“I doubt that was a compliment about the food,” Sean said dryly, setting the laughter off again.
Noelle was sure all of them had lost their minds. She wondered if it was because they felt the same comfortable peace she did. Never had she been more at ease around anyone. She needed to pinch herself. It all seemed too good to be true.
“Penny for your thoughts,” Sean said.
“I was thinking about what a fun day we have in store.” She winked at Raine. The little girl’s eyes grew big, and a smile swept over her face. She got down from her chair and hopped onto Noelle’s lap.
In a whisper loud enough to be heard across the table, Raine shielded her mouth and whispered into Noelle’s ear. “Can we buy something nice for Daddy? For taking us on this trip?”
“I think that is a great idea,” Noelle whispered back.
“Okay, you two.” He shook his finger at them. “What are you up to? There will be no secrets from the daddy.”
Raine hunched her shoulders and put her hands palm up in front of her. “What?”
“I’ll never tell.” Noelle shook her head.
“Okay, young lady,” Sean said. “If you’re done with your breakfast, scoot and brush your teeth. And floss. When was the last time we flossed your teeth?”
“Don’t you remember, Daddy? You did last night.”
“Oh yeah, I guess I did, didn’t I? Well, let’s do it again this morning.”
She was off, skipping and humming.
He looked across the table at her. Nothing needed to be said.
“Last night was terrific,” he whispered and reached across the table for her. As their hands touched, the electricity tingled. His warm, strong hands made her more certain she was exactly where she wanted to be.
****
The morning passed quickly. Much of it was spent shopping in toy and doll stores that the city was famous for. After checking in with her office and speaking with Connie for a short while, Noelle excused herself near FAO Swartz, claiming business to take care of. He used the time for a quick call to Derek.
“Hey buddy,” Derek answered. “I was thinking about calling you. I spoke to your editor, and she’s asking a lot of questions. The whole publishing house watched Raine’s interview and are excited about the publicity it brought. She thought this might be a good time to think about another story.”
“Well, as a matter of fact, I have been toying with an idea. Don’t be setting up any book signings yet, buddy. I need to get back to writing at my own pace. I don’t need anyone pushing me, okay?”
“Of course. You know me better than that. But I think it’s great you’re considering it. Buddy, I have to say you sound so much different today from the last time we spoke. The Big Apple must be good for you.”
“It’s been a great trip,” he said as he and Raine arrived at the American Doll beauty salon. “Look, I’ll call you later, we have to see about a perm for Raine’s new doll. I would let you talk to her, but she’s struck up a conversation with one of the beauty technicians. Neither looks like they want to be interrupted. Serious stuff.”
“Not to worry, I’ll catch her later. You guys enjoy your trip, and we’ll talk when you get back to Ono. Oh, by the way, your book sales have skyrocketed since your appearance. Go figure, never seen that happen before on books that were released so long ago.”
Sean ignored the good news. Something else was on his mind that he needed to run by his friend.
“Derek,” he said, lowering his voice and taking advantage of being out of hearing distance of anyone. “I want to tell you something.”
“I’m all ears, buddy. What’s up?”
“Sometimes, lately, I can’t remember her face.” His friend remained quiet. “And you want to know the strange part?”
“What’s that, my friend?”
“That doesn’t bother me a lot. Should it?”
“Not at all, big guy,” Derek said softly. “You deserve to be happy, Sean. Don’t question that. Just go with it.”
Sean ended the call. Noelle returned with some sort of secret package she held close for the rest of the day. She caught up with Raine as the technician strapped her doll into the chair to begin her treatment.
“We have to hurry, Miss Lucy,” Raine explained. “I’m having lunch with her, Daddy, and Miss Noelle in a little while. Can you make my dolly real pretty for that?”
“Of course I can,” answered Lucy. “Let’s start with some makeup, shall we?”
It was hard to determine which lady was having more fun, the little one or the doctor.
Sean and Noelle agreed to stay another night. The producer from Global had extended the invitation, and neither could think of any reason to refuse. Congress would have to wait. The episode with the senator had clouded the viability of that leg of the trip anyway. This helped to make the rest of the day seem less hurried. Most of the afternoon was spent shopping. Later, they took a tour on the Hudson River. The view of the city’s skyline exceeded Sean’s wildest expectations.
“How are you doing?”
He turned to Noelle and smiled. “Couldn’t be better.”
They reached the dock, and on the way to dinner, he thought about what a perfect day it had been.
The entire day Raine was between them, holding hands with both him and Noelle. Without warning she took Noelle’s hand and placed it in his. She looked up at him, then at Noelle, and smiled. She then lifted her arms toward him, making sure when he picked her up, he didn’t let loose of Noelle’s hand.
Sean heard the ring tone as they arrived at the restaurant. At first, he thought it was his own cell phone, but soon Noelle pulled hers from her purse.
“Hello?”
He watched her expression change while she listened, and he knew something was wrong.
****
“I’m so sorry.” Noelle was upset as she packed her bags. Sean and Raine sat on her bed, both with somber expressions. “I’m so sorry I made us rush through dinner. If Connie hadn’t booked me on the late flight, it would be midday tomorrow before I could get out of the city.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Sean touched her shoulder. “I’m glad she was able to get you back home before midnight.”
