His thumb caressed her cheek in a steady rhythm as he searched her eyes, probably to see how her nerves were holding up. “You’re avoiding me.”
“No, I’m not. I promised Gram days ago I’d help her go through some boxes in the spare room.”
“Come over after you’re done. I’ll be up, waiting for you with dessert.”
With a final kiss that left no doubt what dessert would entail, Jason left with a promise to pick up her dog and a mischievous smirk on his face.
Maybe I can distract him with sex.
While she waited for Detective Esposito, she unpacked the work she’d planned to take home and started to deal with the stack. Esposito and Tawny. Hmm, now there was a thought. She should call her friend and co-chair with an update, see if she could be here when the detective picked up the tapes. If memory served her right, the two of them had appeared to hit it off pretty well at the gala and had their own little flirtfest going on leading up to the auction.
Fifteen minutes later she’d updated not only Tawny, who couldn’t make it over, but Mr. North as well on the recent events and possible breakthrough. North promised he’d call the insurance company and advise them of the situation to see if they’d reverse their ruling. Hanging up the phone, she reached for the tablet and powered up the program to watch the video again.
She dug out a pad of paper. As a kid she’d loved to solve puzzles. This should be a matter of deduction and common sense. Who all had copies of the keys? Jason and his crew; she had one, as did the other members of the committee; and Mr. North. Immediately she crossed off her name, Tawny, Jason, Dave, and Mr. North—none of them had anything to gain and everything to lose from sabotaging the project. Which left Tim and Bobby, Jason’s workers—she didn’t know them well enough to cross them off at this point. Holly’s name came off the list next, as there was no way she’d break any laws.
Which left Rosalie and Stan. While it was true Rosalie hadn’t always been in her corner, she’d definitely pulled her weight in setting up the gala and had stood by her choice to hire Jason. Plus, her grandkids lived near the center and were excited about the swimming pool opening up for the summer. Her name got crossed off. One name remained. Stan Nowak.
Given his past attitude toward Cherry and how adamantly he opposed granting the job to Valentine Rehab, she could see him behind this mess. There was one thing she couldn’t figure out. What did he get out of destroying the center?
A deep baritone voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up to find the darkest brown eyes she’d ever seen studying her.
“Detective Esposito, thank you for stopping by and offering to help out.” Cherry rose from her desk and held out a hand.
Cesar Esposito was tall. Cherry didn’t know how else to describe him. The man towered over her. Okay, not hard, with Cherry measuring in at a whopping five-three. This guy could make Jason look short and she knew he was six-two. Tall, dark, and handsome, cliché that it may be, fit. Black wavy hair, high cheekbones, broad shoulders, and a trim waist all wrapped up in a gray suit. Mama mia, she wished Tawny had been free to meet them.
“I heard about the setbacks at the center. I’m happy to make whoever is responsible pay. You said on the phone you got a partial picture of his face.”
She powered up the tablet. “I’m afraid it’s not much to go on.”
He took the tablet and watched the video. “The scar will help. It’s pretty distinctive. Where do you suppose he got the keys to the building? Did he work for the center?”
Filling in Esposito on what she knew of the former employees, she hesitated only a moment or two before deciding to share her thoughts on Stan. When she was done talking, he studied his notes, tapping the pen against the small notebook.
“Without proof, we can’t do anything against Nowak. However, as he’s one of the key holders, I’ll be taking a look at him along with everyone else. So far, they’ve kept this focused on the center, so I don’t think it’s personal, but it wouldn’t hurt to take some extra precautions. Try not to be out at night by yourself, park in lit areas, and check in frequently with a family member or friend.”
The words left chills running through her body. Until the detective mentioned it, she’d never really thought she might be a target. Now she felt like a big red bull’s-eye had been painted on her back. Great, as if she didn’t have enough on her plate.
