by Amy Vastine
With that problem solved, Emma tried to relax. Nothing catastrophic happened as she and Charlie flirted and enjoyed one another’s company all week. Truthfully, she had not only forgotten about the date but about Scott, as well. Charlie was the only person to consume Emma’s thoughts when it came to dating.
“I don’t think I can go to dinner with you guys.”
“What? You have to. Ian said it’s nice that I have friends like you. It shows I’m capable of making healthy choices. You have to come with us. Plus, how are you going to date Dr. Spencer if you don’t go on a date with him?”
“I’m not sure I want that anymore,” she replied honestly.
Tessa set her lollipop on the counter and folded her hands together. “Please! Please, come. I need you there. I behave better when I’m around you. Forget what I said about not dating doctors. You should date one. Dr. Spencer in particular. He’s a very good guy and I don’t want to mess things up with Ian this time.”
The begging was even more unexpected than the lollipop plan to woo children. A returning doubt niggled at the back of Emma’s mind. As much as she was trying to ignore signs that her sister tried to convince her were simply coincidences, it seemed as if something was still pushing her back toward the plan. What was the worst thing that could happen if she went on the double date? A dinner with Scott could tell her if Charlie or Scott was the right one or not, once and for all.
“Fine. We’ll have the best table at Sato’s. I promise.”
“Yes!” Tessa set a red sucker next to Emma’s keyboard. “You deserve this. The cherry ones are the best.”
Emma picked it up and pulled off the wrapper. Cherry was her favorite, after all. She finished her requests and got up to look in on the patient in exam room four.
Charlie caught her attention right away. His physical presence could be intimidating to someone who didn’t know him. Charlie’s size might be imposing, but Emma knew his heart was pure gold. He was scanning the ER, hopefully for her. When his eyes landed on her, she knew why he was there.
Today was the day they were expecting Pete to wake up. They also wanted to take him off the ventilator to prevent him from getting pneumonia. Once off the medication, they would get some answers about his prognosis. It was difficult to determine the severity of his brain damage because the neurological tests they’d performed while he was in the coma were inconclusive.
There was always the possibility he wouldn’t regain consciousness, though. His body had been struggling to stay alive while his brain rested. Machines could keep him alive indefinitely, but what kind of life would it be?
As she got closer, it was obvious Charlie had been upstairs. He already had news on Pete’s condition. Her feet moved fast and her arms opened so she could wrap them around him. They slammed into one another and hugged like reunited lovers at an airport.
“He’s awake. He’s breathing on his own. He’s asking about his kids. He knows what year it is and where he is. He’s going to be okay,” Charlie said into the crook of her neck. His hold on her never wavered even as emotion overwhelmed him.
They both shed a few tears of joy. Emma’s skin tingled from the huge rush of happiness. She was riding a pure wave of contentment. This was the best possible scenario.
“We should celebrate,” she said against his shoulder. She tipped her head back. “I have to watch Simon tomorrow for Kendall. Maybe we can get some ice cream?”
Charlie’s bright green eyes were finally smiling the way they used to. “It’s a date, Nightingale.”
Yes, it was.
* * *
THE ONLY PERSON in the Everhart family who loved the Triple C as much as Emma was Simon. His new favorite thing to get there was the Brown Cow Sundae. It had chocolate ice cream, chocolate-fudge topping, chocolate whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles.
“Now, don’t forget our game. I’ll be Lucy—who do you want to be this time?” Emma asked Simon on their walk to the ice-cream shop.
Charlie laughed into his fist. Emma’s eyes warned him to be quiet. She was simply playing a game with her nephew. This was not teaching him to lie as Kendall had once accused her.
“I’m going to be Jimmie Johnson,” Simon replied. The kid may have inherited his mother’s sweet tooth, but he also had a thing for race cars like his father.
“Excellent choice, Speed Racer,” Charlie said. “I’m going to be...Barack Obama. But you can call me Prez for short, if you want.”
Simon giggled. “Hi, Prez.”
“Well, hello, Jimmie Johnson. Great race the other day. You were amazing.”
“Stop,” Emma said, ringing the bell above the door when she pushed it open.
“Stop what, Lucky Lucy?”
“Yeah, stop what, Aunt Lucy?” Simon had clearly chosen a side and it wasn’t hers. Boys.
“Let’s not use each other’s names every time we speak to one another. Okay, Prez?”
Charlie and his laughing eyes raised his hands in surrender. “Whatever you say, Lu—” He stopped himself, zipping his lips with his fingers and tossing the imaginary key.
They all ordered and Charlie picked up the tab since he only had to pay for his and “Jimmie’s” ice cream. They sat down at a booth with a checkerboard on it and Simon challenged his aunt to a match.
Emma wasn’t as good at pretending to lose as Kendall was. She made it too obvious and Simon politely turned her down when she asked for a rematch. He played against Charlie instead and lost. Charlie luckily stank at pretending to lose worse than she did.
Emma sent Simon to grab some napkins from the counter. When he was out of earshot, she teased Charlie. “Way to let the little kid win.”
