Time for Love , The McCarthys of Gansett Island, Book 9

by Marie Force

  “Hi, there. Yes, I’m fine, but an older woman named Marion is sitting on my porch.”

  “Marion Martinez?”

  Through the curtain, Daisy made sure that Marion didn’t leave. “Yes, that’s her. She seems a bit disoriented, and her feet are cut. It looks like she might’ve walked quite a distance on bare feet.”

  “Thank goodness you found her. Her sons are going crazy looking for her. Would you mind sitting with her until I can get over there?”

  “Not at all. She said her husband George was coming to pick her up.”

  “George Martinez has been dead for ten years.”

  “Oh,” Daisy said, saddened for Marion.

  “I’ll be right there.”

  Daisy ended the call and took a glass of ice water outside to Marion, who accepted it gratefully.

  “You look very pretty,” Marion said.

  “Do you think so? I have a date tonight.”

  Marion’s smile was so sweet and innocent. “I hope he’s a nice boy.”

  “I think he is.”

  “I have two boys—Alex and Paul. You should meet them. They’re very handsome, but they might be a little young for you. Alex is in tenth grade and Paul is a senior this year. The kids call them A.M. and P.M.,” Marion added with a smile. “George and I are very proud of them.”

  In her mid- to late-sixties by Daisy’s guess, Marion seemed too old to have children that young. “I’m sure you must be.”

  “What’s your young man’s name?”

  “David.”

  “I have a brother named David. That’s a nice name.”

  “I think so, too.”

  “Are you going to marry your David?”

  Daisy laughed nervously. “We’re not talking about marriage yet.”

  “My George and I knew right away that we’d get married. After the first time we went out, I told my mother he would be my husband.”

  “That’s very sweet. You’re lucky that you knew right away.”

  “We were lucky.” She looked directly at Daisy for the first time. “I think you know right away if a person is the one for you. At least I did. I can’t imagine what’s keeping my George. He’s always right on time.”

  Daisy patted Marion’s hand, her heart breaking for Marion’s loss. “I’m sure he’ll be here soon.”

  “It’s very kind of you to keep me company. What did you say your name is?”

  “I’m Daisy.”

  “A very pretty name.”

  Daisy thought it a silly name that worked well for a child but not so great for an adult. But her mother was a whimsical sort who didn’t think things through far enough to contemplate an adult named Daisy trying to get people to take her seriously.

  Her thoughts were interrupted when Blaine pulled up to the curb in his police-issued SUV. Tall, handsome and intense, Blaine was another of Daisy’s heroes after Truck’s attack. His timely arrival had saved her life, and she’d always be grateful to him.

  Marion eyed him suspiciously. “Who’s that?”

  “Hi there, Mrs. Martinez. I’m Blaine Taylor. Remember me?”

  “I don’t know you.” To Daisy, she said, “I don’t know him.”

  Daisy took her hand. “He’s the chief of police, and he’s here to help you.”

  “I don’t need his help. My George is coming to pick me up.”

  “I spoke with Paul and Alex,” Blaine said, his sharp eyes taking in her disheveled appearance and injured feet. “They asked me to give you a ride to the clinic to have your feet looked at.”

  “My feet are fine.”

  “They’re bleeding, honey,” Daisy said softly.

  Seeming surprised to hear her feet were cut, Marion looked down at them. “How did that happen? Where are my shoes? Did someone tell George to bring my shoes?”

  “We’ll let him know,” Blaine said. “The boys are going to meet us at the clinic. You don’t want to keep them waiting, do you?”

  Marion glanced nervously at Daisy. “Should I go with him?”

  “I really think you should. Your sons are worried about you, and they’re waiting for you.”

  Marion clamped down on Daisy’s hand. “Will you come with me? Please?”

  Daisy looked at Blaine, who nodded. She tried not to think about the fact that David was due anytime. “Of course. Let me get my purse, and I’ll be right back, okay?”

  Marion didn’t seem to want to let go of Daisy’s hand, but she finally loosened her grip.

