The walk from the subway station to her apartment had never seemed so long. When she finally got home and closed the door behind her, she felt her legs give in, and she slumped down on her bed without even bothering to get undressed.
She fished her phone out of her bag and pressed speed dial, hoping he would pick up before she fell asleep. It only rang twice before his warm voice asking her how she was reached her. A lump formed in her throat and she burst into tears without even knowing why.
“Val, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
She felt stupid for sobbing like that for no reason at all, but maybe it was because she was exhausted, and hearing his voice on the other end of the line had made her realize how much she truly missed him.
“Sorry,” she sniffed and blew her nose. “I’m simply worn out because of all these crazy shifts. I’ve been on night shift twice in three days, and I barely had time to get some sleep. I think I’m starting to understand how you feel.”
“Is there anything I can do to cheer you up?” Ryan asked, his tone sweet but a little concerned, too.
“You could come home,” she replied, her voice cracking on the word home.
“I wish I could, Val. I really wish I could be there with you right now to wipe away those tears.”
Valerie swallowed, knowing she was being selfish again. She was tired and cranky. There was nothing Ryan could do to help, and she shouldn’t make him feel bad for not being able to be there. But she couldn’t help it—she needed him like air.
“I know; I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to take it all out on you. It’s not your fault.” Ryan was silent and she decided she should simply toughen up and face the music. This was his life; he couldn’t simply leave everything because she was in a bad mood.
“Anyway,” she continued, a little more cheerfully this time, “I’ll only have to hold on two more days, and then it should be back to normal. At least that’s what they said.”
“Will you get a day off, then? Or will it just be a normal shift again?” His tone changed, sounding almost hopeful, or maybe she was just imagining things.
“I’ll be off on Thursday, and I’ll be on the night shift on Friday, so I guess I can’t complain. I’ll be able to sleep the whole day through and get up just in time to go to work.”
Valerie tried to hide a yawn, and Ryan chuckled.
“Listen, try to hold on until I’m back in Boston next week. I promise I’ll take you to a nice spa, where you can get pampered for a whole afternoon. All on me. How does that sound?”
“Inviting,” she said, brushing her hand across her eyes. “I’ll definitely be looking forward to that.”
“It’s a promise, then. Now you’d better go to sleep. I don’t want to keep you up. You try to be strong a few more days and I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Okay.” She yawned, weariness washing over her as the last bit of adrenaline wore off. “Have a good day, Ryan. And thank you for the spa.”
“You deserve it, Val. More than anyone else. Sweet dreams, then.”
“Oh, Ryan?” she asked, just before he hung up.
“Yes?”
“I love you, buddy,” she whispered, and let out another yawn.
“I love you, too, Val,” he said, the soft tone of his voice telling her he was smiling.
Valerie closed her eyes, feeling a little better. Simply talking to Ryan was as good as a session with a shrink. He knew when to listen, and he knew when to say something that would cheer her up. Nobody understood her and knew her better than he did.
Chapter 6
When the FedEx guy stopped at the nurses’ desk looking for Valerie and handed her an envelope once she’d signed the delivery note, she stood slightly dumbfounded, staring at the sender’s address. It came from the Four Seasons Hotel in Dallas, and she had a feeling she knew who it was from. She turned back toward the desk, holding the still unopened envelope in her hands. Diane, the nurse on duty, and Karen, who’d just finished her shift and had gone to the ER to ask Valerie to join her for lunch, were staring at her with raised eyebrows, probably dying to know what was inside and, most of all, who it was from.
She removed the strip off the FedEx envelope and found a smaller envelope inside, with the hotel logo. When she finally opened it and took out the card that was inside, the familiar handwriting made her smile, and she felt happier than she had in days.
He always knew how to make her smile, no matter how far away he was. The morning before, she’d broken down while they were on the phone, and now he’d sent her a nice card to cheer her up. It was typical of Ryan, and this proved once again that success hadn’t changed him in the least.
“Who’s it from?” Karen asked, unable to hold her tongue any longer.
“Ryan,” she said, with a silly smile on her face. Karen and Diane exchanged a knowing look, but she ignored it.
Karen had always found it odd that Valerie and Ryan were only good friends, but Valerie knew she used to hope it was true when her friend had a crush on Ryan, back when she’d just met him, because she was hoping she could date him.
After she’d gotten over her crush—even though she’d told Valerie it would never truly be possible to get over those sexy eyes and that wonderful voice—she’d started to wonder out loud whether Valerie and Ryan really believed they were only best buddies, or whether they were too blind to see there was something more behind all that. She’d told Valerie over and over again that she’d never really believed in friendship between a man and a woman, but Valerie insisted that it was possible, that Ryan was like a big brother to her and that she could never see him as anything but her best friend. So in the end, Karen had relented and told Valerie that perhaps she was right. It was rare, but maybe friendship between a man and a woman was possible.
“What does it say?” Karen asked, jarring Valerie out of her reverie. Valerie scowled at her friend, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat.
