Chapter 19
Nineteen
They waited for hours. Slim went to get coffee for all of them, and the jolt of caffeine helped to offset the lingering effects of the Xanax, although the medication was probably the only thing keeping her from climbing the walls.
She took advantage of the opportunity to call Big Mac McCarthy, her contact with the town of Gansett, to let him know the lighthouse would be unattended for the time being—and why.
“I’m so sorry to hear about your dad, honey,” he said. “Don’t worry about a thing here. I can take care of filing the daily report with the Coast Guard while you’re gone.”
“Are you sure you don’t mind?”
“I don’t mind at all. I’ll take a run out there every couple of days to check on things. It’ll get me out of the house and out of my wife’s hair for half an hour. She’ll appreciate that.”
Erin wouldn’t have thought it possible to laugh, but Mr. McCarthy always managed to charm her. “Thank you so much.”
“No problem. You give your folks our best and tell your dad to make a speedy recovery.”
“I will, and I’ll let you know when I’ll be back.”
“We’ll look forward to seeing you.”
With that taken care of, she had one less thing to worry about.
Finally, the surgeon came into the room, still wearing operating room scrubs. A strand of her red hair had escaped from her surgical cap, and a mask hung around her neck. The color of her hair reminded Erin of Sydney.
“Mrs. Barton?”
“Yes, I’m Mrs. Barton, and this is my daughter, Erin. How is he?”
“He came through the surgery very well. We were able to clip the bleed and repair the vessel.”
“So he’s going to be all right?” Mary Beth asked.
“We’ll know more when he wakes up, but I’m cautiously optimistic.”
Erin and her mother both broke down with relief at the good news. While Sue hugged Mary Beth, Slim took care of Erin.
“You might want to go home and get some rest,” the doctor said. “He’s going to be in recovery for hours yet.”
“I can’t leave him,” Mary Beth said. “I need to be here, but the rest of you should go. I’ll be fine.”
“I’ll stay with you,” Sue said.
“We’ll let you know as soon as you can see him,” the doctor said before she left them.
Mary Beth convinced everyone else to go home for the time being, promising to call as soon as Tom was awake—and promising she would get something to eat at some point.
“I don’t feel right leaving you,” Erin said.
“I’m going to curl up on the sofa and try to sleep.” Mary Beth gestured to the small sofa in the waiting room. “You go on home, and I’ll call you the second I hear any news.”
“If you’re sure,” Erin said.
“I’m very sure. You guys must be tired. Let’s sleep while we can.” She handed her keys to Erin and told her where to find the car. “I had to drive because there wasn’t room for me in the rescue wagon.”
Erin’s heart ached at the thought of her mom’s lonely drive to the hospital, not knowing what was happening to her husband on the way.
Slim kept his arm around Erin as they walked out of the hospital into the cold morning air. It took a few minutes to find the car in the crowded parking lot. Erin handed him the keys. “You’d better drive. I’m still groggy from the Xanax.”
“No problem.”
Erin directed him out of the city to I-76 West to Bryn Mawr.
“Am I going to get to see where you grew up?”
“In all its glory.”
“Why have I heard of that town before?”
“There’s a very prestigious women’s college there. Lots of famous graduates.”
“Ahhh, that’s it.”
After a thirty-minute drive, they arrived at Erin’s childhood home, a two-story white colonial with black shutters, a big front porch and a white picket fence that was tricked out with greens for the holiday season.
She punched in the code to the cypher lock—her and Toby’s birthday—on the back door and led Slim into the house where the scent of Christmas pine and spices greeted them.
Erin hung their coats in the foyer and led Slim into the kitchen, which had wide knotty-pine floors, white cabinets and stainless appliances that her parents had bought last summer when they renovated the kitchen.
“What a nice house,” Slim said, taking it all in.
“It was a wreck when they bought it. They’ve restored every inch of it over the last thirty-five years.”
“It’s beautiful.”
“What do you want most? Food or sleep?”
“I could eat something, but we can go out, if you want. You don’t have to entertain me.”
“Sure, I do. You’re still my guest, even if we’ve switched locations.”
He came over to her, put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her. “All bets are off. If you’re still feeling groggy, you don’t have to cook or anything.”
“All bets are off? Really?”
“Well, not all bets,” he said, flashing that sexy grin that made her melt, “but the part about you feeling like you have to feed me—that’s off.”
With her hand around his neck, she drew him in for another kiss. “I don’t mind feeding you. I actually kind of like it.”
“In that case, feel free to feed me, cuz I love to eat.”
