Chapter 10 #4
Though he desperately wanted a shower and a shave and needed to get to work for nine o’clock appointments, he sat for a minute on the sofa. “Daisy Babson. She’s the housekeeping manager at the McCarthy’s hotel.”
His mother’s raised brow conveyed a world of disbelief. “She works for Janey’s parents?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you don’t do anything simply, do you?”
“Janey and her parents have nothing to do with this.”
“I heard you were called to her house last night.”
“Jesus! This island is unreal! Don’t people have anything to do besides mind other people’s business?”
“No, not really. And it certainly shouldn’t be a surprise to you that news travels fast around here.”
“I was called there in a professional capacity. I went in a professional capacity. I performed professional duties. I did my job.”
“What does your friend Daisy think of you running off to tend to your ex-fiancée?”
“My friend Daisy knows it’s been over between Janey and me for two years now, and that as the island’s only doctor, I’m obligated to care for everyone, regardless of what personal relationship I may or may not have with them.”
“She’s very understanding.”
“If she wasn’t, I wouldn’t be seeing her.”
His mother studied him for a long moment, during which he tried not to squirm under her scrutiny. “You never told me how it went in Boston.”
“Everything was fine.”
Before his eyes, she visibly sagged, and he regretted not telling her immediately that his test results had all come back negative.
“I would’ve told you if there was anything to worry about. You know that.”
“I’ve done my share of worrying over you in the last couple of years.”
“I know, and I’m sorry to have given you cause, but you have to believe me when I tell you I’m fine—physically and every other way, too.” In fact, he hadn’t been quite so fine in years.
“Was it weird to see Janey in her home, pregnant and all of that?”
“I’ve seen her pregnant before last night.”
“You know what I mean, David.”
“It wasn’t as weird as you might think. I’ve come to see that we both ended up where we were meant to be.
She’s happy with Joe. They’re good together.
And I’m figuring things out. Slowly but surely.
” He had faith that he and Daisy would make a go of it—eventually—not that he wanted to share that thought with his mother.
The relationship was too new, and after last night, too fragile to talk about just yet.
“You look good,” she said, taking another perusing inventory of his features.
“I feel good.”
“That’s all I want to hear.” She tossed the newspaper onto his coffee table. “You can have that. I’m done with it.”
He walked her to the door. “Shall we talk about the rules for the extra key?” he asked, keeping his tone light.
“You wouldn’t want me waiting outside in the heat when I could enjoy your perfectly comfortable sofa and your AC, now would you?” She went up on tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Bring your friend Daisy over sometime. We’d love to meet her.”
“Bye, Mom.”
He closed the door behind her and shook his head, amused by the way she still could manage him like no one else ever had.
In turn, she drove him bonkers and cracked him up, but he could never doubt her devotion.
Sometimes he wished she were a little less devoted.
In fact, he’d nearly turned down the offer to become the island’s doctor because he worried about the close proximity to his doting mother.
Until today, she’d been respectful of his boundaries, but he couldn’t blame her for coming to check on him after not hearing from him for days.
As he shaved, showered and got dressed for work, it occurred to him that she’d never asked him where he was coming from first thing in the morning.
No doubt she’d put two and two together to get that he’d been with Daisy overnight.
While he wasn’t sure he was ready for her to have that information, and he definitely didn’t care if she knew about Daisy, he was glad she hadn’t asked.
Thinking about Daisy and what’d nearly happened between them made him hard in the shower.
He considered taking care of business right then and there but decided he’d rather wait for her.
The two years he’d spent rebuilding his life had been put to good use if it meant he was now ready for her and for what they might have together.
If it took her a while longer to get there, so be it.
In some ways, he felt like he was emerging from a long, dark winter into a spring filled with optimism and hope.
She’d done that for him with her gentle, sweet disposition, her appreciation of the little things that others took for granted, her unconditional acceptance of his failings and faults. He hoped he could do the same for her.
He wanted to make her smile the way she had last night before things had gone wrong. He wanted to make her laugh. He wanted to make her happy. Making her happy made him happy.
Reliving the erotic thrill of holding her and kissing her had him hard and trembling with the need for more. He hadn’t felt this way since he’d been newly enamored with Janey McCarthy half a lifetime ago.