Marrying Mallory

by Diane Craver

“Back to our dinner plans. Mom wants to meet you since she won’t be here when I have my surgery. I think she’ll feel better about everything once she sees you in person.”

  Oh, crap. Seeing her daughter’s surgeon wearing a sling might not be reassuring. “She probably wants to see if I’m worth my fee which I understand. I don’t think I can meet you for dinner, but—”

  “Please try. She’ll feel even more guilt about leaving on her honeymoon if she doesn’t get to talk to you. She might decide to delay their trip. You don’t want to be responsible for that, do you?”

  “Okay, I’ll tell you why I’m hesitating. I hurt my arm playing racquetball yesterday. It’s no big deal and isn’t broken but I need to wear a sling and ice it for a few days.”

  “I’m sorry you got hurt.” She gave a little laugh. “That’s one way to try and get out of doing my surgery.”

  “I’ll be able to do your surgery. No problem. I just have elbow tendonitis.” He did want to go to dinner and meet Mallory’s mom. “I’ll go to dinner and not wear my sling.”

  “Is it your right or left arm?” she asked.

  “It’s my right. I don’t want your mom to see my arm in a sling so I won’t wear it. It won’t hurt not to wear it for a few hours.”

  “No, it’ll be fine. I don’t want you to leave it off.”

  “Is Josh going?” He’d enjoy meeting her young son, but before she hadn’t wanted to explain to Josh that he was her surgeon. He probably wouldn’t get to meet Josh this time.

  “He’s going to eat pizza with my future stepfather’s grandchildren. Hold on a sec. I’ll check and see if we can pick you up.”

  Seth started to tell her that he didn’t want to be any trouble, but he wasn’t fast enough.

  A couple of minutes later, she returned. “It’ll be easier if I pick you. I just need directions to your place.”

  ***

  After the rehearsal dinner, Mallory drove Seth back to his house. Once inside, she pointed to Seth’s couch. “You sit while I get you an ice pack for your arm.”

  “I can get it.”

  She looked over her shoulder before walking into the kitchen. “Nope. That’s why I decided to drive, so I could make sure you take good care of your injury. I want you in top form on Wednesday.”

  “I enjoyed dinner. Your mom and Alan are great people.”

  Mallory put a small towel around the pack before placing it under his elbow. As she bent over him, her dress tightened at the movement. He saw the outline of her nipples through the purple fabric. And that wasn’t all. The view of her lovely breasts suffocated him. He yearned to touch them. When her fingers touched his arm, he felt another jolt of passion. Henry had been right about using his injury to get special attention from Mallory. Would he be too obvious if he patted the spot next to him? Maybe she’d pointed for him to sit on the couch instead of his chair because her plan was to sit beside him.

  “I like your house,” Mallory said, glancing around his living room. Standing in front of his bookshelves, she pulled a book off the nearest shelf and read the title out loud. “A Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren. I did read this but should read it again.”

  “It’s an excellent book,” he said, eyeing her bare legs.

  She put the book back. “I love your built in shelves on both sides of the fireplace. I’m amazed how many books you have.”

  “When I bought the house, I never thought I’d have enough books to fill all the shelves but I’m getting there.”

  “I love to read, too, but you probably realized that since I’m an English teacher.”

  “Your mom told me how you started reading at age three. Be the way, I enjoyed meeting your mother. Thanks for including me in your family’s celebration.” He better think of a reason to get her to stay. Offering her food was out of the question. They had eaten a lot at dinner including dessert. Maybe they could watch a movie. He’d just bought a few Blue-ray Discs at Target. “How about we watch a movie?”

  She glanced at her watch. “I should get home. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day. I need to help Josh pack his bag yet. He’s leaving after the wedding to go with Toby’s parents to the lake house. I don’t want Josh to stay up too late, but we can talk for a little bit.”

  Her leg brushed his as she sat beside him. Intense desire swept through his body at her touch. Did she feel the same thing? Apparently he didn’t have the same effect on her. She looked as cool as his ice pack felt. “Are you taking your vitamins?”

