“Well, I can’t say that I’m really surprised,” Ellie told the specialist. “Miss Joan can play really hard to get when she wants to.”
“What are you doing, standing outside, Ellie?” Tina Davenport asked, coming to the door and standing beside her husband’s guest. “Come in, come in,” she invited, pushing the front door further open for Ellie and gesturing for her to come in.
“Dan said he’d be here shortly. He’s running late. Big surprise there, right?” Tina asked with an infectious laugh. She had been a doctor’s wife now long enough to take it all in stride without blinking an eye. Tina glanced at her watch. “He did say that if he’s not here within fifteen minutes, we should go ahead and start dinner without him.”
That didn’t seem quite right to Neil. The whole idea of his coming out was to visit with Dan, as well as to help him out with his contrary patient. “Oh no, I can wait,” Neil assured his hostess.
“So can I,” Ellie said, adding her voice to the doctor’s.
“Well, you two might be able to wait,” Tina told her dinner guests, “but if I don’t feed them,” she nodded toward the children who seemed to have just appeared in the room. I could be accused of trying to starve my children.”
Tina ruffled her oldest son’s hair. The boy wrinkled his nose and, in typical teen fashion, pulled his head back.
“They look pretty healthy and well-fed to me,” Neil said, winking at Tina’s daughter.
“That’s because they can periodically consume their weight in food like hungry little shrews,” Tina told her guest. “Good thing they run around as much as they do and wind up burning it off.”
Suddenly, her five-year-old perked up, cocking her head to one side and listening. And then she grinned from ear to ear. “Daddy!” the little girl happily cried as she ran from the living room all the way to the front door.
“Jeannie, you know what Daddy and I said about you running to the front door!” Tina warned as she quickly went after her daughter.
“You said don’t!” Jeannie answered her mother dutifully.
“Sit, I’ll go get her,” Neil volunteered, on his feet and pursuing his friend’s youngest before she could make it to the door.
Because his legs were so long, he was able to catch up to the little girl quickly.
Tina’s eyes met Ellie’s as she smiled. “I like him,” she confided, lowering her voice so that it wouldn’t carry any further than just between the two of them.
Ellie tactfully made no comment. She merely smiled in response.
The next moment, there was no need for a reply. Dan’s big, booming voice was heard greeting each of his three children. He walked into the living room carrying his youngest in his arms while his middle son had his arms wrapped around his father’s leg, apparently hitching a short ride back into the living room.
“And there’s my lovely, long-suffering wife,” Dan said, setting his daughter down. His son uncurled his body from around his leg while Neil stood back and observed it all. He envied his friend.
“Hi, honey,” Dan said, pausing to brush a quick, affectionate kiss on Tina’s cheek. “Sorry I’m late,” he apologized. His glance swept over his friend, and his guest, as well, the apology meant for all of them. “It just couldn’t—”
“—be helped,” Tina concluded with a patient, weary smile. “Yes, dear, I know.” She glanced toward Neil and Ellie. “That’s what he says almost every night,” she told them as she walked out of the room. “Dinner will be on the table in five minutes.”
“Maybe I should go help her,” Ellie said to Dan as she started to follow Tina into the kitchen.
“Don’t you dare,” Tina called out. “From what I hear, you work hard enough. Consider this your break.”
Dan smiled, his eyes meeting Ellie’s. “I’d listen to her if I were you. Tina’s one tough little cookie when she wants to be. She likes doing things her way.” He chuckled. “I think that comes from having spent some time under Miss Joan’s wing when she first came here and settled in Forever,” Dan confided to Neil.
Neil shook his head. “This Miss Joan must really be something else,” he commented. “I’m really looking forward to finally meeting her.”
Hearing him, Ellie laughed in response.
“What’s so funny?”
“Nothing,” she answered. “Just be careful what you wish for,” Ellie told him. She saw Neil’s brow rise in a silent question. “Don’t get me wrong. Miss Joan is a generous soul, but getting her to see reason can prove to be a very frustrating thing. ‘Obedience’ isn’t a word that’s part of her vocabulary—at least not when it’s applied to herself,” she told Dr. Dan’s friend.
Neil looked at Dan for verification. “She’s not wrong, you know,” Dan assured him.
“Come, sit,” Tina urged. “Before everything gets all cold.”
Neil followed Tina into the dining room. The others came behind him. “But she did say that she was willing to see me, right?” he asked Dan.
“What she said,” Dan told his friend honestly, having his youngest in tow as he went into the dining room, “was that she ‘might’ be willing to see a specialist if he came to Forever to see her.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” Neil asked. “Is she going to have to be hog-tied before I can conduct any tests on the woman?”
“So you have met Miss Joan,” Ellie pretended to conclude.
The expression on Neil’s face was a cross between confusion and concern. “Are you serious?”
“Ellie is just trying to lighten the moment,” Tina explained, giving the pilot a warning look. “Miss Joan isn’t that bad. I think her problem is that she just doesn’t want to be thought of as being mortal—like the rest of us.”
