DREAMING OF YOU GO PL

by Barbara Freethy

  "I promise."

  He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, Katie."

  "You're more than welcome."

  She let out a breath as she watched them leave. While Barrett didn't have a hand on her grandfather, he walked right next to him, in case he needed any kind of support. She'd thought she'd hated Barrett. He'd caused her nothing but problems since he'd moved into the building, but he'd also helped her make favors when her fingers were out of whack and tonight he'd been incredibly supportive. She'd never felt like she'd had anyone but her grandparents who were really in her corner, but tonight she'd had him.

  But she couldn't let herself take this all too far…not even in her own head, she told herself. Barrett was a gentleman. He'd been raised to treat people well. She couldn't start thinking it was more than just good manners, could she?

  Chapter Ten

  "Katie?"

  Her grandmother's weak voice brought her eyes open. She'd pulled a chair up next to her grandmother's bed in the middle of the night and had somehow fallen asleep. There was sun coming in the windows now, and her grandmother's blue eyes, so much like her own, were filled with light.

  "You're awake," she said, jumping to her feet and smiling down at the woman who meant so much to her.

  "Where's Lance?"

  "He's at home. He's okay. He'll be back as soon as I call him."

  "We were in…an accident."

  She nodded, seeing a little confusion in her grandmother's eyes. "Do you remember what happened?"

  "No. I hear crashing sounds, and I feel pain in my side." She winced. "Still there but not as bad."

  "We'll get you more medication for that. You had surgery last night, but the doctor says you're going to be all right."

  "That's good news." Despite her words, her grandmother's gaze turned worried. "Lance had blood on his face. I remember that."

  "He just had some cuts. He's fine."

  "You're sure?"

  "Positive."

  "Thank God," her grandmother said with relief.

  "Let me call the nurse."

  "Call your grandfather first. I want to talk to him. I want to hear his voice."

  "Of course." She pulled out her phone and punched in her grandfather's number.

  He answered on the second ring. "Katie? Is she awake? Is she all right?"

  "Yes, she just woke up. She wants to talk to you." She handed her grandmother the phone.

  "Lance, honey, are you all right?" Her grandmother paused, then smiled, as her grandfather's loud, vociferous voice rang through, declaring he was perfect, and she was the one who needed to tell him how she was. And then he finished with a vow of love.

  As their conversation turned more intimate, Kate backed out of the room, giving them a little privacy. She told the nurse her grandmother was awake, then used the restroom before making her way back into the room.

  "I love you, too," her grandmother said. "And I'm sure Katie won't leave until you get here."

  "I won't," she said loudly.

  "Did you hear that?" her grandmother asked. "See you soon." Her grandmother handed her the phone. "He's on his way."

  "He was really worried about you last night."

  "I'm sorry I gave everyone a scare."

  "It's not your fault." She paused, frowning. "Wait a second. How is Grandpa getting here? You only have one car, and he said it was all smashed up."

  "I don't know. He said he had a ride. Maybe Hal from next door."

  "Oh, of course. Is there anything I can get you?"

  "I'm a little thirsty."

  She picked up the glass with the straw that had been set next to the bed at some point. She had a feeling she'd missed a lot of what had been going on during the night.

  After her grandmother took a few sips, she set the cup back down on the table. "Better?"

  "Yes. Your grandpa said you insisted on spending the night here."

  "Neither of us wanted you to be alone when you woke up. Grandpa wasn't sure how much you would remember."

  "It is fuzzy," she said. "But I know it wasn't your grandfather's fault."

  "That's what I understand."

  "He said your boyfriend drove him home last night. Did I hear that right? I didn't know you had a boyfriend."

  "Barrett is not my boyfriend, and I told Grandpa that. He just didn't want to hear me."

  A gleam of amusement appeared in her grandmother's eyes. "That's what he said you said, but he didn't believe you."