She settled back in her chair, pulling a stack of folders closer. You’d think in this age of technology the company she worked for could get rid of paper files. Not these guys. Serious technophobes. Laughing a little, she again thought now was the perfect time to go back to school, to work on her own dreams.
The phone rang and she glanced down to see Katia Torres’s name.
“Mama K, how are you?” A smile graced Cherry’s lips and voice. Tawny’s mom had done everything she could over the years to make Cherry feel like family, everything from scolding to loving.
“Cherry, honey.” Her voice broke. “You need to get to the hospital. Your grandmother’s being taken to the ER.”
Chapter Twenty-one
The drive from her office to the hospital ER took an eternity. If ever there had been a day where everything could slow you down, this was that day. Red lights, construction work, detours, slow drivers, no parking, all of which gave Cherry’s brain plenty of time to run through the gamut of possible scenarios for what happened. Mama Katia had only said her grandmother had collapsed. One minute her gram was serving iced tea and the next she fell to the floor, out cold.
Something had been wrong for months, yet whenever she brought up the subject with either of her grandparents they’d assured her nothing was wrong. Perfect bill of health, they said. Healthy people did not pass out for no reason. She appreciated neither wanted her to worry, that they felt it was their job to take care of her, and she understood the logic behind the reasoning. She had fallen apart when her parents disappeared. What kid wouldn’t? However, she was a grown woman now, and as much as she’d like to believe her gram and gramps would live forever, she knew the difference between reality and fantasy. Knew the end was closer.
Pushing through the people in the lobby, she ran down the hallway, following the signs to the emergency room. She searched for someone she knew, someone who would tell her everything was okay. She couldn’t let the end arrive before she had a chance to say good-bye. To say “I love you” one more time.
Tears blurred her vision as she scanned the faces of strangers. Spotting the receptionist, Cherry started for her.
“Mija.” Mama Katia’s arms wrapped around her and surrounded her with the familiar smell of cinnamon and vanilla. “She’s conscious. Your grandfather is in with her and the doctors now. They are running some tests and we must wait. Come sit with me. He knows you’re on your way, and when he has something to tell us, he will come out.”
Cherry didn’t want to sit, to wait. She needed to see her grandmother, see for herself that she was okay, to see her smile and let her know she was here for her. What if she slipped away again before Gramps came out for her, and this time she didn’t wake? She’d never know Cherry was here. Never hear Cherry say those words she needed to say, to thank her for loving her all these years when she could have walked away from the responsibility of raising another child. Her mother’s parents had. Not Kitty Ryan.
Some would have said Kitty only did what was right, or that as a grandmother it was her obligation to raise her son’s child. But not one day passed when Cherry’s grandparents made her feel like an obligation or a burden. To the contrary—they never missed a chance to tell her how much they loved her, and they backed those words with actions.
Mama Katia held Cherry’s hand, and with the other she grasped her rosary beads and prayed. The words were incoherent. Their meaning clear.
Time ticked by. With every soft whoosh of the automated doors, Cherry’s gaze shot up searching for her grandfather. Each time a stranger passed, the band around her chest tightened.
Tawny hurried into the waiting room, wrapped Cherry in a hug, and held her tight. Cherry could feel the wetness on her cheeks.
They told her what little they knew and Tawny took the chair on the other side of Cherry, holding her other hand. While part of Cherry was dying at not knowing if she’d ever see her gram’s smile again, she was comforted in knowing she wasn’t alone. Her family surrounded her. No matter what happened today, tomorrow, six months or a year from now, she’d never be without family.
She’d been so afraid for so long—obsessed, really—that she’d end up by herself and unloved, she’d never realized how crowded her life was or how many people loved her. It was like the old saying, “you can’t see the forest for the trees,” or was it the other way around. Not that it mattered; all that mattered was she knew, she understood that what she’d been searching for her whole life was right here, and with Jason it was complete.
Jason. She needed to call him, let him know she wouldn’t be over and ask him to keep Tucker for the night. Excusing herself, she stepped away for a moment to use the phone.
