Chapter 3
Unflinching, Collin accepted a sticky chocolate goodnight kiss from four-year-old Chloe before Charlie led her to get ready for bed. Ten-and-a-half-year-old Jace had opted for a solemn handshake tonight, which had Collin biting his lips to keep a straight face.
“The kids miss seeing you.” Josh remained at the table, rocking his upper body with sweet baby Austen in his arms, her droopy eyelids battling to stay open.
“Not as much as I miss them. I hate that law school takes so much of my time.” Collin groaned as he pushed away from the table, standing and stretching his arms over his head. “Some days I wonder why I didn’t take my dad’s advice and stick with my cushy job. Why did I decide to go to law school when I was already getting paid a nice stipend as a board member of dad’s company? I hardly had to lift a finger. In fact, the rest of the board prefer when my brother and I don’t interfere.”
Collin gathered the dishes and carried them to the kitchen.
“You don’t have to do that, Collin.” Josh followed him, protesting when he began to load the dishes in the dishwasher.
“It’s the least I could do after you fed me such a great dinner. And you both have your hands full, anyway—literally.” Collin nodded toward the baby girl in Josh’s arms.
“I assume that was only a rhetorical question about why you’re going to law school—right? Because I seem to remember listening to you agonizing over that decision for six months before you came to the decided you wanted to be your own man.”
Collin frowned as he scrubbed on a stubborn bit of dried pasta in the bottom of a pot. “I think I’m questioning my decision because Dad didn’t respond the way I thought he would…the way I hoped he would.”
“I’m sure your dad is proud of you, Collin. Any dad would be.”
“Not mine. He thinks I’m snubbing my nose at him by pursuing my own career. We can’t even be in the same room without him yelling at me. My only saving grace is I’m still officially a paid board member, so he’s hoping I’ll eventually come back to work for him. But honestly, I think I’m going to resign soon.”
“Really?” Josh’s grimace spoke volumes. “How are you going to pay your expenses if you do that? That apartment you live in isn’t cheap, and neither is law school.”
“I’ve got a job.”
The words sounded strange on his lips, as Olivia’s accusing words echoed in his memory. “You’re twenty-nine and you haven’t worked a day in your life.” For some reason he longed for her approval. He sometimes wondered if he was attracted to Olivia because he wanted to be like her instead of wanting to be with her.
Most of the women Collin associated with only seemed interested in adorning themselves in the latest fashions and scoring a suitable husband to propel themselves to the top of the social ladder. Olivia was the polar opposite.
Until a year and a half ago, when he’d first met Olivia and her sisters at a party with his new cousins, he’d never encountered a girl like her. A girl who was sweet, smart, and unaffected. A girl who cared nothing for his money. A girl who was unimpressed with his well-practiced lines. That Christmas party at his Gram’s house was like encountering an entirely new race of females, and he found flirting with Charlie, Olivia and her sisters fun and refreshing.
It wasn’t until a few months later, when he started spending more time with Charlie and her new husband, Josh, that he experienced something intangible he later recognized as authenticity. Longing to be respected by the people he’d grown to love and admire, Collin began to reject the values his father had instilled in his brother David and him. He began to distance himself from their influence, though he tried not to alienate them. Eventually, he became Charlie and Josh’s go-to babysitter, a title he cherished more than any board position his father waved under his nose.
When Collin announced he was attending law school, his father hadn’t hidden his displeasure, declaring he would smooth it over with the board of directors by telling them Collin was studying real estate law. He’d grown up hearing how his father was building the family company and someday their worth would eclipse that of Gherring, Inc. Consumed with this life-long competition with his cousin Steven Gherring, his dad had little time for parenting, so Collin and David had attended boarding school. Perhaps that was the reason Collin had latched onto Charlie and Josh and their little loving family, flourishing with their acceptance and approval. Whatever the reason, Collin no longer had an interest in his board position in the family’s multimillion-dollar real estate business.
Only one person had encouraged him, affirming his plans without hesitation or judgment, and that person was Martha Avalon. Worry crept into his mind as he recalled his visit with her last Saturday. Uncharacteristically asleep in bed at two in the afternoon, she looked pale and weak. But she claimed she had a stomach virus, feeling nauseated and achy. He chuckled to see her purse on her shoulder, even in bed. Must be the only way to keep it from being stolen.
Martha had croaked, “I still love you, Collin, but we’ll have to settle for an air hug today.” He’d fought back some degree of jealousy when several other residents stopped by to inquire after her health, cutting into their precious conversation time. But her nurturing spirit had always made her popular, so he wasn’t really surprised. “Next time you come, tell me all about law school and living with roommates. I’m very proud of you.”
