by Debbie Mason
When Julia rejoined them in the middle of the lane, George looked up at her and said in a serious little voice, “Maybe no one kisses you because you’re pretending to be someone else. You don’t want the big bad wolf to kiss you. I think he bites.”
Out of the mouths of babes, Olivia thought, but George might have a point. “Well, I for one am glad she’s pretending to be Little Red Riding Hood today because I smell something delicious in her basket.”
Julia touched George’s cheek. “You’re a wise little girl. And Olivia has a very good nose. I have some welcome-to-your-new-home presents for you both.”
“Julia, you didn’t have to do that. We wouldn’t have the house without you,” Olivia protested as Julia lifted the red linen square from the top of the basket. “Okay, forget I said anything. You can’t take your gift back. This is amazing. Isn’t it amazing, George?”
George nodded, her eyes saucer-wide. The basket was filled with chocolates, fruits, cupcakes, two bottles of wine, children’s books, and adult’s books, with not one self-help book in sight.
Olivia raised an eyebrow at Julia. “Umm, why have we never read this at book club?” She held up a paperback. The cover was black and bronze with raised red lettering over half a man’s chiseled face and sensuous lips. The book was Warrior’s Kiss by J. L. Winters.
Julia’s creamy white cheeks pinked. “It has a fantasy element, and it’s, ah, spicy. I wasn’t sure how the Widows Club would feel.”
“You did just see how I reacted, didn’t you? I think they’d love it. Looks like the perfect beach read to me. Why don’t you pick it for next month?”
“I don’t know. I can just imagine what Byron would say.”
Byron Harte was the only male in their book club. He reported on their monthly meetings in the Gazette. “What do you care? It’s not as if you wrote…” She looked from Julia to the book. Julia Landon’s fiancé had been Josh Winters. It couldn’t be a coincidence. “J. L. Winters is you, isn’t it?” She didn’t have to lower her voice because George had taken an apple and was checking out the backyard.
“Yes, but please don’t say anything to anyone.”
“Why? This is so cool.” She hugged the book to her chest. “Now I really can’t wait to read—”
“Livy!” George screamed from the backyard.
“Oh God.” She dropped the book and ran. As she rounded the corner of the house, she saw George standing between a mangy black and gold dog and a bunny with a bloody paw.
“He was trying to eat the bunny, Livy.”
Olivia’s eyes dropped to the hand George was cradling. “Did he bite you?” she asked, doing her best to keep the fear from her voice. George nodded, and Olivia’s knees went weak. No panicking, she told herself. She was here now, and that dog wasn’t getting anywhere near George again.
“Okay, you just back up real slow, sweetheart,” she said quietly, although the dog had barely taken his eyes from his prey. She looked for signs he was rabid, but other than foaming around the mouth—which he wasn’t—she didn’t know what else to look for. He was obviously starving; his ribs were clearly visible.
The bunny moved, and the dog snarled. Behind her, Julia sucked in a harsh breath. “Julia, hand me two of the vanilla cupcakes.” Once Olivia had the cupcakes in hand, she said, “George, I want you to slowly move toward Julia. Once you reach her, both of you run to the clinic.”
“No, he’ll hurt the bunny. I’ve gotta get the bunny.”
“Shush, boy, good boy,” Olivia said, trying to get the snarling dog’s attention. She threw a piece of cupcake in the grass beside him. “I promise, I’ll get the bunny. Go, go now.” She relaxed a little once Julia got George safely away. Now it was just her, a possibly rabid dog, and a bunny she’d promised to save.
Finn was enjoying a nice chat with Mr. Taylor. Sherry’s comment last week had made him think about how he was handling his patients, and he’d asked the older man to come in today for a follow-up. There was nothing more that Finn could do for the ninety-four-year-old. Everything that could be done to keep him comfortable was being done, but sometimes just having someone to shoot the breeze with helped. Now that word he and Liv were an item had gotten out, the daily number of patients he had to see had reached a manageable level.
