“Of course it’s a wonderful life—we’ve found each other, life is good,” Lacy said sounding like Emma’s enthusiasm had rubbed off on her.
“No, no, no. I mean like the movie where the angel granted Jimmy Stewart’s wish and let him see how life would’ve been without his ever being born.” She took out a bottle of tequila and put it next to the shot glasses. She also tossed each of them a chocolate mint patty in what looked like a condom wrapper.
“Well, that’s the gloomiest thing I’ve ever heard of,” Lacy said, snatching the mint popping it open and cramming it in her mouth. “We’re supposed to be celebrating not going deep.”
“Under normal circumstances, we would be. But Brynnie here is obviously in the dumps—”
Brynne perked up, trying to look surprised, since she’d thought she’d done a great job of hiding it until now.
Eva stared the truth down on her. “—and she needs to see how important Paul is in her life. So, we’re playing It’s a Wonderful life with a twist. We’re reversing the game and playing how our lives would be if we’d never met Paul, Zack or Joe. Get it?”
“Ah, wow, I’m not sure I want to go there,” Brynne, for the first time that night, protested.
“Too bad, we’re all doing it.”
“Not me, I’m breastfeeding. I’ll use wine.”
“Okay. So, three shots, take one after each thing you realize wouldn’t or would have happened if we’d never met our guys.” Eva poured and passed each sister a shot glass, Lacy’s got only a splash of wine.
“Okay, first shot.” Lacy threw hers back and slammed the empty glass on the counter as if really tequila. “I’d still be working weddings on weekends to make ends meet with my food truck.”
“I’d be escaping life, pretending that all work and no play was a virtue,” Eva added after she downed hers.
Brynne followed suit, which was easy after the examples her sisters had set. “I would have spent my thirtieth birthday with Mom and Rory.”
“Explanation, please,” Eva instructed.
“Paul asked me out for our first date on my birthday. He didn’t know it was, and I didn’t tell him. I was just thrilled to have a date with a man the day I turned thirty. Especially one I thought was gorgeous.”
“Did he find out?” Lacy leaned in.
“Not until a couple weeks later, then he insisted he take me for a proper birthday date.”
“What a great guy he is.” Lacy leaned farther still, almost falling off her chair. Eva caught her and helped her adjust back in the cushions.
“Think again. Our first date was to a huge family function.”
“I’ve never heard of such a thing,” Lacy said.
“I can’t remember who or what it was for, but you’d think the pope had come to town with all the people there. Coming from just me and Mom all my life, I’d never been more intimidated. But Paul felt obligated to stop in after our dinner, and his family welcomed me, and even though I was super nervous, Paul and everyone else made me feel like I belonged.” She glanced back and forth at her sisters. “And it felt good.”
“Like I said, Paul’s a great guy.”
“So’s his family,” Eva added.
“You know this after one dinner at their house?”
“Snap judgment. It’s a gift. Okay, round two!” Eva looked expectantly at Brynne. “You go first.”
Brynne threw back a shot and said the first thing that popped into her mind. “If I’d never met Paul—” She clearly remembered the night in the ER when he’d come in with food poisoning—if she hadn’t been floated there for the night... “—I would’ve taken the job in Salt Lake City.”
“Oh,” Lacy said, “we want to hear more about that.”
“First, another round.” Eva poured. They drank theirs but skipped their stories. “Brynne, keep going.”
“Can we change her sash to Bossy Diva?”
Brynne smiled at Lacy’s protest, which easily rolled off Eva. “Only if it’s hot bossy diva.”
After a quick laugh, she continued with her thoughts about leaving Cedars in the City. She remembered, “I wanted to change my life, and applied for a job there. Even had my plane ticket. But the night before, I got floated to the ER and Paul got rushed in with severe food poisoning.”
“What?” Lacy and Eva said in unison.
“If I hadn’t met Paul, I would’ve gone for the final job interview.”
“You mean, even while he was puking and stuff, you fell for him?”
“Nuts, right?”
“And if you’d taken the job you’d be living in Salt Lake City” Eva said.
“This is great stuff!” Lacy rubbed her hands together.
“Another round!” Eva poured. “Brynne, since you’re onto something, you go.”
The tequila had loosened her lips. “If I lived in Salt Lake City, I never would’ve met you, Lacy, or delivered your baby, because I wouldn’t have been living here. No way would I have left my job in Salt Lake City to take over the bookstore. I would’ve let Rory have it right off.”
“Isn’t this a great game?” Eva looked proudly at them.
But Brynne was lost to her thoughts. “I did, you know, just today.”
“Did what?” Lacy asked.
“Give the bookstore to Rory, because she was Mom’s spouse, and she should’ve gotten the store in the first place, not me.”
“That’s wonderful,” Lacy said, chin on knuckles, listening to Brynne’s every word.
“I’ll be going back to work at the hospital anyway.”
“Since when?” Eva asked.
“This morning. I had an interview, and they offered me the supervisor position for the maternal and child ward.”
“Fabulous!” Eva blurted.
