Farewell to Cedar Key

by Terri DuLong

  I recalled the last encounter between Grant and Simon and pulled away to stare at him. “Are you coming inside?”

  “Sure. Why not? I haven’t seen the office yet.”

  I shook a finger at him. “Because you were very naughty the last time you two were together. That’s why.”

  He threw his head back, laughing. “Oh. That. Well, I promise to be on my best behavior. You can trust me.”

  I did trust him. In all ways.

  “Come on,” he said, standing up and taking my hand. “I guess you’re going to allow me to share your bed again? It’s been a long day. Let’s take our wine and go relax in your room for a while before we fall asleep.”

  I gave him a smile and had a feeling that sleep was the last thing on either of our minds.

  46

  The alarm went off at six, and I reached across Grant to turn it off. He opened his eyes, smiled, and said, “Good morning, beautiful.”

  “Good morning,” I told him as I snuggled into the crook of his arm. “Sleep well?”

  “With you? Always.”

  We lay there for a few minutes slowly waking up and relishing the closeness of each other. Then I leaned over to kiss his cheek and said, “I need to hit the shower. I have to be at the office to open at eight.”

  Grant’s embrace tightened around me. “Hmm, can’t you prolong this a little?”

  “No, Mr. Cooper, I cannot,” I said, laughing, and jumped out of bed.

  “Well, if you insist. I’ll get the coffee going . . . or . . . I could join you in the shower first.”

  I laughed again. “Not this morning, but hold that thought,” I said, and headed to the bathroom.

  I walked into the kitchen dressed in my light blue scrubs to find Grant sitting at the counter reading the morning paper. I walked over to place a kiss on his cheek. His arm went out to encircle my waist and pull me to him.

  “You look pretty damn sexy in those scrubs,” he whispered in my ear, his voice husky.

  I gave him a smile and pulled away. “Oh, no, you don’t. Seducing me again.”

  Orli walked into the kitchen, a grin on her face, and put an end to Grant’s attempt. “Good morning,” she said as she pulled a box of cereal from the cabinet and then milk from the fridge.

  “Would you rather have eggs or something?” I asked her.

  “Nah, this is fine, but tomorrow morning it’d be nice if Dad could make his famous French toast.”

  “Done deal,” he told her.

  “Grant, would you like some eggs?”

  He shook his head. “No, but those blueberry muffins look good.”

  I’d baked a batch the day before and removed the plastic wrap, placing them on the table.

  “So what’s up for today, Dad? I’m sorry you’ll be alone while I’m at school and Mom’s at work.”

  “Not a problem. I’m going to go visit your grandparents for a while later this morning and then I’m picking your mom up at the office to go to lunch.”

  “Sounds good,” she said, spooning cereal into her mouth. “Are we eating here tonight?”

  “Oh, I almost forgot. Nana called and invited us over for dinner. Supposed to be there at six. I told her I’d check with you, Grant.”

  “Yes, I’d like to go, and I’ll let her know when I drop by later.”

  Within an hour, Orli had grabbed her backpack, kissed us both good-bye, and headed off to school.

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you?” Grant said.

  Orli laughed. “No, Dad. Thanks, but I’m a big girl.”

  We watched her walk out the door, and he let out a sigh. “She is a big girl, isn’t she? All grown up. The years went too fast.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, but I think the best are yet to come.”

  He pulled me into his arms and brushed his lips over mine. “I think you’re right. I’m going in the shower and then I’ll drop you at work.”

  I walked into the office to find Brandy already seated behind her desk going over the appointment book. She had turned out to be a very valuable employee. She was dependable, great with the patients, and seemed to enjoy her job.

  Her head popped up, and I saw the excitement covering her face. “Look,” she said, pointing to a vase of very pretty pink lilies, daisies, and assorted greenery.

  I leaned over to inhale the heady fragrance. “Oh, gorgeous. From a secret admirer?”

  “No, from Dr. Mancini for Valentine’s Day. You have one too on . . .” she started to say, and then clamped her hand over her mouth. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to ruin the surprise.”