“Why do you have to go, Miss Noelle?” Raine’s expression of sadness said it all.
Noelle paused for a moment and sat next to her. “Honey, I’m sorry.” She couldn’t keep her voice steady. “Sweetie, I have another patient who needs me right now.”
Raine’s head drooped. “Miss Noelle, I have to go potty. You won’t leave before I get back, will you?”
“Of course not, honey.” Noelle smiled. “I’ll be right here when you get back.”
When Raine closed the bathroom door, Sean moved closer. “I know you have to go, but first, there’s something I want to say.” He reached for her hand. “I’ve been thinking about holding you all day. Just holding you. I couldn’t wait to get you alone again, to kiss you.”
Noelle’s pulse quickened. He had said this with such urgent sincerity, it made her heart melt. No one had touched her with words as much as he had. There was sadness in his voice. She kissed him gently on the lips.
“I don’t want to go, either,” she said quietly. “I have been looking forward to tonight all day long. But I have to go.”
“I know, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad about having to leave.” He tightened his grip on her hand. “Tell me about your patient—as much as you can, I mean.”
“She just turned fifteen.” Noelle fought to control her voice. “I’ve been seeing her for a short time, but we were beginning to make progress. And now the overdose. She’s been admitted to Children’s Heart Hospital in Pensacola. For the most part, she’s physically okay. But she is mentally and emotionally fragile. She’s asked for me, and I have to go to her.”
“I completely understand. And I’m sorry if we have monopolized you so much lately.”
“No, no,” she replied. “She may well have decided t
o take her life in any case, with or without me there. I gave her my cell phone number before I left and made her promise—” She lost her voice again in spite of efforts to remain in control of it. He put his arm around her and drew her closer.
The door to the bathroom opened, and Sean moved away as Raine entered the room, her lower lip still protruding.
Within minutes, a bellboy would be arriving for Noelle’s luggage. It was time for saying goodbye, and she couldn’t shake the emptiness this brought her. It was hard to tell who was taking her leaving harder. The door chime rang out.
“Can we have a hug?” Raine reached out for Noelle. When she picked her up, Raine looked to her daddy. “You too, Daddy?”
Sean gladly obliged.
Sean answered the door and the bellboy stepped inside. Noelle looked toward Raine and nodded. The child’s eyes lit up, and she darted from the room, across the suite to her own room.
“Where is she going?” he asked.
“You’ll see.” Noelle was more excited than she thought she would be. “We’ve gotten you something to say thanks for treating us girls to such a great time.”
He gave her a sly look as the little girl returned with a small wrapped gift.
“Here, Daddy.” She handed the box to Sean.
“What—”
“Just open it.” Noelle folded her hands nervously. “We thought you might need this.”
He smiled and tore the wrapping away. When he opened the box, the smile was replaced by an awkward look, one Noelle wasn’t prepared for and couldn’t label.
He seemed to rebound quickly but gave only a weak smile. “It’s very nice,” he said and gave hugs, first to Raine and then to Noelle. The bellboy cleared his throat, and Sean moved in that direction. “You’d better go.”
Noelle swallowed a disappointed sigh. The gift to which she had given so much thought had not been well received.
The ride to Kennedy seemed endless. Noelle thought long and hard about Sean’s reaction to the gift she thought he would have loved to receive. Yet he had seemed uneasy, even shocked when he opened it. It wasn’t the cost; she had thought it appropriate for an author. An engraved gold pen for book signings seemed to be the perfect gift. Yet she might as well have given him a poisonous snake, judging from his reaction. Why had he reacted as he had? Had Patty given him a similar gift?
She wiped away a tear, sitting in the back of the cab. She had never felt so confused. It wasn’t only his reaction to the gift, even though that contributed to the horrible send-off. She wanted to leave them on a high note, and yet the whole gift presentation was one huge downer. Not the fairy-tale ending she had imagined, given the last couple of wonderful days. It had done little to instill the trust she had worked so hard to build.
What was she thinking, falling so fast and so hard for someone whom she barely knew? What made her think she could trust this man? And what made her think she could compete with his past and his hidden agendas?
She was such a fool. What was he keeping from her? There were things she might never know about him. She had to step back and put things in perspective. This had gotten way out of control.
Yet, with every mile that separated them, an emptiness invaded her. She rubbed her arms against a sudden chill.
Dr. Noelle Victor, the island. She had always prided herself in being a strong and independent woman who knew exactly what she wanted out of life. Prior to meeting Sean, that desire had been to continue gaining prominence in her profession and to simply be the best of the best at what she did. How had she lost sight of that?
She had to get a grip and come down from the pedestal Sean had lifted her to. There were other patients. She had a life and a profession she couldn’t turn her back on. Many others depended on her. There were eight people on her staff for whom she signed paychecks each week. If nothing else, they needed her to stay focused. There were some eighty or so children and adolescents who needed her. She couldn’t just walk away from them, yet she would probably do it if he asked.