“I appreciate you sorting out my pills for me, Doc. This little doodad should help,” the older man said, holding up the plastic pill box dispenser with the days of the week written on each box, along with a.m. and p.m.
“Anytime, that’s what I’m here for, Mr. Taylor. I think—”
He broke off at Sherry yelling, “No, you get back here right now, missy. Just because he’s dating…”
“I better check—” Finn began as he heard the sound of running feet and doors opening and closing.
The exam room door banged opened. “Finn, Livy is trying to save the bunny from the dog. He’s gonna eat her.”
Red Riding Hood and Sherry showed up at the same time, jostling for position in the doorway. “Finn, Olivia…” Julia pushed off her hood and glared at Sherry. “Stop pushing me. Finn, Olivia is trying to rescue a bunny from being eaten by a dog with a cupcake.”
He headed for the door. “Call Animal Control, Sherry. You two, show me—”
“I don’t believe this. You have patients. You can’t just take off whenever your girlfriend…” Sherry made a high-pitched, aggravated sound in her throat and then yelled, “If you step one foot out that door, I quit!”
Finn didn’t have time to process what she’d said because, just as he reached the door, he happened to notice George protecting her hand. “Did the dog bite you?”
His grandmother walked into the clinic, carrying what smelled like oatmeal and raisin cookies, a favorite of Doc Bishop’s. “Finn, darling, what’s going on?”
“I can’t talk now, Grams, but can you take George back to an exam room? See if you can talk Sherry into cleaning her hand. She was bitten by a dog.”
“Who, Sherry?”
“No, George. If Sherry won’t do it, clean George’s hand with warm soapy water, and I’ll be back to take care of it.”
“Don’t be silly. Kyle can take care of George. Come on, darling, let’s go find Dr. Bishop.”
Julia made a small squeak of dismay a second before George said, “He’s out in the backyard kissing Sophie’s granny.”
“What? No, you must be mistaken. When did you—”
“Grams, not now. Where’s Liv, Julia?”
“In the backyard next…”
He was out the door before she finished. George, Julia, and his grandmother chasing after him. Grams, who hadn’t stopped asking questions, started yelling for Rosa and Kyle. Thankfully, both his brothers and their wives pulled up to the curb in a moving van at the same time the side gate opened and a disheveled Rosa and Doc Bishop appeared.
Any thoughts of his grandmother were wiped from his head when he reached the backyard. Liv was crouched down talking to the dog with a cupcake in her hand when the animal lunged, sending her sprawling on her back.
“He’s killing my Livy! He’s killing my Livy!” George cried hysterically.
Finn stood in Olivia’s backyard giving her the evil eye while she tried to sweet talk Animal Control into letting her keep the dog. The dog that had tried to eat her, the rabbit, and George. “Crazy-ass woman.”
“Tell me you could resist George if she looked at you with her big blue eyes and begged you not to let them put the dog down,” Liam said, nodding to where George sat in the grass with the dog’s head on her lap and the bandaged bunny in the box beside her. “And who says they’re going to put the dog down in front of a kid anyway?”
“I’m sure the guy thought she’d be cheering since said kid had been bitten by the dog and was crying hysterically not ten minutes before that the dog was going to eat her Livy. But no, she’s as crazy as the woman she lives with.”
Liam patted his shoulder. “You got a scare when you saw the dog knock Olivia down and pounce
on top of her, didn’t you?”
Scare? He’d been terrified he wouldn’t get to her in time. “Ah, yeah, wouldn’t you? I thought she was crying, not laughing. And I thought he was eating her face, not licking it.”
“Guess the saying The quickest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach holds true for dogs too.”
“Nice, real nice. Does someone want to tell me why I got stuck breaking up Grams and Rosa while you two stand here shooting the breeze?” Griff asked.
“You’re the oldest. Besides, what would you rather have dealt with, Rosa and Grams or a rabid dog?” Finn said.
“Are you seriously even asking me that? I’d deal with ten rabid dogs over those two. I’ll tell you one thing though. I sure wouldn’t want to be in Doc Bishop’s shoes right now.” The door of the clinic slammed, and the three of them turned. “Or yours from the looks of it.”