  I laughed and headed to my office as I called, “That’s okay,” over my shoulder.

  An identical bouquet sat on my desk in a glass vase, and I turned as I heard Simon say, “Just a little something for Valentine’s Day.”

  “Thank you. That was very thoughtful, and I think you made Brandy’s week.”

  “Did Grant get in okay yesterday?”

  “He did, yeah, and he’ll be picking me up at noon to go to lunch.”

  “Great. Well, I think we have a busy morning.”

  We did. There seemed to be a respiratory infection going around the island, and everybody was hoping for instant relief. I was shocked to look at my watch and see it was already noon when I headed to the waiting room to escort our final patient into Simon’s office. I returned to see Grant coming in the door and heard Brandy say, “Can I help you?”

  “I’m here to . . .” he said before I interrupted him.

  “He’s here to pick me up,” I told Brandy. “This is Grant Cooper, Orli’s father.”

  I saw her eyes light up as she stared at him and a huge smile cross her face as she gave him a quick body scan.

  “Oh,” she said. “Oh. Right.” She jumped up to shake his hand. “I’m Brandy, Dr. Mancini’s receptionist.”

  “Very nice to meet you,” Grant said, returning her handshake. “Josie has told me what a great employee you are.”

  Her eyes never left his face. “She has?” She then seemed to regain her equilibrium and said, “Oh, I just love working with Josie. She’s the best.”

  Grant laughed. “She is, isn’t she?”

  “We’re on our last patient,” I told him. “You can wait in my office. I shouldn’t be too much longer.

  “And you can put the phones on service now,” I told Brandy.

  When Grant turned to follow me, she gave me a thumbs-up and mouthed the words He’s smokin’.

  I felt a grin cross my face as I showed Grant into my office.

  “Very nice,” he said, sitting down. I saw his gaze go to the flowers, but he never said a word.

  A few minutes later Simon walked in, and if he was surprised to see Grant sitting in front of my desk, he didn’t show it.

  “Hey, Grant,” he said, extending his hand. “Good to see you again.”

  Grant stood up and returned the handshake. “Same here. You’ve got quite a nice place. Josie told me how much work went into the remodeling.”

  “Yeah, it did, but I think it was worth it. Josie, there are no more appointments, so we’re finished for the day. I just sent Mr. Fred on his way with an antibiotic.”

  “Oh, okay, great.” I reached for my handbag and sweater. “Well, then we’ll scoot along. Tell Lily I said hi.”

  “Will do,” he said as I followed Grant to the door.

  “Have a good weekend, Brandy. Any plans for Valentine’s Day tomorrow?”

  She let out a chuckle. “Nah, no romance in my life. I’ll spend it watching a chick flick with a bowl of popcorn. But you enjoy yours.”

  The look on her face told me that she knew I would.

  Grant and I headed to the Pickled Pelican for lunch, and the weather was too gorgeous not to sit outside on the deck overlooking the water.

  After we gave our order for wine, I smiled and said, “I must commend you. You were very well behaved at the office just now.”

  Grant laughed. “Told ya I would be. But . . . were
the flowers on your desk from Simon?”

  It was hard to suppress my giggle, and I nodded. “Yes, they were.”

  He held his hand in the air. “Oh, that’s fine. Very nice of him. Especially since I saw the same bouquet on Brandy’s desk.”

  I shook my head as I muttered, “Men!”

  Our wine was brought to the table and we put in our order for sandwiches.

  “There’s something that I wanted to discuss with you,” he said.

  I took a sip of wine and looked up at him. “What is it?”

  “Well . . . if you do decide to come to the Boston area . . . you’ll have to give up your job here.”

  “Right,” I said, unsure where he was going with this.

  “So I just wanted you to know that whatever you choose to do about working up there is fine with me.”

  “Okay,” I said, and then smiled.

  “If you’d like to take a nursing position around Danvers or if you’d like to work in one of the large hospitals in Boston, that wouldn’t be a problem, because you could drive in with me if the hours worked out.”

