Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
T he next week flew by for Reagan. In addition to completing some of the smaller repairs at home, she’d taken five emergency calls—one of which had been at Gertrude McCartney’s request. After repairing the garage door, Reagan had been asked to move paintings around. Relocating art wasn’t a service she typically offered, but she couldn’t turn down her elderly client’s request. Besides, the print of Monet’s Water Lilies was better suited for the master bathroom than the bedroom.
She’d been halfway home when she’d received a call from Jaylyn Crane, who’d sounded surprised when Reagan answered. Turned out even nice buildings that housed billionaires slacked on their maintenance. Jaylyn’s request was a fairly simple fix—one of the cabinet doors had come unhinged in the kitchen. Jaylyn had joked, “Kind of like my last date,” and Reagan had found herself looking forward to the visit.
She finished tightening the final screw and opened and closed the cabinet a few times. “Good as new.”
“Thank you for coming.”
“Thank you for calling.” Reagan tucked her screwdriver into the small tool case she’d brought in, relieved that the fix had been an easy one. She was boarding a plane tomorrow morning and still needed to pack.
“What do I owe you?” Jaylyn hopped off the countertop where she’d been sitting.
“Nothing. Your brother is taking good care of me, so the least I can do is repair his sister’s cabinetry.”
“Is he.” Jaylyn narrowed catlike eyes as her full mouth curled into a smile.
“Are you going to the Refurbs for Vets charity ball?” Reagan happily changed the subject.
“I am.” Her eyes widened with what looked like excitement. “I donated a ring for the auction. Designed by moi .”
“That’s great.” Reagan tipped her chin toward the signature skull ring on Jaylyn’s index finger. “Similar to this one?”
“No. It’s a tree design, complete with branches and miniature leaves. It’s cooler than it sounds. I don’t know.” She shrugged almost self-consciously. “I’m playing with my style.”
“Well, if anyone has a sense of style it’s you.” Reagan stepped into the living room, her mind on commuting home and collapsing— after she packed for the trip.
“Thanks for being nice to me,” Jaylyn blurted out.
“Why wouldn’t I be nice to you?”
“I wasn’t nice to you when I found you and Brody”—Jaylyn waved a hand—“you know.”
“Kissing?”
“Yeah.” She wrinkled her nose. “Then at Zander and Chloe’s penthouse, I watched you two together and…I get it.”
“Do you?” Reagan started to sweat. She “got it” too, but she wasn’t entirely sure what “it” was or when “it” would end. Or if she was alone in noticing an “it” at all.
“Are you two officially dating?”
Reagan wasn’t sure how to answer that question. If Jaylyn were anyone else, she might have said “Sure!” for the sake of simplicity. She couldn’t lie to Brody’s sister. “I don’t know.”
“I was hoping you’d say yes. Now I’m concerned.”
“Why’s that?”
“He’s been known to turn tail and run when things become uncomfortable. I mean, sure, he brought Alexis to a big party or two, like the one in New York City we’re going to, but you’ve been to a family party. Brody doesn’t make a habit of that. Like, ever .”
Sweat prickled Reagan’s armpits.
“I like you guys together. And, selfishly, I don’t want him to have a reason to run.” Jaylyn squinted one eye. “I was hoping you would give Brody a reason to stay longer. Zander is already here, and now so am I, and I can imagine Dante in Chicago again. He attended college here.”
“You want your family in one place.” Reagan understood Jaylyn wanting to be close to her brothers. “I can relate.”
“Because of your mom,” Jaylyn guessed correctly.
“Even though I have accepted that she’s gone doesn’t mean I don’t miss her terribly.”
“I don't see my mom often, but I would miss her if I couldn't pick up the phone and call. I'm sorry you don't have that with your mom.”
“Me too.” Reagan may have healed where her mother was concerned, but she also wished things were different.
Jaylyn plopped onto her white leather sofa. Reagan joined her, not wanting to leave when Jaylyn was speaking from the heart. It seemed a rare occurrence from the youngest Crane. “When Zander’s wife died, I flew to London immediately. And so did Brody. Even Dante. And Dad .”
Jaylyn said that as if Octavius wasn’t one to hang around any one place for long.
“We intermittently grew up around each other. We spent holidays together and other occasions, but since we’ve been adults, we don’t do much together. I miss the times when I’d be making a sandwich and could call into the other room to ask if anyone else wanted one.” She paused. “Is that silly?”
