Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

  Her eyes fluttered open. “Can’t sleep again?” she whispered in a sleepy voice, holding out her hand to bring him down next to her on the bed.

  He kissed each of her fingers. “No.”

  “I don’t know how you function on so little sleep.”

  He shrugged. Insomnia was nothing new. The worries and fears he managed to keep at arm’s length during the day tended to come home to roost in the dark of night.

  Caroline reached for him, and he sank into her embrace.

  Her fingers worked the kinks from his neck and shoulders. “So carefree, yet so full of tension. Why is that?”

  “It’s because I’m trying to keep my hands off your injured bod,” he joked, dodging the question that struck too close to the truth.

  She studied him with knowing eyes, making him feel like she could almost see inside of him. Would she like what she saw if she discovered who he really was?

  He kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

  Chapter Eight

  Parker King was restless. He paced from one end of his Beacon Hill townhouse to the other but couldn’t seem to rid himself of the energy that was so essential to his hectic days. Lately he’d had trouble turning it off when he got home at night, usually after a fourteen-hour day spent brokering the end of one marriage after another.

  At least he knew what was causing all this restless energy. He hadn’t been entirely honest with Ted when they had their discussion about “the spark.” Parker had felt it all right—a spark so bright and so hot it had nearly consumed him for the past couple of years. She was a client who had been through a nasty, messy divorce, and Parker was crazy in love with her.

  Her name was Gina, and she had walked into his office almost two years earlier looking like a wounded fawn. After ten minutes with her, Parker had known she was everything he had ever wanted. In light of that startling revelation, he considered not taking her case, but when he had managed to regain control of his heart and his hormones he’d realized he didn’t want anyone else representing her. He was the best divorce lawyer in Boston, and he had made sure she and her two young sons got everything they were due from her lying, cheating, bastard of a husband.

  The divorce had been final for eleven and a half months—eleven and a half long months of self-imposed torture. Parker had been around divorce long enough to know she needed time to recover from the emotional rollercoaster she had been on for the last few years. So once the divorce was final he had marked his calendar for one year and made a plan to woo her without even knowing if she shared his feelings. That was why, late at night, after long days on the marital battlefield, he was filled with restless energy while images of her with another man filled his mind. He hoped he hadn’t been a fool to wait so long to contact her.

  No one knew about her, and Parker was just superstitious enough to be afraid that if he told anyone it wouldn’t work out. The closer he got to the one-year mark the more time seemed to slow to a crawl, and he wished he could talk to his friends about what he was going through. The next two weeks, the end of his waiting period, were going to be a pure, lonely agony.

  Parker couldn’t deny that her kids gave him pause. Despite his close relationship with his own father, Parker didn’t think of himself as father material. And since he had intimate knowledge of how little involvement their own father had with the boys, he knew any man in Gina’s life would have to be willing to step up for her children, too. Parker had never met the boys, but he’d had nightmares about two-headed monsters with fangs chasing him from their mother’s life. He hoped with all his heart that they were kids he would like and maybe even grow to love. But first he had to find out how she felt. Not knowing was killing him.

  Eleven and a half months had also given him ample time to hatch a plan to convince her he was the man for her. He had already arranged for two-dozen yellow roses to arrive at her home on the one-year anniversary of her divorce. About sixty drafts later, he had finally settled on what he hoped was the right note to send with them:

  “I missed seeing you this year. Call me. Parker.”

  He had enclosed his business card with his office, cell, and home phone numbers in case she had forgotten how to reach him. Over and over he had mulled whether putting the ball in her court was the right strategy, but in the end, he had decided he would make the first move and wait to see how she responded.

  He had also spent an enormous amount of time wondering if she had any idea who he was—or rather, who his father was. Parker had learned to be extremely discerning about the people he allowed into his life. For the most part he’d been lucky, but he had been burned a few times in his younger years by gold diggers—male and female—who were more interested in what his father could do for them than they were in him. These days he had a solid reputation of his own, but still he was careful.

  His gut told him he didn’t need to worry about that with Gina. During her divorce negotiations, he’d had to push her to demand what she deserved, so Parker knew money wasn’t the first thing on her mind. It was her sweetness that had first attracted him, not to mention her incredible eyes and her chestnut curls. He couldn’t wait to bury his face in those curls and kiss her senseless. Just the thought of being able to touch her made him weak with desire.

  She was someone he could curl up with on a cold afternoon, walk hand-in-hand with through the rain, and sleep with every night of his life without ever growing tired of her.

  Parker groaned. I’m never going to survive another two weeks of this. And what if, at the end of all this torture, she isn’t even interested in me? Well, if that happens, I’ll do whatever it takes to change her mind.

  Ted arrived at Kelly’s apartment in the city right at seven. He’d had to scramble to get there on time after one of his bone marrow transplant patients developed an infection that threw his afternoon off schedule. The good thing about dating one of the nurses he worked with was he wouldn’t have to explain such things to her.