  She grinned. “Yes, doctor. By the way, my family doctor told me at my physical that I’m in good shape. He also approves of me having surgery.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Did you get my physical form? When I had my physical, they mentioned faxing it to your office.”

  He nodded. “I got it on Friday. The big day will be here soon.”

  “Do you have surgeries scheduled on Monday and Tuesday?”

  “Yes, but not too many on Monday.”

  “I just have a teacher’s work day, and then I’m finished on Tuesday for the summer.” Her green eyes widened as she stared at him. “Seth, I’m scared.”

  Oh, great. She’s worried I won’t be able to do her rhinoplasty. “The pain was bad when it happened, but it’s already feeling better. I promise I won’t have any trouble doing your surgery.” He was glad she was on his left side, so he could grasp her hand. “My hands are fine.”

  “I’m not worried about you having any difficulty.” She winked at him. “I think you’re faking it anyhow to get my attention.”

  “I can see why you’d think that since I haven’t hidden my feelings for you.” He didn’t give her a chance to say how she felt about him but instead asked, “What are you anxious about?”

  She exhaled a deep breath. “I’m just nervous now. I’ve never had any kind of surgery.”

  “That’s normal for you to feel this way. You shouldn’t treat cosmetic surgery lightly, but you’re young and healthy. I wouldn’t operate if there was any risk of something going wrong. And we’re close to a major hospital if something rare should happen.”

  “I’m nervous about something else too.” She paused for a moment. “I’m worried my swelling might last too long. I want to go to Vegas with Josh, but don’t want my nose to look bigger than it does now.”

  He wanted to give her hopeful information but at the same time, he needed to be blunt. “You’ll have bruising and swelling. It frequently involves the tissues around the eyes. You might look like you have a black-eyed appearance for around seven to ten days. The eyelids are easily bruised and swollen with very little trauma. It’s hard to know how long your swelling will last, but you’ll see an improvement right away in your nose. Gradually the swelling will go away. I just can’t give you a timeline because each patient is different.”

  “I’ll be glad when it’s over.”

  “Do you have someone to drive you home after the surgery?”

  “Heather’s going to take off work.”

  “That’s good. I’m sure she knows to stay with you.”

  She smiled. “I feel special. I’m on the first name basis with the best plastic surgeon in the area. And I have my own registered nurse to take care of me.”

  More than anything, he wanted to kiss her. It’s time to take action. With his good arm, he pulled her next to him. “I want to give you something to think about instead of the surgery.” His lips moved over hers, tender and sensual.

  When she kissed him back, he realized she wasn’t cool at all. Her lips were warm. His entire body became drugged with need. He wanted to make love to her.

  Mallory gasped. “I can’t think, Seth. Your kisses are driving me crazy.”

  “You have the same effect on me. I can’t get enough of you.” He nuzzled her neck, noticing her scoop-neck dress. He pulled her closer, feeling her swollen breasts against his chest. She moaned at his contact.

  At the sound of her phone, she sat up straighter and gave him an apologetic glance. “
I better get that. It might be Mom about the wedding.”

  While she left to answer her cell phone, he realized something.

  He’d never operated on someone he loved.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Mommy, you sound funny,” Josh said.

  “My nose is a little stuffed up.” Mallory glanced at Heather to see if was listening. She’d driven her home after the surgery. When Heather grinned at her, she realized her friend had heard. But it wasn’t a lie. Her nose was congested because of swelling plus Seth had put a small bit of gauze held in place with tape under her nose to absorb drainage.

  “Daddy called. Grandma’s mad at him.”

  “She probably wishes your dad wasn’t in Las Vegas, so he could spend time with you, Grandma and Grandpa at the lake.” She loved Toby’s parents. Fran, Toby’s mom had taken her side when they’d gotten divorced. She’d told her son to go to counseling because his marriage was worth saving. Toby had laughed and said his mom should get Mallory and Josh in the divorce settlement. Neither woman thought he’d been a bit funny.

  “No, she’s mad about Samantha. I heard her tell Daddy that Samantha’s a gold digger. When I go visit Daddy in Vegas, I want to dig for gold.”