“Not at all.” Reagan smiled. That was one of the best parts of living with Brody. “Eating alone sucks.”
“Right?” Jaylyn’s expression took on a wistful quality. “He promised he’d stay in Chicago until the book was done. How far along is it?”
“I’m…not sure.” Reagan hadn’t asked. Probably because on a deeper level she didn’t want to know. In a way, the end of the book signified the end of them. “He moved my belongings from my storage unit to the house.”
“Whoa.” Jaylyn blinked.
“I plan on making an offer to buy the house from him when he leaves.” She had concluded it was smart to stick to the original plan. Even though he’d been doing very boyfriend-y things, permanence wasn’t his style. “He believes that home is an illusion. A temporary stop on the way to something better. But for me, that house, my home , is a sanctuary. My grandfather isn’t going to live forever, and when he’s gone, I want to live where my memories of him are strongest.”
Jaylyn’s eyes misted over. “That’s beautiful, Reagan.”
That was as much truth as Reagan had admitted since she’d stumbled into a relationship with Brody.
“He doesn’t slow down enough to know where he belongs,” Jaylyn said. “As much as I wish he’d stay, I expect him to fly off to his next adventure and leave me here. Leave us here.”
Reagan hated that a part of her agreed with the youngest Crane’s assessment. She palmed Jaylyn’s shoulder and made a promise. “No matter where Brody is living, I’ll be a phone call away if you need emergency cabinet repair. Or anything else.” She meant it. Jaylyn never needed to feel alone in this city, not when Reagan was living down the road.
“Thanks, Reagan. Can we go to the champagne bar on the Magnificent Mile sometime?”
“Of course.”
Jaylyn perked up. “Now?”
“Um…”
“My treat.” Brody’s sister grabbed Reagan’s hand and hauled her off the couch. Reagan reminded both of them that she hadn’t packed for New York yet during the elevator ride down, but Jaylyn wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Two hours later, Reagan returned to a mostly dark house. Odd, since it was only nine thirty. Usually, Brody was up late, sitting on the couch with his laptop, and she was the first to go to bed. Even the recent night she’d fallen asleep on top of him, she’d woken up and slipped out to brush her teeth and wash her face, leaving him to sleep alone.
She never felt strange about not sleeping next to him. In the morning, they would drink coffee and talk. They kept things simple. Easy. She tiptoed down the hall on the way to her room and reconsidered. What had once been simple had become complex. She’d spent the evening with his sister and would be flying off for a weekend trip to his penthouse. Simple didn’t begin to cover it.
As she passed by his room, she found him propped up in bed, a book on his lap, glasses perched on his nose. He looked over, blinked, and then smiled. She was momentarily paralyzed by how handsome he was without a shirt, his eyes magnified by the lenses, golden light hugging the mouthwatering bumps and curves of his bare torso.
Purr.
“Hey.” He pulled the glasses off his nose. “Late night?”
“Your sister needed a repair in her apartment, so I stopped by to help.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” His mouth compressed into a flat line.
“I didn’t mind. When I wouldn’t accept payment, she took me out for champagne.”
His eyebrows jumped. “Yeah? How’d that go?”
She leaned against his doorway. “It was great, actually. I think she’s lonely. But I’m sure it won’t be long before she makes friends around here.”
“If she stays.” He put his bookmark into the book and tossed it onto the nightstand along with his glasses. “Once I’m gone, she will shadow my every footfall, mark my words. I’m glad she was nice to you.”
Reagan chose to ignore the idea that Brody would be gone and Jaylyn would follow. “We talked about what it was like for you all growing up. The ideas she has for jewelry designs. I encouraged her. I believe she could have a successful business selling her creations. She’s so talented.”
His mouth softened into a smile. “I know she loved hearing that. She’s the most artistic Crane I know.”
“I don’t know about that.” Reagan meandered into the room, her purse on her shoulder, and sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re a great writer.”
“So the world says.”
“So I say.” Unable to help herself, she pressed a soft kiss to his mouth. His hand cupping her jaw, he held her there. He was warm and he smelled good, and she was so damn tired. Crawling in next to him and going to sleep sounded perfect.
“I have to pack,” she whispered.
“Do it in the morning.”
“Our flight is at eight. That puts us needing to leave for O’Hare around five thirty in the morning. Who knows what I’ll pack at that ungodly hour? I’m an early bird but the idea of waking up at four thirty is terrifying.”
“I can reschedule the flight.”
