Charming for Mother's Day (A Calendar Girls Novella) (11 page)

“What?”

Her tone was clinical, but her eyes reflected compassion and, perhaps, admiration. “You were lucky you got out alive. Do you know how close you came to dying? If that rib had splintered...”

“I know.” And I did. It was the one and only time in my life Lady Luck had shown me kindness, and I had to be grateful she chose that particular event.
If Sidney hadn’t found me that night... I shivered.

“If you need anything,” she said softly, “come back here. No questions, no reports. Okay?”

I liked her. She was concerned without going into warm and fuzzy territory, skilled but not arrogant, and asked the right questions without coming off as nosy. “Thanks. But I’m good. Really.”

“Okay, then. Get dressed and I’ll see you out.”

A few minutes later, the doctor walked me down the hall and slapped the steel panel to open the automatic doors between the ER and the waiting room.

My shadow hadn’t even crossed the landing when Colin shot to his feet and rushed toward us. “Well?”

“I’m fine. I can work.” I resisted the urge to add, “So there.”

“Restricted duty,” Dr.
Florentino added. “No lifting anything over fifteen pounds for the next several days.”

“What about the rib fracture?” he asked her.

I waved a hand, eager to get home now that I had my clean bill of health. “Old news.”

“Good luck, Ms. Soto,” the doctor said and turned to head back through the double doors.

I thanked the doctor and practically skipped out of the hospital.

“Wait. Hold up,” Colin called, catching me outside the entrance, near the curb. “What did you mean ‘old news,’ Lucie?”

Walking at top speed through the parking lot to his car a few rows back, I tossed over my shoulder, “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

He stopped in the road, forcing a taxi to drive around him, horn blaring. “How’d you get the doctor to give you an okay?”

“Secret handshake,” I retorted. “It’s a girl thing.”

“Bull.”

I reached the car and waited beside the passenger door, hands on my hips. “So then, if you don’t believe that, she must have been telling the truth about my condition, right? I mean, it’s not like I could bribe her to lie.” The wind roared, and I bounced on my toes to keep warm in the chilly air. “Will you unlock the doors already? I’m freezing here.”

The alarm beeped, and the lock clicked. Opening the door, I practically dove into the passenger seat. I sat
there , teeth chattering, while Colin took his sweet-ass time walking around before climbing into the driver’s seat. Once he slammed the door closed, he remained immobile, saying nothing, this goofy expectant look on his face.

“Come on,” I said. “Start the car. I want to get home before Ari shows up.”

“Not ‘til you tell me why your fractured rib is ‘old news.’”

My face burned. “That’s none of your business.”

“You don’t have to tell me.” His eyes narrowed to slits. “Rob did it to you, right?”

I shrugged. “Let’s just say he enjoyed kicking me when I was down.”

“Jee-zus.” He gripped the steering wheel, white-knuckled, his head bent toward the dashboard. “And Sidney knew?”

The fact he didn’t look at me helped give me the courage to provide the barest facts about that miserable night. “It was only the one time...”
              “What happened the one time?”

I shook my head, lips clamped shut. I couldn’t say more. The details were too gruesome. Only Sidney and I knew what happened that night—along with the ER staff who kept me alive.

“Please,” I murmured. “Don’t make me revisit that night, okay?”

He looked at me then, his eyes misty. Or maybe the tears filling mine made his appear that way. “Okay,” he said through a roughened throat.

With a push of the button, he started the car and drove out of the parking lot.

Once we reached
my house, Colin pulled into the driveway, cut the engine and placed a hand on mine before I could open the door.

“Please. Let me help you.”

Buried in the dark of my memories, I pulled away from the light he offered. “I don’t need your help.”

“I know. But I need to do this.”

Understanding dawned. Sidney had reacted the same way for the longest time after that horrible night—as if seeing the brutality one man could inflict, he had to prove to me (and himself) that a real man was more apt to gentle behavior. I didn’t particularly like playing injured damsel, but I understood the reason. Resettling into the passenger seat, I dropped my hands to my lap. “Okay.”

When he opened my car door, he leaned in and wrapped o
ne arm around my waist. The scent of warm male skin drew me in. How long had it been since I allowed myself to fall into a man’s strong arms? At least one husband ago. I sank into him without thinking twice. He never staggered or stumbled as he swept me out of the car and toward the front door—almost in a dance. The man had always moved with this perfect grace—another quality I used to love but now resented in him.

             
My imagination raced backward to a night club called Promises, Promises and a hot summer evening when I danced with the hottest guy in the place. His hands were planted on my rocking hips, pinning me to his hard gyrating pelvis. Heavy drumbeats thundered from the club’s multitude of speakers, but couldn’t compete with the way my heart hammered. My throat and mouth dried to dust, and I licked my lips as I stared up into eyes that seemed to bare every secret locked in my soul. He dipped his head, drew me closer, and he kissed me right there in the middle of the dance floor. In that one perfect moment, the world melted away, and I knew I would never again fall in love so hard, so fast, so
much
.

“Got your key?” he asked, drawing me back into the present.

“Huh? Yeah. Right.” I fumbled in my purse and found the house key, handing it over to him.

After pushing open the front door, he brought me into the living room and sat me on the couch, leaning close as he settled me against the lumpy cushions. God, he smelled good! His breath mingled with mine, and my lips parted.
Just a taste. A quick taste...