“And it was certainly obvious that everyone around there respected you,” Lacy added.
“It was?”
Both sisters nodded vehemently at her.
“So you’ll finally go back to your first love. Nursing,” Lacy said, also nursing the last drop from her thimble-full.
“Well, not exactly. I’ll be in admin.”
“Not labor and delivery stuff?”
She shook her head.
“Is that what you want?” Lacy asked.
It seemed to be the question of the day.
“I’m not sure,” she said, staring wistfully into the bottom of her empty shot glass. And dammit, Paul was right!
* * *
Some of the giddiness wore off after the sisters ordered a pot of coffee and ate desserts. Several of them. Having been dropped at home first by the driver, sharing sorrowful hugs and kisses with her soon-to-leave sisters, and making an alcohol influenced promise to caravan with them tomorrow as far as Las Vegas. Brynne, on a caffeine and sugar high—was restless.
They’d forced her to admit how much she loved Paul, how he’d changed her life for the better. He’d even tactfully questioned her taking a job that would keep her off the wards with new mothers and babies, which made her angry. How dare he know her better than she knew herself!
Then the craziest realization of all occurred. She enjoyed working in the bookstore, too. Not owning and running one, but working in one. She loved opening boxes of new books, loved watching people get excited by their favorite authors’ latest releases. She also enjoyed recommending books to people, having them come back later to tell her thanks, because they’d found a new auto-buy series.
Why did life have to be all or nothing? Why couldn’t it be a little of both?
She washed her face and put on a dress she knew Paul liked, then called him. “Hey, are you busy?”
“It’s after midnight, Brynne, of course I’m not.”
“Oops, sorry.” Only then did she look at the time—1:30 a.m. “Can we talk?”
“I’
ve wanted to since lunch. What’s up?”
“Face-to-face?”
“Uh, yes. Here or there?”
“I’ve been drinking, so you’d better come here.”
“Be there in fifteen” was all he said before hanging up. Only Paul would be willing to do this for Brynne...because.
In the meantime, Brynne paced, trying to put her thoughts in order.
* * *
Maybe the black eye had knocked some sense into Paul. Driving the RV back to Utah for his new friends, who he hoped would one day also become extended family, was the best opportunity ever.
Brynne sounded like she had something important on her mind. He’d had time to think, too, and he was ready to take whatever she’d give him. If she wanted to work admin at the hospital, he’d support her. All he wanted was to be a part of her life. He jumped out of bed and into his car, only stopping to brush his teeth and run his fingers through his hair.
It always pays to be organized. His nona’s advice had been given early in his life, and more importantly, it had stuck. He used the speakerphone to make a call to Las Vegas as he drove to Brynne’s. Nona wasn’t the only one who’d given him advice growing up. Always be prepared. Make reservations early, ever-practical Mom used to say.
You can always cancel them, Paul repeated in his head.
One last bit of advice from his father rounded out his thoughts.
Never be afraid to take risks.
* * *
Before Brynne knew it, Paul rang the bell at the back entrance, and she rushed down those steps to let him in.
“What happened to your eye?”
“I walked into a guy’s elbow.”
“Poor baby,” she said, her guard down, lightly touching his huge shiner. Then she quickly turned to jog up the steps.
“I’m okay. Are you?”
He’d caught on to her still being leftover tipsy, even though she’d downed another strong cup of coffee while waiting for him. “Uh, yeah. My sisters and I got a little carried away at our goodbye party tonight.”
When they reached the top and crossed the entrance, he tugged on her arm. “I know it must be tough.”
“It is.” Instead of taking his open-arm invitation, she headed to the kitchen for a tall glass of water. Man, she was thirsty.
He followed her in. “You wanted to talk to me?”
She turned and leaned against the counter after taking several long gulps. “I hated the way we left things this afternoon, and I wanted to let you know I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since.” She was glad she hadn’t slipped up and said, “a lot of drinking,” instead.
“I apologize for pushing my ideas on you, Brynne.” His shoulder and the door frame held him up. “I’m happy for you with the new job offer.”
He looked sad and vulnerable with the black eye, his messy hair adding to her desire to rewind time and take that hug offer. But she had things to say.
“That’s just it. After Lacy’s emergency, remembering those amazing moments when I saw the head crown and helped deliver Johnny, I could never settle for admin. I’m not meant to be a supervisor. I want to be on the ward, helping patients.”
He scratched his jaw, giving her the impression he knew and agreed, but he didn’t say a word.
But there was more she’d figured out. “And I need to be in the store helping patrons find the books they want.”
He narrowed his eyes and canted his head. “Wait, you’re confusing me. Which is it?”
“Both! I want to honor my mother by working part-time in her store, which I’ve given to Rory.”
“What? You really have been making decisions.”
“About time, right?” She walked past him, directing him to follow, which, of course, he did. They sat on the couch, both turning toward each other but leaving one cushion between them.