  I thought of Beth Israel, Massachusetts General, and all of the top-notch hospitals I’d be able to choose from, and I had to admit that it was mighty enticing.

  “Or,” he said, reaching for my hand, “you don’t have to work at all, Josie. There would be no need to do so unless you wanted to. I just want you to know that. Whatever would make you happy.”

  It had been like that from the beginning—always. Whatever made me happy had always been Grant’s primary concern.

  47

  I woke the following morning to find the space beside me empty. I sat up and looked around the room. No Grant. I headed to the bathroom before walking into the kitchen to find him at the counter whipping up a batch of French toast. And my eyes went to the two red boxes on the counter.

  “Happy Valentine’s Day,” he said, coming to kiss me and pass me one of them. “For you, the love of my life.”

  I took the box and smiled. “Thank you. I love you,” I said as I removed the paper to find two pounds of French dark chocolate. “You had these sent from France, didn’t you?”

  He nodded. “I did, and I hope Berkley will forgive me.”

  I laughed. “Hey, as good as her chocolate might be, nothing compares to authentic French chocolate.”

  “Good. I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

  “Oh, I have no doubt I’ll enjoy it, but I think my hips might regret it.”

  He slid a hand down the side of my body as he whispered, “Nothing wrong with those hips at all.

  “I had an idea,” he said as he poured me a mug of coffee. “I thought maybe the three of us could take a drive to Gainesville and take Orli for lunch to that restaurant that she loves.”

  “Oh, the Red Onion? Yeah, she loves their salads.”

  “Good, that’s what we’ll do and we’ll still be back in plenty of time for our dinner reservation at seven.”

  I sat across the table at the restaurant, watching Grant and Orli discussing a legal case that she’d recently seen on television, and I smiled. Seeing the two of them together felt so natural. I recalled a few instances when I’d experienced jealousy about Orli flying to the Boston area, but now, not only did I feel secure in my daughter’s love, but I also knew she felt secure with her father. And that made me happy.

  “I wanted to ask you both something,” she said.

  I looked at Grant, but he didn’t seem to know what it was. “What is it?” he asked.

  Orli shifted in the booth and began fingering the spoon on the table. “Well . . . I was just kind of wondering . . . would it be possible to change my name?”

  My heart fell. I had always loved Orli’s name and had chosen it specifically because it meant You are my light, which she certainly was. “Oh, I didn’t realize you didn’t like it,” I said.

  “Oh, no, I mean . . . Sullivan is fine, but . . .”

  I began laughing and interrupted her. “You mean your last name?”

  She nodded and then caught on and also laughed. “Oh, no, not my first name. But . . . I just thought . . . since Dad’s name is on my birth certificate, that you know . . . maybe when I register for high school up there, I could go by Orli Cooper.”

  I saw the surprise on Grant’s face. He cleared his throat before saying, “Well, yes, of course you could do that, Orli. But . . . why would you want to do this?”

  I had a pretty good idea why. When I married Grant, I would become Josie Cooper, and I had a feeling that Orli wanted the three of us to have the same name.

  “Well . . . I just thought . . .”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea,” I said.

  “You do?” Grant shot me a smile, and I knew he liked the idea a lot.

  “Yes, I really do. You are her father, so why not? And I’m sure you know how to make it legal. You’re a lawyer. Don’t you do those sorts of things?”

  Grant laughed and nodded. “It wouldn’t be much of a problem at all. If that’s what you think you want, Orli, then yes, after you move up to Boston, we can get it done.”

  I saw her let out a sigh and realized that as much as she might have wanted this, she also didn’t want to hurt my feelings. She leaned over to hug her father. “Oh, good,” she said, but I was the one she was looking at. “Thanks, Mom.”

  We got back to the island just before four. Orli reminded me that Laura was coming to spend the night.

  “Oh, that’s right,” I said. “How about if I whip up a batch of brownies for you guys? And we have plenty of chips and dip. Anything else you’d like?”