“Lucie?”
My mom called from the kitchen. “Is that you?”

I snapped back against the sofa, but I was no match for Colin in speed. He jerked away and straightened to stand over me.

“Uh-huh,” I called back.

“Where were you guys?” The question preceded Mom’s emergence in the doorway by seconds. She stopped in mid-stride and looked at Colin. “You’re still here?
Where are Ariana and Sidney?”

I would have expected her to show a little more animosity toward him. Until I remembered, she’d seen him this morning with Sidney while I was sleeping off the effects of the bus accident. Boy, I would have loved to witness that showdown.
but I had more important matters to discuss with her. I had to come clean.

“Mom?
Could you sit down please? I need to tell you something.”

Her eyes turned to flint while she inched her way to the chair, never averting her gaze from Colin. “What? What’s wrong? Where’s
Ariana?”
              “She’s fine,” I assured her. “She’s with Sidney at the movies.”

Her tension visibly grew. Her hands clutched the arms of the chair, and she perched on the edge of the cushion. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I replied. “Actually, it’s kind of good news.”

She didn’t
so much as blink. “Uh-huh...”

I gave her a brief rundown of the bus accident, which earned me a blistering commentary on my early morning deception, and followed up with the events of the afternoon. When I reached the end, she glared at Colin for a good long minute,
then her face broke into a smile. “Thank you for caring enough to insist my idiot daughter see a doctor.”

“You’re welcome,” he murmured, ducking his head.

She stood, without a glance in my direction, and headed straight for Colin. She gave him a huge, squishy hug and kissed his cheek. “Come into the kitchen. I’ll make coffee.”

“I’m fine, thanks,” I snapped.

Mom’s attention zipped to me. “No thanks to your own stupidity. If it hadn’t been for Colin...” She actually patted his shoulder.

I’d seen enough. Clamping my lips around a frown, I eased off the couch. “I’m going to jump in the shower before work.” The only benefit of this exchange: I could leave these two alone and not come back to find blood on the walls.

Chapter 8

Ariana

             
When Grandpa brought me home after the movie, I found Chef Colin sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee with Grandma. They were whispering to each other, and the serious expressions on their faces made me shiver.

             
“Heidy-ho!” Grandpa Sidney called out.

             
Immediately, Chef Colin and Grandma yanked away from each other and forced these smiles that looked totally fake. That scared me even more.

             
“Where’s Mommy?” I asked.

             
“She’s getting ready for work,” Chef Colin said.

             
“Is she okay?”
              “She’s got some bruises,” Grandma said as she rose from her chair. “But she’s going to be just fine. She needs to rest a lot, so she’ll need some help with all the work she does around here. ”

             
I didn’t hesitate. “I’ll help her.”

             
“I know you will,” she said, then turned to Grandpa Sidney. “Sidney, thanks for taking care of Ari for us. I’ll walk you out.” She led him out of the kitchen, whispering to him in low tones like she had with Chef Colin.

             
I looked at him as they left the room, trying to measure the truth in his expression. “Is Mommy really going to be all right?”

             
“With your help,” he said, “she’ll be fine in no time. Your grandmother’s going to help, too. And so will I. By the time we’re all finished taking care of her, your mom will be good as new.”

             
Hope sparkled like fireworks inside me. Was he saying what I thought he was saying? “
You’re
gonna help us take care of Mom?”

             
“Mmm-hmm.
Abuela
and I were just discussing that when you came in. Mom’s not allowed to do any heavy lifting so that’s where I come in.”

             
I
knew
he was prince material! If he helped take care of Mom, I’d be able to teach him all he needed to know to be her perfect Prince Charming. I couldn’t believe it. This made my plan so much easier. I felt bad Mom was hurt, but if all she needed was to rest, and with all of us to pitch in to help, she’d be better soon.

             
“When do we start?” I asked, fighting to keep from bouncing on my toes with excitement.

             
“Right now. I’m going to need an apprentice maître d’. Are you up for the job?”
              “Yes!” I didn’t bother to fight the need to bounce now. “Yes, yes, yes!”

             
“You’ll need a uniform. White shirt, black pants or a black skirt. Got anything in your closet like that?”

             
I stopped bouncing to think. “I’m not sure.” Actually, I knew I didn’t, but I hoped I could come up with something.

             
“Not sure about what?” Grandma said as she came back into the kitchen.

             
Chef Colin looked up from my worried face. “Ari needs a white shirt and black pants for work tonight.”

             
I grabbed his hand before Grandma could tell me no. “I’ll find something. Really.”

             
“Does she have anything like that?” he asked my grandmother.

             
Grandma shook her head. “She had a white blouse and black skirt from last year’s spring concert, but there’s no way it’s going to fit her this year.”

             
No! I was watching my dream slip away because of a dumb outfit.

             
Chef Colin sighed. “I’m afraid, then, I’ll have to come up with another alternative.”

             
I was going to cry. I just knew it. I couldn’t let him change his mind. It meant too much for me to be there. I had to find something to wear. “Please, Chef,” I begged. “I’ll dig out last year’s outfit. Maybe it still fits.” I’d make it fit.

             
“No.”

That one word answer devastated me, and I dropped my head before he noticed my tears.

But he cupped my chin and tilted my head up to see his smile. “Get your coat, princess. We’ll have to go shopping for a new outfit.”

I screeched my excitement all the way to my room.