by Susan Sands
“We did too. And we went to church at the enormous Methodist Church on Peachtree Street so the neighbors would see us there and my mother could tell everyone we did,” Nick said.
“For us, the relief of living in Ministry is like unbuttoning the top button on your pants under the table when you eat too much. It’s comfortable and casual, and the tight bounds of propriety aren’t so constricting. Certainly, people live by a code of decency and manners, which is refreshing and nothing less than one hopes for in a community.”
Nick nodded. “Seeing patients who aren’t on the verge of life and death is a similar feeling for me. I don’t have to guard myself for what’s to come every time someone comes through the door at the hospital like I do here.”
He realized now why he didn’t stop by the hospital. Nick was avoiding it. If he went back, would he want to stay? Right now, he was content to continue what he’d been doing these past weeks. So, far, this trip had been fun, but it didn’t make him miss the city. He couldn’t wait to get back to Alabama, quite frankly.
The noise all around them grew as the stadium filled in with fans finding their seats, and now the teams were warming up on the field. It was hard to talk in a normal volume without nearly yelling to hear one another.
Rachel stood up, waved and whistled through her teeth when Drew Brees ran out and waved toward their section, where they were only about ten rows up from the field. He made eye contact with her, mouthed her name, and blew her a kiss.
“You’re kidding. You know Drew Brees?” Nick was astounded.
“I told you my dad got us into every game from the time we were kids. He knows my family. The inner circle of New Orleans is surprisingly small.”
Nick shook his head. “I’m surprised you don’t want to spend more time there.”
Rachel leaned over so he could hear her. “It was a fun way to grow up, but my dad pretty much ruined it for us by being arrested and convicted, then going to prison.”
“Ouch. I guess that makes sense. So, are you going to invite him to Ministry for Christmas?”
“I’m going to speak with my mom and sister about it. Not sure yet,” she nearly yelled.
Then, the players on the field went to the center of the field for the coin toss, and there wasn’t any more conversation possible. Only cheering and football.
It was almost midnight when the game ended, and the only happy person in the Mercedes-Benz Dome in Atlanta was likely Rachel. She now wore her jacket on top of her jersey after getting several aggressive and nasty comments thrown at her on the way out of the arena.
“I didn’t even think to ask where we’re staying tonight,” she said, as they got to the car.
“I made a reservation at the Omni for tonight, if that works for you,” he said.
“That’s fine with me, but if you want to drive back tonight, I’m okay with it,” she said.
He looked at her then. “Are you sure?” It was about a three-hour car ride home to Ministry. He’d had the same thought earlier about just heading back tonight.
“I would almost prefer going home, if that’s okay with you. I can drive if you don’t feel like it. We can grab a cup of coffee, and I’m good to go.”
“The reservation is refundable at the Omni, so let’s do it,” Nick said.
They stopped for a coffee before leaving the downtown area, and then hopped on I-20 heading out of Atlanta. “Thanks for doing this. I’m so glad we made the trip, and the game was amazing, but there’s just something about going home to Ministry that gives me peace.”
He had to agree. It was as if that tiny Alabama town had become his home as well, even as he left the only home he’d ever known.
They arrived back home just before four a.m., and tried hard to be as quiet as possible so as not to disturb Mrs. Wiggins.
Rachel was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to fall into bed and sleep for twelve hours undisturbed.
They carried their bags upstairs to their respective apartments. Rachel was uncertain if Nick planned to come back to her place and say good night, or if he wanted to stay with her since they’d planned to spend tonight together at the hotel. It was one of those uncharted moments where she didn’t know whether to extend an invitation or just let the situation lie.
As she placed her camera bag next to her desk, a noise at her door made her look up. Nick was standing there. “Hey, there,” she said.
“I wanted to tell you that I had a great time. I also wanted to apologize for what happened at my parents’ house. I’ll get to the bottom of how it happened with my mother.” He’d walked closer to where she was and now pulled her against his big, hard body.