  “No, brownies will be great. Thanks.”

  After I got them into the oven, I asked Orli what she’d like for supper.

  “I’m still full from lunch, and we’ll be snacking all evening. You need to go get ready,” she informed me.

  Grant said I could have the master bathroom and he’d shower and dress in the guest room. I took extra time applying my makeup, and by the time I slid the red dress over my head, I realized that I was nervous. I thought back to that first Valentine’s Day in Boston. So excited, so in love. Little did I know that the following month I’d get pregnant with Orli and my entire life would change. Just as it was about to again—but this time, it would change with Grant beside me. I slipped into Mallory’s black heels, sprayed a bit of Shalimar on my neck, and gave a smile of approval to myself in the mirror.

  I walked out into the family room and heard Grant whistle. “You look stunning,” he said, coming to encircle me in his arms. He paused for a second, and then pointed as recognition crossed his face. “That dress. Isn’t it the one you wore to Marliave our first Valentine’s Day together?”

  He did remember. “It is,” I said, as I took in his tan sport jacket, white shirt, and chocolate brown slacks. He could easily have passed for a GQ model. “You look so handsome.”

  We both turned around to see Orli and Laura standing in the doorway and heard Orli say, “Wow! You guys clean up really nice.”

  Grant bowed as I took a curtsy, and we both laughed.

  Laura nodded. “Gosh, you both look like you belong in a fashion magazine.”

  I reached for my shawl and small bag on the sofa. “Thank you both. If you need me, we’ll be at the Island Room. You guys enjoy your evening.”

  “We will,” Orli hollered as we headed down the walk to Grant’s car. “You too.”

  It was a mild evening so we chose to sit outside on the deck to eat rather than in the restaurant. The sky was crystal clear with stars and the moon hovering over the water. I smiled and thought the setting could be straight out of a romantic film.

  “I think the special occasion calls for a bottle of champagne this evening,” Grant told the waiter when we were seated. He looked at the wine list before indicating his choice.

  “Valentine’s Day is pretty special,” he replied as he passed us menus. “I’ll be right back with that.”

  A few minutes later he returned
with the bottle and an ice bucket on a stand, popped the cork, and filled a flute for Grant to sample.

  Grant nodded. “Very good.”

  He then filled my flute and said he’d be back shortly to take our order.

  Grant leaned across the table, holding his glass toward me. “Here’s to the love of my life and the rest of our life together.”

  I touched the rim of his glass. “To us,” I said.

  We each took a sip and then he reached for my hand. “I want tonight to be very special. I’ve waited sixteen years for this moment. I said that I’d give you some time, and I think the time has arrived.”

  He let go of my hand to reach into his coat pocket, removing a small black velvet box, which he flipped open. “Will you marry me, Josie? Will you spend the rest of your life with me?”

  My gaze went to the incredible sparkle of the diamond nestled in the box. He reached for my left hand, then slid the ring onto my finger.

  I hadn’t given much thought to a ring. Despite the fact that I’d been pretty sure he’d ask me to marry him, I hadn’t expected a ring right away.

  I felt moisture wetting my eyes and dabbed at the corners as I nodded. “Yes, God, yes, I’ll marry you. The ring is absolutely stunning!”

  And it was—a beautiful solitaire in an antique platinum setting.

  He brought my right hand to his lips and placed a kiss there as he smiled. “It took a while, but you were worth the wait, Josie. I love you.”

  “And I love you, Grant. I’ll love you forever.”

  He let out a deep sigh, which made me wonder if he’d been nervous. Surely, he hadn’t thought that I might refuse, had he?

  “I couldn’t be any happier,” I told him.

  “You really like the ring?”

  “I love it. It’s just gorgeous. You have excellent taste.”

  A grin crossed his face. “Yes, I do,” he said. “I chose you.” He took a sip of champagne. “It was my grandmother’s ring. My mother gave it to me sixteen years ago, the day I told her you were pregnant.”