Her Mr. Right? Page 11

  He glanced up at the row of hospital rooms that overlooked the lot.

  She realized what he was thinking and quickly pulled away from him.

  “Do you know what I think?” he asked.

  “I’m afraid to ask,” she murmured.

  “I think we both need to get away.”

  She sighed heavily. “That’s the whole point, Neil. I can’t. I’m taking care of my dad.”

  “Don’t tell me you can’t get away for a weekend.”

  “Away where?”

  “You said you were working on an auction for the senior center and you needed donations. How would you like something really great?”

  “What kind of great?” she asked warily.

  “Maybe an antique?”

  “And you know someone who will be willing to donate an antique?”

  “I might. Come away with me this weekend and we’ll find out.”

  He could see the thoughts flipping through her mind.

  “Look, I know what you’re thinking. But this weekend can be whatever you want it to be. My parents live about two hours north. I haven’t seen them for a few months and when I called Mom on Sunday to wish her a happy Mother’s Day, she dropped a big hint that, though she liked the flowers I sent her, she’d like a visit from me even more. Antique shops are pretty common in their area. I happen to know the owner of one fairly well. You can pick out what you want, and I’ll donate the antique. We can stay at an inn…in separate rooms, of course.”

  Isobel didn’t say no right away and that was a great sign. But she did study him carefully. He could feel her gaze as if it were a touch on his eyes, on his mouth and back to his eyes again.

  “Why are you doing this?” she wanted to know.

  “I’m doing it because we both need a respite. I’m tired of feeling as if I’m in a fishbowl every time I talk to you. Besides that, I need perspective on the investigation and maybe you need perspective on what’s going on with your dad.”

  “No maybe about it,” she murmured.

  He knew he couldn’t push Isobel into this. It had to be a free decision on her part.

  “I could ask Debbie if she’d mind if Dad stayed over with her this weekend.”

  “There’s another solution,” Neil offered. “Maybe Chad could just stay with your dad. He could keep a watchful eye on him, but your father wouldn’t feel as if he’s being coddled.”

  Isobel looked uncertain.

  “I know, you probably need time to think about all this. Have dinner with me tonight. If you decide you want to do it, we can stop at your sister’s and you can ask.”

  “Dad might not be all bent out of shape about it if Chad stayed with him,” she agreed. “But I won’t have time for a long dinner—”

  “We can stop for fast food if you want. I don’t care.”

  “The Chinese Kitchen is fast,” she offered, finally accepting his invitation.

  “The Chinese Kitchen it is.” He suddenly realized that no matter what happened today, he’d have Isobel to look forward to this evening.

  That thought could keep him smiling through anything.

  Chapter Eight

  Isobel had just finished with a patient one of the E.R. docs had referred to her when Simone Gardner snagged her arm. “Got a minute?” the pretty brunette E.R. nurse asked.

  Isobel and Simone had become good friends over the past six months—good enough friends to confide in each other about their lives and pasts. “I always have a minute for you. I’ve been meaning to call you. How are you feeling?”

  Simone was three months pregnant and glowing with the promise of motherhood. Some of that glow might also be due to her upcoming wedding to medic Mike O’Rourke. A one-night stand had led to what they’d hoped would be a lifetime of happiness.

  Isobel thought of Neil, felt a pang of envy, and then quickly brushed it away. She was happy for her friend. That one-night stand had turned out well for her. Isobel considered the upcoming weekend, what might or might not happen. Her circumstances were very different. Neil didn’t even live in Walnut River.

  “I’m feeling good,” Simone responded, answering her question. “I’ve had some morning sickness but it seems to be getting better now.”

  “How are the plans for the wedding?”

  “They’re going fine. I invited my mother.”

  Simone and her mother had long had a difficult relationship. “How do you feel about that?”

  “I’m okay with it. She’s attending the date-rape support group you recommended. I’ve noticed an improvement in her outlook since she’s going to the group. She actually seems pleased to know that my future looks bright and happy. She’s even a little bit excited about the wedding. It’s going to be small,” Simone went on. “But I’d like you to be my maid of honor. Will you? You don’t need a special dress. I’m wearing a white suit.”

  “You’ve set the date?”

  “The last Saturday in May in Mike’s parents’ backyard. Are you free?”

  Would Neil still be around at the end of May? Probably not. “I’ll be there. Just let me know what time.”

  Simone nodded and then leaned a bit closer. “I hear you’re on a first-name basis with that investigator. What goes with that?”

  Isobel didn’t know what to say. She didn’t want to lie to her friend, and she knew Simone would keep whatever she said in confidence. But what was there to say?

  “Uh-oh, don’t tell me the rumors are true,” Simone surmised, probably correctly.

  “What rumors?”

  Simone hesitated.

  Isobel knew her friend was not one to gossip. “I need to know, Simone.”

  Her friend finally revealed, “You’ve been seen outside the hospital with Neil Kane, at The Crab Shack, at the Walnut River Inn. Are you involved with him?”

  Again, Isobel wasn’t sure how to respond. So she simply said, “I like him.”

