by Zoe Reid
Chapter 13
Sean
Dad’s pale face was all I saw as I drove to work Monday morning. Thankfully there wasn’t any traffic to give me time for my mind to wander. I blasted the radio, trying to keep my thoughts from running away with me.
The kidney transplant was supposed to work. Why the hell didn’t it work? Now the rejection medication wasn’t helping him at all.
I slammed my fist against the wheel, finally able to get some of my frustration out. At home, everyone was already on edge. Upsetting Mom or Dad wouldn't make him better. For a second it felt good to let it all out.
As I drove up the long path to the house, I checked the clock. It was a minute to five. I had to provide for my family, now more than ever.
Going back to work and forgetting about anything between Brooklynn and me was my only choice. I foresaw bigger medical bills in our near future and Mom needed all the help she could get.
There was a small snowfall the night before. It was a dusting, but with the plummeting temperatures forecasted for tonight, I wanted to make sure the driveway was clear for Paul and Gavin to get to work. Besides, Brooklynn wasn't about to join me outside before the sun came up.
I felt awful for the way I treated her, especially after we were so intimate with each other. But she needed to get the hint.
We were in different worlds, and it was foolish for me to think it would go past a fling.
Now it appeared as I led her on so ending it as soon as possible was for the best. She was so incorrigible that ignoring her would be for the best. At the very least, she probably wouldn’t have to wait long for a rich guy to snap her up. She had the full package even though she was young. Eventually, I would meld into the background of her life and become like Mary, another fixture in her life that helped make it easier.
By the time I came back up the driveway with the plow, Paul’s SUV had rolled out of the garage. He waved me over, and I pulled up alongside him.
“How was the rest of your weekend?” he asked. I’d told him Dad was sick but didn’t go into much detail, it wasn’t anyone else’s business but my own.
“It was okay,” I said. “Thanks for giving me the time off.”
“You can take more time off if you need it,” he said. “Family is important. I understand that more than most.”
“I appreciate that,” I said sincerely. “But I’d rather get back to work as soon as possible.”
“Well, I’ll see you at dinner,” he said. “And Sean, do let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”
“Will do,” I said.
I waved him goodbye and finished up the main part of the driveway in no time.
After plowing, I walked the property, checking to make sure that all was in order. Little did any one of the Turner’s know that I was avoiding going inside for as long as I could. Either Mrs. Turner or Mary would be out at some point to ask me to breakfast.
I should have worked harder to refuse outright. Now it was a daily occurrence that I dined with them. If I’d kept my distance from the start, then I wouldn’t have to worry about seeing Brooklynn for every meal.
Did that girl ever leave the house?
She was driving me crazy in more ways than one.
While I cleared the snow off the front bushes, showcasing the twinkling lights I’d strung, the front door opened.
Here we go.
“Sean, breakfast is ready,” Mrs. Turner said.
I knew better than to refuse her. If it was Mary, I might have had a chance.
I went inside, dreading what was to come. I made sure to clear off my boots and clothes before going into the house.
Inside the dining room, Mrs. Turner and Gavin were the only people eating.
I didn’t dare ask about Brooklynn. It turned out, I didn’t have to.
“Where’s my lovely sister this morning?” Gavin asked a few minutes later, barely looking up from his phone.
“Who knows,” Mrs. Turner said as if they were the only two people in the room. “She said she wasn’t hungry this morning and that was that. I’m past arguing with her about meals. As long as she makes it to dinner every night I have much more on my plate than dealing with her whims.”
Gavin shrugged and carried on with his meal. As much as I would have normally wanted to see Brooklynn, her staying upstairs was a relief. There would be no awkward encounters this morning.
Gavin left for work shortly after and then Mrs. Turner left to run some errands soon after him.
I was relieved that I had decided to plow earlier that morning. I didn’t know she was leaving, but the fact that she didn’t bother me about not clearing the driveway was a win for me.
I followed Mary through the rooms while she cleaned up to check on the decorations. Walking through the rooms, I felt as if I were walking through the pages of a magazine. The displays were flawless and very elegant, almost as if I were touring an expensive manor other than working at one. I was extremely lucky and grateful for the job.
When Mary went off to start lunch, she left me in the sitting room. The tree towered over me, and I noticed there was one more box of decorations behind it. Somehow, in the power outage, I forgot to grab that one. I lifted it up and turned to leave for the garage when Brooklynn stepped into the room.
She closed the door behind her.
My breath caught in my throat. What was she planning? Didn’t she know that we couldn’t continue going on like this?
“I just want to talk,” she said, holding her hands up in surrender.
I glanced at the door, my only escape. “About what?”
She shook her head. “Don’t be like this. You know what. What is your problem? Ever since the other night, you’ve treated me like I was a decoration on the wall and not someone that you—you know…”
“Nothing,” I said, cutting her off. “There isn’t a problem.”
“You hurt me,” she said, lowering her gaze to the floor.
