Christmas, Alabama

by Susan Sands

  “That looks fantastic. Your husband will love it,” Rachel promised. Both women were lovely and blonde, and very fit. They were sisters married to brothers, which was a bit baffling, but Rachel figured sometimes it happened when there weren’t that many to choose from. Supposedly it was a safe bet, genetically.

  “So, Jamie I just heard from Suzette that Nick Sullivan is here in Ministry working at the hospital while they find another doctor,” Judith said to her sister as she struck another pose.

  “You mean Daddy’s brother’s son, Cousin Nicky? Lordy, we haven’t seen him in a coon’s age. Why hasn’t he called us if he’s here in town?” Jamie asked.

  “I don’t know, but I mean to find out. Pretty rude if you ask me.” She stuck out a hip and pouted for the camera. “Hey Rachel, do you think I can get poison ivy at the end of November out here?”

  Rachel laughed. “I don’t think so. Besides the pine trees, everything looks pretty dead on the ground.” But Rachel’s ears had perked up when she’d heard the two women discussing her new neighbor.

  “I heard he and his girlfriend split up. Monica, was it?” Judith asked her sister.

  Jamie nodded. “Yep. She was that super-model looking one, wasn’t she? His cranky momma was proud of her. She made the Christmas card the last two years. Must’ve been serious, or she’d never have been allowed on the card.” Jamie said those two words with such affect, it made Judith laugh.

  Judith said to Rachel, “Our cousin Nicky is a surgeon from Atlanta, and his mother is a real uppity bitch. She’s never approved of his daddy’s people—us. So, over the years, we’ve done our best to irritate her whenever we’ve gotten the chance.”

  Rachel smiled. “We met at Thanksgiving, and Mrs. Wiggins offered him the apartment next door. So, now he’s my new neighbor.”

  The women shared a look, then grinned. “He’s single, as we’re sure you just heard,” Judith said, her tone sly.

  Rachel let her camera hang from the strap around her neck and held up both hands in a defensive gesture. “Nope. Don’t even think about it. I’m not in the market, especially for a temporary fling.”

  They looked disappointed. “Well, we can vouch for him. He is a nice guy. Not sure why he and his super-model girl broke up, but I guess it happens,” Judith said.

  “She wasn’t a super-model. She was a doctor. Just looked like a super-model,” Jamie clarified.

  “Okay, good to know,” Rachel said.

  “I just thought about something,” Jamie said.

  “Well, spit it out,” Judith said to Jamie, her tone impatient.

  “He’s going to be fresh meat here in Ministry for the women. Especially now that Ben Laroux’s off the market. Oh, Lord, Sister. Can you imagine?” Jamie laughed.

  “I can. He’d better suit up. As soon as they catch his scent, he’ll need to install a second set of deadbolts on the front door over at Mrs. Wiggins’s house.” Both women laughed like it was the funniest thing they’d ever heard.

  The same thought had occurred to Rachel the first day she’d met him, but she didn’t want Jamie and Judith to think she liked Nick. “It can’t be that bad,” Rachel said.

  “You’ve seen Nicky, right?” Judith asked.

  “Sure,” Rachel said.

  “Gonna be a bloodbath,” Judith assured her.

  Rachel had to smile then. The single gals in town were a mostly man-hungry bunch, she had to admit. She’d met and made friends with several of them since moving to Ministry, and Nick Sullivan was attractive, no, she could be honest—he was hot. Yes, they would be all over him, given the chance.

  “Move, Judith, quit hogging all the film, or battery life, or data. You’ve had your chance. It’s my turn.” Jamie all but shoved her sister out of the way and took her place in front of the camera.

  “I’ve got some great shots, Judith,” Rachel assured the woman, who, judging by the murderous look in her eyes, appeared ready to get into a rolling, scratching, and kicking catfight with her twin. “There’s a Thermos with hot chocolate by my bag, if you’d like some.”

  Jamie smiled sweetly at Judith.

  Judith narrowed her eyes, then said, “I’d better let my sister get started. This might take all day. She’s not exactly a professional.” Judith sashayed over to the Thermos and poured a cup of the steaming cocoa and perched on a folding chair and covered up with one of the light stadium blankets Rachel had packed for the shoot. The temperature was hovering around fifty today, but considering the scant clothing the women were sporting, Rachel anticipated they might get a little chilly.