She sighed. He was so warm and sexy. “I had fun. Let’s not worry about that other stuff right now. I’m really tired, and you’ve got to work tomorrow.”
He kissed her gently. “Want to snuggle?”
She giggled and led him by the hand to her bedroom. “Sure. Let’s snuggle.”
By the time Rachel had brushed her teeth and re-entered her bedroom, Nick was sound asleep under the covers in her big bed. He’d taken off his shirt, so she was able to appreciate his smooth, muscled arms and shoulders, visible above the coverlet. He really was a gorgeous hunk of a man.
Rachel pushed away any misgivings about what had happened with his ex earlier and went to lock her apartment door. She then crawled into bed wearing her favorite giant LSU sleep shirt, and snuggled against his large, warm body. He pulled her against him in his sleep and sighed, grunting softly, which made her smile.
Nick really did seem to like Ministry, which was surprising after hearing how he was manipulated by his company into coming to work here. Was there any chance that he might consider making it his permanent home? From an outsider’s perspective, Atlanta appeared to be a far better place for an up-and-coming surgeon, with its large hospitals, prestigious job titles and opportunity for career advancement. Could he sacrifice all that for a life here? With her? That didn’t even seem like a slight possibility. More like a ridiculous dream.
For the moment, she would enjoy his arms around her. That’s likely all that would come of this, and it’s all she could count on or expect. Rachel should keep in mind all the let-downs her mother had endured at her father’s hands, and her sister’s entire first marriage. Why did she think things would go better for her? Maybe because she’d seen such recovery and improvement in Sabine and Mom’s second-time-arounds. Surely, it could go that way the first time for some folks.
As Rachel relaxed and her thoughts began to meander, her dad came to mind, and she decided she would definitely discuss inviting him here for Christmas with Mom and Sabine. He could stay with Sabine and Ben, and if not, she would make room for him here. Her sectional made into a comfy bed, if needed. Mom wouldn’t be terribly excited about the idea, but she understood that family was in short supply for Dad these days, and now that Mom had found someone, she wasn’t likely to begrudge him time at the holidays with his daughters and granddaughter.
Truth was, Rachel missed her daddy. And while he’d done a lot of truly awful things, she hadn’t stopped loving him. He was still the same person she’d spent her entire childhood loving with her whole heart. It had been a long journey to admit that she could still care about him and reconcile that he could be both men, the one who’d loved and raised her, and the one who’d let them all down so terribly, and in such a public and humiliating way.
It was also easier to feel a little more generous while she lay here wrapped in warm, and what felt like loving arms.
Love? Did she love Nick Sullivan? How did vulnerable thoughts about her dad lead her to such a sudden and shocking possibility? And what did her father have to do with it? She must really be punch-drunk.
Rachel needed to speak with Sabine. Her sister was the only person who could help her make sense from this terrible conundrum. But that meant Rachel would have to fess up to the fake dating and to her very real and scary feelings that were swirling in her mind and bo
dy regarding Nick. Daddy issues were obviously the cause of so much of Rachel’s misgivings when it came to making good decisions about men. This was too important to trust to her own questionable judgement.
Could one know enough about another person in this short a time to even consider such a relationship? Rachel understood that sex for women, especially, was very emotionally confusing and connecting. Maybe it was that damn oxytocin hormonal thing. There was some kind of study she’d read about a “loving” feeling after sex. Is that what was currently muddying her waters with all this sappy stuff? No. It had been slowly building since day one. Rachel had ignored her own warnings. Nick checked all her boxes, and slipped through the safety net she’d erected to protect her heart.
But then again, she couldn’t blame him if he didn’t want to stay in Ministry, which meant changing the entire path of his career and his life. And she really had no idea how he felt about her. He may be viewing this as a fun fling until it was time to resume his life in Georgia.
It might be helpful to know more before she accidentally spilled her tender guts to him and he took off for the hills.
Then, it occurred to her that he could think she was the bomb, but imagine the two of them living in a fancy house in his childhood neighborhood in Atlanta. Because, well, what woman in her sane mind wouldn’t want that?
