Fringe Benefits

by Sandy James

  Jackie ended the call right as he dropped her bag next to her. “Thanks, Nate.” She extended the handle on her rolling suitcase. “Ready to head to the hospital?”

  “I’m too tired.” Kat frowned when Nate slung the strap of her vinyl bag over her shoulder, probably angry he was refusing to carry it. “Can’t we just go to the hotel, drop off our stuff, and get some supper?”

  “I’m going to the hospital,” Jackie said firmly. “You two can go wherever you please. You’re both adults.”

  “I’m going to the hospital, too,” Nate said. “Kat can do whatever the hell she wants. I want to see Grandpa.”

  Kat hiked the strap higher up on her shoulder. “I’m heading to the hotel.”

  Would it be cruel to say he was relieved?

  Fishing around in her purse, Jackie pulled out a folded piece of paper. “Here’s the info about the hotel reservation.” Then she turned worried eyes to Nate. “I… um… forgot to tell you. We were only able to get one room.”

  “One room?” Damn. He’d be trapped there with Kat. Sure, his mom could run interference, but Kat would be in the same room. All the time. “Mom…” He groaned and rubbed his hand over his face.

  “I’m sorry. I really am. It’s their busiest season, almost as bad as spring break. Lots of families here for school breaks. Mark said we were lucky to even get a double.”

  She was worried enough about her father. Nate’s disappointment would only add to her burden. “It’s fine. I’m sure they can bring in a rollaway for me.”

  “No. It’s a suite, so Kat and I will take the beds. There’s a foldout couch in the living space if you don’t mind that.”

  “Works for me,” he said.

  “Great,” Jackie said. “Then let’s go hail a couple of cabs.”

  While they waited, Nate fished his phone charger out of his bag. When they got to the hospital, maybe he could find a plug and charge his phone. The thing was dead from playing too many games as a way to escape any kind of conversation with Kat. “Can you put this in your purse, Mom? Then Kat can take my bag back to the hotel.”

  Jackie nodded, took the charger, and shoved it in her purse.

  “You want me to haul your stuff?” Kat sighed but nodded. “Anything to help, honey.”

  Instead of triggering her temper by rebuking her right then and there, he tried being polite. “Please. I’d appreciate it.”

  A cab pulled along the curb, and Nate helped the driver throw the luggage in the trunk. He slammed the lid as the cabbie crawled back into the driver’s seat.

  As the cab drove away, Jackie signaled for another. They got into the backseat, and with a shaky voice, she asked the cabbie to take them to the hospital, where her father’s life hung in the balance.

  Nate took her hand. “Grandpa Delgado is a tough old bird. He’ll get through this.”

  She drew her lips into a grim line. “He’s eighty-three years old. We have to remember that. Bouncing back isn’t easy at that age.” She let out a little snort. “Hell, it’s not easy at thirty-eighteen, either.”

  “You look pretty healthy to me.” He jostled her with his elbow.

  As the bright streetlights on the busy interstate passed by, she stared out the window, seemingly at nothing. “Let’s pray we get there in time.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Nate had to smile at his mother when he heard Grandpa Delgado’s scolding voice echoing down the long corridor. “I wanna go back to sleep. Leave me be, young lady.”

  The ICU had been quiet, most of the patients asleep, since it was after midnight. The glass doors were closed on each room with the exception of one farther down the hall, the one where Grandpa was admonishing whoever was in his cubicle.

  Jackie smiled back as she quickened her steps. “He sounds great considering he just had a stroke.” When she reached the end of the hall, her eyes rapidly scanned the name on the whiteboard before she swept into the room. “Hi, Dad. You sound like you’re feeling better.”

  Nate was a step behind, his grin growing when he saw his grandfather giving the poor nurse one of his penetrating frowns. “Hi, Grandpa. You had us worried. Glad to hear you’re being grouchy with the staff. Means you’re doing well.”

  “Definitely grouchy.” The nurse winked as she finished checking his vitals, which was probably why he’d been complaining. She smiled at Jackie and Nate. “I’m Carrie.”

  “I’m Jackie. His daughter.”

  “He told me you were coming.” Carrie shifted her gaze to Nate.