  “Whoop. Let’s do this,” Jamie giggled. Jamie had a seemingly less intense nature than Judith. She worked at appearing carefree, but Rachel could see the sharpness and intellect in Jamie’s eyes though her viewfinder. Jamie had far more on the ball than she let on.

  It was likely a sore spot between the sisters, since Judith liked to take the lead in most situations.

  “Yes, well, we’re going to need to get to the bottom of Nicky’s situation,” Judith said.

  “What’s there to find out?” Jamie asked. “He’s gorgeous, single, and living here in Ministry for awhile.”

  Judith narrowed her eyes. “There’s always more to it.”

  Rachel turned back around to focus on Jamie, who was waiting for Rachel’s direction. She was ready to change the subject from her new neighbor now. “Jamie, give me a big smile. Perfect.”

  A high-pitched scream rent the air from behind.

  “I told you those heels were a stupid idea,” Jamie said as she held a small ice pack on her sister’s ankle.

  “Do you think it’s broken? I don’t think it’s broken,” Judith said.

  “It would serve you right to have to pull that scooter back out of the attic,” Jamie fussed at her sister.

  They were on the way to Cypress General and Rachel was driving. How had this even happened?

  Rachel pulled the car into the patient drop-off at the emergency entrance to the hospital, put the car in park, and walked inside to get help, leaving the women in the backseat.

  Rachel approached the counter. A young woman, who was smacking gum, greeted her. “Hey there, I’m Candy, how can we help you?”

  “Hi Candy. My friend fell and twisted her ankle. She needs help from the car.”

  Candy picked up the phone, pressed a button, and spoke into the receiver, “Hey, I need some help out here, y’all. Yep, a wheelchair. Thanks.”

  Candy hung up and addressed Rachel. “Somebody’s comin’.”

  Sure enough, an orderly came out immediately pushing a wheelchair. The young black man appeared to be in his early twenties. Rachel thanked him for coming so quickly, and led him to where the sisters were still squabbling in the backseat of her car.

  “Let’s get y’all out of there so we can see about your injury,” the orderly, Jacob, according to his name tag, said.

  “My sister, here, is a klutz,” Jamie said as she climbed out of the car, making way for Judith’s exit.

  Judith was rolled inside, and Candy got to work on her insurance info and triage.

  “Is Dr. Nick Sullivan the doctor on duty?” Judith asked.

  “Yes ma’am, he is,” Candy answered.

  “Tell him it’s his cousin Judith.”

  “I’ll tell him, but you still have to fill out your paperwork,” Candy replied.

  Judith waved her hand toward the clipboard then toward Jamie. “Handle that, Jamie. I’m in too much pain.” Then, she made a dramatic face for effect.

  Jamie narrowed her eyes at her sister and grabbed the clipboard and pen. “Something makes me question the extent of this injury.”

  Rachel hadn’t even considered that Judith might be faking her injury. Why would she do such a thing? Then it occurred to Rachel that Judith might be setting Nick up. Forcing a face-to-face since he’d not done the cousins the courtesy of contacting them since he’d been in town. Hadn’t Sabine warned him there would be consequences?

  Judith
was called back into the treatment area a few minutes later. Fortunately, there appeared to be only a few family members waiting for patients sitting in the waiting area, so if Judith was faking, at least she wasn’t taking a legitimately sick or hurt person’s place in line.

  “C’mon, Rachel.” Judith waved her hand for Rachel to accompany them.

  Rachel frowned. She couldn’t think of a way to say no without being rude, so she went.

  They were shown into the same treatment room where she’d been with Sabine only a few days before. Déjà vu, seriously.

  “Hey there, Mrs. Dozier-Fremont. This doesn’t look nearly as bad as the last time they brought you in,” the nurse said with a smile.

  “Lord, no, honey. Last time I thought I was gonna die.”

  She’d gently removed the ice pack they’d pulled from the small first aid kit in Rachel’s car. Heading out onto the backroads for a shoot with these two required preparation. Snacks and drinks, blankets, and a first aid kit.