  "Well, he should have. Barrett is just a friend—barely that." She paused as a nurse entered the room, along with a different doctor than the one she'd spoken to the night before. They asked her to step outside for a few moments, so she told her grandmother she'd be back soon.

  Once in the hallway, she checked her phone for the time. It was almost seven thirty. She would have liked to go home and catch a nap before the day started, but her meeting with the Hunts had been changed from Friday to today at ten o'clock, and she really didn't want to reschedule.

  Thankfully, her grandmother seemed to be fine, and she would be able to leave without worrying something major was going to go wrong while she was at work. But she'd feel better once the doctor finished his exam.

  She ran through her emails for a few moments, noting one from Jana, her disgruntled bride from the day before. It seemed like a lifetime since all that had happened. Apparently, Jana had gone straight home, spoken to her mother and decided to fire her.

  She let out a sigh that was mixed with both disappointment and relief. While she would hate to lose the deposit, Jana Davis had been a very difficult bride so far, and probably in the long run, this was the best thing that could happen. Jana didn't know what she wanted, and she was going to drive everyone crazy trying to figure it out. It irked her that Jana's decision had been spurred on by Barrett's fighting clients but given how much he'd gone out of his way to make that up to her, she could hardly blame him for it.

  In fact, the last thing she was feeling right now for Barrett was anger.

  She wasn't mad at him at all, not even with this email reminder.

  She was missing him, wishing he was here, wishing she could hear his husky voice, see his quirky smile that could be mocking but could also be warm and genuine, and those green eyes of his—so mysterious, so sexy, so penetrating. Just thinking about him sent a shiver down her spine.

  She needed to get a grip. Barrett had been a good friend last night. Even before that, he'd been a good dinner companion. She'd been surprised at how easy it was to talk to him, how much more they had in common than she'd first thought.

  And he'd opened up to her. He'd told her about Vanessa, about his family, and she doubted that had been easy for him. She didn't think he was a man who liked to fail, and in his eyes, his marriage had been a huge failure. It was why he was so adamant about not ever doing that again. She wanted to believe his opinions would change with time and the right woman, but was that just a foolish daydream? At the end of the day, they were still on opposing ends when it came to love, weddings, and marriage, and she couldn't see that changing any time soon. Getting further involved with Barrett was not a smart idea. She already liked him too much. She needed to get things back on a business-level footing.

  As the doctor and nurse exited her grandmother's room, she straightened. "How is she?"

  "Doing very well," the doctor replied. "We'd like to keep her another day, possibly two, for recovery and observation, but all her vital signs are good. She should be able to go home by Sunday."

  "I'm so relieved."

  "She's a strong woman. We'll run more tests later today, but otherwise, I'd expect she'll make a full recovery."

  "Thank you."

  As the doctor moved down the hall, she saw her grandfather step off the elevator, followed by someone she had not expected to see—Barrett.

  He was wearing the same clothes he'd been in the day before, and her stomach twisted with all kinds of mixed emotions.

  Her grandfather
rushed toward her. "Bess?"

  "She's doing well. The doctor just examined her and thinks she can come home by Sunday."

  "Thank goodness," he murmured, then pushed his way into the room.

  "Barrett," she said, shaking her head in bemusement. "What are you doing here?"

  "I gave your grandfather a ride."

  "In the clothes you were in last night?"

  He shrugged. "I slept at his house. It was late, and he seemed a little shaky. I knew he was going to need a ride this morning, so I figured I might as well crash there."

  "I can't believe you did that," she said. "That was really generous."

  "It wasn't a big deal. We had a nice chat. He showed me your old room, your photo albums, a couple videos of you dancing the ballet."

  She groaned. "He did not do that."

  Barrett grinned. "Sorry, but he did. You looked cute in a tutu, but I'm not so sure ballet is your thing."

  "It's not. I was terrible. I just liked wearing the outfit." She shook her head again. "I really can't believe he brought those out and made you watch them."

  "He needed a distraction. He was kind of wired when we first got there. He wanted to talk."

