Chapter 5 #2
Jenny smiled back at him, and the powerful connection they shared was so obvious that Hope experienced a twinge of envy.
As much as she’d once loved her ex-husband, they hadn’t had what Jenny and Alex did.
Or what David and Daisy had, or Jared and Lizzie.
After spending time with them, Hope was determined to never again settle for less than what they had.
Paul grilled steaks and potatoes for their guests, who’d brought salads and dessert to add to the party. It was nice to take a break from their many responsibilities and to spend some time with good friends.
Over dinner, the conversation went from Alex and Jenny’s wedding and their plans to move into their new house, to the vacation David and Daisy had recently taken in Bermuda, to Erin’s adventures at the lighthouse.
“Hope mentioned something earlier that I want to look into further,” Lizzie said to her husband during dessert.
“Is this going to cost me money?” Jared asked with a good-natured grin.
The look Lizzie gave him had them all laughing. “Of course it is.”
Jared groaned. “What now?”
“We need a senior care facility on this island so elderly patients can get the help they need and remain close to their families, too.”
Paul glanced at his brother, who listened intently to Lizzie.
“Hmm,” Jared said to Hope. “Speak to me.”
She glanced at Paul, seeming tentative. “It was just a thought I had that I said out loud in front of the wrong person,” she said with a smile.
“Or the right person,” Lizzie said. “Depending on how you look at it.”
“She’s like a dog with a bone when she hears about someone in need,” Jared said.
“Awww, isn’t he sweet calling his new wife a dog?” Lizzie said, setting off a new round of laughter. “Woof woof.”
“It’s a brilliant idea, Hope,” David said. “I can think of ten people right off the top of my head who would benefit from such a place, including Marion.”
“And we know the perfect person to oversee it,” Lizzie said to her husband, who frowned.
“I don’t know…”
“What don’t you know? Your brother is between jobs and looking for something new.
What would be better for him than this?” To the others, she said, “Jared’s brother Quinn was an army medic and recently returned to civilian life.
He was a trauma surgeon in the army, so he could easily take on something like this, couldn’t he, David? ”
“I’m sure he’s probably overqualified,” David said.
“See?” Lizzie said, her eyes flashing with excitement.
“Do you guys see what I live with?” Jared asked, his smile conveying his obvious affection for his wife.
“I know, I’m such a hardship,” Lizzie said, winking at him.
“If you’re serious about this,” Paul said, “the town is about to put the old school building on the market now that the new one is open.”
“Can we look at it tomorrow?” Lizzie asked.
Jared groaned again. “There go my plans to chill by the pool all day.”
“Can we?” Lizzie asked again.
“I’ll see if I can set it up,” Paul said, amused by her enthusiasm.
“Dog meet bone,” Jared said.
Lizzie let out a bark that had them all howling with laughter.
Much later, after the others had left, Hope helped Alex, Jenny and Paul clean up.
“Can you imagine if this idea of yours actually comes to fruition?” Alex asked.
“I didn’t mean to set Lizzie off on such a tangent,” Hope said. “I was just saying how nice it would be to have something like that here. Of course, I probably put myself out of a job with my big idea.”
“No way,” Jenny said. “If it happens, and that’s a big if at this point, they’ll need tons of people to staff the place.”
“True,” Hope said. “I just hope you guys don’t think I was overstepping by bringing it up.”
“Why would we?” Paul asked. “We value your opinions and ideas, and if this one comes to pass, we’ll owe you a huge debt of gratitude for finding a way to get Mom the care she needs right here on the island. That’d be a miracle to us.”
Alex pointed at Paul. “What he said.”
Hope smiled at their effusive praise. “Well, thanks. You guys are too kind. This was a really fun time tonight. Thanks for including me.”
“You and Ethan are part of the family now,” Jenny said. “Whether you like it or not.”
Hope laughed. “We like it very much.”
Paul was thrilled to hear her say that. At times he wondered if they asked too much of her, especially on days like today when their mother was verbally abusive.
Speaking of Marion… Headlights lit up the front of the house.
The festive mood the four of them had been in immediately shifted to something far more serious.
“I’ll get your mom to bed,” Hope said.
“I’ll help,” Paul said. “You’ve already put in a full day.”
“I don’t mind.”
He couldn’t deny the attraction he felt for her when she looked at him with those kind eyes and that warm smile.
It had been nearly a week since she kissed him, and he’d thought about it at least a thousand times since then.
They were leaving on Tuesday to take Marion to the mainland, and he couldn’t wait to have some time alone with Hope to get to know her better.
Despite the guilt Paul felt over being interested in an employee, he had to think his dad would approve of his affection for Hope, especially because of the way she took care of Marion.
“Since you guys have got bedtime covered, we’re going over to our house to do a few things,” Alex said.
“We’ll take bedtime tomorrow,” Jenny said.
“See you in the morning,” Paul said.
Between the two of them, Paul and Hope got Marion changed and ready for bed. Hope cajoled her to take her medicine, and by the time they got her tucked in, Paul was completely worn out. The relaxing night with friends might never have happened.
“I don’t know about you, but I could use another drink,” he said when they returned to the kitchen.
“I wouldn’t say no to that.”
“Beer, wine or more tequila?”
“I’ve consumed my yearly limit of tequila tonight. I’ll have a beer.”
He opened two of them. “Let’s go outside,” he said, gesturing for her to go out ahead of him to the back deck, where the stargazing was at its best.