“But with a lot of love,” Hope added.
Raymond nodded agreeing completely, “Definitely, a whole lot of love.”
“She’s such a sweet lady.”
“Mamma Lou is something else. Lately she’s been driving me crazy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mamma Lou thinks she’s a matchmaker. About a year ago she matched my cousin Tony up with his new wife, Madison, so ever since then I’ve been her next target.”
Hope began laughing. “Get out of here, really? She’s so sweet.”
“Don’t let her fool you. As A matter of fact, she wanted to match you up with Dennis over there.”
“Me? With Dennis? I thought you said that you were next?”
“I was, but that was before she went into the hospital. Since then, she’s left me alone.”
“So how did I get involved?”
“Oh, it doesn’t take much. Once Mamma Lou decides that she’s found the right person, she’s impossible to stop. She’ll do just about anything to make a match.”
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint her, Dennis is a nice guy and all, but he’s really not my type.” She glanced over seeing Dennis and Faith still on the dance floor partying. “Although, I think he might definitely be Faith’s type.”
Raymond finally glanced toward the dance floor. “It looks like they’re having a great time.” He looked around as the music slowed to a soft romantic tune. He took Hope’s hand and stood up. “Would you do me the honor of having this dance?”
Hope opened her mouth to decline but closed it just as quickly when Raymond literally whisked her up and into his arms. He led her to the dance floor found a nice spot and embraced her gently.
The dance seemed to go on forever. All Hope knew was that Raymond was the smoothest dancer she’d ever met. He was firm, strong, and he moved and glided her across the dance floor like liquid silk. She melted with each step he took. Hope closed her eyes and reveled in the tenderness of his touch as he stroked her back and nuzzled her closer.
Her breasts tingled as her body pressed tightly against his chest. Her stomach quivered each time he maneuvered her closer. The music didn’t stop and the evening seemed to never end. To her surprise, she didn’t want it to.
After a while she was sure that she was floating since she didn’t remember much of anything else until they stopped walking and entered a small late-night café. Open until four in the morning, they sat and talked until it closed. The evening was a blur. She vaguely remembered him depositing her at her front door and saying goodnight. He turned to leave then stopped and turned back to her. With purposeful strides he came to stand in front of her.
“Is this the part where I ask you to kiss me?”
Raymond smiled openly. “May I?”
Hope looked into his soft hazel eyes. There was nothing she wanted more at that moment than to be wrapped in Raymond’s embrace. “Yes,” she said before even finishing her thought. With her one-word response, he kissed her until she saw stars.
Chapter Nineteen
What in the world was I thinking?
Hope yawned sleepily and leaned back against the sofa cushion as she half-listened to Hugh’s assistant talk endlessly about what a great time she had at the fundraiser. She was completely exhausted. Staying up until six in the morning talking to Raymond was totally out of character. And now she was paying for it.
She yawned again and tried hard to pat attention. Unfortunately, all she could think about was the past twelve hours and her wonderfully magical evening with Raymond Gates.
She admonished herself for staying up all night. She should have known better, but she couldn’t help herself. She was having such a wonderful time. Raymond was intelligent, charming, and funny. It was the best time she’d had with a man in a long time. She didn’t want their time together to end. And best of all, it seemed like he was also having a good time.
But she didn’t want to read too much into it. After all, she was talking about Raymond Gates, a flirt and a confirmed bachelor. Between Raymond and Dennis Hayes, they had just about every woman at the fundraiser eating out of their hands.
Hope remembered seeing them as they walked into the room. It was truly remarkable. It was as if every woman’s head in the room swiveled in their direction on cue, immediately drawn to the two men.
They entered together, laughing about something. Raymond’s dimples were magnetic. Women couldn’t help but fall in love with him. He was strikingly handsome clad in a designer suit that enhanced every inch of his fit body.
A continuous stream of women paraded in front of him trying to attract his attention. Who could blame them? To be by his side, dance with him was just heaven. Hope remembered the heated stares she got when Raymond stayed by her side ignoring everyone else.
“Dr. Adams?” Hope looked up from the magazine that she was holding. “He’ll see you now.”
She sighed. Being beckoned to Hugh’s office was beginning to feel like being sent to the principal’s office in grade school. She stood and walked to the half open door. A smile tugged at her lips when she remembered her University of Pennsylvania sweatshirt and the last time she stood here with a cup of coffee. She pushed open the door and entered.
Hugh looked up from his desk with annoyance. “Sit down.”
Defiantly, she stood, assuming this meeting was about her upcoming time off. This wasn’t the first time Hugh had changed the schedule.
He looked up again seeing that she hadn’t moved.
Propping his elbows on the desk, he steepled his long thin fingers under his chin and got right to the point. “I am told that you attended the fundraiser.”
“You saw me at the fundraiser remember,” she spoke slowly.
“What is your relationship to Dr. Gates?”
She didn’t respond. She was too stunned.
“I asked you a question. What is your relationship to Dr. Gates?” he repeated.
“We’re colleagues obviously.”
“Are you romantically involved?”
“That’s none of your business, is it?”