  Daisy went inside, grabbed her purse and a sweater as well as a pair of flip-flops for Marion to wear to the clinic. She started a text to David and found a message from him.

  Getting off the boat but got called into the clinic to see a patient. Will be a little late, but I’ll be there.

  She replied, I’ll meet you at the clinic.

  Back on the porch, Marion was looking down at the porch, studiously ignoring Blaine.

  “Ready, Marion?” Daisy asked.

  “Ready for what?”

  Daisy’s heart broke for the poor woman. “We’re going to go with Chief Taylor to meet your sons, Alex and Paul.”

  “But George is coming. We can’t go until George gets here.”

  Blaine bent to rest his hands on his knees. “Paul is waiting for you, and he’s really upset because he couldn’t find you. We don’t want to keep him waiting, do we?”

  It took some more cajoling, but they finally were able to convince Marion to accept the borrowed sandals from Daisy and shuffle down the sidewalk to the backseat of Blaine’s SUV. Daisy climbed in next to her and assisted Marion with the seat belt.

  On the short drive to the clinic, Marion asked at least twenty times where George was and how he’d find her now that she’d left the house.

  “Paul and Alex will help him find you,” Daisy said each time. She met Blaine’s grateful gaze in the rearview mirror and shared a sad smile with him.

  When they pulled up to the emergency entrance to the clinic, two dark-haired young men ran up to the car. They had brown eyes and skin so tanned it might’ve been August rather than June, and both were in their thirties by Daisy’s guess.

  “Mom! You scared us! Where did you go?”

  “Now, Paul, I just went for a walk. There’s nothing to get worked up about.”

  Alex hung back, tension coming off him in palpable waves.

  David appeared at the door to the SUV. His eyes met hers, surprise registering in his expression. He wore a white polo that offset his light tan, with khaki pants. His hair fell across his brow, making Daisy want to brush it back for him.

  “Hi, Marion,” he said. “How are you?”

  “Who are you?”

  “I’m Doctor Lawrence. Remember when I came to see you at your home?”

  Of course he’d been to see her at home, Daisy thought, because that’s the kind of doctor he was. She was so damned happy to see him.

  “I don’t know you.”

  “It’s okay, Mom,” Paul said. “Dr. David needs to look at your feet, and then we can go home for dinner.”

  “Will Daddy be there when we get home?” she asked, a hopeful glimmer in her eye.

  “No, Mom,” Alex said. “Dad died. Remember?”

  Marion’s face crumpled, and she let out an anguished wail. “Why would you say such an awful thing? He’s not dead! He’s at work! He works hard for all of us. Do you think it’s easy running your own business? Until you’ve tried it, you have no right to speak poorly of him.”

  Alex turned and walked toward the clinic door, hands in pockets, shoulders hunched.

  Daisy’s heart broke for the entire family.

  “He wasn’t speaking poorly of him,” Paul said in defense of his brother. “The sooner we let Dr. David check you out, the sooner we can get home.”

  “Yes, because Daddy is there waiting for me.” To Daisy, she said, “My George is waiting for me.”

  “I know,” Daisy said.

  “This is my friend, Daisy,” she sai
d, sounding amazingly lucid again. “My son Paul.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Paul said. “Thank you for helping Mom.”

  “I was happy to do it. She’s very nice.”

  Marion beamed at her as David and Paul helped her out of the SUV and into the wheelchair David had brought outside. “Daisy! Where’s Daisy?”

  “I’m here, Marion.”

  “I want you to stay with me.”

  Daisy took the older woman’s outstretched hand. “I’d be happy to.”

  “Have you met my sons? Aren’t they handsome? Do you have a boyfriend?”

  Daisy met David’s gaze and saw amusement mixed with sadness in his expression. He mouthed the word yes to her, which made her heart flutter.

  “Yes, I do,” Daisy said with a small, private smile for David as he wheeled Marion inside to an exam room.

  “That’s too bad. I hope he’s a nice boy.”

  She looked at David again. “He’s a very nice boy.”

