by Terri Osburn
“Is she upstairs?” he asked as she closed the door against the cold.
“Yeah. Second door on the left.”
He gave a quick nod. “I know.” Without another word, he disappeared up the stairs, and Henri appeared a minute later.
“He kicked me out,” she said. “Also, he’s cuter than I remember. Are you sure you don’t want to hit that?”
Want to and willing to were two very different things. “I’m on a no doctors diet.”
“Ah.” Henri strolled into the kitchen, and Roxie followed. “So the last douche canoe was a doctor.”
“Bingo.”
She pulled two glasses from the cabinet. “That doesn’t mean all doctors are bad. I dated a doctor once. A surgeon.” Reaching into a small fridge on the right side of the kitchen island, Henri pulled out a bottle of wine. “She was great with her hands. Is white good?”
Roxie didn’t realize they were drinking. “White works for me. You seem to know your way around here. How often do you visit?”
“I was here for a while back when Cal first moved, though she lived somewhere else then. I guess that was about six years ago now. I’ve popped in several times a year since. The plus of being a writer is that I can do it anywhere.”
Henri handed her a full glass and motioned for them to relocate to the couch. Once seated, they enjoyed their first sips in silence, but Roxie was curious about something.
“Callie said earlier that this island puts people together. So how have you avoided getting paired up for such a long time?”
Eyes softening, Henri pursed her lips. “I was paired up on Anchor once. Yvonne was gorgeous and ridiculously brilliant. Too good for me, I’m afraid. We had a fabulous seven months before she took a job back in her hometown of New Orleans.”
“You just said you can work anywhere. Why not follow her?”
Swirling the wine in her glass, she replied, “She didn’t ask me to.”
Now Roxie felt like a jerk. “I’m sorry. I should learn to mind my own business.”
“No worries. I said everyone deserves a happy ending. That doesn’t mean we all get one.”
A depressing thought.
Heavy footsteps from the stairs let them know the checkup was over. As Alex stepped into the living room, neither woman left their seats.
“You look like you could use a drink,” Henri said. “We’re having wine. Want some?”
“No, thank you. How much did Callie do today?”
Roxie looked to Henri, who returned an oh shit look. “Not much,” she said. “Why?”
“Her blood pressure is the highest it’s been all week, and she can barely keep her eyes open. Fatigue is normal this far into the pregnancy, but she appears more worn out than usual.” Alex locked onto Roxie. “Did you make sure she stayed off her feet?”
First of all, if he’d spent any real time with Callie Edwards, then he’d know that she doesn’t take orders very well. Secondly, there was no way in hell she was ratting out that poor, miserable woman.
“She got excited when Henri got here. That’s probably all it is.”
Henri backed her up. “She’s right. Cal wanted to catch up, and all our chatter must have worn her out.”
Knowing that Callie slept the entire time they were on the beach made it difficult for Roxie to keep a straight face.
“For both Callie and the twins, it’s imperative that she stay off of her feet,” Alex informed them, cutting Roxie a pointed look. “The medications will help strengthen the babies’ lungs, but keeping them in there as long as possible is the only real way to give them a fighting chance. I understand that staying in bed isn’t fun, but it’s absolutely necessary. The people supporting her need to understand that.”
Maybe the walk outside had been too much, but Roxie had only been trying to help.
“We get it,” Henri said, setting her wine glass on the coffee table. “I’ll be staying for the foreseeable future and will make sure that Callie does as little as humanly possible. Scout’s honor.”
Alex scraped a hand over his face and sighed. “I’m sorry. I know we’re all on the same team, but Callie is in a dangerous situation right now. Every step she takes, and doesn’t take, matters.”
“How dangerous?” Roxie asked.
“The twins are viable, but at maybe three pounds each, if delivered right now they’d need intensive care and would likely be in the hospital for a month or more. Edwards Medical Center has a fully equipped nursery and birthing unit, but not a NICU. The medical center can bring in an air ambulance if necessary for transport to CHKD, but we’d rather get the babies closer to term and avoid all that.”
“CHKD?” Henri asked.
“Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughter in Norfolk,” Alex explained.
As the reality of the situation sank in, the three fell silent. Roxie sipped her wine and imagined two tiny infants being whisked into a helicopter. What if they didn’t make the flight? The thought sent a chill down her spine. Even if they made it that far, there’d still be another scary month ahead.
“They need to stay in there,” she muttered.
“Exactly,” Alex agreed.
Henri leapt to her feet. “I’m on it. I’ll strap her to that damn bed if I have to.”
The doctor’s face softened a bit. “No need to go that far, but keep her as immobile as you can.”
“You can count on me.”
With Henri on the job, Roxie wasn’t needed anymore. Beth had dropped her off on her way to the art store where she worked, with a plan to pick Roxie up on her way home. That was another two hours away. “I guess I’ll call Beth and see if she can pick me up early.”
“I can take you,” Alex offered.
Riding in a Prius would be bad enough, but being stuck in a confined space with the doc did not appeal. She’d already softened to him enough. No sense in pushing her luck.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“We’re literally going to the same place,” he argued.