“It is when it could damage this hospital’s reputation and the Barclay Med Corporation. Dr. Gates will be working here in the near future,” he lied. “I don’t want him feeling uncomfortable because of you.”
Hope laughed knowing of course he was lying.”
Hugh slammed his palm on the desk. “I will not stand aside and have you ruin someone else’s life like you tried to destroy my son’s.”
“And I will not let you or your son try to destroy my life and control me! You did it once, which was enough. What I do and with whom I do it is none of your damn business.”
“Everything in this hospital is my business, young lady. That includes your selfish behavior.”
“What?”
“Everything you do is a direct reflection on this hospital and I will not have it.” He slammed his fist down this time. “You will not destroy my work here by embarrassing me with your gold-digging.”
“My what?”
“If you think you’re gonna get Raymond Gates you’re wrong. You’re so far out of his league it’s laughable. At first I thought you were simply interested in getting that disgusting mark off of you face. But now I learn that you’ve actually been romantically involved with Dr. Gates,” he spat out, his contempt was obvious.
“Oh, I see.” It suddenly dawned on her that Nolan had told his father of Raymond’s remarks the night of the fundraiser.
“Yes, that’s right, Nolan. And don’t think that a minute you’ll be getting him back.”
She laughed. She couldn’t help herself. Her laughter just burst out like a damn. Hugh’s express was livid, which made her laugh even harder. As tears began to well in her eyes, she tried to get her laughter under control. “There is no way that I’d want your pathetic son back in my life. He’s under your thumb so much that I’m surprised he had the balls to move to California. He hasn’t made a single decision on his ow
n since the day he decided to marry me. Thank God you made him divorce me. I can’t imagine spending the rest of my life living with a spineless coward for a husband and having you as a control freak father-in-law.”
“I beg your pardon.”
“You should have.”
“My son is the best you’ll even know. And as for my paternal instincts, I knew exactly what you were the moment he brought you to my door. Do you think I hadn’t already checked up on you the moment Nolan told me that he was dating you? Yes, I know about your family, your mother and your murdering father. The only reason you married my son was for his inheritance. Don’t deny it.”
“He’s my murdering stepfather and the two of you should get along admirably. You’re exactly the same.”
“If you think that a man like Raymond Gates truly wants you in his life, than you are pathetic. He only wants one thing from you.”
Her eyes narrowed into slits of fury as she smiled. “Jealous? Do you want him?”
“You’re out of line,” he snapped.
“No, I’m out of here.” She turned to walk away.
“Get back here. This isn’t over,” he demanded as she opened the door to leave.
“It is for me,” she said. The door closed soundly behind her as Hugh called to her. She kept walking, but she knew his vicious words would stay with her. They always did.
Chapter Twenty
“Three days later she was still thinking about what Hugh had said to her. Being with Raymond was wonderful but she knew it wouldn’t last. They were from two different worlds. Still, in her heart she wanted to be wrong. She had already fallen for him.
Hey. Are you okay?” Maxine asked as she walked up to the nurse’s station. She placed her hand on Hope’s shoulder.
Hope lifted her head from the counter and squinted against the bright lights above her. “What?”
“I asked if you were okay,” Maxine repeated bending down to look into Hope’s eyes. “You look a little peaked. Are you coming down with something?”
“No, I’m fine. I’m just tired and I’ve got a headache that’s all. I guess I’ve been overdoing it lately.”
“There’s that summer flu bug still going around. You’d better take care of yourself and use your down time to get some rest and regroup.”
Hope used two fingers to slowly massage her temples then she cradled her head in the palm of her hand and leaned back down on the counter. “I definitely intend to.”
Maxine looked at her again. A concerned expression covered her face. “Are you sure you’re all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Hope said as she reached over to pluck a patient’s chart from the carousel. She opened the chart and scanned the first page for effect.
“All right, if I don’t see you before you leave. Have a good one.”
Hope nodded as Maxine walked away. As soon as Maxine disappeared into a patient’s room, Hope slid the chart back in its sleeve. She was in no mood to play twenty questions. She looked around the station. She was in overlap shift so her presence in ER was merely a formality since her relief had already been on shift for an hour and a half.
Hope looked at her watch. She had just thirty minutes left in her shift. She breathed a sigh of frustration that she still had another half hour left. Thanks to Hugh, it had been a long time since she’d been given several consecutive days off. And she intended to take full advantage of it.
She intended to sleep for at least twenty-four hours straight. Then she’d probably grab a bite to eat. Afterwards she’d take a nice long nap for ten to twelve hours. Then after that, she’d really get into some serious rest and relaxation.
A satisfied smile eased its way across her lips. She got light-headed just thinking about it. She was looking forward to five whole days of nothing but sleeping, eating and more sleep. She could seriously get used to that.
She had intended on spending some time with Faith, but ever since the night of the fundraiser Faith and Dennis had been inseparable. They were practically joined at the hip. Dennis even arranged his schedule so that he could spend time volunteering in the pediatric ward.
Hope checked her watch. Unfortunately, getting herself psyched for the last thirty minutes was close to impossible. The ER was unusually slow and she was stuck filling out paperwork and jotting down notes for the doctors on the next shift.