  Simone studied her more closely. “Oh, Isobel.”

  “What?”

  “I can see it in your eyes. You’ve fallen for him.”

  In a quiet voice, she answered, “Maybe I have.”

  “Is there a future in this?”

  “How can there be when he’ll be going back to Boston when he’s finished here?”

  “Are you going to be with him while he’s here?”

  Simone knew all about falling in love against her will. Sometimes the heart made the most important decisions. Isobel knew she could trust her friend. “I’m going away with him this weekend. We’re going to pick up an antique for the senior citizen auction.”

  There was a knowing look in Simone’s eyes.

  “We’re going to have separate rooms,” Isobel insisted.

  “That doesn’t mean you’ll stay in separate rooms.”

  Just thinking about that possibility, Isobel’s heart raced. “I’m not sure what I’m going to do. I do know that for once in my life, I’m not going to plan the future. I might even live in the moment. That will be a first.”

  “And damn the consequences?” Simone asked.

  “And damn the consequences. Being with Neil for more than a snatched hour here and there might show me I don’t care about him the way I think I do. This could be an eye-opening experience.”

  Simone clasped Isobel’s arm. “I don’t have any advice to give. Look what happened to me.” She patted her tummy, which wasn’t yet round. “But I can tell you I’m happier than I’ve ever been and that’s all because of Mike.”

  Isobel gave her friend a hug. “I’m looking forward to your wedding.”

  “You can bring a guest,” Simone suggested slyly.

  “I’m not planning the future, remember?”

  “Right.”

  A voice on the loudspeaker paged Simone.

  “Break’s over. I’ve got to scoot. I know you do, too.” Before she hurried away, Simone suggested, “If you need someone to talk to when you get back, call me.”

  Isobel nodded, grateful Simone was her frie
nd. Maybe when she returned to Walnut River, she wouldn’t feel as confused as she did right now.

  “So Cyrus is visiting with Dad?” Debbie asked Neil and Isobel as she brought the two of them sodas.

  Neil was sitting on the sofa next to Isobel, his arm and leg lodged next to hers. He hadn’t even kissed her yet tonight. In some ways, he felt like a teenager again, trying to read his date’s cues.

  “Cyrus was there when I got home,” Isobel explained.

  “He said he was taking Dad to Burger King for supper. By the time I’d changed, they’d gone.”

  “Good for Cyrus. I’m grateful he’s getting Dad out of the house.”

  “Actually your dad is why I’m here,” Neil explained. “I want Isobel to go with me this weekend to my hometown. I think I can finagle a couple of antiques for the senior center’s auction.”

  “That would be great,” Debbie said enthusiastically. “Do you want Dad to come over here?”

  Isobel jumped in now. “I don’t know how he’ll feel about that, if he’ll think we’re taking care of him again. But Neil had a good idea. How do you think Chad would feel about staying with Dad Saturday and Sunday, instead of Dad coming over here?”

  Debbie thought about it. “That might work. Chad’s responsible enough. But he has to feel comfortable with doing it.” She yelled, “Hey, Chad! Come here a minute, will you?”

  The teenager emerged from his room in an oversize T-shirt and torn jeans. When he saw Neil, he grinned. “Did you come over for another game?”

  “Not this time. Your aunt has a favor to ask.”

  Chad looked at Isobel. “What’s up?”

  She told him.

  “So you want me to make sure Gramps eats and doesn’t fall or anything?”

  “Only if you’re comfortable with staying,” Isobel assured him.

  “It will be cool. He can get out all those old photograph albums and tell me stories, and we can play cards. I know I might have to watch the History Channel with him, but I’ve got my iPod.”

  “You really don’t mind?” Isobel asked.

  “Nope. Stephanie’s out of town this weekend so I’m high and dry.”

  “Except for that paper that’s due,” his mother reminded him.

  “I’m going to finish that up tonight.”

  Apparently Stephanie was Chad’s girlfriend. Neil could see the teenager really wouldn’t mind looking after his grandfather.

  Isobel assured Chad, “I have casseroles in the freezer I can take out before we leave for Saturday night and Sunday. There should be enough of everything else in the refrigerator—eggs, deli meat for the rest of the meals.”

  “We can always order pizza,” Chad joked. “While you and Mom talk about what we’re going to eat and all…” He cast a look at Neil. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

  Neil was surprised at the request. “Sure.” Chad motioned to him. “Come back to my room. I want to show you something.”

  Still puzzled, Neil followed Chad to his bedroom. It was decorated like any teenage boy’s bedroom with a poster of Carrie Underwood on one wall, an enlarged photo of David Ortiz at bat on the other. A computer sat on a small hutch.

  “What did you want to show me?” Neil asked.

  “Nothing really. I wanted to ask you something.”

  “About?”

  “Well, Mom said you were married once.”

  “Yes, I was.” He wondered if this was about Chad’s dad and the divorce.

  “But you’re single now, right?”

  “Sure am.”

  “And you like Aunt Iz?” Chad raised his brows.

  There was no use denying it. “Yes, I do.”

  “Do you date a lot?”

  “Not so much. I’m working most of the time.”