I blinked. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“I want to know what’s going on inside your head,” she said.
I looked into the empty box in my arms as if I was able to pluck an excuse from the air. “Now isn’t a good time for that. If you’ll excuse me, I have to get back to work.”
I moved passed her, every step I took away from her hurt more than the first. I had no intention of hurting her. The timing was off, though. Paul was onto her flirting and Dad needed me to keep this job.
Keeping to the exterior of the house, I refused when Mary invited me in for lunch and dinner. She made me a sandwich for lunch and wrapped a plate for me to eat for dinner. I took it to the guest house, determined to keep my distance.
My strong feelings for Brooklynn never faded, but it wasn’t possible for us to be together. She had to see that.
So did I.
Chapter 14
Brooklynn
Turning toward the knocking on my door, I wasn’t surprised to see Mom walking into my room. Dressed for the day with her usual impassive expression she dragged her gaze over my outfit before meeting my eyes.
“Where are you off to this morning?” she asked me.
“I’m meeting Adelle for breakfast and then we’re going shopping,” I said, fixing my hair.
“Did you inform Mary that you would not be coming down for breakfast?”
“Of course,” I said. “I’m not a jerk.”
Mom winced. “I wish you wouldn’t speak like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like an uneducated person,” she said.
“Is that all?” I huffed.
Mom pursed her lips. “Yes. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
“Bye,” I said quickly, needing to get her out of my room. As much as I loved her, she was so overbearing sometimes. She never gave me credit for anything.
My cell phone pinged. My driver was here. I had my license, but I rarely drove myself around, especially in the snow. Daddy gave me full access to his fleet, so I m
ight as well take advantage.
I left the house quickly, not wanting to run into Sean or Mom.
Though, I secretly wished to see him. Then he could see how much he was wrong to keep ignoring me.
I had my chance as he was coming out of the garage when I left the house. As I approached the sleek black SUV, I kept my eyes focused on the open door that the driver held for me.
I knew Sean saw me when his crunching footsteps over the snow stopped. I smiled to myself. Let’s see if he liked being ignored.
Adelle was late to breakfast, as usual, giving me time to have a cup of coffee while I waited. I needed to perk up before a full morning of shopping. I could have easily ordered online for anything I wanted, but I was old-fashioned in that I loved to pick out individual gifts in person.
“Soooo sorry I’m late,” Adelle said, slipping into her chair.
The waiter came around, and she ordered her drink. “Two mimosa’s and keep them coming.”
“What about coffee?” I asked.
“This is supposed to be a fun day of shopping. Mimosa’s are definitely in order.”
I shrugged. “Okay.”
She pressed her hands against the top of the table. “So, how’s the sexy handyman?”
I cringed.
“What is it?” Adelle asked, leaning closer. “Did you finally do something? Tell me everything.”
I couldn’t lie to my best friend. Even though I hadn’t told her anything yet, I needed to talk to someone about the situation I was in.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s all screwed up, though.”
“Start from the beginning,” she said. “And leave nothing out.”
Telling Adelle helped take the weight off my shoulders. She listened and didn’t say much until I finished.
“Now he’s ignoring you?” she asked. “That’s cold.”
I shook my head. “Something else is going on with him. He took a personal day on Sunday. I know he had a good time.”
“Have you cornered him and talked to him?” she asked.
I nodded. “A few times, but he’s not interested.”
“Girl, he’s interested. He probably doesn’t want to get fired.”
“Do you think that is it?”
“Probably. But if you want more answers, you need to try harder. If you like him as much as you say, don’t let him push you away.”
“You’re right,” I said, feeling better about the situation. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” she said. “Just make sure I’m Maid of Honor at your backyard wedding.”
I giggled into my hand. As if Mom would ever allow me to have a backyard wedding. Unless it was in the backyard of The White House.
Coming back home, I kept my eyes peeled for Sean working outside. I didn’t see him at all. I wondered where he was inside then. I hoped he hadn’t gone to the guest house. There was no explaining my being there to Mom if she caught me.
My driver parked as close to the front door as possible and grabbed all my packages for me. There were more gifts for myself, but I did manage to check everyone off my list.
Entering the foyer, I heard some tinkling of ornaments coming from the sitting room.
“You can leave these here,” I said to the driver.
“Yes, Miss,” he said, dropping the bags onto the round table in the middle of the room.
I searched through them to find the few gifts for my family. Lifting those bags, I went into the sitting room.
As I suspected, Sean was on a ladder, fixing something on the tree.
“Hi,” I said, not wanting to play his game anymore. This was my house. I didn’t deserve his attitude.
He glanced over his shoulder and gave me a half-smile. “Hi.”
“I’m just putting some presents under the tree,” I said.
Sean climbed down the ladder.
“There’s no need—”
“I’m finished here,” he said, interrupting me. Moving the ladder aside, I watched the muscles in his arms twist and move with the effort. I recalled the feel of them under my fingertips, and I shivered.