“Wait, what?” Henri cut in.
“Doc here lives next door to my cousin,” Roxie clarified. “We’re neighbors.”
“Oh. Got it.”
Alex waited for her answer, and she couldn’t think of any reason to turn him down. At least not one she’d admit out loud.
“Okay, then. I guess I have a ride.”
Once they reached the front door, he stepped aside for Roxie to go first and said, “It was nice to meet you, Henri. Make sure Callie wakes up long enough to take her next dose of medications.”
Henri saluted. “Yes, sir.”
To Roxie’s surprise, Henri offered her a hug and whispered, “Jump him while you have the chance.”
Heat rolled up her cheeks, and she could only hope Alex didn’t hear the suggestion. Thank God this island was the size of a postage stamp because she needed this over with as soon as possible.
Alex tossed his bag into the back seat as Roxie buckled in. When he pressed the button to start the engine, a snorting sound came from the passenger seat.
“Did you say something?”
Roxie crossed her arms. “You can’t even hear it.”
He wasn’t in the mood to play games. “Hear what?”
“The engine.”
Not the stupid car again. “You mean opposed to yours that can be heard from four blocks away?”
“And?” came the retort.
Gripping the steering wheel, he said, “It’s forty-seven degrees outside with rain in the forecast. Would you prefer to walk?” Alex took the huff as a no.
Four minutes later, he was lost in his own thoughts, knowing that his father was never going to accept his choices, when Roxie broke the silence.
“What’s up with you today?”
“There’s nothing up with me.”
“Really?” she quipped. “Could have fooled me.”
Alex checked the rearview and said, “I don’t mind riding in silence.”
Roxie ignored the
suggestion. “I don’t know you that well, but you’re an easy read. Especially when you’re pissed off.”
“I am not pissed off,” he argued through clenched teeth.
“Right. My bad.”
Now he felt worse for snapping at her. Since she’d asked, he said, “I got an annoying call earlier. That’s all.”
“Annoying?” she repeated.
No one on the island knew about his father’s constant demands, not even Lucas. Alex had been given advantages in life that many others would never experience. Thanks to his parents, he’d graduated debt free. Thanks to Lucas, he’d walked into the exact practice he’d hoped for. And thanks to the islanders who trusted him, that practice was thriving. Who was he to complain?
But just this once, he needed to rant.
“My father wants me to come back to Philadelphia and join his practice.”
“Do you want to go back to Philadelphia?”
“No.”
“Have you told him that?”
“Yes. Repeatedly.”
After a brief pause, she said, “I guess we have more in common than I thought.”
Not what he expected to hear. “How’s that? Do you have a medical degree I don’t know about?”
Her soft laugh took Alex by surprise. She hadn’t smiled let alone laughed the few times they’d met.
“No degrees for me. I dropped out freshman year, which my mother still holds against me. Along with my lack of direction, my poor taste in men, and my failure to provide her with intelligent and doting grandchildren.” Roxie crossed her arms and glanced out the passenger window. “I could solve world peace, cure cancer, and invent calorie-free chocolate, but I’d still be a loser to my family.”
A harsh assessment, and though she’d shot for a light tone, there was hurt in her words.
“I don’t think you’re a loser,” he said.
“Then you’re the only one.”
His own ills forgotten, Alex focused on the woman beside him. “Beth doesn’t think you’re a loser.”
With a tilt of her head, she said, “No, she doesn’t. She never has. Though I have no idea what she sees in me.”
“Roxie, not everyone would come down here to help a bunch of strangers put their island back together. I’ve heard about what you’ve done the last couple of weeks. The locals really appreciate you being here.”
She turned his way. “The locals are talking about me?”
Alex was happy to pass on the positive reviews. “Floyd at the Trading Post said you did a great job painting his bathroom. And Eddie at Hava Java raved about how well you put his storage room back together.”
“He did offer me free coffee for as long as I’m on the island.”
“There you go. His wife Robin at the pottery shop raved about the shelves you built.”
“Helped build,” Roxie corrected. “I just swung a hammer and did what Joe told me to do.”
He recognized a pattern here. “You aren’t good at taking compliments, are you?”
She shrugged. “I can take a compliment. I just don’t take credit that I don’t deserve.”
To test the theory he said, “What if I said you’re beautiful?”
That earned him a cynical expression. “I’d say thank you. And then I’d say you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“I’m not hitting on you,” Alex assured her. “I’m stating a fact.” He made the right into his drive and put the car in park. “My words don’t mean much, but I say your family is wrong. You may have made some mistakes along the way, but these islanders don’t take to strangers very often. You’re generous, you’re good with Beth’s girls, and you’ve been civil to me for a full eight minutes.” When she rewarded him with a smile, he added, “That doesn’t sound like a loser to me.”
Without addressing his comments, Roxie climbed from the car, and then leaned back in to say, “Thanks for the ride, Doc. And the pep talk. If it’s any consolation, your father sounds like a jerk. I think you’re right where you’re supposed to be.”
Alex leaned his arm on the passenger seat. “Maybe we both are.”
