A Little Rain Must Fall (Summer Lake Silver Book 3)

by SJ McCoy

“Yes?”

  “Please don’t.”

  “Don’t what?”

  “Don’t change a thing between you and me. I’m here with you … I’m here for you because I want to be. I know we haven’t known each other very long, but there’s something special between us. I know you feel it, too, or I wouldn’t say this. Don’t try to push me away because you think this is too much for me. It isn’t. Okay?”

  “Oh, Ted.” He could hear the tears and the gratitude in her voice

  He had to swallow before he spoke again. “I’ll come back in there if you want me there, and I’ll wait out here to give you time with your girls—whichever is best for you. Just know this; I’m not going anywhere.”

  “You’re something special, Ted.”

  “So are you.”

  “Do you want to come back in here and give me a hug? That’s what I’d like the most right now.”

  He smiled, relieved; it had been a gamble to say all that, it might have been too much to put on her in such a stressful time, but it’d been what she needed to hear—and what he needed to say. “I’m on my way.”

  When he got back to the waiting room where he’d left them, they were all smiling. Audrey came to him and he circled his arms around her waist, and she rested her head against his shoulder.

  “The doctor came out and told us that he’s awake. It seems that it’s just a concussion. He took a nasty knock to his head, and they’re going to set his leg in a cast, but,” she blew out a big sigh, “it’s not nearly as bad as we thought it might be.”

  He hugged her tighter. “That’s wonderful news. Can you see him?”

  “They said maybe in half an hour.”

  Ally and Izzy came to join them.

  Izzy smiled warmly at him. “Aren’t you the man of the hour? Thanks for getting her back here so quickly.”

  Ally reached up and pecked his cheek. “Thanks, Ted. You’re awesome.”

  He tightened his arm around Audrey, who was standing by his side. “I just did what needed to be done.”

  Izzy smiled. “Diego said you’re too modest; he was right.”

  Audrey’s phone rang, and she took it out and frowned.

  “Is that Dad?” asked Ally. “You always get that look when it’s him.”

  “It is. I should tell him that he doesn’t need to worry.”

  “He doesn’t seem too worried to me,” said Izzy. “You got back here from Summer Lake before he’s even bothered to call to check on things—and he’s only fifteen miles down the road.”

  Audrey pursed her lips. “I know. And after what he said to me earlier, I’m done with his crap. I’m tired of making excuses for him.”

  Ted watched her as she answered the call and turned away from them.

  “Wow!” said Izzy. “What did he say to her earlier that’s got her so pissed?”

  “I don’t know. She spoke to him before we got on the plane. He upset her somehow. She said it didn’t matter, but she was hurt.” He glanced at Ally. “I’m sorry. It’s not my place to—”

  Ally gave him a grim smile. “Don’t you dare apologize. We all know he’s an asshole; you’re just not in a position where you can admit that you know it, too. I hope he doesn’t come. Seeing you and Mom together rattled him at the weekend. I think seeing you here will only set him off.”

  “I should stay out of the way, then.”

  “No, he should!” Ally and Izzy both spoke at the same time and then smiled at each other.

  “See, it’s a unanimous decision,” said Izzy.

  Audrey came back and looked around at them. “Is everything okay?”

  “Yep,” said Ally. “What about you. Is he coming?”

  Audrey shook her head.

  “Asshole,” muttered Izzy.

  “He is,” agreed Audrey. “But it works out for the best. I don’t want to see him, and I know neither of you do. Brayden won’t mind either way and …” She stopped talking as a doctor approached.

  “Mrs. Patterson.”

  “Yes.”

  “Do you want to come in and see him?”

  Audrey nodded and followed her, and Ally scurried after them.

  Izzy raised her eyebrows at Ted. “Are you itching to get out of here?”

  He shook his head with a smile. He’d expected her to test him out as soon as Audrey wasn’t around. “Nope. I’m here for the duration.”

  She looked skeptical. “Of what? Until Brayden’s okay? Until the novelty wears off?”

  “I probably shouldn’t admit this to you. I haven’t told Audrey this yet, and I’ve only just figured it out for myself.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll be around Audrey for as long as she wants me.”

  Izzy’s expression softened, and she reached out and touched his arm. “Aww. You’re perfect. You’re the real deal, aren’t you?”

  He chuckled. “Real? Yes. Perfect? Not by a long shot. But my heart’s in the right place.”

  “And your heart’s already involved in this, isn’t it?”

  He held her gaze for a moment and then nodded.

  ~ ~ ~

  Audrey parked the rental car in the driveway and turned to look at Ted. “I feel as though this should seem strange, but it doesn’t.”

  “What should?”

  “Having you here, bringing you into my home.”

  “It doesn’t seem strange to me. I wish it were under different circumstances, but I hoped that I’d visit you here soon anyway.”

  “You did?”

  He smiled. “Of course, I did. That’s how a relationship works, isn’t it? I come to your house, you come to mine.”

  Her heart was racing. “A relationship?”

  He smiled. “That’s what I’d like.”

  “Wow!” She pushed her hair back off her shoulders.