He took her words as dismissal, and gathered his things to go. By the time he’d buttoned his tweed coat, she’d already drifted back to sleep.
“Collin?” Josh’s voice drew him from his reminiscence. “You looked like you fell asleep sitting up. Maybe you’re pushing yourself too hard. What’s this job you have?”
“Tutoring college students. Also planning to move—get a couple of roommates. Heard one of my classmates at Columbia is looking to share space.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Charlie bent to peer into the wide-open mouth of their daughter. “Chloe, did you actually brush your teeth? Or did you put a little toothpaste in your mouth and swish it around? I can still see food stuck in the back teeth.”
Chloe’s lip protruded. “I brushed them.”
“Go brush again. This time, brush the back ones, too.”
Chloe trudged down the hallway, dragging her feet in protest.
“If you do a good job, maybe Uncle Collin will read your bed-time story tonight.” Charlie hadn’t bothered to affirm this with Collin, already knowing his answer would be a resounding yes. He loved his role as an honorary “uncle.”
Chloe twirled back around so fast she should have been dizzy, bouncing on her toes like a pogo stick. “Really? Will you, Uncle Collin?”
“Suppose I could.” Collin tapped a finger on his chin. “But I only like to read when my audience has spotlessly clean teeth.”
“Can I come, too?” Jace shrugged his shoulders in a gesture of nonchalance. “Don’t really do bed-time stories any more, but….”
“You can help the performance immensely.” Collin clapped him on the shoulder. “We can read Jack and the Dragon. You can be Jack and I’ll be the Dragon. Now, both of you, run and brush those teeth and get ready for bed. I’ll be back there in a jiffy.”
“Gotta get this one on video.” Charlie grinned. “I swear, Collin, you missed your calling. Should’ve been an actor.”
“I believe my honed acting skills will be put to good use as a barrister.”
“Ha!” she chuckled. “No doubt.”
“You know, one of our interns is looking for a place to live.” Josh bent to kiss the nose of their squirming bundle before passing her to Charlie. He turned to face Collin. “If you’re serious about getting out on your own, I’ll give him your number.”
“Absolutely—tell him to text me.” Collin swallowed hard, more than a little nervous about giving up his ample income. He filled up his lungs and blew out a long slow breath. “By the way, Charlie, have you heard from Olivia lately?”
Charlie and Josh exchanged a look that told him he wasn’t fooling them with his casual tone.
“Is that what all this is about, Collin?” As Charlie swayed with Austen in her arms, the baby’s eyelids drooped lower. “Are you doing all this to convince Olivia to date you? Because there’s no guarantee it’ll make any difference.”
Josh eyed him through lowered brows. “And I don’t think it’s wise to make life changes on the off chance it will attract a woman’s attention.”
“Is that so?” Collin challenged. “And this advice is coming from a man who stopped dating anyone for two years, hoping to prove himself to a certain woman who refused to communicate with him in any way?”
Collin nodded toward Charlie, who snorted with laughter.
“He’s got you there, Josh.”
“That was different.” Josh jutted out his chin.
“How so?” Collin waited, tight-lipped, ready to defend his decisions.
“Because I didn’t like who I was. Charlie was the incentive for me to get my act together.”
“That’s true for me, as well. I don’t see any difference.”
“Also, I was in love with Charlie.” Josh inclined his head, brows bent together as if daring Collin to make a similar claim.
He almost said it out of pure defiance. But he’d promised himself long ago never to fall in love. He knew exactly how it felt to have his heart ripped from his chest and handed back in shreds, and he intended to protect himself from a recurrence, at all cost.
“I’m not claiming to be in love with Olivia, but I do like her a lot.” He chose his words carefully. “I’ll readily admit I want what you both have together—the whole thing. I want the wife, the kids, the perfect happy home. And I’m convinced Olivia would be a perfect wife for me. All I have to do is convince her that I can be the perfect husband.”
Charlie let out a loud groan and Austen’s eyes popped open, only to drift closed again. “Collin there’s so much wrong in that statement, I don’t even know where to begin. Let me at least protest your use of the word perfect. You need realistic expectations. Our lives aren’t perfect by any means.”
“Semantics.” Collin threw his hands in the air. “I’ll choose a different word, then. How about awesome?”