He picked up on the first ring. “Done already?” She could hear the smile in his voice.
“Jason, it’s my gram—” The tears caused her voice to break off, and she had to catch her breath before she could continue and fill him in.
“Tucker can stay here with Bam, he’ll be fine. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“No, don’t. We’re all sitting in the waiting room staring at the walls. I’ll call you when I know something more. Okay . . . thanks.” She hung up and went back to her seat, taking Tawny’s hand.
Once upon a time Cherry believed in a higher power, a supreme being, but the day her parents disappeared, she had stopped believing. As she sat and listened to Mama Katia’s mumbled prayers, Cherry said a few silent ones of her own. She prayed to every deity she’d ever heard of not to take her gram yet, to give her more time. Promises were made. Bargains offered.
There is no place time moves more slowly than in a hospital waiting room. Convinced praying and negotiating didn’t work Cherry devised a plot to make it past the linebacker receptionist and slip through the doors the next time they opened. If her grandfather wouldn’t come to her, she’d go to him. The soft whoosh of the doors drew her eyes. The familiar walk of her gramps had her jumping up and running into his arms. Once again she was an eight-year-old child seeking comfort from one of the two people she knew would always slay the dragons for her.
“It’s okay, Cherry Bear, she’s going to be fine. As a matter of fact, she told me I better get my arse out here and find you before you storm the gates and get yourself in trouble.” Her grandfather’s soft lilt soothed her soul.
She pulled back from his embrace to look him over. Stress lines darted out from his eyes, across his forehead, and down the sides of his mouth. His thick silver hair stood up in some places, lay flat in others, and went every direction except the norm. “What happened? Do they know why she fainted?”
Misty blue eyes stared back at her. “Not yet. They’re running some tests to try to rule things out. Her doctor is talking about keeping her overnight for observation. Right now she wants to see you. You go on back and be with her while I use the john. I’ll be back as soon as I take care of business.” His voice shook, breaking up every few words.
The linebacker buzzed her through the security door. Stepping through to the ward, she followed the directions to her gram’s room. Nurses casually stood about chatting with other hospital personal while countless machines beeped incessantly, piercing Cherry’s eardrums. How could anyone work around all this noise and the smell, dear Lord, the smell was awful. Her stomach flipped and threatened to revolt at the stench of urine, vomit, and cleaning fluids. Overpowering. Her poor gram would have to inhale that scent for the next twenty-four hours or more. It should count as cruel and inhumane treatment.
Laughter floated through the air, guiding her to her grandmother’s bed. The lady causing all the uproar leaned back in a sterile white bed with lines running here and there, monitoring all her vitals. Her finger glowed red from the machine reading her pulse. The machines beeped steadily along with another buzzing for a few seconds while it read her blood pressure before subsiding with a deep sigh.
“You look good for someone who collapsed not long ago.” And she did. Still a bit pale, yet high spots of color sat on her cheeks, and eyes that mirrored Cherry’s smiled back at her.
Her grandmother held out her hand and took Cherry’s, pulling her closer to the bed. “I’m fine. I keep telling them I forgot to eat this morning. Been busy. Spring planting and doing some work with the other wives. Time gets away from you. I need to slow down and take better care of myself, that’s all. I can do that just fine from home. You tell them, Cherry honey.”
Popping a hip on the side of the bed, Cherry prepared for battle. There was a reason the Irish had a reputation for being stubborn; Kitty Ryan proved it on a daily basis.
“Gram, the doctor is running some tests first to rule out other possible causes. I’m sure you’re right. You always are. But why take a chance? If it were Gramps in that bed, or me, there’d be no discussion, you would have already told the doctor to get cracking.”
Kitty scowled at her granddaughter. “That’s different. Neither you nor your grandfather keeps your regular appointments. I do. The doctor gave me a clean bill of health not six months ago. Running tests is a waste of money. I’m fine and I want to go home.”
