Chapter 9 #2
“But still it bothers you.”
“I always had a lot of respect for them and their family.”
“It hurts to have lost their respect.”
“I lost it for good reason.”
“Do you smell that?”
“Smell what? Garlic? Basil?”
“No, the flowers.” She pointed to the huge arrangement of lilies that sat on a table in the reception area, which he wouldn’t have noticed had she not drawn his attention to it.
“They’re my favorite. See the ones with the red in the center?
Those are stargazer lilies. Aren’t they beautiful?
They put out one of my favorite scents. When they’re in the house, that’s all you can smell. ”
Listening to her, David wanted to fill her home with stargazer lilies so she’d always be surrounded by her favorite scent. And he appreciated that she’d managed to get his mind off Janey’s parents being in line ahead of them.
“I can see why you like them.”
She curled her hands around his arm and rested her head on his shoulder.
He loved that she had no problem making a public statement that they were together despite what she knew about him. As they waited to get to the reception desk, he tuned in to the conversation the couple in front of them was having with Mr. and Mrs. McCarthy.
David realized it was Jenny Wilks, the lighthouse keeper, and Mason Johns, the fire chief.
As Daisy leaned against him, David listened in on what they were talking about while hoping the McCarthys might not notice him there behind Mason’s towering form.
The guy had to be easily six and a half feet tall.
“I’ve been meaning to call you, Mr. McCarthy,” Jenny said. “I was hoping you’d know who is supposed to cut the grass out at the lighthouse. It’s getting really long, and there’s been no sign of anyone.”
“That’s odd,” Big Mac said. “The Martinez family has had the town contract for years, and Ned was just saying this morning that the grass at Town Hall hasn’t been cut either. I’ll give them a call in the morning to get them out to the lighthouse.”
“That’d be great, thanks.”
Oblivious to his presence behind them, they chatted about the new grandchild they had on the way and how excited they were for Joe and Janey. And then they dropped a bomb that David hadn’t seen coming. Janey had decided to forgo veterinary school for motherhood.
“Of course we’re thrilled that she and Joe and the baby will be staying close by,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “But we hope that maybe she’ll still get to finish school at some point. That was always her dream.”
The words were like a knife to David’s heart, since he’d been responsible for denying her that dream when they were together. Her parents had never forgiven him for steering her away from vet school, which he now knew had been a big mistake on his part.
At the time, he’d thought it was the right thing because he didn’t want them to be in debt for the rest of their lives. With hindsight, however, he could see how Janey had lost something important to her when he encouraged her to forgo that dream.
Mrs. McCarthy’s cell phone rang, and she excused herself from the conversation. “Oh my goodness,” she said. “Is she okay?”
David held his breath as he waited to hear what was wrong and whether it would change his plans for the evening.
“Yes, of course,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “We’ll be right there.”
“What’s the matter?” Big Mac asked.
“That was Joe. Janey fainted. She’s okay, but I guess it scared the hell out of them.” To her husband, she said, “I’m sorry about dinner, but I want to go check on her.”
“So do I.”
“I hope she’s okay,” Jenny said. “Please give them my regards.”
“We will, honey,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “Enjoy your evening.”
As they rushed by Jenny and Mason, Mr. McCarthy noticed David. He stopped his wife from going past them. “David…”
“Mr. McCarthy, Mrs. McCarthy. Nice to see you.”
Mr. McCarthy looked rattled, but he still took note of Daisy on David’s arm. “Yes, um, you too. I wonder… I mean, I know you’re not working right now, but…”
David didn’t want to confess to having overheard their conversation with Jenny. “What can I do for you?”
“Damn, this is awkward, but Janey… She fainted. Is that something we need to be concerned about?”
David recalled what Victoria had said about Janey’s blood pressure being slightly elevated at her last appointment. “Possibly. If it’s okay with Janey, I could come by and do a quick check of her vitals to make sure everything’s all right.”
“Would you do that? Really?”
“Sure, no problem. Better safe than sorry, right?”
“Thank you so much. We’re heading there now.”
“Janey has my number if she’d like me to come by. It’s up to her—and Joe.”
Mr. McCarthy nodded in understanding.
“We hope she’s okay,” Daisy said.