  Rachel looked over at the ankle in question. Okay, it was a little swollen, and maybe slightly bruised. That relieved her mind somewhat that this wasn’t a total setup, though she didn’t wish an injury on her friend.

  The door opened and Nick Sullivan filled the doorway. He wasn’t an overly large guy, but he was finely built and wore a lab coat as if it had been expertly tailored to fit his broad, muscular shoulders. Sigh. Rachel squirmed just a little in her chair, hoping her fluster didn’t show.

  He grinned at the small group of women. “Well, hi there, cousins.” Clearly he’d read the chart before stepping into the fray.

  “Well, mercy, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes, Cousin Nicky?” Judith said from her spot on the treatment table.

  Jamie hopped up and hugged Nick. “We heard you were here in town.”

  “Looks like you’ve found me. Sorry it had to be under these circumstances. Judith, let’s have a look at that ankle.” He moved around where he could examine her, but not before he acknowledged Rachel.

  “Hey there, neighbor.” He gave her a little side-eye smile. Was that a wink?

  “Seems like we were just here,” she said. OMG, did her face just turn beet red? It did; she could feel it. It was on fire.

  “We were.” He nodded.

  “Rachel, here was taking our pictures. We don’t normally go around wearing such get-ups.” They’d each pulled on a sweatshirt and a sweater over the top of their matching bosom-revealing dresses, but the red velvet skirts were short, short enough to raise an eyebrow or two around town. “This is a little embarrassing, but we were taking special pictures as a gift to our husbands for Christmas,” Judith said.

  Rachel noticed the slight pause in Nick’s manipulation of Judith’s ankle as he digested this information. “Well, I’m sure they’ll both be appreciative of the gesture.”

  What else was the poor guy supposed to say? These women were in their early thirties, and they were his first cousins. How awkward. Rachel had no comment to make on the subject.

  “Rachel is an excellent photographer. Folks in town book her for everything: weddings, graduate photos, baptisms—you name it, Rachel’s your girl,” Jamie chimed in, not to be ignored.

  “I’ll keep that in mind in case I need any photos taken,” Nick said.

  Rachel had no way of shutting these women up. “Or, I could just give him a business card. He knows where to find me most days, y’all. We live right next door to each other.”

  “Oh, that’s right. Y’all don’t need our help, do you?” Jamie laughed, as if she’d just figured something out.

  “How’s your momma and daddy?” Judith changed the subject, thankfully.

  “They’re probably exactly how you remember them from last time you saw them,” Nick said. He rotated her ankle and Judith winced. “Let’s get an x-ray of the ankle, just in case.” He nodded to the nurse.

  “I broke the hell out of my other leg almost two years ago falling off a runway practicing for a pageant. This doesn’t feel like that.” She showed him her scar from the surgery.

  Rachel remembered hearing about that. It had happened at Emma Laroux’s studio, and had sounded like a pretty big deal.

  “I saw the photos on Facebook,” Nick said. “And you’re right, this isn’t like that. But you could have a hairline fracture. I want to be certain you don’t before I let you out of here.

  “She puts everything on Facebook,” Jamie said, and made a face.

  The nurse helped her into the wheelchair. “Jamie come with me to get my x-ray.”

  Jamie hesitated, and Judith gave her a hard look that brooked no argument. “Well, fine.”

  That left Rachel in the treatment room with Nick. “So, you spent the day with those two, huh? And you ended up here with them? God bless you,” he said, and there was laughter in his voice.

  Rachel smiled. “They’re mostly harmless once you get to know them. Judith really did seem like she was in pain. And Jamie didn’t want to drive with Judith ‘kicking up a fuss,’ as she put it.”

  “Well, as their closest relative at the moment, I thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “And thanks for the use of the toolbox. I’ll drop it by tonight.”

  “Oh, you can just leave it in front of the door anytime. I’m not planning to fix the sink or hang a picture anytime soon.”

  Rachel’s awareness of Nick’s very fit body in such a close space was wreaking havoc on her heart rate. She might require a little mouth-to-mouth if he didn’t back off soon.