  "What else did you talk about?" she asked a little warily.

  "Family stuff." His gaze met hers. "I heard a lot about your mother, a little about your father."

  "I'm sure that must have been boring."

  "Actually, it was pretty interesting. You told me a little at dinner, but your grandfather filled in the rest of the blanks. I'm beginning to understand why you're so into beautiful weddings and happily ever after. You want what you wished your parents had had."

  "That's not the only reason I became a wedding planner. I like events and making people happy and weddings are the biggest, happiest events—at least most of the time."

  He gave a nod, but he didn't look like he really believed her. "Well, I'm glad to hear your grandmother is all right. Are you heading back to the city? Or are you going to hang out here?"

  "I need to get back. I want to take a quick shower before I go into the office. I have a meeting with Candice and Olivia at ten."

  "Why don't I drive you?"

  "You're becoming quite the chauffeur," she said lightly. "I'd like to say no, because you've done way too much already, but if you're going into the city, I will take a ride."

  "That's where I'm going. I also have a meeting at ten, so…"

  "I'll just say good-bye." She opened the door, pausing as her grandfather placed a tender kiss on her grandmother's forehead. Then she said, "Sorry to interrupt, but I need to go to work, if you two will be all right here on your own?"

  "Of course," her grandmother said. "But first please introduce me to that handsome man behind you, the one who has taken such good care of Lance."

  She glanced back at Barrett, who was hovering in the doorway. "My grandmother wants to say hello."

  "I'd love to meet her," he said, following her into the room.

  "This is Barrett Fox," she said.

  "Pleased to meet you. I'm Bess."

  Barrett nodded. "I've heard a lot about you, Bess, from your very devoted husband."

  Bess glanced at Lance, then back at Barrett. "I've been blessed. Day I met him was the luckiest day of my life."

  "Luckiest day of my life," Lance corrected. "We were at a carnival, and she was tossing dimes, trying to win a bowl shaped like a fish, and she wasn't very good at it. So, I stepped up and won it for her."

  "I wasn't actually trying to hit the bowl that looked like a fish," Bess put in, a twinkle in her eyes. "I wanted this pretty little candy dish, but when Lance won me the other bowl, I couldn't tell him. We've had that bowl in our cupboard for the last fifty-five years."

  "And I didn't know she hated the thing until about two years ago," Lance said. "I overheard her telling the cleaning lady not to break the bowl, because it would break my heart, even if it was ugly as sin."

  "Really, Grandma?" she interjected. "You never told him that dish was ugly?"

  "I didn't want to hurt his feelings. I felt bad when Lance overheard, but then he told me he'd never liked it, either. We'd both been keeping that a secret. We had a good laugh about it."

  "But that's the only lie we ever told each other," her grandfather said, giving his wife a look of love. "We were always honest about everything else."

  "Always," Bess agreed. She turned toward Kate. "Now, tell us—how did you and Barrett meet?"

  She couldn't help but smile. "He knocked over one of the cupid statues I was storing in his office space and got shot by Cupid's arrow. He was covered in plaster dust, and he was not amused."

  Barrett gave her a faint smile. "It's a little funnier now when I think about it. I didn't expect to run into a statue the same height as me."

  "I told you they were only supposed to be six inches." She looked at her grandmother. "Barrett was furious. He ordered me to move those statues by Monday. I had to work all weekend to find a place to stash them. We did not start out on a good note."

  "But you are friends now," Bess said. "After all he did for your grandfather, how could you not be?"

  "We are friends. It turns out he's a much better man than I thought," she said, glancing back at Barrett.

  "And Kate is nowhere near as crazy as I first thought," he said, his gaze holding hers for a long few seconds.

  "Anyway, we need to go," she said abruptly, letting out a bit of a shaky breath. "We both have work. Do either of you need anything else?"

  "We're good," her grandmother said, a twinkle in her eyes. "Thank you, Katie. For staying with me all night."