The skin on Charlie’s forehead scrunched up. “What? That’s the worst thing our generation is doing to kids—letting them think everybody wins every time. Everyone gets a trophy, nobody keeps score. That’s not real life. Even worse, we’ve forgotten what’s important. Kids have huge celebrations when they graduate from kindergarten, fifth grade, eighth grade, high school and college. We’ve made everything so special, nothing is special anymore. That’s not what I want to teach my children.”
Simon came scampering back with his stack of napkins. He handed them to Emma and climbed back into the booth.
“You up for another game?” Charlie asked. Simon was up for it. They played and Charlie gave Simon some pointers. He shared some strategies and taught Simon how to trap his opponent’s men.
“You see what I did there?”
“You moved him so I couldn’t get you.”
“Yep. And if you look, you have a guy who can protect another one of your guys.”
Simon scanned the board. His eyes lit up when he figured it out. Sliding the piece into place, he motioned Charlie to take his turn.
Emma watched in complete awe. Charlie wasn’t letting Simon win, he was teaching him how to win. It was exactly what the little boy needed. Charlie ended up winning, but Simon was motivated to play again.
“I’m going to beat you this time!”
“You might,” Charlie said, helping him set the board back up for another match.
Charlie didn’t give as many hints this time but was willing to answer questions when Simon had them. He was an excellent teacher. It was neck and neck most of the game. Simon trapped Charlie’s last king and raised his arms in triumph.
“I win!” It was a true win and obviously meant more to Simon because he had earned it.
“You are amazing,” Emma said to the loser on the other side of the table.
“I lost,” Charlie reminded her with a chuckle.
“Fair and square. That’s what makes you amazing.” Was there anything this guy couldn’t do? Emma wasn’t sure how she had resisted his charm for so long.
Suddenly, the woman at the table next to them put
her hands around her own neck, the universal sign for choking. Her husband asked her if she was okay and she shook her head, her eyes bulging in fear and panic. He jumped up and hit her on the back, which accomplished nothing.
Emma and Charlie slid out of their booth. Emma got to her first. “I’m a nurse and he’s a paramedic. Are you choking?”
The woman nodded. Charlie had the husband step back and helped the woman to her feet. Emma wrapped her arms around the woman’s chest from behind and made a fist against her abdomen. Two good thrusts, and a piece of banana came flying out of the woman’s mouth, landing right on Charlie’s shoulder.
“Gross!” Simon exclaimed.
“Thank you!” the woman said after she caught her breath.
Charlie frowned down upon the offending piece of fruit. Emma snatched a napkin off their table and picked it off. “I’m sure you’ve had more disgusting things hurled at you than a banana, you big baby.”
“I’m so sorry.” The poor choking victim looked mortified.
“I’m kidding,” Charlie said. “I just wanted to see if she’d clean it off for me. I have been assaulted by way worse, I swear.”
The husband and wife thanked Emma several more times. She waved them off and told Simon it was time to go. Charlie and Simon spent the entire walk home reenacting the banana expulsion. Both of them must have been competing for who could make the most disgusting noise.
“What if it had hit you in the face?” Simon asked, holding Charlie’s hand as they crossed the street. The sight made Emma’s heart happy.
“I would have barfed!” Charlie made another horrible retching sound.
“Me, too!” Simon tried his best to copy Charlie. His face turned bright red from the effort.
They made it back to Kendall’s house, and Emma had Simon find a quiet activity for a little while. He chose to color at the kitchen table. Emma and Charlie hung out in the family room.
“Who chokes at an ice-cream parlor?” Charlie asked, his face scrunched up in the most adorable way.
“I know, right?” Emma said. She sat down next to him on the couch. Their legs touched. It was so innocent but made her skin tingle. “I never thought about the dangers of mixing fruit and ice cream before.”
“All the more reason to stick with the completely unhealthy stuff. No one has ever had their airway blocked by hot fudge that I know of.”
“Or caramel sauce.”
“Or sprinkles. Those suckers are nice and tiny.”
Emma raised a finger as a thought came to her. “This makes me reconsider my stance on cherries. Those could potentially be trouble.”
“They’re pretty small. I think you’re safe,” Charlie reassured her.
“I’m going to make sure I chew them up really well from now on.”
“Or you can give them to me. I have a huge esophagus.”
For some reason, that made Emma burst out laughing. When she was finally able to breathe, she asked, “Who knows how big their esophagus is?”
“I’m a big guy,” Charlie said with a shrug and a smirk. “I must have a big esophagus.”
The only people who could get Emma to laugh this hard were her sisters. Being with Charlie was so easy, as if she had known him her whole life.
“I guess that means I won’t ever have to do the Heimlich on you.”
He shifted his body closer to hers. He reached up and touched her cheek. She leaned into his touch. It was soft like his heart. His lips curled up. “I would prefer if you saved me with mouth-to-mouth.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers, stealing her breath instead of giving it. The kiss was slow and sweet. So...Charlie. Emma reached up and ran her fingers through the hair above his ear. Once again, she lost all track of time and space. The only thing that existed was the two of them and this connection she could no longer deny.
When their lips came apart, their foreheads touched. Charlie ran the tip of his nose along the side of hers.