The air shifted, and for a moment, he thought she might climb back into the car. Until she stepped back and closed the door. Before she could cross the yard, he rolled down his window.
“Hey, Chandler,” Alex called. She stopped and turned his way. “Friends?”
Staring at the ground, she considered his offer. A second later she looked back up with the grin he was starting to enjoy. “I’m still going to talk shit about your car.”
Happy with the response, he said, “I can live with that.”
Rolling her eyes, she turned away and strolled through the damp grass to the Dempsey home. Alex couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She put on a tough front, but there was a vulnerable woman under all that black leather. A woman he wouldn’t mind getting to know.
Chapter Six
“Roxie,” came Beth’s voice up the stairs. “Can you come down here?”
In the two and a half hours since Alex had brought her home, she’d finished three much-needed loads of laundry and refreshed the black paint on her nails that had been chipped away by her recent manual labor. The last twenty minutes had been spent scrolling through Facebook on her phone, since that’s all it was good for down here. It wasn’t as if she could make calls on it, which was good and bad. At least her mother couldn’t call to bitch about what a disgrace she was.
“What’s up?” Roxie asked when she found her cousin in the kitchen.
“Aunt Ginny left a message on the home phone today. She wants my address so she can send the rest of your things.” Hand on her hip, she added, “Why does she think you’re never going back?”
It was cute that she thought this was Roxie’s choice.
“Probably because she told me not to.” Retrieving a diet soda from the fridge, Roxie took a seat on a barstool and prepared to face the music.
“Why?” Beth asked.
Time to fess up. “I moved back home seven months ago because the girl I was living with in Richmond blew our rent money on oxy without telling me. She also didn’t bother telling me about the eviction notice. I came home from work to find the furniture gone and my clothes in garbage bags in the stairwell.”
“That’s awful,” she said, her eyes wide.
Roxie hadn’t even gotten to the awful part. “Yeah, especially because half of the furniture was mine. I was out of money, and since selling my car was not an option, I chose going home over being homeless.” Maybe not the best choice, knowing what she knew now.
Familiar with Roxie’s history, Beth said, “And then what happened?”
“I met a guy.”
“That sounds innocent enough.”
If only. “A married guy.”
Beth’s face fell. “Oh, Roxie.”
“I didn’t know he was married until a week before I came down here. He said he was divorced, but his ex was crazy jealous so we needed to keep things quiet. For my protection, of course.” She still couldn’t believe she fell for that.
A pan boiled over, and Beth quickly removed it from the burner and turned off the stove. “Men are such idiots,” she mumbled, tossing the potholder to the side before propping her elbows on the island. “How did you find out he was married?”
Chest tight, Roxie crossed her arms. “His wife found a picture of me on his phone. I wasn’t wearing much. To find out who I was, she showed it to everyone she knew until someone recognized me.”
Making the obvious assumption, Beth said, “You sent him a picture?”
Roxie shook her head. “No. I’m still not sure when he took it.”
“Oh, my God, Rox. What an asshole.”
Tears she’d been holding in for nearly a month threatened to fall. With a deep breath, she blurted out the rest. “Mama doesn’t believe me. About the wife or the picture. She says I’ve disgraced the family for the last time, and I need to live someplace else. I assume that’s when she called you.”
Beth rounded the island, and Roxie braced for the hug she could see coming. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. The embrace seemed to last forever, and it took all of her willpower not to collapse into a pathetic sobbing heap on the floor.
Pulling away, the cousin who had always had her back said, “You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want, but that was wrong of Aunt Ginny. She should have supported you. What about Uncle Dennis and Amanda?”
Roxie’s father and sister had been just as happy to see her go. “It doesn’t matter,” she deflected. “I never liked that town anyway.”
“Oh, honey. Why didn’t you tell me?”
The answer should have been obvious. “This isn’t something I’m proud of.”
“Now you listen to me,” she said, grasping Roxie’s upper arms. “You aren’t the first woman to fall for a lying, cheating man, and you won’t be the last. They’re all jerks. All of them.”
Beth’s husband walked through the door, and upon hearing his wife’s blanket statement, asked, “Did I miss an anniversary or something?”
Closing the distance between them, Beth threw her arms around Joe and kissed him square on the mouth. “Thank you for not being an asshole.”
Brows arched high, he replied, “You’re welcome?”
Unable to help herself, Roxie burst out laughing. Yes, her life sucked at the moment, but for the first time in longer than she could remember, she liked where she was. And that felt pretty damn good.
“We have you all set up in the break room,” said Helga Stepanovich, owner and operator of Little Guppies Daycare Center. She led Alex to a back room that held a small round table, two large refrigerators, and a functional kitchenette in the corner.
The storm had done substantial damage to Helga’s building, which meant closing the center until repairs could be completed. As of Friday morning, she’d been back in operation for four days and already had three kids out with the flu. Hence, Alex’s morning of dosing out the vaccine. Some of the toddlers had already been given the shot, but the ones who missed earlier clinics would get the dreaded poke today, with their parents’ permission, of course.