  "You're welcome."

  "And thank you, Barrett, for staying with me," her grandfather said.

  "No problem. I enjoyed getting to know you and watching Kate's ballet recital," Barrett said.

  "Oh, you didn't show him those," Bess put in.

  Her grandfather gave them a sheepish look. "I thought he'd enjoy it."

  "And I did," Barrett said.

  "All right, we're going," Kate said decisively. She needed to get Barrett away from her grandparents before they told him more embarrassing stories about her.

  They walked out of the hospital and into bright sunshine and crisp, cool air. It was a welcome relief after the stifling medicinal smells of the hospital.

  "I feel like I've been here a long time," she said, as she got into Barrett's car.

  "Was it a rough night?"

  "Not too bad. I think I slept a little in the chair by her bed."

  "You are a good granddaughter."

  "I wanted to be there for her. And I knew my grandfather needed to rest." She fastened her seat belt as Barrett drove out of the parking garage. "A lot has certainly happened since I interrupted that fight outside your office last night."

  He gave her a faint smile. "You can say that again."

  "Did you sleep at all?"

  "I did—in your old bed," he said. "Although, it was hard to fall asleep looking at posters of boy bands and unicorns—an interesting combination of likes, by the way."

  "I haven't lived in that bedroom since I was seventeen. At the time, I was boy crazy, and I liked to believe in impossible things—like unicorns. I need to clean that room out, but my grandparents are always resistant when I suggest it, saying I should take time and not hurry through it, that I might want some of my things later even if they don't feel important now. They don't care for change."

  "I noticed. But I have to admit, your grandfather's vinyl record collection—that is amazing."

  "He's been collecting since he was seventeen. Did he play some records for you?"

  "Oh, yeah, a lot of Elvis, a little of the Beatles, and even some Rolling Stones."

  "Grandpa used to play guitar in a band when he was young. He has always been into music."

  "We played a little together," Barrett said, surprising her with his words.

  "You played guitar together?" she asked in astonishment.

  "He had
two."

  "And you play?"

  "I'm not bad."

  She had a suspicion that was a vast understatement. "I'll bet you're pretty good."

  "I can make my way through a song."

  "Did you learn when you were young?"

  "No. I wanted to, but my mother made me learn the piano. I think that was mostly because she wanted to date the saxophone teacher. That was when she was single, in between the divorce with my father and marrying her second husband. But she lost interest in my musical career once she found out the teacher was dating someone else's mom. I picked up the guitar on my own in middle school. I pretty much taught myself."

  "Does your brother play?"

  "A little. But not much. Matt tends to be impatient. If he doesn't master something right away, he's over it."

  "But you'll take more time to get it right."

  "If it's worth doing," he said, shooting her a smile. "Do you play anything?"

  "No. I am not musical at all. I can't carry a tune when I sing and trying to read music feels like too much math. My grandfather did try to teach me to play guitar, but it never worked, and we always ended up irritated with each other. Eventually, he gave up on wanting me to play."

  "I saw a photo of your mom and your grandfather playing together. She looked like she was a teenager."

  "That was at the state fair in Sacramento. She was a singer, songwriter. She tried to make it in music for a while, but then she met my dad and got pregnant and having me derailed her career, at least for a few years. When I was six, she got an offer to sing backup with a country band, and she took it. She left me with my grandparents, and that was the start of her coming and going—mostly going."

  "That's not good."

  "She was this beautiful creature who would drop into my life every now and then. Once she wasn't tasked with my day-to-day care, she was a lot happier, a lot more fun to be around, but, of course, I couldn't really count on her. Her promises were not worth much. It took me a long time to realize that, to stop being disappointed every time she didn't show up. Eventually, I came to understand she was a free spirit. Or maybe she was just as afraid of commitment as my father was." She blew out a breath, realizing how long she'd been talking. "And, wow, you must be ready to kick me out of this car for talking endlessly about my messed-up family."