“I don’t want to offend you” Josh pushed his hands through his hair. “But don’t you think you need to deal with some stuff from your past—family issues—before you consider starting a family of your own?”
“If you’re talking about my mother, I’ve dealt with that particular family issue.”
“You have?” Charlie’s eyes widened. “When did you talk to her?”
“I haven’t talked to her, and I don’t intend to. That’s how I dealt with it. I’ve accepted what she did and cut her out of my life. She doesn’t matter to me at all, so she can never hurt me again.”
Charlie lowered her eyes, but not before he saw the pity clearly written there.
“Collin….” Josh put a hand on his shoulder.
“I’m telling the truth.” Collin twisted away. “Why don’t you believe me? I thought you’d be on my side.”
“We’re both on your side.” Josh held his gaze without flinching. “But I know from experience you can’t forget everything that happened when you were a child.”
Collin balled his fingers into fists. “I haven’t forgotten. I’ve just accepted it.”
“Acceptance is important, but there’s more to it. I understand what it’s like to be rejected, and if you don’t work through it, her voice will be in your head for the rest of your life, tearing down everything good that comes along.” The muscles along Josh’s jaw bulged. “Believe me, I know. It still affects me.”
“Maybe you’re right.” Collin sagged as his indignant anger faded. If anyone could comprehend his feelings, it was Josh, who’d grown up in the foster system after being rejected by the family who adopted his sister. At least Collin and his brother had grown up in the care of their own father, though most of the rearing responsibilities fell to nannies before they were parceled off to boarding schools. Collin had no doubt his father loved him, in his own broken sort of way.
Jace’s voice bellowed from the back room. “Uncle Collin, we’re ready! You coming?”
“Be right there,” he called.
“The kids love you so much.” Charlie stood and moved toward the hallway, cradling the sleeping Austen. “You’re going to be a great father someday, Collin.”
Collin and Josh followed her.
“If you really believed that, you wouldn’t be discouraging me from trying to date Olivia.” He tried not to sound like he was pouting.
“I’d love it if you and Olivia got together. Josh and I have talked about it a lot.”
Beside him, Josh confirmed her statement with a sharp nod.
Charlie continued, “I don’t want you to get hurt. Olivia’s kind of flakey right now. She doesn’t know what she wants.”
“Still, a few months ago, you guys were encouraging me to go out on my own and prove myself, and now you’re giving me a hard time about it.”
“Only want to make sure you avoid some of the mistakes I made.” Josh lowered his voice as they approached the kids. “I let my hurt and pride deprive me of a chance to know my sister. I almost lost the opportunity to know Jace and Chloe’s grandparents.”
Jace appeared and dragged Collin into the room. As always, Collin put his heart and soul into playing the role of the fearful dragon, complete with trembling voice and shaking limbs. Their performance of Jack and the Dragon was met with thunderous applause from Chloe, Charlie and Josh. Collin made Charlie promise to keep the video off the Internet, although he could’ve sworn he saw her fingers crossed. Soon the kids were hugged and tucked into their beds, and Collin followed Charlie and Josh to the living room.
“Need to go home and study. Thanks again for dinner.” Collin shrugged into his heavy wool coat.
Charlie disappeared into the kitchen and emerged a few seconds later with a plastic container. “Here are some leftovers for tomorrow.”
“Thanks. Want you to know I’m going to keep working on myself. Someday I’ll be good enough for Olivia.”
Charlie’s mouth made a big O and her hand flew up to cover it. “You’re already a great guy, Collin. You don’t need to change for anyone, not even for Olivia. All you need to do is be who you really are instead of playing the role your father forced you into all those years. If Olivia ever sees the real you and still doesn’t want you, it’s her loss.”
“That’s right, buddy.” Josh clapped him on the back. “Anyone who humiliates himself to entertain my kids is alright in my book.”
Collin flashed a Cheshire cat grin. “I assume this means you’ve both totally forgiven me for trying to break the two of you up when we first met.”
“I’ve forgiven you.” Josh’s smile stretched a bit too wide as he murmured, “But I’ll never forget.”
* * *
Thursday evening Oliviahad dinner at her sister’s home. Grace seemed to have it all—a great husband, an adorable baby, a career as a teacher. Not that Olivia was jealous, but she couldn’t help wanting the same kind of happiness. As dangerous as it might be, Olivia considered what might happen if she married Collin. Could he ever fit in with the Marshalls? A blue-blood with the blue-collars?