  “It’s probably not the best time to bring it up—”

  “No! It’s a wonderful time.” She smiled. “It’s perfect. Come on, let’s go inside. This isn’t a conversation we need to have sitting out here in the car.”

  As he followed her into the house, she wondered how it would look through his eyes. She considered herself very fortunate. The divorce hadn’t exactly left her destitute, but her current financial situation was a product of her own hard work since then. Her home was beautiful by anyone’s standards. At least, anyone she knew. But before she’d met Ted, she hadn’t known anyone who flew around in a private jet.

  She led him through to the kitchen. “Would you like a drink?”

  “Just water, thanks. This is a beautiful place.”

  “Thanks, I like it.”

  “I do, too. Everything about it says Audrey.”

  She smiled. “Good. That was my plan when I bought it, I wanted to put my own stamp on it.”

  “Well, you did.”

  She poured two glasses of iced water and led him through to the den. “I can’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you, I’d still be at the airport, trying to get a flight back here.”

  “I’m glad I was able to help.”

  She frowned. “What about you, though? You’re supposed to be spending time with your family.”

  “I can do that any time. This was an emergency.”

  “I thought it was, but it turned out not to be as bad as I feared.” She shuddered. It was only now that she knew that Brayden was going to be fine, that she could allow herself to acknowledge all the fears that raced through her mind on the way back here.

  “And that’s the best possible outcome.”

  “It is.” Her mind was only just starting to catch up with the practical realities of the situation. “Is Smoke still waiting to take you back?”

  Ted nodded. “He said he’d stand by until this evening. I didn’t know … I didn’t know how long you’d need me … or even if you’d want me.”

  She edged closer to him and put her arms around his neck. “I want to say that I didn’t need you, but that would be a lie. I needed your help today, and I’ll be foreve
r grateful for it. I do want you …” She hesitated, but only for a moment. He’d stuck his neck out talking about a relationship, she needed him to know that she’d like that, too. “What you said about a relationship? I’d like that. I don’t know what it would look like, but I’d like to find out.”

  He visibly relaxed as he smiled. “It can look however we want it to. We can make it up as we go along.”

  “We can, but there are some things we can’t control.”

  He frowned. “Like what?”

  “Well, for starters, you’re supposed to be in Summer Lake visiting your family. I need to be here and at the hospital with Brayden much of the time.”

  “Absolutely. I understand that. But I’m only at the lake this week, and Brayden will hopefully be out of the hospital soon.”

  She smiled. “And then where will that leave us?”

  “Wherever you want it to.”

  “Well, it leaves me right here in Ventura.”

  “And I’m only around one hundred miles away in Laguna Beach. It doesn’t take long to get here.”

  Audrey knew that it was more than two hours on the road, but then he was used to hopping in a plane, so perhaps, for him, it didn’t take long.

  “I’d like to keep seeing you, Audrey. I thought we’d have this whole week at the lake and that by the time we left, it would be a natural continuation when we came home. This changes things a little, but it doesn’t have to.”

  She looked into his eyes; they shone as he smiled. “You’d seriously already thought about what might happen after we came home?”

  “Very seriously.”

  The butterflies took to flight again in her stomach, and for a moment, she felt guilty. She shouldn’t be sitting here with him, talking like this while Brayden was lying in the hospital.

  “Of course, what’s happened with Brayden takes priority over everything else.”

  There he went, reading her mind again!

  “But I’d like for us to keep seeing each other as much as you’re comfortable with.”

  “I want you to go back to Summer Lake tonight.”

  His smile faded, and she had to laugh. “If it were for my sake, I’d keep you here. But you’re visiting your family—your grandson. That’s important.”

  He nodded. “You’re right. It is.”

  “And besides. I’d feel guilty if you stayed here. We both have family we need to spend time with.”

  “We do. I know it’s for the best if I leave soon, but only if you tell me when we can see each other again.”

  She’d love to ask him to stay, but it just wouldn’t be right. And she’d love to tell him to come back here this weekend, but she didn’t know what state Brayden was going to be in. She’d bring him here with her as soon as he got out of the hospital. So, having Ted come wasn’t a great idea. She gave him a sad smile. “I can’t tell you, not until I know what’s going on with Brayden.”

  “I know. I shouldn’t have asked, but I don’t want to leave things open-ended between us.”

  “Neither do I. How about I call you tonight? It won’t be the same as going out or sitting on the balcony at the lodge, but we can talk for a while.”

  He smiled. “I’d like that. I’d like it a lot.”

  “Okay, then. We have a deal.”

  ~ ~ ~

  After they’d dropped the rental car off, Audrey walked with him across the airport building. He could see Smoke standing over by the door that led out to the tarmac.

  He stopped and put his hands on her shoulders. Looking down into her eyes made his heart race. It wasn’t even the fact that was so beautiful, it was what he saw in her eyes that made him feel this way. She was strong, she was a kind, she was the kind of woman he hadn’t believed existed outside of movies. He dropped a kiss on the tip of her nose, and she smiled.

  “I’m going to miss you, Ted Rawlins.”

  He liked the way his name sounded on her lips. “I’m going to miss you, Audrey…” He’d heard the doctor call her Mrs. Patterson. He wondered if that was still her married name.