Time to bring out the big guns.
“He could have missed something. Maybe whatever is wrong wasn’t far enough along to show up during your checkup. Or something new could have popped up. A lot can happen in half a year.” Cherry wiped the tear away before it could run down her face. “Don’t do the tests for you. Do them for Gramps. Do them for me because I’m a selfish person and I need to hear the doctor say you’re okay, that I’m not going to lose you yet. Because I’m not ready. So not ready. I haven’t gotten married or had kids. Oh my God. I can’t have kids without you around to help me, Gram. Who would be there to stop me from panicking every time they left the house or to stop Gramps from filling them up on sugary treats or teaching them inappropriate nursery rhymes?” Tears flooded down her face, burning her eyes, clogging her throat, and trapping the air in her lungs.
Her grandmother took her in her arms, holding her tight while she cried her fears away. “It’s all right, let it all out,” she murmured over and over until the well dried.
“I’m sorry, I got your blanket and your lovely gown wet with my tears.” Cherry half laughed her apology, not bothering to raise her head.
Kitty alternated between rubbing circles and patting her on the back in a steady rhythm. “Thank goodness it wasn’t my good silk nightie.” They let the silence fill the air, neither breaking contact nor making an attempt to move. “I miss this, you know. The days when you’d crawl up in my lap and snuggle. I’ll do the tests for you and your gramps. Lord knows if I don’t he’ll nag me to death, and I don’t want you to worry. I intend to be around for a long time to come, my dear.”
Cherry sat up, took her gram’s hands, and met her gaze. “Thank you, Gram. I want you to be around to see me as happily married as you are, and I don’t know, but I think with Jason, I might have found the one I can have that kind of love with.” Okay, so maybe it was a little white lie. Right now was not the time to tell her grandmother she’d received an offer to live in sin forever. The woman needed something to cheer her up, not give her a heart attack.
A deep crease knitted between her grandmother’s brows, something she rarely saw. Her gram released her grasp on Cherry’s hands and slumped back against the pillows. The little bits of color in her cheeks vanished and the machine monitoring her heart beeped faster.
Oh, crap, does she know?
Before Cherry could ask or do anything, a nurse came in and flipped a button. “We’re going to take her down for her MRI. Shouldn’t be too long, if you want to go grab a
bite to eat and let Mr. Ryan know for me.”
They were out the room, wheeling her down the corridor when Cherry realized she hadn’t said it. She ran out and grabbed the side of the bed, stopping the nurse. Bending over, she quickly kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “Love you.”
Standing in the hall, she watched until they passed through another set of security doors and were out of sight before she went in search of her grandfather. She’d guilt him into eating, because there was no way she could handle both of them being admitted, and then she’d corner the doctor and find out exactly what was wrong with her grandmother. She hit the release for the security doors to exit the ER ward. While she stood there waiting, lyrics from the classic song “Hotel California” ran through her head, something about never leaving once you entered. No wonder she hated hospitals.
She zeroed in on her gramps, alone in front of a giant fish tank watching the lone occupant zip around. Someone had given him coffee, which a quick glance confirmed he hadn’t touched. Cherry wrapped her arms around his still-trim middle and studied the tank with him.
“They took her down for an MRI. She said you’re to eat and I’m to make sure of it. The nurse said it’ll be a little while before she’s back. Why don’t we all go down to the cafeteria? It’s not George’s cooking, but it’s better than fast food. Come on, better do as Gram says or she’ll know.” Cherry smiled up at the giant in her life as she gave him a little nudge.
Daniel Ryan didn’t budge. He stood staring at that tank, with who knows what running through his head. She waited. Until he was ready, it was pointless. Trying to move a two-ton boulder would have been child’s play compared to forcing her grandfather to do something he wasn’t ready for. And people wondered why she was so stubborn. Good DNA, obviously.
“Did your gram say anything?” His voice was distant, as if a part of him had been lost in a faraway place.
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