  He wanted to be more excited about the date. He wished he had thought about it during the day, counted the hours until it was time to pick her up, and obsessed about the details in an effort to please her. In reality, it felt more like dinner with a good friend than a date.

  Reminding himself of his plan and determined to give Kelly a chance, he rang the bell.

  All the excitement he lacked was reflected in the smile Kelly greeted him with. “Hi, Ted. Come on in.”

  “You look great,” he said, admiring her short black cocktail dress.

  “Thanks, so do you.”

  He had changed at the hospital into a blue blazer, a light blue silk shirt, and tan dress pants.

  “I love your place.”

  “It’s small, but it’s home. Can I get you a beer or some wine?”

  “No, thanks. I’m good.” He strolled over to check out her view of the Boston Commons.

  She brought her glass of wine with her when she joined him at the window. “This isn’t going to happen, is it, Ted?”

  Surprised, he turned to her. “What isn’t?”

  “I’ve hooked kids up to chemo who look less stricken than you did walking in here.”

  “Stricken?” he stammered. “I don’t get it.”

  “Neither do I.” She took a sip of her wine. “Why did you ask me out?”

  He shrugged. “Because I like you.”

  “After six years of working together you suddenly want to date me?”

  “If it’s so strange, why did you say yes?”

  “Because I’ve had a crush on you for years,” she confessed.

  He hung his head. “I’m sorry.”

  “What’s going on, Ted?”

  His jaw clenched with tension as he glanced at her and found a friend looking at him, her expression fraught with concern. “I’m afraid it might be possible…

  “What?”

  “I seem to have fallen for my best friend’s girlfriend,” he said quietly.

  Her eyes widened with surprise. “
So what was I then? A diversion?”

  “No, not really.” His tone was less than convincing, even to him. “I never meant to hurt you. I just . . .” He was mortified when his throat closed.

  “Oh, Ted.” She took his hand and led him to the sofa.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you out, but I had a big plan to get a life so I could get past this craziness. I guess I’ve always sort of sensed you’d be receptive, but I was wrong to involve you in this . . . this mess.”

  “Tell me about it,” she said, continuing to hold his hand.

  Relieved to have someone he could share it with, Ted told her about meeting Caroline the previous weekend and the immediate, overwhelming feelings he’d had for her. “I don’t know what to do,” he concluded, his voice full of despair.

  Kelly shook her head with dismay. “There’s nothing you can do. He’s too important to you, and you’d never forgive yourself for hurting him.”

  He dropped his head into his hands. “I know.”

  She held out her arms to him, and he welcomed the comfort of her embrace.

  “It isn’t fair for me to be dumping this on you,” he said when he pulled back from her.

  “You needed a friend more than anything tonight.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I’m not going to lie to you—I’m kind of disappointed, but I’m not entirely surprised. I couldn’t figure out what had suddenly changed that would make you want to go out with me.”

  “I was terribly unfair to you, and I’m sorry.” He squeezed her hand. “Do you forgive me?”

  “Of course I do. I just wish there was something I could do for you.”

  “There is one thing you can do.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Let me take you to dinner. You look beautiful, and we have reservations. What do you say?”

  “Sure,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go to dinner.”

  Ted drove home after a delightful evening with Kelly. They’d done a lot of laughing, which had helped to cheer him up. He was grateful to have found such a good friend in her, especially since she had every right to be furious with him. Instead, she had offered only support and compassion, which was what he needed. How he wished he had fallen for her, rather than a girl he couldn’t have.

  The more he thought about it, the more he realized what a terrible situation he was in. How was he going to spend time with his friends without revealing his feelings for Caroline? How would he ever be able to stand being around her, knowing he could never have her? They were spending next weekend together on Block Island. How was he supposed to get through that?

  Well, I’ve got eight days to get it together and stop thinking about her, he thought. I’m a grown man—a doctor for God’s sakes. I need to stop acting like a teenager in love.

  His brain had a firm grasp on the situation. Now, if he could only get his heart onboard he’d be all set.

  Chapter Nine

  Ted rested the garment bag containing his tuxedo on top of Parker’s and slammed the trunk of the Mercedes closed.

  Parker locked his Porsche and got into Ted’s car. “Top up or down?”

  “Down,” Ted said.

  “What time is the ferry again?” Parker asked as he flipped a switch to take the top down.

  “Eleven forty-five.”

  “I talked to Chip an hour ago. They’re on their way.”

  “I need coffee.” Ted was grumpy after pulling an all-nighter at the hospital so he could leave for the weekend.

  “Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “About three hours, in fits and spurts.”

  “Want me to drive?”

  “Nah, I’m kind of keyed up.”

  After they had stopped for coffee, they headed south on I-93 on their way to I-95. “What a fucking week from hell this has been,” Ted said once he had consumed half of his coffee.

  “What happened?”