  “Paul, don’t you think Daisy is pretty?”

  “Very pretty, Mom,” he said, sounding as embarrassed as Daisy felt.

  “If things don’t work out with your boyfriend, I’ll fix you up with my Paul. He’s very handsome.”

  “Mom…”

  “What? You are handsome. Isn’t he handsome, Daisy?”

  “Yes, he is, Marion,” Daisy said, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.

  Paul grimaced and said, “Sorry” under his breath.

  “Alex is handsome, too, but he can be grumpy sometimes.”

  “Mom… Stop.”

  “What? Isn’t it the truth?”

  Fortunately, Victoria, the nurse practitioner who’d been so nice to Daisy after the attack, came into the exam room and offered to help Marion undress.

  “Why do I have to take my clothes off? I’m not taking my clothes off!”

  “I need to examine you to make sure you aren’t injured anywhere else,” David said gently. “It’ll only take a few minutes.”

  “It’s okay, Marion,” Victoria said. “We’ll help you.”

  “I’ll wait outside,” Daisy said.

  “Me, too,” Paul added.

  Over Marion’s protests, they left the exam room and went to the waiting area, where Alex was pacing. Both brothers wore dirty clothes and sturdy boots. Daisy wondered what they did for work.

  “How is she?” Alex asked.

  Paul combed his fingers through his hair repeatedly. “Confused, annoyed. The usual.”

  “We have to do something,” Alex said. “We can’t go on this way.”

  “I know.” To Daisy, Paul said, “How did you end up with her?”

  “I found her on my porch, sitting in one of my rockers.”

  “Where do you live?”

  “In town,” Daisy said. “On Harbor Road.”

  “How in the hell did she get all the way over there?” Alex asked.

  “Judging by the condition of her bare feet,” Daisy said, “she walked.”

  “God,” Alex said with a sigh. “She could’ve been hit by a car or a million other things.” He shook his head and blew out a deep breath. “I can’t do this anymore. I just can’t do it.” His voice broke on the last word, and he rushed out the door to the parking lot.

  Paul dropped into a chair, exhaustion clinging to him.

  Daisy didn’t know what she should do while she waited for David. She knew he probably wouldn’t be opposed to her waiting in his office, but she couldn’t bring herself to leave Paul sitting there alone and dejected, so she took a seat across from him. “I’m sorry you’re going through such a rough time.”

  “Thanks. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever dealt with, that’s for sure. My brother and I, we’re trying to run the business and take care of her… It’s… It’s a lot.”

  “What do you do for work?”

  “We own a landscaping company. Martinez Lawn and Garden.”

  “Oh sure. I see your trucks around. You guys take care of the McCarthys’ hotel. I work there.”

  He nodded in agreement. “Up until a year ago, my mom was running everything. Hard to believe, right? She’s declined so rapidly.” Looking directly at her, he said, “I’m sorry you got dragged into this. Looks like you were going somewhere.”

  “I was going to dinner with David Lawrence, so we’ll go later after we know your mom is okay.”

  “I don’t know what we would’ve done without him. He’s been so amazing to Mom and a huge help to us.”

  “He’s very good at what he does.”

  “Yes.”

  “If there’s anything I can do to help you and your brother, I hope you’ll call me. If you need someone to sit with her, I’d be happy to help. I could give you my number.”

  “That’s very nice of you. Thank you.”

  They exchanged numbers, programming them directly into cell phones.

  Alex came back in, seeming more in control of his emotions. “Sorry to storm out like that.”

  Paul waved his hand. “No worries.”

  “Any word?”

  “Not yet.”

  “What’re we going to do, Paul?”

  “I don’t know.”

  Daisy suddenly felt like she was intruding on an intensely private moment between the brothers. “I’ll wait for David in his office. Please call me if I can help with your mom.”

  “We will,” Paul said. “Thanks again for all you did for her.”