There was no doubt he cared for her. Yet she had seen the way other women looked at him, the way he turned so many heads. What did she have that other women didn’t? Truth be told, probably nothing. Was he an “out of sight, out of mind” person? Or was he the “absence makes the heart grow fonder” type? She knew so little about him, yet she could describe some of his attributes in erotic detail. She had fanatisized about having a future with this man, even having more children with him. But there was more to Sean Sampson than he was showing. That scared her.
She shook her head and turned to see the city grow smaller behind her. In a few hours, she would be back in Pensacola at the hospital with her troubled patient. The taxi pulled up to the curbside at the airport. She took money from her purse and stepped out as the driver opened the door.
Time to get back to the real world. Time to put a stop to all the confusion. She reached the line at the ticket counter. Her cell phone chimed, and she looked at the text displayed on the face of her phone.
It was from Sean.—I miss you already.—
Why did he have to go and make it harder for her to walk away? Without hesitation she responded.
—Miss U 2.—
****
Sean smiled when he received the reply. Knowing she missed him as much as he missed her would make the hours pass more quickly until the next time they were together. He resolved to make the best of the day and give his undivided attention to Raine. She had been such a trooper throughout all that had transpired. During the one-on-one time, he would find a way to delve deeper into the episode with the senator.
He made his way to Raine’s bathroom to make sure she had brushed her teeth as instructed. He glanced at his watch. It was still early. He knelt beside where she stood on a stool at the sink and shook his head.
“What is it, Daddy?” She had a concerned look on her face. “Did I not brush good?”
“You did fine, sweetie. I’m sorry you’ll have to do it all over again later.”
“Huh?”
“Well, you can’t go to bed with all those sugar bugs in your mouth.”
“Are you teasing me, Daddy?”
“No, not at all.” He took her in his arms. “It’s just you should always brush your teeth after ice cream.”
Her eyes grew wide. “We’re going to get ice cream? At night?”
“Well, I would hope we could find some somewhere in this big city.”
“Yippee!” She dragged him all the way to the hotel door. Sean checked his pocket for his wallet and opened the door. Two men in suits approached from down the hall. Sean closed the door behind them and turned toward the elevator.
“Mr. Sampson?” One of the men called out.
Now what?
He stood silently as they approached. Raine moved behind him and held onto his pant leg.
More badges. The other man spoke.
“Mr. Sampson, we’re from the National Security Agency. You and your daughter will have to come with us.”
“Like hell,” Sean said. Raine tightened her grip.
“Mr. Sampson, this is not a request,” the first man said.
Sean had no options. Little eyes and ears were watching and listening. Resisting would only make matters worse. He took a deep breath and patted his daughter’s shoulder. He looked at first one, then the other of the men.
“Gentlemen, can you give us a second?”
The agents glanced at each other, and one looked at his watch.
“Two minutes,” the agent said and folded his hands over the front of his suit. When he didn’t move, Sean felt the heat rising on the back of his neck.
“I’d like to talk to my daughter alone.”
The agents backed away slowly. Neither seemed quite sure what to do next.
“Can you guys wait for us at the elevator?”
They complied. It was only steps away from where he and Raine stood, but it would give him at least a small measure of privacy. When they were gone, he
knelt in front of Raine.
“Sweetie, Daddy wants more than ever to have some ice cream, then pile up on the couch and watch a movie, you know, like we always do at home?”
She stood attentively, frozen before him, and nodded her head. “It’s okay, Daddy. I know we have to go with them. I had my heart set on some ice cream, though.”
Sean drew her near and hugged her. He whispered in her ear, “I think maybe I can talk these guys into a compromise.”
He stood and took hold of her hand.
“Okay, guys,” he said, lowering his voice. “I’ll make a deal with you. We’ll come with you, no problems. But wherever it is we’re going will have to wait until we find some ice cream. Gentlemen, I’m sure you will agree that a promise is a promise. And I promised this little girl some ice cream. Do you have an issue with that?”
The agents looked at each other. One smiled and turned to Sean. “I think we can accommodate your request, Mr. Sampson. I happen to know a great little ice cream shop a block or so from here. We’ll be happy to call ahead and inform our plane of the delay.”
“And where might this plane be going, gentlemen?”
“Washington, D.C.”
“Why does that not surprise me?” He reached behind him and lifted Raine into his arms. “Sweetie, looks like we get to visit the Capitol after all.”
One look in her eyes told him she wasn’t as excited about it as she once had been.
Chapter Fourteen
The revised plan was to meet Sean and Raine in Atlanta for the World News interview. They had opted for the extra day in New York, courtesy of the extra time afforded by cancelling the Washington leg of the trip. Having to return to Pensacola was a blessing in disguise. The revised schedule gave her the time she needed to understand why Sean had reacted to the gift in the manner he did. Maybe by the time they were together again in Atlanta, she could have it all figured out. First and foremost, she needed to slow down the relationship. That might not be easy at all, so the extra time was a blessing in that regard.
Was the gift reaction about his feeling pressure to write? Maybe losing his wife had taken an even deeper toll on his inspiration to write than she had imagined. Given the chance, she would use all her expertise to help him through this. And maybe that would distract her from being so attracted to him.
Time for Raine Page 14