Both of Olivia’s older siblings had awesome spouses. Grace’s husband, Brad, was a doctor at the emergency room, a sports fanatic like Grace, and about the nicest guy on the planet. Spencer had married Charlie’s sister, Emily, who was smart, competitive, independent, and had probably read every book in the New York Public Library. Her siblings had set the spouse standard high.
Olivia’s dad had introduced her to several single guys, enough to know what kind of man he expected her to marry. Two were fellow teachers at his high school, and one was a youth minister at their church. Collin Sterling was nothing like those guys. The night Olivia first met Collin at Gram’s Christmas dinner, he had bragged to the whole table about his car, which cost more than a high school teacher made in three years. Olivia’s dad had kept his mouth closed, but she saw how it hurt his pride. Charlie claimed Collin was a changed man, but Olivia couldn’t afford to take a chance, in case the change was only superficial.
“Do you have time to sit for a minute?” asked Grace. “I’ve got something to show you.”
Something in Grace’s expression made Olivia nervous. Not surprising. Her sister often made her nervous. “What is it?”
“Come see what I got you.” Grace sat on the couch with her laptop, patting the cushion beside her.
Olivia joined her, observing her sister with wary eyes. “I hope you haven’t already done your Christmas shopping. I probably won’t have time ‘til the week before Christmas.”
“This isn’t a Christmas present. It’s a right-now present. It’s a stop-the-clock present.” Grace’s smile exposed every tooth in her head. “It’s right here. See? I made you a dating profile.”
Olivia’s insides tried to become outsides. There, on the computer screen, was Olivia’s picture with her name beneath it in bold letters. Olivia lunged for Grace’s laptop, but her sister slammed it closed and twisted, using her back to block her.
“Now don’t be upset, until you hear me out.”
“Don’t be upset? Are you kidding me?” Olivia stood up, staring down at her sister on the couch with her most menacing glare. “If I wanted to sign up for an online dating service I would’ve done it myself. I can’t believe you put my real picture on there.”
“But I used a fake name.”
“I saw it—it said Olivia.”
“Yes, but I made your last name Marsh instead of Marshall.”
“Grace, take it down. Right. Now.” She punctuated the last two words by stomping her foot.
“Don’t you want to look at it, first? It’s only been a week, but you’ve had plenty of attention.”
Olivia forced her breathing to slow. She should’ve known her meddling sister would try something like this when she confessed her biological clock worries. If she pretended genuine interest, she could get the log-in information and delete the account.
“Fine. Let me see it.” She slid back down beside her sister.
Grace opened the computer and typed in her password, too quickly for Olivia to catch it. Her picture flashed into view again.
“That’s not even a good photo. My hair looks terrible.”
“You can give me a different picture if you like, but you’ve already had fifteen guys contact you.”
“They’re probably all looking for a quick hookup.”
“Not on this site. This one is specifically for people seeking long-term relationships. It’s called Find Your Forever.”
“Hmmm….” Olivia leaned closer, peering over Grace’s shoulder. “Okay. I’ll give it a try. Give me the user name and password.”
Grace looked over, a crooked smile on her face. “Seriously think I’d fall for that? You’d never give in that easily.”
“If you don’t let me log-in, how am I going to respond to those requests?”
“I corresponded for you and filtered through the riffraff. I have three guys with serious potential.”
Olivia felt steam building inside her head. “I’ll never agree to go out with any of them. You’re wasting your time and money.”
She bared her teeth, but Grace folded her hands together in a mock prayer and held them to her chin.
“Please, Olivia! Give these three a real chance—read the chats and check them out.”
Olivia let out a long, mournful sigh, designed to let her sister know exactly how irritated she was, and held out her hands, already planning to run with it into the bathroom and lock the door. “Okay, I’ll read it.”
“No way! I’m not handing you this computer so you can get on here and delete the account.” Grace gripped the laptop so tightly her knuckles turned white.
“Pretty sure this breaks one of the Marshall laws—the one about sisters being honest and faithful to one another.” Olivia stood up, glowering down at Grace.
The four sisters had composed a complex set of Marshall laws to govern themselves. Though married, Grace was still recognized as their leader, but Olivia was beginning to consider challenging for the position.
“Nope, I’m being completely honest with you.”
“Honest? You pretended to be me when you chatted with those guys. That’s not being honest.”
She shrugged. “Marshall law says I have to be honest with my sisters, not some guy on the Internet.”
“What about the faithful part?”
“Did it for your own good. You didn’t ask me not to sign you up for a dating website.”
“Only because I didn’t know you were thinking about it.” Olivia paced, flinging her arms, and came back to pin her sister with a stern glare. “Now I’m asking you, as my faithful sister, to delete the account.”