  “I’m his grandson. Nate.”

  She nodded. “He’s doing fine. The TPA did its job very well, and he’s lucky his wife brought him straight to the hospital. If things keep improving, we’re hoping to transfer him to a regular room tomorrow morning.” On that, she went to the small computer station just outside the room, pulling the sliding glass door closed behind her.

  “Spying on me all damn day,” Grandpa grumbled, pointing at the window of the computer station that helped the nurse keep an eye on the room.

  Carrie smiled back at him.

  “This is the intensive care unit, Dad,” Jackie said, moving to his bedside. She kissed his forehead. “They have to watch their patients closely.”

  “Don’t need intensive care.” He looked to Nate. “You gonna get fired for leaving work?”

  Grandpa Delgado. Blunt as always. “It’s a school break, Grandpa. I’m not going to get fired. I wanted to see how you were doing.” Nate would’ve given him a hug had the poor man not been hooked up to so many wires and tubes. “So how are you?”

  “Doin’ fine,” Grandpa replied. “Gave me somethin’ when I got here that busted up the clot… or whatever the hell it was making me talk wrong. Got better right after.”

  Whatever the TPA the nurse mentioned was, Nate sent up a thankful prayer that it had kept his grandfather from having a catastrophic stroke. “You sure sound fine to me, Grandpa. Wanna go get a beer?” he teased.

  “Told you, doin’ fine. Doubt the nurses would let me have a cold Bud. Sounds good right now, though. Would help me sleep. Those young girls keep coming in to check my blood pressure and such. Always wakin’ me up.”

  Jackie set her purse on the empty chair. “Where’s Mom?”

  “Sent your mother home to get some sleep.”

  After searching for an empty plug in the darkened room, Nate found plenty, but they were all red, and he wasn’t sure if that meant they were reserved for special equipment. So he gave up on recharging his phone. Once he got back to the hotel, he could catch up on any messages or calls. Besides, it was so late, the nurses and other ICU patients probably wouldn’t appreciate him doing a lot of talking.

  “I’m going to chat with the nurse for a minute,” Jackie said before letting herself out of the room.

  Grandpa fixed his wise dark eyes, so much like his daughter’s, on Nate. “Heard you went and got yourself a new lady.”

  The news had traveled fast in the Delgado clan. As usual. “I did. Her name is Dani… um… Danielle. She’s a teacher at my new school.”

  “Picked better this time, I hope.”

  “Much better.”

  In his typical fashion, Grandpa spoke his mind. “Kat might be a nice girl, but too flighty. Not like her daddy at all.”

  “No, she’s not.”

  “This Danielle solid? Smart? You need a smart woman, Nathaniel.”

  “She’s smart. Probably smarter than me.”

  Grandpa nodded. “Good. Good. Don’t let her get away, then. Not like your stepdaddy near to let my Jacqueline get away. Gotta close the deal before she changes her mind, if you know what I mean.”

  Since Nate hadn’t been there for the rocky courtship between his mom and Mark—that, and he’d been busy trying to keep his own relationship with Kat from floundering—Nate wasn’t exactly sure what his grandfather was talking about. “He almost let her get away?”

  Another nod. “She was ready to cut him loose when he didn’t call her for a
couple of weeks. Dragged his feet too long, gave her too much time to think.”

  “Oh, you mean after their first dates, right?”

  “Yep. Was wrestlin’ his conscience, thinkin’ he was being disrespectful to his dead wife or some other nonsense. Gave my Jacqueline time to worry, and you know my girl. Can worry up a storm.” He laid his hand over Nate’s where it rested on the bedrail. “Take my advice, Nathaniel. Don’t give your girl time to think too hard. Gets smart women like your mother into mischief. And I imagine she’s a lot like Jacqueline.”

  The advice had set Nate’s stomach plummeting to his feet. The man was right; Dani was exactly like his mother. She overanalyzed absolutely everything.

  But what could he do to, as his grandfather said, close the deal? “It’s not like I can ask her to marry me, Grandpa.”