“Personally,” Dan interjected, “I think Miss Joan is just afraid that something might be wrong and if she submits to these tests, then that fear might be confirmed. If she avoids having the tests, then her fear won’t be confirmed.”
“But that doesn’t change anything,” Neil said. “She’s just avoiding finding out the truth.”
“Treating the woman is going to require patience and understanding—in other words, your lightest touch.” Dan nodded. “All right, enough shoptalk,” he told the others, rising at the table. He wanted to be in a better position to cut the roast Tina had prepared. “Here, let me cut a piece for you. You’ll find that Tina makes a really mean roast and you’re going to need some decent red meat to help you face up to dealing with Miss Joan.”
“Okay, now you’re just exaggerating,” Neil said, waving away Dan’s prediction. “But I do have a huge weakness for roast beef. It has to be my favorite meal.”
“I know,” Tina told her guest. She glanced toward her husband. “Dan told me. That’s why I made a roast—to celebrate your first visit to Forever.”
Neil inclined his head. “I do appreciate that. And the fact that you made mashed potatoes and gravy, as well,” he noted, looking at what Tina had set out on the table.
There were a number of bowls, all containing different vegetables that, by the looks of them, had been freshly picked from Tina’s garden. In his estimation, Dan was truly a lucky man. His ex-fiancée had never once even attempted to cook for him. The closest Judith had ever come was to order takeout. At the time, he had thought nothing of it, but now he felt that home cooking was a way of displaying affection.
“Tina, everything looks delicious,” Neil told his hostess.
“Wait until you taste it,” Dan said with pride.
“I can’t wait,” Neil replied.
“Thank you. I had help.” Tina smiled at their guest.
“And by help, she means the kids,” Dan told Neil. “I’m afraid that by the time my day is over, all I have the energy for is walking in the door and taking off my shoes.” He grinned, adding, “Sometimes not even taking off my shoes.”
A faraway smile curved Dan’s lips as he nodded at something that sounded like it came from a hundred years ago, or at least another lifetime. “I do.”
“Ever wish you had followed through on that?” Neil asked, curious.
To Neil’s surprise, Dan never hesitated. He just shook his head. “No. Treating people’s imaginary illnesses wouldn’t have been nearly as satisfying as the kind of medicine I’m practicing these days. Granted, a lot less hectic. But it definitely wouldn’t have been as satisfying,” Dan confided.
“You’re serious?” Neil looked directly at Dan. “No regrets?” he asked, studying his friend more closely. “None whatsoever?”
“No,” Dan said. “None. My only regret is that there aren’t somehow more hours in the day.”
“Well, you could achieve that, in a way, by having another doctor working with you at the clinic. I mean, besides Dr. Alisha,” Ellie specified, referring to the ob-gyn who had begun working there a few years ago.
Dan chuckled. “I can just see how that ad would read. ‘Want to work long hours for very little monetary pay? Compensation would be made in the form of an incredible feeling of well-being and a sense of contribution.’” His eyes met Neil’s. “I really don’t think that would entice too many people to relocate to Forever.” Dan laughed to himself as he thought of his recent communication with Neil. “The only reason I got you to agree to come out here to see Miss Joan was that you felt you needed a change. Now that you’re here, you’re probably rethinking your decision on the matter.”
Neil lifted a shoulder in an evasive half shrug. “Well, we’ll see how this all works out,” Neil said without committing himself to the situation one way or another. Feeling that the conversation needed a change of pace, he turned his attention to Dan’s wife. “The roast beef is really excellent.”
“Thank you,” Tina replied. “I actually learned how to cook while working at Miss Joan’s Diner.”
“You worked at Miss Joan’s Diner?” Neil asked, surprised.
“I think, at one point or another, most of the young women in town had some sort of a job working at her diner,” Tina told him.
Neil looked at Ellie. “But you didn’t, right?”
“Actually, I did work there a couple of summers when I was a sophomore and a junior in high school. Pop thought it would be good for me to earn some extra money doing something outside of the family ranch.”
Neil rolled the information over in his head. “Your father sounds like a pretty understanding man.”
“‘Pop’ is my grandfather, not my father,” Ellie corrected. “But you were right about the other part. He’s very understanding.”
“Maybe he can talk to this Miss Joan and get her to go along with having those tests done,” Neil suggested. And as he said that, another thought occurred to him. “What if it turns out that Miss Joan is going to need surgery? Even a simple procedure,” he pointed out. “What then?”
Dan didn’t want to worry about that yet, although he was fairly certain that was going to wind up being the case. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” he told his friend.
Neil looked at Dan. “Are you sure we’ll be able to?”
“Am I sure?” Dan repeated. “No. Hopeful, yes. You know, I’ve found that a lot of things that have transpired here in Forever depended entirely on faith. Worrying about how things might turn out too soon never does anyone any good—least of all, me. I’ve found that I’m at my best when I’m in a positive frame of mind.”
Personally, Neil thought, he couldn’t operate that way. Obviously, Dan not only operated that way, he seemed to thrive on it. He definitely seemed to be happy about the way his life was going. A great deal happier than Neil was. In a way, he envied Dan.