  “It would probably be easier to tell you what didn’t happen. First of all, we lost a six-year-old with a brain tumor who should’ve died three months ago. Those poor parents have been through it. Then we broke our single-week record for new diagnoses. And the highlight of this suck-ass week would have to be my seventeen-year-old bone marrow transplant patient, Pilar, who’s done exceptionally well for six months.” He glanced over at Parker. “Keeping them healthy for the first year is critical, so we put them in lock down at home to minimize the risk of viral infection. She was six months away from being able to rejoin society when she snuck out of the house to meet her boyfriend.”

  “You can kind of understand that, though, can’t you?”

  “Of course I can, but unfortunately for her the boyfriend’s younger brother came down with the chicken pox two days later.”

  “What does that have to do with her?”

  “The varicella virus, which causes chicken pox, can be lethal for transplant patients. And she’d never had the chicken pox.”

  “Oh,” Parker winced.

  “Exactly. So she’s back in the ICU fighting for her life. Thus my night without sleep.”

  “God, what a bummer. She did what any kid would do, and that’s what she gets for it.”

  “She’s not any kid, though, and she knew that.” Ted banged his hand on the steering wheel in frustration. “Her family has already been through so much and now this. The boyfriend was sobbing his head off in the hallway last night.”

  “Poor guy. Is she going to make it?”

  “I don’t know,” Ted said, dejected. “I shouldn’t even be going this weekend, and if it was any other occasion, I would’ve stayed in Boston. But I’ve got good backup, and if I didn’t get the hell out of there, I might’ve killed someone.”

  Parker chuckled. “And of course murder kind of flies in the face of hospital policy, doesn’t it?”

  Ted laughed. “Just a bit. Sorry to unload like that. It’s just so damned frustrating sometimes. We’re already fighting a big enough battle without patients doing stupid shit that gives their disease the advantage.”

  “Does it happen often?”

  “Fortunately, no. Most of them are so terrified of a recurrence they follow our orders to the letter. But it’s harder with kids, especially teenagers. It’s in their nature to be rebellious. It’s so much harder on their parents than it is on the parents of the little ones. Bigger kids, bigger issues. Then toss cancer in on top of it, and well, you get the picture.”

  The only good thing about the week from hell was it had left Ted with almost no time to stew about Caroline. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had much time to prepare himself to see her again, either.

  “These stories are enough to keep me from ever having kids,” Parker said.

  “That’s me, a regular dose of birth control.”

  Parker laughed.

  “The good news is we’re talking about a very, very small percentage. Most kids are robustly healthy.”

  “Do you ever see yourself with kids?”

  Ted glanced over at him. “Not really, but then again I feel like I have a hundred kids at any given time. What about you?”

  Parker shrugged. “I think about it sometimes. I can’t believe we’re all pushing forty with none of us married and no kids. We won’t be having fortieth anniversary parties at this rate.”

  “We’ll be in nursing homes by our twenty-fifth anniversaries.”

  “Still, sometimes I wonder if we aren’t missing out on something the rest of the world seems to take for granted.”

  “I think we’ve had a lot of fun, and if the right girls come along and we decide to get married we’ll do it with no regrets—unlike all the poor slobs who get married too young and wind up sorry.”

  “That’s true.”

  “Why so pensive today? Are the divorce wars getting you down?”

  Parker shrugged. “I’ve just been thinking about it lately. That’s all.”

  “Any particular reason?”

  Parker hesitated, as if there wa
s something he wanted to say. “No. Not really. But between my marriages on the rocks and your sick kids, it’s no wonder we’re both still single.”

  Ted wasn’t fooled by Parker’s attempt to change the tone of the conversation. “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

  “Yeah.”

  Ted decided not to push. “Got any good divorce stories?”

  “The best one recently is the battle over a one-hundred fifty thousand dollar show poodle.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?”

  “Oh, how I wish I was,” Parker sighed. “I’ve seen people give less consideration to their kids than this stupid dog is getting. Gertrude Givens Allister Von Hinkle is derailing the whole settlement.”

  Ted laughed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh.”

  “Feel free. Believe me, we’ve laughed our asses off at the pictures of the puff ball in question.”

  “What are the people like?”

  “Just what you’d imagine the owners of a show poodle to be like. They say people start to look like their dogs after a while, and I can definitely confirm it’s true.”

  “Which one’s your client?”

  “Mummy.”

  “Mummy?”

  “That’s what she calls herself when she refers to the dog. I’m not making this up.”

  Ted laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes. “For this you suffered through law school.”

  “No shit.”

  “So what did I miss last weekend?” Ted told himself he was not fishing for information about Caroline. “Anything fun?”

  “It was kind of quiet, actually. Just me, Chip, and Elise.”

  “Smitty wasn’t there?” Ted asked, shocked.

  “No, he stayed in New York because Caroline didn’t feel like going. The ankle was giving her a bad time, I guess.”

  Ted’s stomach churned. “I can’t believe Smitty missed a weekend in Newport.”

  “I know. Chip was saying he’s never seen him this gone over a girl. She’s really nice, though. Nothing like Cherie, thank God.”