  “Grandma didn’t mean that Samantha was actually digging for gold. She meant something else. Did Daddy tell you that Samantha is in Vegas?”

  “Yes, she’s with him. I told Daddy that he missed Nana’s wedding.”

  Josh had been disappointed when he learned his dad wasn’t attending the wedding. They hadn’t sent him an invitation after they learned he would be in Vegas anyhow.

  “Josh, I’m sorry you didn’t get to see him before you left on your trip.”

  “Daddy asked about the wedding. I said how Nana looked pretty and happy.”

  “She made a beautiful bride.” Mallory had never seen her mother happier.

  “I asked Daddy if he was happy when he married you.”

  Her throat thickened. Their wedding day had been perfect. Toby’s eyes had been filled with love for her. What happened? “Josh, we were very much in love.”

  Josh lowered his voice as he said, “Daddy said that it was a happy day. And when I was born was another wonderful day.”

  It was time to change the topic. In exactly a week, Seth would remove her splint from her nose and ironically it would be on the anniversary of her wedding day. They were married after their college graduation. Their honeymoon had been at Myrtle Beach. Strange how things happened.

  “And today’s going to be a good day for you. I heard you’re going fishing with Grandpa. Your daddy used to fish with Grandpa.”

  After chatting for a few more minutes, they said good-bye. She put the cordless phone next to the table lamp. “It’s going to be a long ten days. I already miss Josh.”

  Heather nodded. “It’s a shame your mom left, too, but how romantic to find love at her age. You did a great job on the wedding. It was perfect. Elizabeth and I both thought it was elegant.”

  “I was pleased with how well it went. Fortunately, it was a small wedding.”

  Heather stood. “I better get the ice ready for your cold compress. I forgot about it when Josh called.”

  After Heather left the living room, she thought about Samantha being in Las Vegas with Toby. Not her favorite thing to have on her mind after plastic surgery, but maybe Samantha was the one woman Toby could be happy with.

  “Thanks,” she said when Heather returned from the kitchen. She rested her head against the chair while Heather handed her a cold compress. She hadn’t talked to Heather yet about meeting Jeremy’s mother. They’d left after Elizabeth’s picnic to visit with Jeremy’s mom, and Heather had been nervous about meeting her. “You haven’t mentioned Jeremy. Did you have a nice time at his mom’s house?”

  Heather shrugged. “It could’ve gone better. I had trouble talking to her. She asked about you. Then said how much she respected you.”

  “I bet it went better than you think. I only met her a couple of times, so I’m not sure why she thinks so favorably of me. She was probably just making small talk.”

  “She wasn’t impressed by me,” Heather said. “That’s for sure. She said a minister’s wife has to be comfortable in lots of different situations.”

  “Jeremy must like you a lot for her to talk about what is expected of a minister’s wife. I hope he told her how you can handle any problem. What did Jeremy say?”

  “He was on the phone while we were chatting.” Heather frowned. “I think she’d rather Jeremy dated you than me.”

  “No, she doesn’t. You and Jeremy belong together. She’ll see that. It’s going to be fine. If you and Jeremy continue seeing each other, she’ll realize you’ll make a wonderful minister’s wife.” Yikes, I’m talking too much. Seth had given her orders to talk little. It was hard though with Heather having a low self-esteem after meeting Jeremy’s mother.

  “I’m crazy about him.” At the sound of her cell phone, Heather glanced at the screen before answering it. “It’s my sister. I better get it.”

  She removed her compress and went to look at herself in the bathroom mirror. Staring back at her was a frightening face. I look so bad. I can’t believe it’s me. Josh would be so upset if he saw me now with a puffy face, a nose splint and bruises around my eyes.

  Heather came to the doorway. “Are you okay?”

  “I knew I’d look hideous with the splint, but I never imagined anything like this. No wonder the nurse took me out the back door instead of through the waiting room.”

  “From the recovery room, the back door is closer to the parking lot.”

  “They told me to go in the back door when Seth removes the splint, so I’ll still be scary looking. That’d be bad for business for prospective patients to see what they’ll look like after surgery before healing.”