I wasn’t ready for him to leave yet. My confidence started to waver, and I had to do something. He technically worked for my family and had to do anything we asked. But I needed to get him alone. I was sure then he’d talk to me if Daddy or Mom weren’t able to interrupt.
“I have a tree in my room,” I blurted. Mom insisted that all of the rooms had trees in them. It was a tradition I enjoyed as a child as I could decorate my own, but over the last few years, I let it sit in the corner, untouched. I supposed it was in spite of Mom controlling every aspect of my life. Though I did like the scent of it. “I need some help with it.”
He nodded. “I can get to it later today.”
Later? “What about now?”
He swallowed. “I need to run an errand for my family. Your Dad is aware of it. I’ll be back later today.”
I opened my mouth to ask him more, but it wasn’t my place. And I wasn’t ready to get rejected once again. “Sure.”
Sean walked out of the room, nearly bumping into Mom on the way out. He apologized then disappeared into the hallway.
I turned toward the tree and unpacked the neatly wrapped presents. I hadn’t intended to put them under the tree; I only needed an excuse to see Sean. But with Mom right there, I had to go through with my fake plan.
“You need to be careful,” she said.
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt any of your ornaments,” I said, stacking the gifts on top of the velvet skirt.
“I’m not talking about that,” she said. Her feet appeared next to my leg, and I shuffled out from underneath the tree.
“What are you talking about then?” I asked, standing up.
She turned her head toward the door. “That boy. He’s not rich.”
“I’m not following?”
“Everyone knows you have a little crush on the handyman,” she said as if she had meant a nastier word. “It’s obvious, and it’s making Sean uncomfortable. I only want what’s best for you and that is not him.”
My skin prickled, and heat rushed through me. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“It stops now,” she said firmly.
I stormed off, leaving the bag of gifts at her feet. I hated how transparent I was with Sean. Did everyone think I was a fool for liking him? Is that why he was ignoring me? He wanted to let me down gently since I was so obvious in liking him?
Even worse was Mom’s blatant disregard for him as a person. She came from a wealthy family, trust fund and all, married rich and was sitting high on her mountains of money. I wasn’t like her, and I never would be.
Chapter 15
Sean
My stomach was a ball of nerves the entire day before getting to the hospital that afternoon. Dad was admitted that morning and Mom wanted me to come in to meet with the doctor as a family to talk about next steps for him. The prognosis wasn’t good, but I couldn’t give up. As long as I kept paying the medical bills, there was no reason that we couldn’t try everything in our power to keep him around for years.
The doctor was already speaking to my parents when I arrived in the room. There was another patient next to Dad, separated by only a curtain. I wished we could have afforded a private room for him.
“Sean,” Mom said, hugging me.
I patted Dad on the leg, and his eyes fluttered open. Tubes were coming out of his body, and I knew one of them had some intense pain relief medication.
“Hi, Son,” he croaked.
“Hi, Dad,” I said. “You can rest, Mom and I will take care of this.”
He strained to keep his eyes open, but eventually, they fell closed.
It broke my heart to see him that way.
“Sean,” Dr. Gordon said, stepping toward me.
I shook his hands, and he went right into it.
“We’re going to have to get your father back onto the donor list,” Dr. Gordon said.
“
How long will it take to find someone?” I had a feeling this wasn’t going to be as easy as it was the first time around. Dad was on the list before but his brother, my uncle Kenny, gave him a kidney. This time we were waiting in line with others who needed one as well.
“Once I log Mr. Wade onto the list, I’ll be able to give you a better estimate,” the doctor said. “In the meantime, have you been tested to see if you’re a match?”
I shook my head. Since Uncle Kenny knew he was the same blood type as Dad, there was no reason for me to be tested.
“It’s an option,” Dr. Gordon said.
Mom squeezed my hand. I’d do anything for Dad, even donate my kidney to him. It was the least I could do.
“I want to be tested,” I said.
“Sure thing,” Dr. Gordon said. “Nurse Jessica will be able to get that sorted. In the meantime, Mr. Wade will need to remain at the hospital. If there is a chance of a kidney coming through, he will have a better shot if he’s already prepped for it.”
“Thank you, doctor,” Mom said. Her eyes were glossy, and I wanted to make this all go away. I prayed that I was a match.
After the testing, I took Mom home to get some things for Dad. She insisted that I go back to work at the Turner’s and I didn’t argue about it. If Dad was staying at the hospital, then I needed to keep working to pay for that.
She took her own car to the hospital while I headed back to the Turner estate. It wasn’t where I wanted to be, but it was where I needed to be.
I returned to the estate much earlier than I thought I would have. Walking around the house, I noticed that everyone was still gone.
I trudged up the stairs to Brooklynn’s room, fulfilling my promise to help decorate her tree. The sooner I got it over with, the sooner I could move on and focus on other jobs that didn’t involve a girl I bedded almost a week ago.