“It’s none of your business!” she said, sticking her tongue out at her and making Karen laugh. That was when she realized she had no idea what it said because, excited as she was that Ryan had sent her a card to cheer her up, she hadn’t read it yet. When she finally did, the envelope fell to the floor, while she had to read the card twice to be sure she hadn’t misunderstood something.
Hey, Doc, a little bird told me you’ve been working hard recently and are in desperate need of a break. I know I promised you a spa in Boston, but would a spa in Miami do?
Be sure to get to Logan International on time; the ticket is non-refundable! And bring a bikini: I hear it’s gonna be ninety-five degrees on Thursday, and it would be a pity not to spend some time on the beach.
See you tomorrow, Val.
Love, Ryan.
Karen picked up the envelope Valerie had dropped and squealed.
“He sent you plane tickets!” Karen’s shriek shook Valerie out of her thoughts again. She stared dumbfounded at Karen as her friend handed the envelope back. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry, but the ticket stuck out of the envelope and… Where are you going?”
Valerie’s eyes filled with tears—happy ones. Ryan was the most adorable guy. If she didn’t know Prince Charming was a fairy-tale creature, she would say Ryan was him.
“Miami,” Valerie whispered, still shocked. “Tomorrow.”
“No way!” Karen squealed and hugged Valerie, as if she’d just told her it was actually she who’d be going to Miami.
“I told him about the double shifts and that I’d be off on Thursday, but I would have never thought… I mean, Miami! Can you believe it? I’ve never been to Miami—well, I’ve never been anywhere outside this hospital, for that matter.”
The three women laughed, and Valerie felt light-headed, as if she’d just drunk a bottle of wine. She knew it was because she was happy, not only about going to Miami, but most of all because she was going to see Ryan. She couldn’t wait to get her shift over with and go home and pack. She didn’t care that she would be on a night shift agai
n, and she would barely have the time to throw a couple of things in a duffel bag before heading to the airport. All she cared about now was that in less than twelve hours she would be with Ryan again.
In Miami.
Life is beautiful, she thought, with a contented smile.
“If I were you, Valerie,” Karen said, interrupting her thoughts once again, “I wouldn’t let other women get their hands on him. The man’s a rare gem, my friend, and if I weren’t already taken—and you weren’t my friend, of course—I’d definitely get in line and try to get his attention.”
“Yeah, I bet you would,” Valerie said, remembering how big Karen’s crush on Ryan had been.
Karen laughed. Doctor Gray approached the desk in that moment looking for Valerie, and the other two women left. She followed him and resigned herself to the fact she’d be lunching alone, if at all today.
Chapter 7
Valerie knew that Ryan’s manager hadn’t been too excited when he’d told him about her visit to Miami, and she hoped he wouldn’t spoil her short vacation.
When she walked out of the arrivals area, the same kind of excitement she had felt the day she’d arrived in Boston for the first time rushed through her, but she kept repeating to herself that she shouldn’t start running toward Ryan like she had done that day, because he was a celebrity now and she would risk attracting people’s attention toward them.
The moment she saw him standing outside arrivals, hiding behind a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap, her heart jumped up her throat. She stopped and took a long, deep breath to calm down before she walked normally toward him.
When she was close to him, he gave her his crooked smile and opened his arms, wrapping them around her a second later. All the weariness she’d felt in the past few days suddenly disappeared. Yes, Ryan was her oxygen—she was sure now.
“Did you have a good flight?” he asked her, once they were in the car. Since becoming a celebrity, he’d never had to drive a car himself and always had a private car with a driver wherever he went. Going around in a car with smoked-glass windows and leather seats made her feel like some kind of movie star.
“I was so excited, I could barely remain seated. And, by the way, traveling in first class is awesome!”
“There you go, picking up the American slang at last.” He laughed. She’d often made fun of him because his Irish accent had almost completely disappeared since he moved to Boston, and she’d insisted she’d never lose her accent, but every now and then she found herself using some slang or the American accent without realizing, and it always made him laugh. “Normally you would say grand rather than awesome. Guess it’s really rubbing off on you.”
“Eejit.” Valerie used the Irish word to prove she wasn’t going to start speaking like an American anytime soon, just to keep up the eternal banter they’d started as soon as she’d moved to Boston.
Ryan laughed again, and Valerie relaxed against the comfortable leather seat. She’d been so busy and stressed these last few days, this was probably the first time she’d really laughed. She let out an exaggerated sigh and stretched out her legs.
“Aaw, I love traveling first class and having chauffeurs driving me around, as if I were a Hollywood star.”
“Well, you’re gonna like the hotel, then,” he said with a grin. “I managed to get a suite, since I told my manager I’d have a special guest coming over from Boston. I hope you don’t mind sharing it with me.”
He winked, and she stared at him wide-eyed. “A suite? Are you kidding me? This is going to be the greatest holiday ever!”
She flung her arms around his neck, totally careless of what the driver might think. She should probably be more careful now. They weren’t teenagers anymore and people who didn’t know them well enough might misunderstand their relationship. The last thing she wanted was for paparazzi to start questioning him about her or dig into her life to find out more details.