  When she looked up, he was staring at her mouth. Rachel had been stared at by men her entire life—even before those stares were appropriate. She understood desire when she saw it in a man’s eyes.

  This man was dangerous to her peace of mind. He was too good-looking, and thus-far hadn’t shown her any faults or weaknesses, which would have been a good thing, had she been a normal woman. But his biggest check in the negative column was that he was here in Ministry temporarily, and she couldn’t allow herself to like him, or to get the least bit attached.

  “Well, thanks again for loaning me the tools. I know you weren’t exactly thrilled by the intrusion.”

  Now, he made her sound like a bitch, which she’d not meant to be. “I’m sorry if I seemed unfriendly,” Rachel said, slightly shamed.

  “It’s okay. It was a long day.”

  “No, I’m truly sorry. I sometimes come across like that, but I don’t mean to.”

  “So, make it up to me. We can be friends, can’t we?” Nick asked.

  “Uh, sure.” Crap. Now she’d gone and done it; by trying to undo her unfriendliness, she’d opened the door to their getting friendly.

  “Friends hang out together sometimes, as do neighbors. And I’m all alone here and don’t know a soul, besides those two.” He pointed toward the door where Jamie and Judith had recently exited.

  “Um, I guess.” Dammit, dammit, dammit.

  “I’ve got a couple of casseroles in my refrigerator that need to be eaten.”

  “Casseroles? Where did you get casseroles?” Rachel was curious.

  “They’ve been arriving here at the hospital with welcoming wishes from some, uh, residents in town.”

  It dawned on Rachel then. “The single women,” she said and nearly snorted her laughter. “They’ve found you.”

  He had the grace to look embarrassed. “I guess. There are phone numbers included.” He grinned then.

  “Sounds like you don’t need me to share your casseroles.”

  “But, I would prefer your company to meeting random women over casseroles. It’s never been my preferred way of dating.”

  “You could always get that right-swipe, left-swipe thing on your cell phone,” Rachel suggested.

  The horrified expression on his face indicated he was highly opposed. “Dear God, do you use that to find dates?”

  She laughed. “Not yet, but I’ve had friends who do. I can’t say any of them have reported finding their life mates
that way, but I’ll keep you posted.”

  “Oh, come on. It’s just casserole between neighbors. What do you say? I’ll return your tools,” he said.

  Rachel suddenly had an urge to climb on his lap and see what doctors wore under their scrubs. “I’ll make you a deal. You bring the casseroles over to my place so we can watch football on my TV. Yours is unacceptable.”

  He stood and stuck out his hand to shake hers. “My screen envy has been getting the better of me since I moved in. I get off at six. I’ll see you at six-thirty.”

  “Deal.” They shook on it, but Rachel couldn’t help but feel as if she was sealing some kind of fateful bargain with consequences far beyond tonight’s dinner. Then she realized it was Saturday. “You mean you don’t have anything better to do on a Saturday night?”

  “Nope. Not a thing. Looks like you don’t either.”

  He was right. But only because she chose not to. That’s her story and she was sticking to it.

  The door opened then and the nurse, Georgie, re-entered holding the x-ray, which she then handed to Nick. “The x-ray tech says to tell you he e-mailed the digital film to Dr. James’s office. He’ll check it and give you a call if he sees anything.”

  “Thanks. Oh, and could you grab a set of crutches to get Judith home?” She nodded, and Nick stuck the film on the lighted holder and took a moment to study it.

  “I don’t see any evidence of a break, but if I hear differently from Dr. James, the radiologist, I’ll give you a call.”

  “Well, that’s a relief,” Judith said.

  “I’ll give you a prescription for 400 mg of ibuprofen for the inflammation, and I want you to keep weight off the foot for three or four days. It’s most likely a mild sprain, but those can be quite painful. Apply ice for twenty minutes with half hour breaks during the next forty-eight hours.”

  “Should she get the scooter out?” Jamie snickered.

  “It wouldn’t hurt, if you have one handy. That way, you won’t be tempted to bear weight on it while moving around to the bathroom and such,” Nick said, his manner all doctor.

  “Well, shit,” Judith swore. “I’m glad it’s not broken, but I’m busy decorating my house for Christmas right now. I don’t have time for this.”