“He’s walkin’ all by himself.”
Megan met his gaze. “Good point, Bay. But with Simon, I mean Mr. Reynolds—”
“Too late,” he said. “We’ve already progressed to first names. Right, Bayleigh?”
“Right, Simon.” She nodded vehemently.
“With him,” Megan continued, “the fact that he’s walking without crutches and a leg brace doesn’t necessarily mean I’m a good nurse. It could just mean he’s not following doctor’s orders.”
“But, Mommy—”
“You know what, sweetie? Didn’t you promise to put away your dolls and the clothes and the playhouse furniture?”
“But, Mo-om—”
Megan put her hands on the little girl’s shoulders and turned her toward the hall. “March, young lady.”
She whirled around. “But, Mom, you didn’t say it right.”
He couldn’t stop the smile turning up the corners of his mouth. “Simon says clean up your room.”
“Okay.” The little girl smiled back, then turned toward the hall. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “But don’t leave before I get finished.”
He met her gaze, then looked at Megan. “I’ll do my best.”
When the child was gone and the clatter of toys being moved around drifted to him, he let out a long breath. “She’s something else.”
“Yes, she is.” Megan’s expression softened as she looked at the hallway where her daughter had been only a moment before.
“Isn’t she young to be wearing glasses?”
Her head snapped around so fast he thought she would get whiplash. “What?” she asked sharply.
“Why does she have to wear glasses?”
“Why does anyone? The corrective lenses improve her vision.”
Based on what Bayleigh had innocently told him and Megan’s reaction just now, he was getting vibes that he was right about the child’s eyes. “Why does she need the corrective lenses? Does it have anything to do with why the jerk walked out on you both?”
“Simon, I—”
“Don’t sidestep me, Megan. Is that why he left?”
“Yes,” she said, her mouth trembling. “She had a condition when she was born. It’s—the name is too long to remember. But the bottom line is she could have gone blind.”
“She told me the doctor fixed her eyes.”
Megan nodded. She hesitated as if deciding what to say. “She had surgery. Now she wears glasses,” she finished simply.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why did you think I should?” she said defensively, but she didn’t look at him directly. “I’m a nurse. You’re my patient. Were,” she added.
“You know, I’ve had it up to here with you and this whole personal, professional thing you do to put up roadblocks as you run from the truth.”
“I can’t help what you’re fed up with.”
She didn’t deny the whole running-away thing or the detours. Maybe because she was hyperaware that she was doing it. Because she was starting to care and didn’t want to. Simon knew all about that. Megan was single-handedly responsible for the fact that he was back in the land of the living. Like it or not, whether he wanted to or not, he was feeling again.
He ran his fingers through his hair. “We went way beyond professional a week ago.”
“And because I am a professional, it shouldn’t have happened.”
“I’m not going to argue the right or wrong of it with you. The fact is it did happen. And you ran away. I thought we were friends.”
“I’m your nurse.”
He shook his head. “You quit.”
“You should be happy I’m saving your insurance company some money. Besides you’re getting around pretty well without the brace and crutches.”
“The leg is a little sore, but I’m on the mend.”
“Good. So we agree you don’t need a nurse. Why did you track me down, Simon?”
He might not need a nurse, but he needed a friend. “I got used to you bossing me around.”
“You missed me,” she said.
“Like a toothache.”
She laughed. “Has anyone ever told you that writing greeting cards wouldn’t be a good career move for you?”
“No.”
“When you reach out and touch someone it’s with a two-by-four.”
It was no secret to anyone, least of all him, that his interpersonal-relationship radar was rusty. But he would bet she’d run because she was just as afraid as he was of caring about someone. The saturated fat in the veins of her life.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t return the favor and help her. Maybe he could do her some good and show her that not all men were heartless jerks. He wouldn’t walk out when she needed him most. He wished he could go back to his fringe existence, back to not feeling. But Megan had coaxed him out. God help him, he just couldn’t go back into the dark after basking in her light.
“Why did you track me down, Simon?” she asked again.
“You’re wrong about me not needing you. But not as a nurse, Megan. As my friend.”
Her eyes widened in surprise. “I don’t know—”
“You said you wanted me to live again. That’s what I’m trying to do. Help me, Megan.”
He could see the struggle in her eyes. And something else he couldn’t name. Fear maybe? Before he could figure out what, she released a long breath. Whatever conflict she’d had, it was over and she’d given in.
“Okay. Friends.” She pointed at him. “But—”
He put his hands on his hips and grinned. “Here it comes.”
“What?”
“The rules.”
“Yeah.” She smiled back. “Not that it does any good with you. But for what it’s worth, friends don’t have sex.”
“What’s sex, Mommy?”
Simon grinned. How could you not love a kid who picked that moment to walk in the room? He couldn’t wait to see Miss-I’ve-got-an-answer-for-everything deal with the question.
Chapter Twelve
Megan froze and so did her brain. Think fast. Sex? Sounded like…
“Six,” she said. “I said six, the age you’ll be on your next birthday.”
Bayleigh pushed her glasses up more firmly on her nose. “Why would you say no six?”
