"That's outstanding. I want the play to be a success."
"Most of the town will be there on opening night, and they're all pulling for you. Eat balanced meals, get your walk in during the morning and again in the afternoon, and get plenty of sleep. You see to it, Rose. No over-extending himself for a few more days, if you get my drift."
Ben watched Rose's face turned a nice rosy color and then realized what Doc was saying and felt his own face turn red.
Doc laughed and said, "I'll see you in a couple of days in my office."
"Did he mean what I think he meant?" Ben asked her, after Doc had left.
"Yes, he did," Rose said, shaking her head. "Come on. Let's get you checked out of here."
The process to leave took only a few minutes. The bill, it turned out, was being paid for by the Playhouse, as Suzanne had been their hire. Ben argued at first, saying he could afford to pay, but the bookkeeper wouldn't hear of it. Finally, he had to let it go.
They walked out into a warm day, with some clouds that might bring rain a bit later. Rose had her car by the curb and they were quickly moving down the street.
It took a minute before Ben realized what was different. "There are no guards!"
Rose smiled at him. "Yes, they're off the case now. We can go back to living a normal life—or as normal lives as we ever have."
She pulled into the parking lot behind the Bakery and they began the process of him climbing the stairs. Halfway up, he asked, "Are you sure I'm able to do this?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Take a rest here and then keep going."
He rested for exactly one minute and proceeded up the stairs, realizing he was being more careful of himself than he needed to be. It was the first serious injury he'd ever had, and he was still adjusting to it.
Rose's apartment had several bouquets of flowers, with cards to him, as well as a stack of get well cards. Evidently, everyone in town knew he would be staying with Rose. He sat down on the sofa and read the cards, moved by how sweet some of them were. But he truly appreciated the ones that made him laugh. Some were completely hokey, but he loved them all. Most of them had a personal message handwritten inside. It became obvious to him that the town considered him 'theirs' now, as some messages sounded more like they were from his grandmother. Violet, the yarn lady, in particular wrote quite a long message about how much he'd been in her thoughts and what he needed to do to get back into, as she put it, 'fighting shape.'
Rose finished unpacking for him. "I've set you up with drawers in the bedroom bureau. How do you feel about a snack?"
"Can it come with coffee? I've only had one cup today."
"Sure, I'll join you. I think we have scones from the Bakery that will go well with coffee."
They moved into the kitchen and sat at the table. Rose set out a Bakery box of scones and made them both coffees. As he watched her moving around the table, he wondered if he'd ever seen such grace as he saw in her. His heart was filled to overflowing with love for her.
"Marry me," he said into the quiet.
She nearly dropped the sugar bowl, and set it on the table before turning to him.
"What did you say?"
"Will you marry me?"
"Of course—but—yes—the thing is—"
He stood up and gathered her into his arms. His kisses stopped her talking. But then, she pulled away from him.
"Let's sit down," she said.
"What's wrong, Rose?" he asked.
"Ben, I love you. I want to marry you. But I don't want to move to L.A., and last time we talked, it sounded like you didn't want to live here."
He ran a hand through his hair, feeling frustrated. "What we have is special, Rose. Can't it overcome any problem you have with the big city?"
"Can't it overcome any problem you have with this small town?"
"My life is set up to work living there."
"And as I said before, you're not some minor actor. You're the lead in a big budget movie coming out this summer. You don't have to live there anymore."
He took a drink of his coffee and started eating his scone. He considered moving to Sully Point for the Bakery alone for a moment, and then his amusement faded.
"What about my sister?"
"What about her? She's twenty-five I think you said. She's not a kid, Ben."
"No, but she loves her job at the hosp—"
He stopped talking and looked sheepishly at Rose, whose eyebrows were rising.
"The hospital? She works in a hospital...as what?"
"A, uh, nurse, actually."
"I see."
Rose stared at him for a minute, and then began to smile.
"What? What are you smiling at?"