She leaned back against the leather seat and closed her eyes for a moment. Her mind raced in excitement but her body told her she needed to take a break. She was definitely looking forward to the hotel spa. No matter what Ryan’s plans were, the first thing she would do would be go to the spa and have a long, relaxing massage to give her the strength she needed.
“I managed to get the whole day to ourselves,” he said after a while. “But I obviously couldn’t cancel the show, so I made sure you’d have a front row seat and a backstage pass. That is, if you don’t want to go to sleep instead.”
“And miss a show of The New Jazz Star? No way! Besides,” she said with a big grin, “I thought I heard something about a spa and a promise to take me there...”
He laughed and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close.
“You’re right. Spa, swimming pool, beach—the day’s yours; you decide what you want to do, and I’ll follow you.”
“Really?” she asked, wide-eyed. When he nodded, she clapped her hands excitedly. “This really feels like Christmas!”
He kissed the top of her head and they sat in silence, enjoying each other’s company, until they reached the hotel.
When they got out of the car in front of the tall, luxurious building, she felt like she was living a dream. She looked up, amazed by the height of the skyscraper and wondering on what floor their room was. When a valet came to greet them and opened the door to let her into the lobby, she felt even more like a movie star.
The room was amazing; it was almost the size of her apartment, and she couldn’t believe Ryan could afford to pay for a suite in a five-star hotel. It was crazy. She didn’t even want to try and guess how much it had cost him. For the first time since Ryan had become a celebrity she realized that her friend was probably a millionaire. She’d never really seen him as a star, and it felt weird. To her, he was still the guy she used to hang out with, the guy who walked with her around Dublin in worn-out jeans and sneakers.
“This is like walking into a dream,” she said, looking around the room in amazement like a kid in Disneyland.
Ryan chuckled. “It’s nice, huh? I’ve never stayed in a suite before. So it’s quite cool for me, too.”
She walked to the window and looked out. The view was amazing from the sixteenth floor, and she could see the sea and the beach, something she couldn’t see from the window of her apartment in Boston.
“This place is fantastic. Please tell me I’m not dreaming. I don’t want to wake up and find out I’m supposed to be starting a night shift in five minutes.”
Ryan came up and hugged her, resting his chin on her shoulder. She didn’t move. She’d wanted to feel his arms around her for weeks, and she was determined to enjoy every single minute of their short vacation together.
“Do you like it?” he asked. She nodded, without saying a word. Anything else would sound superficial and absolutely unnecessary now. “Ah, there’s only a small catch, though.”
She turned to look at him and frowned. He smiled as he let go of her.
“The bigger suite was already taken, so there’s only one king-size bed in this. But I can always sleep on the couch. It’s a pull-out bed, so it shouldn’t be too bad.”
She grinned, folding her arms while staring at him with an amused look.
“Why, are you afraid I’d punch you or something? A king-size bed is big enough for both of us, unless you have trouble sleeping in the same bed with me.”
“You know I don’t, silly. As long as you don’t tell Kevin about this. He’d never stop teasing me, if he knew.” Ryan rolled his eyes and she laughed. Kevin would definitely do it. Just like Karen, he’d never really understood the way they felt for each other, not even after all the years he’d known them, and she knew he’d love to hear they’d not only shared a room, but a bed too.
“Want something to drink?” he asked, interrupting her musings. “There’s an interesting mini bar selection, and room service is awesome in these hotels.”
“Can we go to the spa first?” she asked with a cheeky grin.
“Your wish is my command, Ma’am.” Ryan gave her a mock salute and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, leading her outside. As they left the room laughing like kids, she knew they were going to have a so much fun together, and she looked forward to enjoying some quality time with her best friend at last.
Chapter 8
Valerie hadn’t had so much fun in years. She’d been so busy studying and working, she hadn’t had time for a real vacation since she’d moved to Boston. The holidays back home in Dublin didn’t really count and, ever since that quick Christmas trip to Kevin’s family’s mansion ages ago, she hadn’t been anywhere.
As she was relaxing by the pool, sipping a wonderful fruit cocktail and chatting with Ryan, she thought she could really get used to this life—especially after the last few days working double shifts. She wondered what it would feel like, knowing you didn’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn or to go to bed at eight in the morning after a night shift.
“I can’t believe you’re always complaining about having to travel around the world so much. I’d definitely swap lives with you now. You take the long shifts and hard work, and I’ll take the five-star hotels and the afternoons by a swimming pool.”
She’d meant it as a joke, but the smile he gave her was a sad one. Had he taken offense for what she’d said?
“It’s not as good as it seems,” he said, fidgeting with the straw in his cocktail. “Today’s a special day. I didn’t have any interviews planned and, because you’re here, I can spend time in a spa or by the pool, but it’s never been like this before. My manager tries to squeeze in as many things as possible, so sometimes we have to run from one place to the other, and then I barely have time to take a shower before I have to be on stage for a show.”
She put down her glass and took his hand, intertwining her fingers with his in the natural way they’d been doing since they’d met.
A Love Melody Page 4