Megan looked at Simon, who appeared to be enjoying her discomfiture far too much, judging by the twinkle in his blue eyes. And the way his mouth turned up slightly told her he wanted to laugh. All she could think about was how much she wished to feel his mouth on hers.
Focus, she ordered herself. She cleared her throat then stared at her daughter. “I said six because—”
“Because,” Simon jumped in when she hesitated. “I was telling your mom that I thought the two of you should come to my town house sometime and go fishing but I didn’t think you were old enough. I thought you were going to be five on your next birthday. She said ‘no six.”’
“Fishing?” Bayleigh said, her eyes growing wide.
Megan moved beside him and let out a long breath. “Good save,” she whispered. “Bay, you’re not interested in fishing, are you?”
“Sure, I am.” She put her hands on her hips. “Uncle Dan keeps promising to take me, but he always has to work.”
“But, sweetie,” she said. “It can be pretty boring and you have to put yucky stuff like worms on the end of a hook.”
“No worms. Fish eggs,” Simon said.
“Are they like the eggs Mommy breaks into the pancake batter?”
Simon moved close to her and went down on one knee. “No. Or we can use cheese and ham.”
“With bread? Like sandwiches?”
“No. The bread would come apart in the water.”
To his credit, Simon remained absolutely as serious as Bayleigh. How was it possible to resist a man like that? She had to find a way, because when he learned the truth, it could break her child’s heart, as well as her own.
“Is fishing boring?” Bayleigh
asked him.
“I don’t think so. But if you do, we could stop and look for shells on the beach.”
Bayleigh turned the I-want-to-go-now look on her. “When are we goin’ fishing with Simon, Mom?”
Uh-oh. “I’m not sure. We all have busy schedules—”
“I don’t,” he said. “Remember, I have no job.”
Megan glanced from her daughter’s guileless expression to Simon’s pretending-to-be-innocent-while-backing-her-into-a-corner look.
“Do you live under the freeway in a box?” Bayleigh asked, worry pulling her forehead into a frown.
“No. I have a town house at the beach. Why would you think that?”
“Because sometimes I ask Mommy to stay home with me and she always says she has to work. If she doesn’t earn money we’ll have to live in a box underneath the freeway.”
“I was joking, Bay,” Megan hurried to explain. “You know that.”
“Yeah, but if Simon doesn’t have a job, how can he have any money for a house? Or food? Or clothes? I never met anyone who didn’t have a job before.”
Megan glanced at Simon, who had a pretty good frown of his own going on. “It’s not polite to ask questions, Bay.”
“But you always tell me to ask if I don’t understand. What does Simon do all day? I go to school. Grampy is a doctor. Grammy stays home. Mommy works. Uncle Dan goes to the office. Aunt Cassie is a nurse like Mommy. And Uncle Kyle is a—I can’t ’member.”
“Attorney,” Megan supplied.
The little girl nodded. “Everybody does somethin’. How does he earn money? What does he do all day? Fish?”
Simon cleared his throat. “Sometimes grown-ups work very hard and make a lot of money to put in the bank. Then they have enough to live on and don’t have to go to a job every day.”
Bayleigh looked up at him. “Did you do that, Simon?”
“Yeah. I have plenty of money.”
The worry lines in her face disappeared. “I’m glad. So when can we go fishin’?”
Megan jammed her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “Bayleigh, why don’t you let me talk to Simon about this while you go finish putting your toys away.”
“I’m already finished, Mom. You’re just trying to get rid of me so you can talk to Simon alone.”
“Is that true, Megan?” His frown had disappeared, too, replaced by the insufferable look he wore when he was sure he had the upper hand. “Are you trying to get me alone?”
“No.” But of course the heat flaring in her cheeks told him something else. “Look, we can’t just drop everything and go to the beach.”
“Why not?” Simon asked.
“Yeah, why not?” Bayleigh looked up at him, and he met her gaze and smiled.
Two against one. And she was weakening. “Because we’ve got grocery shopping to do. Errands to run. I’ve only got two days off and—”
“You’re not working this weekend?” he asked.
“No,” she reluctantly confirmed.
The man was far too sharp and flustered her far too much. She’d agreed to be his friend. It was the least she could do. But she didn’t want to involve Bayleigh. Somehow he’d worked his way into her life and now he was charming her daughter, too. How did she get out of this without looking like her heart was three sizes too small?
“How about this?” he said. “I’ll help you get all your chores out of the way today. And tomorrow we’ll go fishing.”
“Ya-ay.” Bayleigh clapped her hands together and jumped up and down. “Simon says we’re goin’ fishing.”
“What do you say, Megan?”
Remembering her own game of Simon says, her insides quivered and her heart pounded painfully. The man was a devil. Basically, he’d left her no choice—unless she wanted to disappoint her daughter.
But it would be just this once. The child had been let down too many times in her five years. And it was clear she wanted a father. Megan couldn’t let Bayleigh set her sights on Simon or there would be another very big let-down in her future. First and foremost, Megan vowed to protect her little girl. Everything else came second, including her own happiness.