Rachel. Rachel didn’t want that. In fact, as fun as their trip together to Atlanta had been, she couldn’t stomach the idea of even staying the night. She’d wanted so badly to get back to her sweet little town where almost all the people in the world she loved were. Rachel wanted to be here, with them all. And Nick. She wanted to be here with Nick too. It was an idyllic life. The pace was slower, sure, but now that she’d made the adjustment, there wasn’t any other place in the world she wanted to create a family. She thought about the giant Christmas tree in the square, and all the lights adorning the storefronts just outside her windows.
Would Rachel give up a person she could potentially love to stay here and roll around in such comfort and joy? She just hoped there was a chance she wouldn’t need to.
Nick woke in Rachel’s bed without her in it. His phone alarm was beeping on the bedside table, so he grabbed it and silenced the obnoxious sound.
He made his way in to her living area, and saw that she was sitting at her desk, hard at work already on her computer. “Hey there. Sorry I fell asleep on you.”
“It was four in the morning, so I guess I can forgive you.” She smiled, a mug in her hand.
“There’s coffee.” She motioned toward the kitchen.
He ran a hand through his hair, which was likely standing on end in all directions. “Thanks.” He grabbed a cup and noticed her staring at him.
“Oh, sorry.” He was clad only in his boxer briefs, his usual straight-out-of-bed attire, but perhaps it was a tiny bit unusual for her to see him like that.
“Don’t mind me. I’m enjoying the show.”
“I wish I had time to put on a better show for you, but I’ve got to shower and get to the hospital.” He went to where she was sitting at her desk and knelt next to her. “Can I have a raincheck until tonight?”
Rachel raised a brow. “Sounds like it might be worth the wait, so, the answer is yes. I’ll look forward to it.”
He stood and kissed her forehead. “See you tonight.”
“Are you forgetting something?” Rachel asked, and motioned to his naked chest.
“Oh, you mean my clothes? Yeah, I’ll just go get those.” He turned to go and mooned her.
She let out a howl of laughter and held up her fingers. “Eight. I give it an eight.”
“Harsh, woman.” He grinned, then went to grab his jeans and Falcons sweatshirt from her bedroom. When he came back out, dressed, he said, “Tonight, you will amend that. I’ll be shooting for a solid ten, so suit up, girlfriend, and prepare yourself.”
“Looking forward to it.” She waved as he exited.
He stepped out into the hallway and nearly bulldozed Mrs. Wiggins, who was just coming down the corridor, a feather duster in her hand. “Oh, good morning.”
“Well, hello there, Nick. Glad the two of you made it home safely from Atlanta. How was the game?” The tiny woman’s expression was pleasant, and revealed nothing resembling judgement.
“The game was close, but the Saints won, so Rachel was happier with the outcome than I was.” Nick realized how this must look to her, but he would be late if he didn’t get a move on. “But we had a nice trip, even though it was quick. I’m headed to the hospital this morning. I need to shower and get to work.”
“Well, I’m just doing a little cleaning this morning, so don’t let me keep you. Have a lovely day, my dear.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Wiggins. You too.”
Nice. Nick had done the walk of shame right in front of his elderly landlady. At least he’d put on his pants first.
“How do you both feel about Dad coming for Christmas?” Rachel asked Sabine and her mother later in the day. Sabine was only working half days on Thursdays and Fridays now that she was getting farther along in her third trimester.
“I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later,” Mom said, but didn’t sound especially happy about it. They were having lunch at Sabine’s house while Janie napped.
“I’m proud of you, Rachel. I thought about asking him to drive up from the beach, but I was waiting until it was your idea. Dad hurt you most because the two of you were closest. I’m okay with having him here for Christmas if Mom is.”
“Like I said, it won’t be comfortable, especially now that I’m with Norman, but I guess we’d best go ahead and take the bull by the horns here. Your father won’t like that I’ve found someone else,” Mom said.