“You’re definitely a better kisser than Marjorie. We still need to work on your dance skills, but you’ve got the kissing part down.”
Emma smiled against his lips. “You have sweet old ladies and small children wrapped around your little finger. If you could only have the same effect on someone your own age, you’d be set.”
He pulled back with a crooked smile on his face. “I’m working on it, Nightingale. I’m working on it.”
He was. And he was doing one heck of a job, too.
* * *
WHEN KENDALL GOT home that night, Emma invited herself to stay for dinner. Kendall put Simon to bed around eight. Charlie had left soon after the kiss on the very couch Emma was currently lying on as if she was having a therapy session.
“Simon said someone spit a banana on President Obama today at the Triple C.” Kendall sat down on the rocking chair in the corner of the room. “What’s that about? He couldn’t stop giggling, so I had to tell him to tell me tomorrow and go to sleep.”
Emma caught the giggles from Simon’s minimalistic commentary on their adventures. “The Prez” had taken a hit today.
“Never mind. I don’t even want to know anymore,” Kendall asserted.
“I’m sorry. Your kid is awesome.”
“He is pretty awesome, isn’t he? He had fun with you and Charlie today. I got that much out of him.”
Emma had fun, too. It was good and scary, which was why she needed her sister’s counsel. “Charlie and Simon are two peas in a pod.”
“I heard the O’Reillys are doing better.”
“They’re doing much better. Pete’s awake and alert. His intracranial pressure is normal. The CT scan and MRI showed massive improvements. His neurological functioning is better than expected. He has a long way to go, but this is a good start.”
Kendall’s smile widened. “I love when you talk like a nurse. You remind me of Mom. Remember when she’d tell Dad about her day and he’d understand, like, half of what she said? All I got out of that is things are good.”
“Things are good.”
“Max said Charlie is good, too.” Kendall was digging. She didn’t have to try too hard to get Emma to open up.
“I’m freaking out a little bit,” she confessed, her arm draped over her forehead in dramatic fashion.
“About what?”
“Lucy convinced me that I will not cause World War Three if I adjust my life plan, but it’s still making me feel extremely anxious, you know?”
“You like Charlie.”
She more than liked Charlie. She was falling hard. It was exhilarating and terrifying. It was the latter emotion that was making it hard to really let go of her plan. “Things could go wrong. I could fall in love and he could break my heart.”
“That’s the risk we all take, Em. You don’t think I was scared to death to let Max in? You don’t gain anything if you don’t go all in.”
“I know. It’s just, I’ve had this vision in my head for so long about how this is supposed to go, and this is nothing like it. I’m flying blind and I don’t like it.”
“Welcome to my world,” Kendall said with a wry laugh. “I thought I knew exactly what my life was going to be like when I married Trevor. We both know that’s not how it turned out in the end. I had one plan fall through and had to make a new one. People do it all the time. You are going to be fine.”
“But see...” Emma sat up. “That’s just it. My original plan didn’t fall through. My plan is going great. In fact, I have a date with Dr. Spencer tomorrow night.”
“What?” Kendall stopped rocking in her chair. “Why would you go out with him when you’re seeing if things will work with Charlie?”
“Part of me feels like I need to so I don’t have regrets someday. If I’m meant to marry a doctor, then he better sweep me off my feet
and make me forget all about Charlie Fletcher.”
“What are the chances of that?”
Charlie was not someone you forget easily. “Not that great for the good doctor. Which reminds me. We need a table at Sato’s tomorrow at seven for four people. Can you have Max set us up?”
“Seriously?” Kendall’s shoulders slumped and she had that disappointed-mom look on her face. “You are a piece of work.”
“Thank you. I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I think this sounds like a terrible idea,” Kendall said, shaking her head. “But if this is what you have to do to be positive you’re making the right decision, then I guess you have to do it. But I sure hope Charlie doesn’t find out.”
He wasn’t her boyfriend. They’d gone on a couple dates and had kissed. Twice. It wasn’t as if they had made any commitments to one another. If she wanted to go on this date, she should be able to without feeling completely guilty.
“Make sure to tell Max not to mention it. I avoided all discussion about our weekend plans today so I didn’t have to talk about it. Hopefully, Charlie will be busy with Pete and his family and he’ll never be the wiser.”
“Ha.” Kendall snorted. “Good luck with that, Em.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BY FRIDAY AFTERNOON, all of the Fletcher girls and their families had made it to Chicago. Candice’s husband, Trent, had rented a car for his family at the airport and hadn’t needed a ride into the city. They had pulled up to the Fletchers’ humble abode in their rented BMW X6. Charlie had no idea people could rent luxury cars like that. Of course, when money was no object, people could do pretty much anything.
Kristin and her boys had driven from Indianapolis and arrived just after lunch. The boys were restless and Kristin was crabby. It was not a good combination.
Charlie had been most excited to see Becca. Candice joined him and their dad for the trip to the airport to pick her up. The twins hadn’t seen each other in over a year because Candice didn’t come home for Christmas anymore. Trent took his family on a tropical vacation for two weeks over the holidays. Northern Illinois was anything but tropical in December.