“I say—thank you very much.”
Sunday morning Simon whistled as he returned from the grocery store and lugged the bags from the bottom level where he had parked his car to the main floor of the town house. He had to take it slow because of the leg, but that didn’t dampen his spirits. It had been a long time since he’d whistled. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d looked forward to anything as much as he was anticipating Megan and Bayleigh’s visit today.
He’d gone to the market for food, in case the little girl got hungry. After Marcus died, he’d avoided even looking at his son’s favorites. Seeing the familiar crackers, fruit snacks and packaged juices had opened the wound in his heart. It hurt like a son of a gun, but he’d made himself pick up the items. He had no idea what Bayleigh’s choices would be, but there was a good chance she’d like some of the same things Marcus had.
He was looking forward to seeing her. And her mother.
Every time Megan ran away, he got another dose of what lonely felt like and he didn’t care for it. Still, he couldn’t blame her. She’d been abandoned by a guy she trusted. No one knew better than him how excruciating it was to move forward when life kicked you in the teeth. But he was determined to prove she could trust him.
Not an easy assignment when he wanted so badly to pull her into his arms and kiss her until they were both breathless and burning with need. But she’d warned him about the rules. He grinned again at how that had bitten her in the backside with Bayleigh’s innocent question. He patted himself on the back for the way he’d saved her bacon, then used it to his own advantage. No way would he have gotten Megan to agree to this outing without her daughter’s dogged assistance. And he very much wanted to see the two of them.
Just as he finished putting groceries away, he heard the doorbell chime.
“Saved by the bell,” he said.
Anticipation mixed with exhilaration as he walked down the hall from the kitchen to the front door. When he opened it, he was surprised to see Janet.
“Hey,” he said. “What are you doing here?”
“Nice to see you, too,” she said. “I came to check up on you. The last time I was here, you weren’t in the mood for visitors.”
He remembered that day. Was it only a couple of weeks ago? He’d been in pain and not just the physical kind. But he winced when he recalled how surly he’d been to Janet.
“Come on in.”
“Thank you.” She passed in front of him and into the room, where she sat down on the sofa. After closing the door, he joined her.
She looked him over. “I see you’re doing better. The hospitality fairy must have sprinkled you with friendly dust.”
He sighed. “About the other day—I’m sorry. I was rude, and it was inexcusable.”
“You left out cranky and impossible.”
“That, too.” He rubbed a hand over his neck. “Can I get you something to drink?”
“No. I don’t want to let you off the hook just yet. I like you this way,” she said, a smile turning up the corners of her mouth.
“What way?”
“Squirming. Who do I need to thank for this miracle?”
“Megan Brightwell.” Something flickered in Janet’s eyes, and he could have sworn it was an effort for her not to react. Then the look was gone, and he figured he’d imagined it.
“Who is she?”
“A nurse. I met her in the ER the night of the accident. She works there per diem when she’s not doing a shift for a home health-care company. I pulled some strings and—”
“Translation—you threw a tantrum,” she interjected.
“Okay. Anyway, she’s been my nurse for the past couple of weeks.”
“Then I want some of whatever she’s been giving you.”
What had she been giving him? No slack for one thing. Straight talk, toughn
ess with a healthy dose of tenderness tossed in. And understanding. As if she had a direct line to his demons. The combination was irresistible. But there were still some things that bedeviled him. Things he’d never discussed with Janet. At least not civilly. About what happened after the accident that took his son and her daughter.
“She has a little girl. Bayleigh. Sweet kid.”
“You’ve met her?” Janet asked.
He nodded. “To make a long story short, and for reasons I’m not going to tell you, I tracked Megan down at home. The little girl answered the door.”
“Really?”
“Apparently she had a tough time after she was born. Something with her eyes that could have left her blind.”
“How awful.”
“The worst part is her father walked out on both of them when the going got tough.”
“Imbecile,” she said angrily.
“Yeah. Anyway, I’ve been wondering about—Marcus.”
Surprise flickered in her eyes. “What about him?”
“After he—you said you were going to try to contact the recipients of his organs. Did you?”
“Some of them,” she admitted. “And the people Donna helped.”
“Do you ever feel that Donna’s in pieces?”
Janet shook her head. “My memory is of a beautiful, vibrant woman whose life had meaning. Because of her, the father who got her heart can spend more time with his wife and five children. The man who received her corneas will be able to see his first grandchild. The young mother with her kidneys can raise the baby she risked her life to bring into the world. That’s what I think about.”
He nodded as he mulled over her words. He couldn’t help thinking about Bayleigh. Her eyes were broken and the doctor fixed them. Now she wore glasses. And she was in kindergarten. While Megan finally moved ahead with the career she’d put on hold. Thanks to the miracle of modern medicine.
“Did you meet anyone who received Marcus’s organs?”
Janet folded her hands and rested them in her lap. “Yes, I did.”
“His corneas?” When she nodded, he asked, “Boy or girl?”
“Girl.”
“How old?” He rested his elbows on his knees, then shook his head. “No. I don’t want to know.”
Midnight, Moonlight & Miracles Page 15