"I have a job proposal for her."
He felt confused for a moment, but then he got it.
"No. You are not going to ask my sister to be your nurse in this small town."
"Why not?"
"Because she loves the city! She's a city girl. She's—"
"Probably tired of the intensity of an L.A. hospital."
"You don't know that. She always talks about—well, okay, she hasn't talked about loving her job lately—but I know she loves L.A."
"Gets out a lot, does she?"
"Uh, well, not exactly. She works long hours and is pretty tired when she comes home."
"You said she's coming out here for the opening of the play?"
"Yes."
"That's perfect," Rose said happily. "I'll talk to her then."
"Rose, you can't just uproot my life."
"No, I can't," she said seriously. "But you can. Think about it. I don't think we should discuss it anymore. How about watching a movie after our snack?"
And as much as he tried to get her to budge, she refused to discuss the issue at all. He was sitting on the sofa, watching Operation Petticoat with Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, when it hit him that he didn't even know if they were engaged. He turned to say something to her about it, but decided it was best to let it lie for now.
The food deliveries started that afternoon. Several casserole dishes were delivered, one of which looked somewhat mysterious. It turned out to be a chicken, almond, celery and potato chip dish that was quite tasty, along with a broccoli and cheese casserole.
Ben discovered that he was ready to go to bed by eight that night. Rose had taken him down the stairs for a short walk and then back up the stairs that afternoon. He realized that the stairs were the real exercise. When he went into the bedroom he saw that Rose had already laid out his pajamas. She had changed into a silky nightgown of palest blue, and with her hair unbound from the braid, looked like a vision.
"Babe, if only I felt like doing anything, believe me I'd be doing it. You're gorgeous."
She smiled and said, "Come on, get in bed and I'll rub your back."
"Now that might be almost as blissful as what I would have done."
As she later rubbed his back, he mumbled, "Are we engaged?"
"Sort of," she said.
"Okay. I love you, Rose."
"I love you, too."
And then he fell into a deep sleep.
* * * *
Rose sat up in the bed, with pillows propped behind her back, and watched him sleep. She smiled into the darkened room, thinking of her plan to get his sister to move to Sully Point. Then Ben would have one less reason to stay in L.A., which she felt was perfectly legitimate strategy in issues of love.
She rubbed his back lightly, fingertips soft on his bare skin, and then pulled the sheet and blanket up to cover him. The night air coming in through the windows had cooled off considerably since the daytime. Would she give him up if he absolutely refused to leave L.A.? She didn't see how she could give him up, so, obviously, he had to decide to live with her here in Sully Point.
On that reassuring thought, she slid down into the bed and fell asleep.
Chapter 11
The days until the opening night of the play passed quickly for Rose. Ben returned to rehearsals the day aft
er he came home with her. She ran lines with him at night and enjoyed seeing how he brought the character of Mr. Darcy to life. By the end of the week he was running up and down the stairs with no trouble breathing.
On this day, Ben had gone to the Sully Point Airport, which in reality was an airstrip for small planes only. He was picking up his sister and bringing her to Rose's apartment. He'd said he wanted a few minutes alone with her, and Rose wondered just what he was telling her.
She glanced around the living room one last time. There wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, and everything gleamed in the light coming in from the windows. It was another very warm day in Sully Point, so much so that she'd turned on the air conditioner.
The door opened and Ben entered the apartment followed by a short, slightly plump young woman who had a surprised look on her face.
"You live over a Bakery? Why don't you look huge? The smells alone are putting pounds on me as we speak."
Rose smiled at her and Ben said, "Rose, this is my sister Charlotte Sterling. Char, this is Rose Carter."
Rose noticed he pronounced 'Char' as 'Shar,' and then realized what he'd said. "Sterling is your real last name? I thought it was one of those made-up-for-Hollywood names."
"No, it really is our name. I'm pleased to meet you Rose. Ben has been telling me how wonderful you are."
"Char!"
