She really needed a shower, but she was feeling way too weak at the moment.
Luke returned quickly and helped her to the living room.
“What are you doing here?”
“I heard you were sick, and I came to check on you.”
“Sick is an understatement. I think I’m dying.”
He grinned that sexy adorable smile with his dimples. “You’re going to survive.”
He helped her change out of her pajamas and into a pair of leggings and a T-shirt. Normally she would have objected to him seeing her in her bra and panties, but she didn’t have the strength. He picked her up and carried her out to his truck.
“I can walk, you know.”
“Yes, but it’s been so long since I’ve touched you. I’m taking advantage of your situation.”
She giggled slightly. “Oh, it hurts to laugh. Please stop.”
“Anything you need, I’m here for you.” He started his truck.
She had no doubt he was there for her for anything. She’d much rather be seeing him again on better terms, but this would do for now. Looking over at him, she was glad he came when he had. Otherwise, she knew she would have passed out by the toilet for God knows how long.
An hour later, Molly was in a room at the hospital with an IV hooked up to her. The doctors had drawn blood and were now running some tests. Luke was sitting in a chair near her in the room, watching TV. He hadn’t said much since they’d gotten here, but just knowing he was there was enough for her. She was thankful he’d shown up this morning and hadn’t stayed away from her any longer.
“Luke.”
“Yes, are you OK? Do you need something?” He jumped from his seat to her side.
She smiled. “I missed you.”
“That’s music to
my ears. I’ve missed you too. And so has Sammy. He’s been dying to come by and see you.”
“Thank God you two didn’t. I’d hate to get him sick. Whatever this bug is, it’s really knocked me out.”
“With everything going on, you probably wore yourself out.”
She nodded and then reached for his hand. “I wanted to call you so many times. But I had to get my feelings sorted out first. Do you understand?”
Luke squeezed her hand. “Not fully, but we have time to work this all out. I just hope like hell you’ve got your feelings sorted out now. I don’t think I can be away from you any longer.”
“I have. I want you in my life.”
“That’s a huge relief. For a while now, I thought things were over.” He leaned closer to her. “I’d kiss you right now, but seeing as though you’re in the hospital for some mystery stomach bug, I think it’s best I wait until you’re better.” He kissed her palm.
“Probably best.”
“Do you mind if I step out for a moment? I had a call from work and I need to check in with them.”
“Oh, yeah, go. I’m fine here.” She released his hand, and he went through the door.
She let out a long, overdue sigh. This morning she was the weakest she had been yet. And the doctors said it was good he’d gotten her here. She was very dehydrated, as she had suspected. They were running a few tests to check some things, but felt confident that she could go home this afternoon. If it was only a stomach bug, they suspected it was sticking around a little longer from all the stress she’d been under. A few more days of rest and she’d be good as new—she hoped.
The door opened and the nurse who had been helping her came in, followed by a doctor.
“How are you feeling, Molly?” The doctor was looking at her file and then closed the folder.