“No offense,” Paul said, looking earnestly at her, giving her 100 percent of his attention. “But it’s apparent you’ve been drinking. Maybe now is not the best time to—”
“I know I have, but believe it or not, I’m seeing things clearer now. For instance, Rory deserves the bookstore, not me. It’s only fair. I can work part-time for her.”
He opened his mouth, but she barreled ahead, not giving him a chance to speak.
“And while I was at the hospital today, I saw several per-diem positions posted, and one was for L&D. I could work as much or as little as I want, but I’d be doing what I love, not playing supervisor, not sitting through meeting after meeting then diving in to making the work schedules.” She looked at Paul, with his sad black eye, and hoped he was catching on to what she was telling him. “Do you know how many people are ever happy with their work schedules?”
Of course he didn’t—he loved his job. Obviously baffled by her slightly inebriated monologue, Paul simply shrugged and waited.
“Zero. Well, almost zero. And whoever doesn’t complain, everyone else figures is the supervisor’s favorite. It’s a no-win situation every single month the schedule comes out. Trust me. I know from eight years’ experience.”
Paul leaned forward and put one hand on Brynne’s shoulder. “And this is what you really want?”
“I know how I feel, Paul, and I know what I want. Yes.” She finally knew it!
“Then that’s fantastic. I’m happy for you.”
He gazed hopefully at her, and she could practically read his mind. Does that include me? She let him send his secret message a little longer, because, like she’d thought the instant she’d seen him at the back door, he looked so darn sweet, shiner and all.
“Thank you. Glad you see it my way.”
“I do,” he said, earnestly. “But I’m going to let you sleep this off, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
“When?”
“On the road. Will you come with me? It’ll give you more time with your family, too.”
“My family,” she said, her mouth bending up at the corner over the novelty, when up until one week ago she’d thought she was an orphan and an only child. The coffee had her mind spinning and had turned her into a motor mouth. “It seems so odd to say, but now I know how you feel about your big family. And it’s kind of great to have a bunch of people who think of me as one of them.”
His smile stretched wide, and she wondered if it hurt his puffy nose and eye when he winced and tried to hide it, which endeared him more to her and kind of helped her realize he had a point—she was still slightly drunk and definitely overcaffeinated.
“So I’ll see you tomorrow?” he said as he stood.
She had the whole week off, no plans, and he was offering a quick turnaround trip to California. And they had so much they needed to talk through. Why not?
“I’ll be there.”
The guy may as well have been told he’d won the lottery, from the excited look he gave. “Okay, let’s make it a fun road trip.”
Just after he swung open the door, he circled back toward her. “Let me get this straight, so I can remind you tomorrow in case you’ve forgotten everything. You’re not going to take the job?”
She shook her head.
“And you’re going on the road trip with me?”
She nodded.
“Anything else you want to get off your chest?”
“I promised Lacy and Eva I’d go as far as Las Vegas with them, because they’re planning to stay there tomorrow night. Then when they go home Sunday, I’ll drive back here.”
“Well, that’s interesting, because I promised Zack I’d drive the RV back here once they make it home to Little River Valley.”
“All that way to California?”
“It’s not as far as you think. Only five hundred miles. The thing is, I was hoping you’d join me the whole way.”
“Go all the way to their houses?”
“Yeah, don’t you
want to see where and how they live?”
“Well, yes, but...”
“After, we could take a short vacation together. You said it yourself—it’s been an extremely stressful week. We could relax and enjoy ourselves, away from all our normal responsibilities. Maybe stop at Hearst Castle and take an entirely different route back home? Sightsee.”
Her chest tightened. “Why do you always do this to me?”
“Do what?”
“Pull stuff out of nowhere.”
“Because we miss opportunities if we don’t take chances. Why not? If not now, when?”
“Next, you’ll be saying, ‘let’s get married while we happen to be in Las Vegas,’ too.”
He shrugged. “It’s an option.”
Paul was being way too low-key, and it freaked her out, until he reached for her and kissed her good-night. After lunch that day, she’d worried she’d never share another with him, and as his lips pressed gently to hers, it felt like a little piece of heaven. Something she never wanted to let go of. He wasn’t being the least bit pushy with the kiss, either, just tender, yet something simmered with the promise of so much more. When her eyes closed, her head started spinning, thanks to the leftover tequila buzz. Feeling woozy, mid–luscious kiss, she popped her eyes open and got a close-up view of his shiner. Black. Purple. Puffy.
“Poor baby,” she whimpered over his mouth.
“You’re making me feel a whole lot better,” he whispered back, his hands massaging her lower back. Then he kissed her deeper, stirring up unexpected passion.
With her guard down, a surge of empathy for her guy with the black eye and everything he’d had to put up with this past week took over. Hell, for the last six months! She went along with the kiss, enjoying every second of connecting with him. Paul was the one she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. They had a long drive to hash out the details.
A moment ago, she’d tested him about suggesting they get married on a whim in Las Vegas. He’d only said it was an option. Not a given. Now, the craziest thought popped into her head as her arms wrapped around his neck and pulled him closer. She parted her lips so she could taste him.
The Reluctant Fiancée (The Taylor Triplets Book 3) Page 18