She giggled. "I've never seen you in love like this, Ben. When is the wedding?"
Rose and Ben looked at each other, and then away.
"Whoa," Charlotte said. "I didn't mean to bring up anything—"
"No, it's fine," Rose said. "We just have a few issues to work out."
"We have one issue, that's all, just one," Ben said.
"Well, could I get a drink of something before you work it out?" Charlotte asked.
"Of course. I'm being a terrible hostess. Would flavored seltzer water be okay?"
"Sure, anything is fine."
"Please, sit down, and I'll bring it to you," Rose said, exiting to the kitchen.
When Rose returned with a glass of peach seltzer water, Charlotte was looking around the room. She came over and sat down in the brocade chair.
"This place is cool. Did you decorate it?"
"No, that would be my sister, Maggie. You'll be staying at her house. We'll take you over there later on. I'll have you know that everyone wanted you, but Maggie won the card cutting competition."
"Everyone? Hey, this stuff is bubbly. I like it."
"Everyone is my family. You'll get a chance to meet them all tomorrow night. There will be a big family bash the night before the opening."
Ben began explaining just who Rose had meant by family, and how the Carters, Graingers, and Tremaines all fit together. Meanwhile, Rose got a closer look at Charlotte.
She was a vivacious, pretty woman, and the original impression of plumpness came more from bad clothing choices, than being overweight. She had dimples in her cheeks when she gave her wide smile and the same big blue eyes as her brother. Her hair was straight, dark brown, cut in a non-descript style that ended at her shoulders. Rose estimated her height at five feet three inches, and thought it was going to be fun to see her with Maggie.
Charlotte turned to her then. "I slept on the plane. I'm totally ready to see the town. Ben's told me a little about it on the phone, and it sounds charming. Can we see it on foot?"
"Oh, yes, no need for a car," Rose said. "Are those shoes comfortable for walking?"
"Yes. The one thing I spend money on is quality shoes, since I'm on my feet so much with my job."
"Ben told me you're a nurse."
"Yes, that's right."
"Well, let's get going then," Ben said, a bit loudly. When both women stared at him, he shrugged and moved them to the door.
Charlotte loved the Bakery, but bemoaned the fact she couldn't afford the calories. They went around the square, meeting Violet and Lucretia in the process.
"Lucretia? Was that the same Lucretia who creates jewelry worn only by the richest of celebrities in L.A.?" Charlotte said after they left the jewelry store.
"Yes," Ben said. "And also one of the town locals who is starring in the play. She's got the part of Mrs. Bennett."
They stopped in Deb's Deli and picked up sandwiches for lunch, along with some icy lemonade, to go. Rose had suggested they eat in the park in the shade of the trees.
When they found a table, Nicky appeared. Rose swore he had magical powers, because he always seemed to just be there without warning.
"The movie star! You're okay!" Nicky said, grinning at Ben.
"Yes, I am. I liked the blue flowers."
"Blue is good. My shirt is blue."
"Yes, it is. Nicky, I want you to meet my sister. Her name is Charlotte."
"Hi, Nicky. Why don't you call me Char?"
"Char? Okay. You got a funny name, Char."
"Thanks, Nicky. I like to laugh at funny things."
Nicky laughed, and so did Charlotte.
"You having a picnic?" Nicky asked.
"Yes, we are. Are you hungry?" Rose asked.
"Nope. I had my lunch. Don't pick no flowers today. Nobody's sick."
"Okay, we won't. See you later," Ben said.
"Nice to meet you," Charlotte said.
Nicky waved...and was gone among the trees in seconds.
"What did he mean, nobody's sick?" Charlotte asked as she sat down at the picnic table. "Of course, people are sick."
"No one is in the hospital today," Rose said. "Someone from the hospital always lets Nicky know when they have patients and he sees that they get a bouquet of wildflowers from this park."
"How absolutely lovely. But how on earth can there be no patients?"