“No, he won’t. But he’s the one who got us where we are now. Not that it’s a bad place, but it’s certainly not where we all envisioned ourselves. His actions had consequences for all of us. He’ll deal or he won’t visit,” Sabine said, all wise and counselor-like.
Rachel gave a snort. “Yeah, who would have thought we’d all end up here instead of living in New Orleans? But I have to say, it’s a pretty sweet alternative.”
The other two women nodded. “No arguments here. It’s like finding one of those little towns in a movie that you wish existed in real life—and then it does,” Mom said. “I mean, just look at this house.”
“I do love my house.” Sabine looked around and sighed. “Yes, things are pretty sweet here.”
“It’s funny, because I love my little apartment too. It feels like home here,” Rachel said.
“So, you’ll give Dad a call tonight and invite him?” Sabine asked Rachel.
“Yeah. I’ll call him. Can he stay with you and Ben at your house?”
Sabine frowned just a little. “I hadn’t thought of where he would stay. I guess he can stay with us. I’m sure Ben won’t mind. It’s just that he’s got such a big personality. I’ve never had him as a guest before. He’s always been the man in charge of the household. Hopefully it will go well.”
“If he acts up, you can kick him to the Ministry Inn. It seems to be a nice place now that the Balfour-Monroe family has come back to claim it.” The inn was recently renovated and re-opened after being shut down for years. The historic old building took a lot of time and care to restore, and Grey Harrison’s company had worked on it for nearly two years now. The inn was open for business and was booking for the season, but the official grand re-opening would coincide with the Christmas parade.
“You might want to go ahead and book him with Ivy at the inn to avoid any awkwardness for Sabine. He would like it there, Rachel. It’s right up his alley. He would rather be someplace where he doesn’t have to mind his p’s and q’s so much. You know how he is. He’s best when he can meet you for dinner and then leave.”
Rachel and Sabine shared a glance. “You might be right. I’ll suggest it as the first option and see how he responds.” Ivy Balfour-Monroe was also new in town, and one of the single
friends Rachel had made since coming to Ministry, though Ivy kept to herself mostly. The two women met at the grocery store the first time when Ivy had slipped on a broken egg in the dairy aisle and Rachel had helped her up. They’d struck up a conversation and been friendly ever since. But Ivy was shy and no one in town seemed to know her very well. But she and her daddy had done a bang-up job on the inn’s renovation.
Sabine nodded. “Okay. We’ll take him if he gets offended at the idea of staying someplace besides with one of us. I’ll warn Ivy ahead of time if he chooses to stay at the inn.”
“Has anyone told him about Norman?” Mom asked.
Rachel and Sabine both shook their heads.
“So, how do we want to handle that?” Mom asked.
“I’ll tell him. I’ll throw some Freudian lingo at him and then a heavy dose of guilt, which he so deserves, and he’ll wonder what hit him.”
“Great idea. And tell him if he behaves nasty to me I won’t come near him,” Mom said.
“I’ll tell him, but the two of you do need to talk, Mom. There’s so much history between you, and you do share two daughters. That’s not going to change. So, it’s time to make peace if you can. At least you can try.”
Mom seemed to consider that for a moment. “Okay. I’ll agree to speak with him, but if he starts that bullying behavior or trying to boss me around like he did when we were married, I’m going to tell him to go screw himself.”
“Mom!” Rachel was shocked at her mother’s continued anger toward her father.
“Sorry, girls. Just remembering how he used to treat me still gets my back up,” Mom said.
“Mom, I get it. When I think about Richard and what he put me through, I still sometimes wish I could get my hands around his neck; the anger for the years of my life he took from me threatens to overshadow the incredible life I have now. But it’s over. We can’t get back what they took from us; we can, however, pity them for what they lost, and celebrate our new lives and freedom from the past.”
“Yes. We can. And that’s why I won’t kill your father when I see him. So, you can thank me for that. Any other kindnesses will be baby steps, okay?” Mom downed the rest of her iced tea as if it was a neat bourbon.