Raiding her mom’s fridge, Erin whipped up omelets with cheddar, green peppers and tomatoes. She made coffee and toast to go with them.
Slim polished off all of his and half of hers. Worrying about her dad had put a damper on her appetite.
“You’re an amazing cook. You should open a B&B. It’d be a huge hit.”
“I’d love to do something like that someday. I’ve always enjoyed taking care of people.”
“You should do it. Talk the town into turning the lighthouse into a B&B. You’d make a killing.”
“The town might not want that, but it sure would be fun.”
“Can’t hurt to ask.”
“But then where would I live?”
“My place?”
“With Big Bertha, the stubborn furnace?”
“She’s cranky, but she gets the job done.”
It was fun to imagine the sort of possibilities he suggested, but Erin didn’t want to get ahead of herself—or him. “What do you say we grab some sleep while we can?”
“I’d be all for that, as long as I get to sleep with you.”
“Not in my mother’s house. I swear she still has cameras in every room from when we were teenagers.”
“Your mom loves me. She’d want me to watch over you while you sleep.”
Rolling her eyes, Erin said, “You’re so full of it.” When she got up to tend to the dishes, he surprised her by tugging on her arm, which knocked her off-balance and straight into his arms. “Very smooth.”
“It’s the circus training.” He nuzzled her neck and made her shiver. “I’m full of it, all right, and it’s all your fault.” To make his point, he pressed his erection against her belly.
“My fault? What did I do?”
“You cooked for me and you were so brave about flying and you’re so very, very nice to look at. Oh, and you’re super sexy, too, especially when you blush like you are right now.” He kissed both of her cheeks. “I really like that.”
Erin sank into his embrace, thrilled by him and the things he said to her and how he’d helped her conquer her greatest fear. Not that she thought she was suddenly over her flying phobia, but he’d made her feel safe enough to take the first big step toward putting it behind her.
He helped her with the dishes, and then they went upstairs, taking turns in the bathroom before ending up in her childhood room, which had been repurposed into a guest room since she moved out.
In one corner, her mom had kept the desk Erin had used to do her homework along with some of the trophies she’d earned in gymnastics and dance.
Slim examined every one of them while she watched him from the bed. “I never knew you were so limber.”
“That was twenty years ago. I’m not that limber anymore.”
“I bet your inner gymnast can still do a mean backbend.”
“I’d prefer to not have to prove that.”
Smiling, he pulled his shirt over his head and dropped his jeans into a pile on the floor. He crawled into bed and reached for her, snuggling her in close to him.
“I should go check to make sure I locked the door.”
“I did that.”
It took all the fortitude she could muster to deny the powerful need to see for herself. “I said we can’t sleep together here.”
“I can’t hear you.”
Smiling at his predictable reply, she said, “I’m getting awfully used to using your chest for a pillow. What’ll I do when you go back to Florida?”
“Come with me?”
“What would I do there while you’re working?”
“Sit by the pool and work on your column or go get a mani-pedi or a massage or go shopping or hit the beach or go to lunch with the amazing group of women I’ll introduce you to.”
“Your harem?” she asked with a touch of annoyance in her tone.
His bark of laughter only added to her annoyance. “Hardly. They’re my friends’ wives and girlfriends, so you can sheath your claws, wildcat.”
“I don’t have claws.”
“It’s okay, sweetheart. I like it when you’re possessive.”
“I’m not being possessive.”
“Yes, you are, and I like being possessed by you.”
“I don’t have a jealous bone in my body.”
“So does that mean you wouldn’t mind if that group of women had been my harem?” She thought about that just long enough for him to pounce. “Ah-ha. I knew it. You are a jealous little she-cat.”
“You’re going to be a neutered he-cat if you don’t shut up.”
His low chuckle made his chest rumble under her ear. “So is that a yes to coming to Florida?”
“After all that she-cat business, I don’t want to go anywhere with you.”
“I’m very sorry I called you a jealous little she-cat. Will you come home with me now?”
“That apology wasn’t even kind of sincere.”
He surprised her when he rolled them over so he was on top of her, looking down at her with amusement and affection and desire. “You want sincerity? I can show you sincerity.”
“Are we still talking about jealousy?”
“So you admit you were jealous?”
She poked him in the side with her index finger, drawing a grunt of laughter.
“We’re talking about you and me and making a go of this.”
“Oh. We are?”
Nodding, he smiled as he brought his lips down on hers, kissing her with the sweet tenderness she was coming to expect from him. “Aren’t we?” he asked after several kisses.
“Is that what you want?”
“Yes, Erin. That’s what I want.”