“Being faithful means to be steadfast in affection or allegiance.” Grace looked up to the ceiling as she recited the definition. “Neither my affection nor my allegiance has wavered in creating this account for you. My sister was in need, and I saw a way to help her.” She gave an emphatic nod. “And I did it.”
“Ughh! Why do I even try to reason with you? Does Brad know about this?”
Grace’s freckled cheeks turned pink. “I don’t tell him every single thing that happens while he’s at the hospital, you know. He’s a busy ER doctor. He doesn’t have time for trivial things like this.”
“Yeah, because you know he wouldn’t approve.”
Brad frequently expressed frustration at his futile attempts to control her, albeit with a smile. Somehow, he always forgave her. He obviously adored his spunky, unpredictable wife, and demonstrated it with words and actions that made Olivia a tad envious.
“I don’t need his approval.” Grace stiffened, sticking out her jaw. Then her shoulders sagged, and she looked up with sad, pleading eyes. “But I want yours, Olivia. I hoped you wouldn’t be so upset once you got used to the idea. I worked really hard on this, and I think these three guys have potential. One of them is practically in love with you, already.”
“You mean he’s in love with you, right? Because he’s never communicated with me at all.”
Grace flipped her auburn hair over her shoulder. “That doesn’t matter. I’ve known you since you were born. I was totally you when I chatted with him. I even used big words and scientific sounding phrases.”
Olivia’s groan rose from deep in her chest.
“Please, Olivia. Give it a chance.”
“Don’t give me those sad eyes.”
Grace tilted her chin down further, looking up through her lashes, and added a pouty lip. Olivia struggled to remain angry and indignant.
“You know I love you, Olivia.”
I can’t believe I’m going to do this. “Fine. I’ll look at them.”
“And you’ll give them a chance?”
“I’ll read your chats, but that’s all I’m promising.”
“Yay!” Grace’s hand snaked up and grabbed Olivia’s arm, tugging her back to the couch. “Okay, here’s the first one. To save time, I already set up a lunch date for you tomorrow.”
“You did what?” Olivia shouted.
“Shhhh!!! Don’t worry, I haven’t set a meeting place, so you can pick the restaurant.”
Olivia considered whether she could use temporary insanity as a murder defense.
* * *
Feelingguilty that two weeks had passed since his last visit with Martha, Collin stopped by a local market at 2:00 p.m. on Friday and grabbed a bouquet of mixed flowers. He nodded at the receptionist, an attractive twenty-something girl who barely looked up from her phone. He assumed she’d signed up to work at Sheltering Arms to fulfill some community service requirement, probably something for a college organization. He couldn’t judge her lack of attentiveness, since he’d been no different at her age.
Located at the front end of the resident hallway, Martha’s door was closed. He knocked on the door, holding the flowers behind his back. When a few moments passed without an answer, he knocked again, a little louder. Sometimes Martha took a nap in the afternoon, and she might not be wearing her hearing aid.
After another minute, the door opened a crack and a woman appeared. She pushed a strand of stringy hair, the color of muddy water, behind her ear. Her face was drawn and sallow. He estimated her at forty years old.
“Do you need something?”
“I was looking for Martha.” He craned his head, trying to see past the woman into the left corner where Martha’ bed was.
“Martha?” She rubbed the back of her neck like she was working on a kinked muscle. “Oh, you mean the old lady with the white hair? She was here the day I moved in, last weekend, but I haven’t seen her since. Her stuff’s still here, though. She ain’t got much.”
“What do you mean, you haven’t seen her? Where’s she sleeping?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know. To be honest, she didn’t look too hot when I saw her. Kind of weak and pale. But she may always look like that—she’s kinda old. Or maybe she’s on something—crack maybe.”
“Martha doesn’t use drugs.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I know she don’t have any in her stuff, but that don’t mean nothin’.”
He tamped down his flaming indignation. “Can you ask your other two roommates? Maybe they know what happened.”
“Nobody in here but me, right now. The other two girls left last weekend. Sunday, I think.”
“Maybe she’s sleeping in the common room,” he muttered, mostly to himself.
“If you’re looking for some company, I think you could do better than Martha. Like I said, there’s nobody else in here right now.”
She smiled, revealing a number of rotted teeth, and tugged the top few buttons open on her shirt, exposing her unsupported cleavage.
“I’m not into that sort of thing,” he said, repulsed by the thought.