  “Why the hell not?” Grandpa Delgado flashed Nate a wicked grin. “That’s what I did with your grandma. Swept her off her feet and dragged her to a justice of the peace. It was all over and done with before she could do anythin’ about it. I’m thinkin’ you should make history repeat itself before you lose her.”

  * * *

  Tired of worrying, Dani plucked her cell phone off the nightstand. It was silly to agonize so much, but no matter how hard she tried to get to sleep, she couldn’t stop fretting about Nate and all the hurt he might be going through.

  He hadn’t texted when he got to Orlando, but she didn’t want to be the needy girlfriend who kept him on a short leash. He’d check in when he could. Her fervent wish was that his grandfather was doing very well and that Nate had simply been too busy being with his family to let her know he’d had a safe flight and that things hadn’t been nearly as dire as they’d feared.

  The jealousy over Kat niggled at Dani’s confidence. Kat had obviously known exactly how much Dani would worry when she’d said she was going to try to win Nate back. But that didn’t make this worry over what Nate was doing Kat’s fault. All Dani had to do was trust him to call her when he could and push aside the negative thoughts Kat had planted. The problem was that Kat had found fertile ground in Dani’s insecurity about Nate, and once Kat had promised to move heaven and earth to reclaim him, Dani allowed her fear to rule her thoughts and her actions.

  Holding tight to her phone, she argued with herself. She shouldn’t call the hotel where Nate would be staying. It was almost two in the morning. He was probably exhausted from the trip and seeing his grandfather and was sound asleep by now. After such a long, draining day, he needed his rest not to be disturbed by his unhinged girlfriend.

  But she needed to hear his voice.

  She called, the whole time reassuring herself that he’d understand. He loved her. He’d know she wanted to talk to him before she could sleep.

  “Orlando’s Family Resort,” a cheerful male voice answered. “May I help you?”

  “Could you please ring me through to Nate Ryan’s room?”

  The click of keys being hit filtered through the earpiece. “I’m afraid there’s no Nate Ryan currently registered here.”

  “Oh… um… is there a Jackie Brennan? That’s his mom. He might be sharing a room with her.”

  “That might be likely, ma’am,” the man said. “We’re full up tonight. Let me check.” More clicks. “There is a Jackie Brennan registered with two guests.”

  “Two guests? So she and Nate are sharing a room?”

  “No, ma’am. I mean, yes, ma’am, but there are three total guests registered in that suite. Ms. Brennan and two more.”

  Her heart started pounding so hard, Dani could barely hear from the echo in her ears. “Three? There are three people in the room?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  Refusing to let her imagination run amok, Dani guessed Mark had traveled with them. Nate had said he wasn’t going, but he must have changed his mind and decided to be there for Jackie. “Please connect me to that room.”

  “I’m sorry, but our policy is that we don’t ring through to rooms after ten. I can take a message or connect you to voice mail for those guests.”

  She’d already left at least five messages on Nate’s voice mail and a slew of texts. “I really need to talk to him now.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. If you leave a voice mail, there’s a red light on the room’s phone that will illuminate. If they’re awake, the guests are likely to see it right away. Then perhaps they’ll call you back.”

  “Fine,” Dani snapped. Then she was immediately contrite. None of this was the poor receptionist’s fault. “I’m sorry. I’m just worried.”

  “Would you like the room’s voice mail?”

  “Yes, please.”

  “Thank you for your patience, ma’am. Wait for the tone, then leave your message.”

  The beep was so quick she didn’t even have time to figure out exactly what she wanted to say. “Um… hi. Nate, it’s Dani. I’m sorry to bug you. I was just… worried. Hope your grandpa is doing okay. Please let me know you got to Orlando safely and if there’s anything I can do. I could try to catch a flight down there tomorrow.” She almost hung up before she added, “Hope you and your mom and Mark find time to get some rest. Good night.”

  Dani put her phone on the nightstand and punched her pillow, angry that she’d given in to the immature need to call. Nate would never believe she trusted him if she spent so much time checking up on what he was doing whenever he left her alone. She lay down, hoping she could finally get some sleep. At least they’d arrived in one piece since they’d claimed their hotel room.