Kerry and Sherry marched down the lane and smashed papers into Finn’s chest. “We quit!”
“Look, ladies, I understand it’s been kind of crazy at the clinic since I started, but I’m sure we can—”
They both crossed their arms. “If you want us to stay, your girlfriend has to go,” Sherry said.
Now that he was off the market, the two of them had become increasingly dissatisfied at work.
Liv glanced over her shoulder, met his eyes, and nodded. He couldn’t believe it. She was seriously trying to break up with him now? He shook his head. She nodded more emphatically and mouthed yes. “No!” Okay, so that actually came out of his mouth.
Kerry and Sherry, presuming he was responding to them, stormed off. But not without getting in the last word. “Good luck trying to replace us!”
Liv looked at him like he was a recalcitrant schoolboy. She shook the guy from Animal Control’s hand and walked over to pat the dog and hug George.
“She bribed you, didn’t she?” Finn said to the twentysomething guy.
The tips of his ears pinked as he fast-walked to his truck. “I really can’t talk to you about it, sir.”
“How much?” Finn called after him.
“Oh, no money was exchanged.” The kid turned to smile at someone behind Finn. “See you next Monday at nine, Olivia. Thanks.”
Griff glanced from Liv, who was no longer smiling, to Finn’s unsmiling face. “Okay, maybe we should give Olivia and Finn some time alone, go help the girls unpack the kitchen stuff,” Griff said to Liam.
“You go ahead. I’d rather stay out here and watch—”
Griff grabbed Liam by the arm and dragged him to the back door, waving George into the house.
Finn crossed his arms. “Okay, let me get this straight. You were breaking up with me so you could date him? The guy barely looks like he’s out of puberty.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. First, we’re not really dating so I have no reason to break up with you, and second, we’re not going on a date. He follows the manor on Facebook and liked one of my garden DIY projects Sophie featured. He asked if I’d mind helping him with his.”
“You expect me to believe that a woman who is a gazillionaire does DIY projects?”
“I’m not a gazillionaire, and yes, I enjoy doing DIY projects. I don’t know why you have such a skewed perception of people with money, but it’s annoying. So please keep your opinions to yourself. And just FYI, I’m no longer your girlfriend.” She turned to walk off.
“All right, I’m sorry for being a jerk. Please don’t break up with me. If not for me, for the sake of the good people of Harmony Harbor. My patients today were actually there to see me as a doctor and not marriage material. Just give me a couple more weeks.”
“Fine. But only because Sherry and Kerry indirectly quit because of me.”
“Thank you. We have an audience.” He nodded at the side window. “I should probably kiss you.” There wasn’t anyone in the window; he just wanted an excuse to kiss her. He tried to convince himself the reason for that wasn’t because he’d been scared when he saw what he thought was the dog eating her face. Or that it had been the kind of fear you feel for someone who means a lot to you.
“No, you shouldn’t.”
“You don’t have to be so cross.” He grinned when she gave him a look, and then he and put his arm around her. “So when did you plan on telling me we were going to be next-door neighbors?”
She lifted a shoulder. “I didn’t know if the owner would accept the offer. Everything happened really fast once she did.”
For some reason, Liv didn’t seem too happy about that. He wasn’t sure if it was because she now owned a home in Harmony Harbor or if it had something to do with her proximity to him. Which wouldn’t bode well for his next question if that was the case. “Since you admit you are indirectly responsible for the clinic being short one receptionist and a nurse, any chance you’d play secretary for me?”
Chapter Sixteen
Olivia crossed the schoolyard to pick up George. It was the last day before summer vacation began. Olivia spotted her on the playground. With her enthusiastic, pint-sized audience cheering her on from below, George, in her lemon-yellow shorts set, traversed the top of the monkey bars with the grace and ease of an experienced tightrope walker. Still, the sight of her up there caused Olivia’s heart to double bump against her ribs. Which, she had to admit, was an improvement over what her reaction would have been two weeks before. Thank goodness for self-help books.