As if she remembered the condition of her teeth, she closed her lips and smoothed her dull hair. “What are you into? I’m flexible. For you, only ten bucks.”
“No, thank you. Anyway, you’re a little old for me.”
Frown lines appeared between her eyes. “What do you mean? I’m twenty-six. How young do you like ‘em?”
Twenty-six! She must be a meth addict.
“Got to go. I have an appointment.”
He backed away, stumbling over his own feet in his hurry to escape, and scurried down the hall to the common room. The room was packed with women he didn’t recognize, most staring at a small television screen, which was playing a recording of classic movie—something with cowboys. But as he scoured the crowd he found one familiar face. Old Sally sat near the window, wrapped in a ratty blue blanket. She wasn’t that old—only fifty or so—but she explained that at the time she got her nickname, a younger Sally—in her forties—was staying at the shelter. As with most of the residents, young Sally left after a few days, but Old Sally was stuck with her moniker. Old Sally was a frequent resident, though she cycled through other homes and sometimes lived on the street. All the shelters had a limit for how long a person could stay, though the director of Sheltering Arms had found a way around the rules in Martha’s case, hiring her as a custodian with housing benefits.
“Old Sally.” Collin touched her scrawny arm, drawing her attention away from the television. “Have you seen Martha lately?”
Sally wrinkled her nose, twisting a strand of limp hair in her fingers. “She was feeling bad—said she had the flu. She went to the clinic, I think.”
“Thanks, Sally.” Collin found a ten-dollar bill and slipped it into her hand, making sure no one saw the exchange. “Get yourself a little treat.”
“Thank you!” Sally stretched her lips in a gap-toothed smile, already up and heading toward the door. She called over her shoulder, “I’ll be on the lookout when she comes back. I’ll tell her you came by.”
Collin nodded, ignoring the stares of curious onlookers. He didn’t intend to wait for Martha to return. NYC Free Clinic was only a few blocks away. Outside, the bitter wind whipped inside his coat, and he buttoned it up, turning up his collar. As always, the clinic was packed—every seat taken while a number of patients lined a long bare wall. Though he knew Olivia no longer volunteered regularly at the clinic, he couldn’t help looking for her among the scrub-clad staff scurrying down the hallway behind the reception desk.
He stood in line behind a large woman who reeked of perfume while she argued with the receptionist about whether she qualified for reduced or zero copay. Time was, Collin would’ve thrown a few hundred dollars at the situation, offering to pay the bill in order to expedite his agenda. But he could no longer afford such luxury. He drummed his fingers on his crossed arms and waited.
Finally, the woman finished her business and he moved to the desk. “I’m here to inquire about a patient who came here last Saturday, I think. Her name is Martha Avalon.”
The woman didn’t even bother to enter her name in the computer. “Do you have a signed release form?”
“No, but—”
“I can’t release any information without a signed release form.” Her eyes focused on someone behind him, to his left. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
“Wait!” Collin leaned to the side, blocking her view of the next person in line. “I’m her son. Martha is my mother. You don’t have to tell me the diagnosis or anything. I only need to know where she is.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I still can’t tell you anything without a release form.”
“Please….” He glanced at her name tag and bent forward until he caught her eyes, giving her his most charming smile. “Please, Katherine. You’re a lovely young woman.”
Her cheeks glowed bright pink. “Yes, but—”
“Can’t you at least look up her name and see if she’s been in recently? I bet you can tell me if she hasn’t been here, right?”
She chewed on her bottom lip. “I suppose it’s not against HIPAA to tell you I don’t see her name.”
“You’re the best,” he encouraged.
She punched on the keyboard. “When did you say you thought she came in?”
“This past weekend. Saturday. But you could check Friday and Monday to be sure.”
He knew the moment she saw Martha’s name on the screen, by the way her eyes widened and glanced toward him. “I’m sorry, sir. I can’t tell you anything.”
“Ever keep patients overnight?”
“No, sir, we don’t have the facilities for that.”
“Then tell me this. If a hypothetical patient came in over the weekend and they were too sick to go home, where would you send them?”
“To any one of the New York City public hospitals.” She lifted her hands, palms up. “Not even noted in the record. Couldn’t tell you which one she was in, anyway.”
“Thank you for trying, Katherine.” Collin groaned, recognizing the futility. “You’re going to be a beautiful bride.”
Katherine smiled, her cheeks blooming once again. “Hope you find your friend.”
“Me, too,” he mumbled as he left, hopelessness descending like a blanket of snow. All he could do was pray.