* * *
Tina and Dan made a point to urge Ellie to take Neil outside while they cleared away the dishes and washed them. When Ellie protested that she wanted to help and that it should be Dan who went outside with Neil, the doctor countered her objection.
“This is only a two-person job,” Dan said. “Four people will only manage to get in each other’s way. Take him outside,” Dan instructed Ellie then turned toward Neil. “Go outside and see what it feels like to breathe in some totally decent night air. Ellie, I’m handing him over to you.”
Ellie inclined her head and promised agreeably, “I’ll try not to lose him. C’mon, this way,” she urged the cardiologist.
It took only a few seconds outside of Dan and Tina’s house for it to hit Neil. “Wow, it’s incredibly dark out here at night.”
“I guess this is a far cry from ‘the city that never sleeps’ for you, right?” Ellie speculated. “There really aren’t any lights out here. Once the sun goes down, that’s it.”
“I never really thought about that,” he admitted.
“You have to be really careful out here,” she warned him. “One misstep and you can wind up twisting your ankle.”
“Maybe I should have brought a flashlight with me—if I had thought to pack a flashlight,” he added. When he had agreed to the visit, he hadn’t really thought about what he might be getting himself into.
“That’s all right, don’t worry about it,” Ellie assured him. “I’ve gotten pretty good about being able to see in the dark.”
“You’re a bat?” Neil asked, amused.
She took his question in stride. “You learn how to compensate. And you also learn how to take very small, measured steps,” she added with a grin that Neil was able to hear in her voice rather than actually be able to see.
The next thing Neil knew, she was reaching for his hand. It was a pleasant surprise; one that actually caught him off guard.
She seemed to sense his surprise because she told him, “I’m not getting fresh, Doc. I just don’t want to be the one responsible for getting Dr. Dan’s friend hurt,” she explained good-naturedly.
The simple act of holding her hand like this created a pleasant, warm sensation within Neil that had him totally flummoxed. Slightly embarrassed, he thought he needed to offer some sort of protest. “I’m not that much of a klutz.”
Neil had no sooner said the words than Ellie felt a tug on her hand as he came close to tripping over the root of a tree. He would have fallen if she hadn’t gripped his hand really hard to keep him upright and on his feet instead of letting him land spread eagle on the ground.
To keep him upright, Ellie instinctively yanked him toward her. Unprepared, Neil found himself falling into her, their bodies colliding against one another and fitting surprisingly well.
It was hard to say who was the more surprised by what had happened, and which of them ultimately wound up enjoying it more.
Or what happened next.
Chapter Nine
One moment, Neil was vainly trying not to embarrass himself by tripping in front of the sexy pilot. The next moment, before he actually realized what was happening, he and said sexy pilot were sharing a kiss. “Sharing it” because it was hard to say who kissed whom first—or if there was an instigator responsible for initiating the first move or if this explosive kiss just happened by spontaneous combustion.
However it came to pass, both participants silently agreed that it was more than just an unexpected, exceedingly pleasant surprise.
It was something akin to the first discovery of fire.
At least, Neil felt that way.
When their lips parted and Neil drew his head back, he wasn’t even aware that he was grinning from ear to ear—but he was.
“Well, that was certainly unexpected,” he murmured when he was finally able to form words.
Ellie’s heart was hammering so hard, its beat was practically the only thing she w
as aware of for several moments. “You’ll find that most things that happen in Forever generally are,” she told him.
They hadn’t even known each other for the span of a day. This wasn’t his usually mode of operation and he hardly recognized himself.
“Was I taking advantage of the situation?” he asked Ellie uncertainly.
“Only if you pretended to trip,” Ellie told him with a smile.
“No. I hate to admit it, but I really did trip,” he admitted, glancing up at the sky. No one ever enjoyed being thought of as a klutz.
“Then, no, you weren’t taking advantage of the situation,” she said. It surprised her—and also touched her—that he would even think of apologizing.
The sky above was studded with an amazing patchwork of stars. It seemed like the perfect night for two people to get to know one another better, he couldn’t help thinking as he looked back at Ellie. “What if I kissed you again?”
“That might be viewed as taking advantage of the situation,” she told him.
“Then you think that I should trip again first?” Neil asked innocently.
“I think we should be getting back to the house before Dr. Dan and Tina come looking for us and find us sharing more than just an innocent evening stroll.” She had no sooner said that than Ellie thought she heard the front door open and Tina calling out to them.
“Ellie, Neil, did you two get lost out here?” Tina asked.
Ellie exchanged looks with Neil. “Speak of the devil,” she said to her companion in a low voice, amusement evident in her tone.
Neil raised his voice to answer Tina. “No, we’re out here. I’m just noticing how dark everything gets once the sun goes down.”
“Quite a culture shock after the bright lights of Broadway,” Dan admitted, coming out to join his wife. He slipped his arms affectionately around her waist and pulled her to him.
The next moment, Jeannie burst from the house to join her parents. “Are we playing a game out here?” she asked, eyes wide and hopeful. She was quickly followed by her older brothers. Both seemed just a little more subdued in their comments as they joined the adults.
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