She shook her head as he reached for his phone. “There’s no sense in pushing our flight. I can make it work. Besides, I’m sure there are fees and?—”
“Done.” He tossed the phone aside. “I texted the pilot to let him know we’ll be leaving at ten. Now you can sleep in. Why don’t you climb into bed with me and see what happens?”
“You texted the pilot?”
“I did.”
She slowly came to the realization that the flight they were taking was of the private-jet variety. She kept forgetting: billionaire . “And I know exactly what will happen if I climb into bed with you. I will fall asleep and take up the majority of your precious mattress real estate.”
Plus, not sharing a bed had been an unspoken boundary line between them.
“I don’t mind. Do you?”
“It’s not that I mind…” She sent a longing gaze toward the doorway.
“It’s that we haven’t done it yet,” he pointed out.
“Right.”
He moved her hair behind her ear and stroked her cheek with his knuckles. “And that feels like a big deal to you?”
She thought about his question. Really thought about it. Did it feel like a big deal? She was used to being skin to skin with him during the most intimate act ever. Arguably the biggest deal between them had been meeting his siblings—Jaylyn had said so herself.
“I guess it’s not. I’m just fixated on making this very, very different from when I lived with Dustin.”
Brody frowned.
“And it is!” she added. “But, you know, I’d like to keep what you and I have clean.”
“Clean?” He looked thoughtful for a moment but then quipped, “I like to be dirty with you.”
She let him have the out. It was an out for her too. “I make no promises on my stamina,” she whispered against his lips.
He lit her on fire with a series of deep kisses that she felt between her legs. Then he rolled her onto her back, his body covering hers as he kicked the blanket to the floor. When she reached for him, her arm became entangled in her purse strap. It took longer than it should have to free herself, which had them both laughing.
She was setting it aside when her phone rang from an exterior pocket.
“No work after nine p.m.,” he murmured as he lifted her shirt and kissed her stomach.
“I don’t know this number. I’ll get rid of them.”
“Be fast.” He kissed higher, his hand cupping her breast over her bra, which was wonderfully distracting. She tapped the phone’s screen and answered with a slightly breathless, “Hello?”
“Hello, is this Reagan Palmer?”
The formality in the woman’s voice sent her stomach to her toes. “This is she.”
Brody must’ve sensed the change in the atmosphere. He stopped kissing her as she sat up on the bed.
“Hi, Reagan, this is Pamela Young at Sandy Springs Retirement. You are Ike Palmer’s emergency contact, so I wanted to…”
The sloshing of her heartbeat in her eardrums drowned out whatever the woman was saying. Reagan’s mind raced to make sense of the news. She ended the call with, “Okay, thank you,” said through partially numb lips. Brody’s handsome face blurred as tears filled her eyes.
“Reagan.” Both palms on either side of her face, he forced her attention on him. “Honey, talk to me. What happened?”
“Ike’s at the hospital. He collapsed and they transported him by ambulance.” Her robotic tone held no emotion. Time and space seemed to fragment around her as she had her own metaphorical collapse.
Brody was already out of bed, pulling on jeans and stuffing his feet into a pair of shoes. He tugged a shirt over his shoulders and was working the buttons while she sat frozen in place. How would she make it alone in the world? How she could exist without the one man who’d kept her on it like gravity most of her life?
“Which hospital?” Brody asked.
She let him help her stand as she mumbled the name of the nearby hospital. “I don’t know the room number.”
“We’ll find out when we get there.” His hand in hers, he practically dragged her out of the house, helped her into his SUV, and buckled her seatbelt. Trancelike, she watched the reflection of the streetlights streak across the windshield and over the hood of his SUV.
They arrived at the hospital in less than ten minutes. At the nurse’s desk, Brody asked about Ike Palmer. They were informed that he’d been brought into the ER but had been moved to a room for observation. They could see him right away.
“He has a room. That’s good,” Brody reassured her as they followed the signs to Room 603. “If he’s in a room, that means he’s not in emergency surgery.”
She refused to believe the news was good until she saw for herself that he was okay. A minute later, she stepped into his room. Ike was propped up in bed and smiled when he saw her. “Hey, sweetheart.”
She rushed over and fell into his arms, her tears finally breaking free. He patted her head while she soaked his hospital gown. She was careful not to hurt him but refused to move from the cage of his arms.
“There, there, sweet girl. I asked the nurse not to call you. I didn’t want you to worry. No emergency here. I’m fine.”