"Everyone got well," Rose said with a smile. "It's a very small hospital."
"That's just...incredible."
Ben's phone rang and he glanced at it. "Uh oh, it's William. I need to take this. Sorry."
He walked off with the phone to his ear. Rose felt a sense of relief.
"Finally, we've got a minute without him," Rose said.
"Did we need a minute without him?"
"Yes. He doesn't want me talking to you about my proposal. But now that I've met you, I'm even more certain it's a great idea. Charlotte, I'm a doctor."
"You're a doctor? I have to tell you, you don't look, or act, like one."
"Be that as it may, I am going to be taking a job as one of two doctors here in Sully Point. The current doctor is getting old and eventually will retire, leaving it to me. I need a nurse to join me in the practice. I'd like you to consider moving here and working with me. We'd do a lot of preventive medicine, along with community education."
Charlotte's mouth was open slightly as she heard the proposal. Then she closed it firmly. With a suspicious air, she said. "Ben put you up to this, didn't he?"
"What? No! Ben hasn't wanted me to mention it to you. He says you love L.A., would never want to live in a small town, and that you love your work there."
"He said that? Is he nuts?"
"What do you mean?"
"Hasn't he seen how exhausted I am all the time? I never have a chance to love living in L.A., and frankly I'm terrified of earthquakes, so I've never actually loved it at all. I love Ben, and I have loved living there with him. But I'd leave in a heartbeat."
Rose beamed at her. "Don't decide yet. Take your time to get to know the town a bit. I'll show you the offices and the hospital sometime in the next few days, and we can talk more. Here he comes. Not a word, now."
Charlotte grinned at her, dimples in full bloom, and nodded.
* * * *
Ben knew a conspiracy was in progress. He even knew who the conspirators were—Charlotte and Rose. They'd taken to each other like long-lost twins. He knew that they were spending time together during every rehearsal when he was busy, and since those were long these last few days before the play went on, he knew they were talking about things he didn't want them to talk about.
Yet, they never said a word about it to him. Nothing was mentioned about Charlotte moving to Sully Point, or about Ben leaving L.A. either. And the longer the silence went on, the more certain he became that they were making plans to work together.
He'd just finished a run on the beach. Tonight was dress rehearsal and then the dinner party at Frank's—or no, it was at his daughter Holly's house. And suddenly, as he walked along the edge of the foaming water, he knew it was time. He needed to make a decision. It wasn't fair to Rose, or to him, to leave it all up in the air.
Did he really need to live in L.A.? That was the question. He had needed to earlier in his career, but now? His agent was holding two scripts for him to look at as soon as he returned to L.A., for movies to be done after the one he was committed to in the fall. But what about Charlotte? Could she really be considering moving to Sully Point? What about all the connections he had in L.A. that he'd built up over the years?
None of this mattered, he realized, and stopped to stand and stare at the crashing waves. The most important fact was that he loved Rose. He wanted to be near her as much as possible. And he wanted her to be happy in her work. When he looked at it like that, the answer was simple.
* * * *
Frank and Holly had decided to put on a Thanksgiving dinner of turkey with gravy and dressing, sweet potatoes, roasted green beans, rolls from the Bakery, and a kale salad. As Frank put it, they were giving thanks that Ben had recovered.
He looked up from stirring the big pot of gravy on the stove to see Rose standing next to him.
"Hi, Frank."
"Hi. Whatcha need?"
"I wondered if I could make a toast at some point, maybe before dessert. I have an announcement to make."
"Well, sure. No problem. We're having dessert wine so you'll have something special to toast with."
"Good, that's good. Thanks, Frank."
He nodded and watched her walk away, wondering if he'd figured it out correctly.
About a minute later, Ben walked up to the stove.
"Listen, Frank, and by the way, this party is just what I needed. Thanks for doing it. But I need to ask a favor."
"Sure. Whatcha need?"
Love Imagines (Sully Point, Book 6) Page 16