The tedious paperwork that had to be completed before the end of a shift always made her crazy. It was during those times that her mind wandered. And of late, it wandered more and more to thoughts of a certain plastic surgeon.
Hope frowned. She hadn’t heard from Raymond in three days. Maybe Hugh was right. Maybe this thing between them was just a distraction for him while his grandmother was ill. Louise had been discharged and there was no real reason for him to see her again.
Still, she enjoyed being with him. And the way he looked at her made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.
Blushing, she often remembered how many times she focused on his hands. Strong, tender, and talented, they were the hands of a healer. Suddenly Hope’s thoughts wavered to a place she’d long avoided. She knew first hand just how talented his hands actually were.
“That must be some kind of daydream.”
“What?” She asked barely audible.
“Girl, you need to take the look off your face before you get yourself in man trouble.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Uh huh, I bet you don’t.” With that Maxine continued walking to the nurses’ station. “Did you get your page?”
Before she had the opportunity to respond she was paged again. She quickly grabbed the nearest phone and dialed the central number. She listened to the recorded message, jotted down the phone number then hung up. She looked at the unfamiliar number again. Who in the world would be calling her from California? Tagged as urgent, she got an outside line and dialed the number. She didn’t recognize the area code but dialed the number anyway. Within seconds a familiar voice answered.
“Dr. Adams? Hope?”
“Yes, speaking.” She paused half recognizing the voice. “Mrs. Gates?”
“Yes dear and please call me Mamma Lou.
“What can I do for you?
“I understand that the fundraiser was a huge success.”
“Yes, it was.”
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yes, I did.” Hope frowned not sure where the conversation was going.
“I’m truly sorry I wasn’t able to attend, but I heard all about it.
“Well, maybe you’ll be well enough to attend next year’s fundraiser.”
“I’m sure I will.” Then without missing a beat she continued, “The reason I called Hope is that I need a favor. I need your medical assistance. I’m afraid I’m quite desperate and you’re the only one I can turn to.”
Concern instantly gripped her. “Are you okay? Are you having chest pains again?”
“No. nothing like that dear.
“Is it Mr. Wheeler? Or his friend, Mr. Grant?”
“Oh no dear. We’re all fine. What I need is a favor of a very personal nature.”
Oh boy, Hope thought to herself. Here we go.
“What I need-” Louise continued, -is to have someone with medical experience make a house call.”
“A house call?”
“Yes.”
“Mrs. Gates,” she began but was cut off.
“Mamma Lou,” Louise reminded her more firmly.
Realizing she had little choice, Hope relented momentarily. “Mamma Lou, no one makes house calls any more. Whatever the problem is, just go to see your primary care physician.”
“Oh, it’s not me dear. It’s my grandson.”
Hope’s heart lurched. “Raymond?”
“Yes. I’m afraid he’s terribly sick.”
“Where is he?”
“At his apartment.”
“Where is his apartment?”
“In Ne
w York.”
“No, I mean where exactly?”
“Oh, the Upper West Side. He’s been laid up for the past three days. I’m afraid he’s not doing very well at all and I’m unable to get there for another few days. You see I’m on the West Coast visiting my son.”
“Mrs. Gates-”
“Mamma Lou,” Louise corrected her.
“- Mamma Lou, if he’s that sick, you need to have an ambulance take him to the nearest hospital.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
“Why not?”
“He wouldn’t go. You see, he’s quite stubborn.”
“No kidding,” Hope said louder that she intended. Tell me something I don’t know.
“Obviously you’re familiar with my grandson’s temperament.”
“You could say that.”
“Then you’ll help him?”
“Exactly what’s wrong with him?”
“Poor dear, I’m afraid he has the flu or a twenty-four hour bug or something.”
“The flu this time of year is rare, but I’m sure he’s had his flu shot so just give him a few days. If it’s a virus that too will pass. He’ll be as good as new in no time.”
“Well that’s not the only problem. He’s all alone in the apartment without a single thing to eat.”
“What do you mean without anything to eat?”
“Exactly that. Raymond always eats out. As a matter of fact, I don’t even think his apartment has any pots and pans. I’ve already spoken to his doorman and he’ll let you in with no problem.”
“Mrs. Gates, I didn’t say that I’d do it.”
“You’re a healer dear. It’s in your nature. You couldn’t allow anyone to lie suffering anymore that I could let a begonia go without water. Healing is part of you and there’s no way around it.”
“Mrs. Gates,” she sighed heavily, “Mamma Lou-”
“The doorman’s name is Jimmy. He’s expecting you. He’ll be on duty until midnight so take your time. You might want to stop home and pack a few things. No telling how long that nasty flu bug will last.”
Realizing that saying no to Louise Gates was not an option, Hope surrendered. “Okay Mrs. Gates, I’ll stop by when I get off work. But that’s it. If Raymond needs serious medical attention I’ll make sure he gets to Manhattan Medical and have them contact you.”
One Sure Thing (Mamma Lou Matchmaker Series) Page 17