George spotted her. “Livy, watch!” She did a backflip off the bars, landing perfectly in the sand on her two feet, red lights flashing on her sneakers. Her friends cheered while Olivia worked on breathing again.
Ms. Ryan, George’s teacher, turned as Olivia approached. “I swear, I don’t know how you don’t have gray hair.”
“I do. You just can’t see it amongst the blond.” Olivia smiled. She liked George’s teacher. The thirtysomething redhead was passionate about her job and genuinely liked kids. She’d been a big help to Olivia and George over the past few weeks. As they’d discovered, George hadn’t gone to school and was behind the other children.
When George had first started at Harmony Harbor Elementary, there had been talk about holding her back next year. If Ms. Ryan and the principal felt it was in George’s best interest to do so, then they’d have to make the best of it. But she and George had been spending time after school and on weekends working on her numbers and letters, so Olivia was hopeful she’d pass. Mostly because there’d been so much change in George’s life, and she’d started to bond with the kids in her class.
Ms. Ryan laughed. “Good thing you weren’t here five minutes ago. She was walking up there on her hands. Have you thought about putting her in gymnastics?”
“She’s registered for the fall, but there’s a couple of summer camps I’m looking into.” That was the nice thing about working as an events planner for the manor; George could come with Olivia to Greystone or she could work from home. But until she found someone to replace Sherry and Kerry, she was working nine to five at the clinic. Olivia thought she’d have to bring George with her tomorrow, but last night a teenager who lived on Primrose Lane had arrived at her door to offer to babysit courtesy of Julia.
Olivia glanced at Ms. Ryan. “Are you going to make me wait until I open her report card?”
“You passed. Good job, Mom.” Ms. Ryan’s laughter trailed off. “Olivia, did I say something wrong?”
“No, not all.” She surreptitiously wiped at the corner of her eye. “Don’t mind me. It’s just that I didn’t expect to be someone’s mom again. Until now, I didn’t realize I was. But I guess I am,” she said with a watery smile as she looked at George chasing after her friends, her face glowing with laughter and good health.
Somehow, despite all odds, George had worked her way into Olivia’s heart. Death—her son’s and husband’s—had changed Olivia. She wasn’t the same woman she’d been before the loss. But slowly, thanks to her friends, George, and even Finn, she was realizing that was neither good or bad, it just was. Despite the pa
in that would lessen but never fully go away, she could still have a good life.
“You’re doing a great job, Olivia. She’s adjusting nicely. I’ve noticed a big difference since you moved into the house on Primrose Lane. And it doesn’t hurt that Mia’s so popular and has taken George under her wing. By the way, I hear congratulations are in order.”
“Do you mean about the Michaelson wedding? It was quite the coup to—”
“No, silly, your wedding.” Ms. Ryan grimaced at what was probably Olivia’s stunned expression. “Sorry, was it supposed to be a secret? Mia and George have been telling everyone they’re going to be cousins.”
The only way they’d be cousins was if Olivia married Finn. Moving next door had been bad enough, but working with Finn—or how he liked to put it, for him—was bad on a whole other level of bad. And not just because it put ideas in George’s head. Olivia had had a few of her own this past week.
She’d suspected Finn would have a wonderful bedside manner, be warm and genial with his patients, and now she had firsthand proof he was that and more. The man was an exceptional doctor. He had a gift, a sixth sense. He’d accurately diagnosed every patient before the results of their tests had even come in to prove him right. But for all the man had going for him, Finn Gallagher was surprisingly humble.
The direction of her thoughts annoyed her. He was not perfect. For one, he was the most disorganized man she had ever met. He was messy too. And he…was gorgeous and sweet and looked so good in his button-down shirts with the sleeves rolled up to show his muscular forearms and the glasses that made him…Fig Newton, she needed to find him a nurse and receptionist ASAP.
“Olivia, is everything okay?”
“Yes, yes, sorry. When you mentioned the wedding, I started to think about the one at the manor next weekend. Hazard of the job, I guess. George, sweetheart, it’s time to leave.” She waved her over.