  “I enjoyed being with her.” She left them and went through the double doors that led to the offices, hoping David wouldn’t mind if she waited for him there. Mindful of his privacy and that of his patients, she steered clear of his desk and sat on the small sofa, drawing her legs up under her.

  Spending time with Marion made Daisy wonder about her own mother for the first time in years. She’d been out of touch with her family for a long time now, long enough that she rarely thought of them anymore. However, she would never forget the way her parents had turned their back on her because she’d wanted to marry a man they didn’t approve of. She’d been eighteen and in love for the first time in her life.

  Thinking about that awful spring, now ten years ago, brought back feelings and memories she’d just as soon not relive. So she decided to think instead about David and the way his eyes had taken in the dress she’d worn for him and how he’d encouraged her to tell Marion she had a boyfriend.

  When was the last time she’d had a “boyfriend”? With that question putting a smile on her face, Daisy tipped her head back against the sofa and closed her eyes.

  *

  David found her there an hour later, a smile clinging to her sweet lips. His first glimpse of her in the clingy black dress had wowed him after two days of thinking about her. He didn’t know if he should wake her or let her sleep. She was still getting over serious injuries and was working far too hard for his liking while she recovered.

  “Whatcha staring at?” Victoria asked from behind him.

  David turned to her. “Nothing.”

  She looked around his shoulder and gave him a knowing smile. “Oh, I see. Your special friend is waiting for you.”

  David stepped out of the office and closed the door. “Thanks for your help with Marion.”

  “She’s going downhill fast.”

  David sighed as he nodded. “Alex and Paul are in a tough spot, living on an island without a residential facility for her, and tied to the place because of their business. They’re going to need to make some tough decisions soon. They don’t want to put her in a facility on the mainland and then never get to see her because they’re here and she’s there.”

  “Sometimes island life sucks.”

  “Yes, it does. Anything else happen while I was gone?”

  Victoria brought him up to speed on the status of several patients. “I should also mention that Janey Cantrell had her thirty-two-week visit, and her BP was slightly elevated. I’m going to bring her back weekly going forward to keep an eye on it.�
�

  David hated the twinge of concern that struck him in the vicinity of his heart when he heard that news. Janey wasn’t his concern any longer, and he needed to remember that. “Good plan.”

  “Even though you asked me to keep you out of that one as much as I can, you need to be aware. Just in case.”

  “I know. Thanks for the update.”

  “So what’s up with your special friend?”

  “Nothing. She came in with Marion.”

  “She’s all dressed up.”

  “So?”

  “So where ya taking her?”

  “None of your business.”

  “So you are taking her somewhere.” She nudged him with her elbow. “Come on. Be a pal. I’m living vicariously through you these days.”

  “You need to get out more.”

  “Ain’t that the truth? So you’re not going to give me anything?”

  “Nope. Go away. Come back tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. See you then.”

  After Victoria walked down the long hallway and through the double doors, David went into his office and closed the door. He sat next to Daisy, watching her sleep for a minute before he took a big chance and leaned in to kiss her awake.

  Her eyes opened slowly and brightened at the sight of him. “Hey. How’s Marion?”

  “Fine, other than her feet, which will be sore for a few days.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “I saw Blaine when he was leaving, and he said you were really great with her. Thanks for that.”

  “She’s a sweet lady. Her confusion and disorientation are so sad.”

  He nodded in agreement but didn’t want to talk about Marion anymore. He wanted to talk about her, about them. For days now, he’d been rehearsing what he would say to her the next time they were together, but now that the moment was upon him, words escaped him.

  She saved him by sliding her fingers lightly over his face. “I missed you.”

  He turned his face into her hand, kissing her palm. “I missed you, too.”

  “Kinda funny, huh?”

  “What is?”

  “That I missed you so much when I’ve only known you for a few weeks.”

  “It’s not funny. It’s sweet. It’s nice to be missed.”

  Their eyes met, and he couldn’t look away. The inner calm and serenity he always experienced in her presence soothed him as it usually did. But underneath that now was a hum of awareness and desire that had him leaning in for another kiss, this one more lingering.