  Her thoughts had just begun to scatter into the void of sleep when her phone rang. Although she didn’t recognize the number, the area code was the same as the hotel. She answered, wondering if Nate’s older-than-dirt cell phone had finally given up the ghost and forced him to use the motel’s phone. “Nate?”

  “No, it’s Kat.”

  “Kat?”

  Son of a fucking bitch.

  Dani’s stomach flipped, and she hoped she could make it through this awkward conversation before she had to sprint to the bathroom to throw up. “What are you doing there?”

  “Nate asked me to come. He’s really worried about his grandpa.”

  “Let me talk to him,” Dani demanded, trying hard to hold tight to her rising temper.

  “He’s still at the hospital with his mom.” Kat’s voice dripped with fake concern. “I hope they got to see the poor man before… well, you know. Can I give him a message?” She had to be loving this, probably reveling in the hurt she knew she’d inflicted when she’d called Dani back.

  “So you listened to his voice mail message?” Dani couldn’t keep the sneer out of her voice. “And then you figured you would be the person who should call me back?”

  “You don’t need to sound so bitchy. I was just trying to be nice. Nate might not even be back here tonight, and I thought you’d be worried. I would’ve been. I mean, he’s your boyfriend and he hasn’t even found a moment to text you to let you know what was happening. That seemed a bit… cruel to me.”

  Cruel? Kat knew damn well that Nate might have a valid reason for not calling or texting. The cruelty was her going to Orlando with him and having the audacity to return Dani’s call.

  “Why are you really there, Kat? Nate is with me now. Why can’t you leave him alone?”

  “You know why. I love him. He loves me, too.”

  “So you’re gonna keep throwing yourself at a guy who doesn’t want you?”

  “He sure acted like he wanted me when he kissed me. I’ll bet he didn’t tell you that, did he?”

  Swallowing her hurt to try to keep what little pride she still had intact, Dani chose her words carefully. “Please tell him to call me when he can and that I’m praying for his grandfather.” She ended the call before Kat had a chance to inflict any new wounds.

  Despite the urge to throw her cell against the wall to watch it break into a thousand pieces, she set it down. Destroying her phone might help vent her anger, but it wouldn�
�t fix a damn thing. Kat was doing exactly what she’d promised: she was driving a wedge between Dani and Nate.

  Had he really kissed Kat?

  No. Dani didn’t believe it. Nate was all about honesty. He would have told her.

  Wouldn’t he?

  If Dani trusted Nate, none of this would be bothering her. None of it. She should let Kat’s machinations roll right off her back, comforted by the thought that Nate would never betray her.

  She wanted to call Beth and cry on her shoulder, but there was no way she’d wake her up this late. After breakfast, she’d get herself together, drive over to the Ashfords’, and see if Beth could talk Dani out of confronting Nate over Kat being in Orlando.

  And over the kiss he’d kept secret from her.

  Maybe her best friend could talk some sense—and some trust—into her.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “You what?” Nate couldn’t stop shouting at Kat, but he didn’t give a fat fucking wildebeest whether he woke up everyone in the whole hotel. He was too angry to think about anything except the damage Kat had inflicted on his relationship with Dani. “Why? Why in the hell would you do that?”

  “Kat…” Jackie shook her head. “Even for you, that was low.”

  Folding her arms under her breasts, Kat frowned at her stepmother. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You know I love you,” Jackie said. “But over the years, I’ve seen you pull some dirty tricks to get what you want. Don’t you shake your head at me, young lady. You know damn well you’re the queen of subterfuge.”

  “I’m not that bad.”

  “Yes, you are. And I know exactly what you’re trying to do to Nate and Dani,” Jackie replied. “I heard the little ‘talk’ you had with her back in Indianapolis, and I think it’s time for you to put on your big girl panties and grow the hell up.”

  “What talk?” Nate shifted his gaze from his ex to his mother.

  Jackie inclined her head at Kat. “She tried to scare Dani off so she’d have a clear path to you. I set Dani straight, though. Told her you and Kat were old news.”

  “We’re not old news!” Now Kat was shouting, too. “I love you, Nate. I’m just doing what’s necessary to be with the man I love, the man I want to make a family with. All’s fair in love and war.”