“Thank you, Daisy,” Mrs. McCarthy said as she dragged her husband out the door.
“Sorry about that,” David said when they were gone. While they were talking to the McCarthys, Jenny and Mason had been taken to a table.
“It’s no problem.”
With his arm around her, he spoke close to her ear. “My job is often going to get in the way of our plans. I hope you know that I’d always rather be with you.”
She smiled up at him, dazzling him with the affection she directed his way. “That’s nice of you to say.”
“It’s a disclaimer that hopefully gets me out of lots of trouble for things such as tending to my pregnant ex-fiancée when I’m supposed to be spending the evening with you.”
“I’m sure you’ll think of some way to make it up to me,” she said as they were shown to their table.
Her saucy and unexpected reply took David right back to the previous night they’d spent together. Suddenly, he was hungry for much more than food.
Their entrées arrived at the same moment his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.
With an apologetic glance at Daisy, David retrieved the phone and saw Janey’s number on the caller ID.
Why, after all this time, his belly still did a flip-flop at the thought of talking to her would be something he would ponder later when Daisy wasn’t sitting a foot from him.
“Hi, there.” He thought about going outside to take the call but didn’t want Daisy to think he had anything to hide where Janey was concerned.
So he stayed at the table but kept his voice down so he wouldn’t annoy the other diners.
“Hi, David. I’m so sorry to bother you, but my parents and Joe are freaking out about the fainting thing. My dad told me you generously offered to come by. Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary, but they all do.”
“Tell me how you were feeling before you fainted.”
“A little nauseous, and I had a headache most of the day.”
“Any swelling or puffiness in your arms or legs?”
“My ankles are swollen, and I had to take my rings off yesterday because they were making my fingers hurt.”
David didn’t like what he was hearing in light of what he already knew about her elevated blood pressure. “I’m going to come by to check your blood pressure and take a quick look. Is that okay?”
“I guess so. I just hate to interrupt your date.”
“It’s fine, Janey. That’s my job. I’m happy to do it.”
“Well, you’re a very good sport. Thank you. You know we moved, right?”
“I heard that from someone. What’s the address?”
She gave it to him, and he wrote it on a paper cocktail napkin. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Thanks, David.”
He tucked the phone back into his pocket and tried to refocus on Daisy and his chicken marsala, but his brain was spinning over what Janey had told him. He was afraid she might be working up to preeclampsia, which could be a very serious situation for her and the baby.
“Why don’t we get the food to go so you can take care of Janey?” Daisy suggested.
“No, it’s fine. An extra half hour won’t make a difference.”
“David, it’s okay to admit that you’re worried about her, and you want to make sure she’s all right. You cared about her for a long time, and that doesn’t end just because the relationship did.”
Relieved that she seemed to get his dilemma without needing him to spell it out, he took her hand and brought it to his lips, delighting in the flush that infused her cheeks. “Thank you for understanding. How about I check on Janey and then I’ll go back to your house to watch a movie?”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Sorry about dinner,” David said as he signaled for the waiter. “I’ll make it up to you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do, Daisy. I’m being called away from our date to go check on my ex-fiancée, who may or may not be looking at a pregnancy complication. Most women would say at the very least that calls for some sparkly jewelry or some such thing.”
Her laughter filled him with warmth and pleasure at knowing he’d managed to take her mind off her troubles, even for a little while. “Well, if you think that’s what it’ll take to get back into my good graces, knock yourself out, Dr. Lawrence. But the movie would’ve been more than enough.”
“Damn me and my big mouth,” he said as he signed the credit card slip.
He took her home and insisted on seeing her safely inside, even though she said it wasn’t necessary. “It is necessary.” He handed her both boxes of takeout. “Keep this warm for me. I’ll be back as fast as I can.”
She ran a finger down the middle of his chest. “I’ll be waiting.”
The words and gesture made his mouth go dry with lust. “Are you trying to make sure I think only of you while I’m with my ex?”
“That would be very devious of me.”
His soft laughter brought a smile to her face. “Trust me when I tell you I think about you all the time.”
“I think about you, too. Pretty much all the time.”
“Glad we have that in common.”
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “Take care of Janey, and don’t worry about me. Do your job.”