  “But you do date?”

  “I do.”

  “See, I’m dating this girl,” Chad explained.

  “Stephanie.”

  “Yeah, and she’s really hot. She’s nice, too, and I like her a lot.”

  “So what’s the problem?”

  “I want to buy a car. Mom says she won’t get me one and she won’t let Dad get me one. But if I save up on my own and find one, she won’t say I can’t buy it. So I want to work all summer and save the money.”

  “That sounds like a plan.”

  “It was a plan until Steph asked me to go to the beach with her and her family for the month of July. They rent a house and her relatives come and go.”

  “So if you go with her for the month of July, you won’t save nearly as much money.”

  “Right. But if I stay here and work, she might break up with me.”

  “How much does she mean to you?”

  Chad looked down at his sneakers and rubbed his toe against the carpet. “A whole lot. She’s the kind of girl I could see marrying some day. You know what I mean?”

  “Can you live without the car?”

  “I really want wheels.”

  “It’s not an easy decision, Chad, but you’re going to have to decide what’s more important to you and live with whatever you decide.”

  “I want to work it so I can do both.”

  Neil chuckled. “Don’t we all! But life rarely gives us everything we want. If Stephanie likes you as much as you like her, maybe she’ll live without you for the month, and then get back together with you when she returns.”

  “Or, she could meet some surfer dude down there and I’d be toast.”

  “That’s the chance you’d have to take.”

  Chad frowned. “I thought you’d have some answers.”

  Neil almost laughed out loud but he didn’t because he was afraid Chad would misunderstand. “If you think you’re going to find the answers as you get older, I can tell you you’ll find some of them, but mostly you’ll just find out what means the most to you.”

  “And that’s what I have to figure out? Whether Stephanie’s more important than the car?”

  “Or whether trusting her is as important as the car.”

  “That’s a different take on it,” Chad mumbled. After a few seconds of silence, he shook his head and grinned ruefully.

  “And here I thought guys your age knew what to do about women.”

  “Not a chance. Even the ones who pretend to know what they’re doing don’t.”

  Chad gave him a sideways glance. “So what about you and Aunt Iz? Is something really happening?”

  Neil was tempted to say, “After this weekend I’ll let you know,” but he knew better. He also knew after this weekend things could even be more complicated than they were now, especially if he took Isobel to his parents’ home. “I don’t discuss the women in my life. That’s something I have learned in forty-two years.”

  Ten minutes later, after Chad showed him the iPod his father had gotten for him—another toy to make up for not being with him—Neil went back to the living room. All he wanted to do was take Isobel back to the Inn and spend the night with her. But he knew that likely wouldn’t happen tonight. So instead, he waited until she’d ironed out every detail of Chad staying with her dad and then they left.

  At the car, he opened the door for her. She slid inside and then looked up at him. He was broadsided by that look, by the beauty in Isobel that she couldn’t herself see. Tonight she was dressed in a red-checkered blouse and navy slacks. Large red hoops swung from her ears. They both seemed lost in the moment because neither of them moved and neither of them spoke.

  Suddenly he realized Isobel’s sister was probably watching from a window, maybe even Chad, too. “Do you know how much I’ve wanted to kiss you all night?”

  “No,” she said with a shy smile.

  “Will you come back to the Inn with me?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  His heart sank. Maybe this weekend was going to be merely about antiques.

  But Isobel hurried on. “I really don’t want to be the butt of gossip.”

  He understood that the rumors really
bothered her. But Isobel was always used to being in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing. Being with him wasn’t wrong, but clearly it didn’t seem right, either.

  He closed her door none too gently, rounded the front of the car, and climbed into the driver’s seat. After he did, she surprised him and leaned over, kissing him softly on the lips. She was there and then she was gone and he wanted a hell of a lot more.

  “What was that for?” he asked, his voice husky as he backed out of her sister’s driveway.

  “For being so patient and letting me and Debbie iron out everything. What did Chad want to show you?”

  “He showed me his iPod, but what he really wanted was to ask my advice on a girl problem. For some reason he thought I’d have the answer.”

  “And did you?”

  “No, I just gave him food for thought. He’s only trying to figure out what will make him happy.”

  “Good luck to him. At thirty-five, I’m still not sure,” Isobel remarked.

  Neil knew exactly what she meant.

  They’d almost reached her dad’s house when she said, “Cyrus’s car is still parked in front. Don’t stop. Go down to the next block and make a left turn.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see.” She directed him to make another left and he turned onto the gravel alley that stretched in back of the houses.

  “There’s a parking space next to Dad’s garage. Pull in there and cut the lights.”

  After he did as she directed, he had to laugh. “I feel like a teenager again doing something illicit,” he said with a smile.

  “Doesn’t that make it all the more fun?”

  He couldn’t see her in the pitch-blackness but he could hear the excited amusement in her voice. After he unfastened his seat belt, he took her into his arms, then he kissed her as he’d been wanting to kiss her all night. His hands were in her soft curls but his tongue was teasing her lips apart. His body was thrumming with all the restrained desire he’d been keeping in check.