  “I have a problem. Kari’s having contractions. I think it could be false labor because she isn’t due for three weeks, but I should go. Wouldn’t you know this would happen when you just had surgery and Tony’s out of town? I hate to leave you but if she’s really in labor, I want to drive her to the hospital. I’ll call Elizabeth. She was going to stop in after work, but maybe she can leave work early.”

  “Go now. It’ll take you twenty minutes to get to her house.”

  Heather’s face had a worried look. “Are you sure?”

  She gave her a slight shove. “You better leave now. I’ll be fine.”

  “I’ll help you walk to your bedroom and get you settled before I go.”

  “I’d rather sit in the chair again and watch TV.”

  “Can I get you anything before I leave?”

  “No, but thank you.” She wanted Heather to get Kari to the hospital. What if it wasn’t false labor? “Heather, will you please go? I’ll call Elizabeth, you take care of Kari. If she’s in labor, it should be shorter this time with it being her second pregnancy.”

  After Heather left, she grabbed the phone to call Elizabeth. Rather silly to do this, she thought. I obviously can take of myself. She sighed. I told Heather I’d call so I better. The phone rang before she hit speed dial for Elizabeth. She saw it was Fran so quickly answered.

  “I waited until the guys left, so I could talk to you. I think you should know something that I just found out about Samantha. She met Toby before she ever worked at the fitness club. And she’s quit her job now to work for him.”

  Was Fran trying to tell her that Samantha was another reason her marriage had failed? “Did he know Samantha during our marriage?”

  “Yes, he did. He insists that they didn’t get serious until the divorce was final—”

  “But that was only five months ago. He told me that their relationship wasn’t serious yet.”

  “It’s serious. I think she quit her job at the gym to go with him to Las Vegas. He said he needed her to help with Jeff’s legal problems. But I think she’s trying to trap him. Toby’s a successful lawyer. She’s interested in his money.”

&
nbsp; “I don’t know, Fran. The money might not have anything to do with her interest in Toby. Your son’s a good-looking and charming guy.”

  “Honey, I’m sorry I told you all this. I wasn’t going to but I heard what Josh told you about Samantha. I love Toby but he blew it when he divorced you. I’m afraid Toby might marry Samantha. I wanted to let you so you’ll be prepared. Mallory, you’ll always be a daughter to me.”

  The older woman’s words touched her deeply. Her eyes became moist. “Oh, Fran, I feel so blessed to have you as a friend and I love you too. But I wanted the divorce too. I tried but I couldn’t forgive him for his affair with Lacey.”

  “I understand. He didn’t treat you well. I wish he would’ve been a better husband.” She paused before continuing, “I better go. I promised Josh I’d bake cookies while they were catching dinner. Take care of yourself. You sound like you have a bad cold.”

  After she told Fran good-bye, her heart felt heavy. Toby had lied to her about Samantha. Had he ended the affair with Lacey to have one with Samantha? Was she the reason Toby had asked for a divorce? How many times had Toby lied to her during their marriage? And how many women had he slept with? What a fool she’d been. Had he used her to get through law school and never really loved her? She felt like crying but wanted to keep her emotions under check. If she cried about her ex being a cheat and a liar, she might damage Seth’s work on her nose. She must stay upbeat. What did it matter about Toby anyhow? She no longer loved him and hadn’t for a long time. He was a louse, but Seth wasn’t.

  She needed something to do, but it couldn’t be strenuous. She was supposed to be resting and she felt dizzy. Pictures. That’s what I can do—take shots of my nose. She’d thought of writing a story about her experience for a magazine to help recoup some of the money spent on her nose, and the editor might want photos included. After she picked up her digital camera from her shelf in the bedroom, she went back to the living room because of better lighting.

  She snapped a few close-ups of her face. After transferring to the computer, she stared at the photos. Geez, she definitely wouldn’t send these to her mom and Alan. Seeing how she looked after surgery might give them nightmares on their honeymoon. I don’t want to do anything to put a damper on their romantic time together. Her mother deserved having a fantastic trip with her new husband.