  She smiled. “I never told you, did I? It’s Patterson.”

  “Mrs. Patterson?”

  She shook her head rapidly. “Hell, no! Richard’s name, the name I used all those years, is Tanner. I gave the name back when I gave the ring back.”

  He couldn’t help smiling. It was petty, but he didn’t want to call her by Richard’s last name. “Well, I’m going to miss you, Audrey Patterson. But not for long. We’ll talk tonight. You can tell me how Brayden’s doing. I hope we’ll talk every night until I can see you again.” He slid his arms around her waist and pulled her into a hug. He wanted to kiss her, but it wouldn’t be right here.

  She hugged him back and reached up to plant a peck on his lips. “Thanks, Ted. I don’t like to think how today would have worked out without you. I’ll text you when I get back from the hospital, and you can tell me what time works for you. I hope we will talk every night.” She gave him a rueful smile. “But I need you to know that if you change your mind, I’ll understand. I’ll always treasure these few days and what you did today, especially.”

  He hugged her closer. “I won’t change my mind. We’re just getting started.”

  “I hope so.”

  She stepped away from him, and he reluctantly let her go. Smoke was waiting, and he could see that Izzy had just come into the building to collect Audrey. It was time. He couldn’t resist stealing one last chaste kiss. “See you soon.”

  Smoke greeted him with a smile. “It looks like everything’s okay?”

  “Yeah. Her son isn’t nearly as bad as we feared.”

  “That’s good news.” Smoke watched Audrey walking away. “This wasn’t just you being a good Samaritan, huh?”

  “No.” Ted watched as Audrey reached Izzy, and the two of them turned and waved at him. He waved back with a smile. “This is a whole lot more than that.”

  Smoke smiled. “That much is obvious. I was hoping you’d tell me what it is.”

  “I would if I could. I don’t know myself yet.”

  “But you’re hoping it’s going to be something big?”

  “I am.”

  It was only four-thirty by the time they landed back at Summer Lake. It was hard to believe that despite everything that had happened, he wouldn’t even be late to Eddie and April’s house.

  After he’d thanked Smoke, he got back in the car and headed in that direction. He called Diego on the way.

  “How is he?” Diego answered as if they were continuing a conversation that they’d only interrupted a moment ago.

  “Nowhere near as bad as we feared.”

  “That’s good news.”

  “It’s a relief.”

  “Are you still there?”

  “No. Smoke brought me back to the lake. Audrey needs to be with Brayden and Ally’s with her and …” He smiled and left the rest of the sentence dangling, wondering if Diego would ask about Izzy.

  Diego stayed quiet for a long moment.

  Ted outwaited him.

  “Was Izzy with her?”

  Ted laughed. “Why, yes. She was. Why do you ask?”

  “Because she should have someone with her at a time like this—a friend. What about the ex-husband?”

  Ted frowned his intention of teasing Diego forgotten. “She spoke to him before we left here. I don’t know what he said, but he upset her. He didn’t bother to show up at the hospital. Didn’t even call his daughter. He didn’t even call Audrey again until we were there. Apparently, he’s only a few miles down the road.”

  “You sound angry. Why? Are you jealous of him?”

  “No! I have no need to be. Audrey has no feelings for him anymore—well, none other than irritation.”

  “I’ll believe you if you want me to.”

  “She doesn’t!”

  “I don’t mean about her feelings. I mean about you not being angry. I know you, Ted. You’re steady, even-keeled, reasonable. All the things that I am not
. But right now, you’re angry at this dick she was married to.”

  Ted had to smile. “Okay. You got me. I can’t explain it. I dislike him, that’s easy to understand. I have no respect for the way he’s treating his kids—but we both know from experience that some people are that way. But you’re right. I’ve had this low-grade anger toward him ever since Saturday night. It’s not rational, but …” he shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right, perhaps I am jealous of him.”

  “Or perhaps you have some sense, some intuition that he will do something to anger you.”

  “Perhaps. It’s likely that he will, given the circumstances.”

  “I’d say it’s more than likely.”

  Ted turned off the road into Eddie and April’s driveway. “I’m at Eddie’s now. I said I’d come to see Marcus after school. Is there anything at the office I need to know about?”

  “All quiet here. You go enjoy your family time. I’ll speak to you in the morning.”

  “All right. Thanks for today, Diego.”

  Diego laughed. “There are no thanks ever needed between you and me, mi amigo. We’re a team.”

  “We are. A great team. Talk to you tomorrow.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Can I get you anything, sweetheart?”

  Brayden smiled. “I’m fine, Mom. Thanks. You really don’t need to wait on me, you know. I can get around no problem now.”

  Audrey knew that he thought she was going over the top taking care of him, and he might have a point. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to fuss over you; I can’t help it.”

  He patted the bed where he was sitting and shifted over so she could come and join him.

  She sat down with a smile. “I know you’re too old and too independent for me to treat you like a child, but if you can see it from my point of view, it’s not often a mom gets to take care of her kids again when they’re grown. I’m making the most of it.”

  He laughed. “I know. I’m not complaining. If it were only about me, I’d be all over it. Let’s see, would I rather be at my apartment surrounded by pizza boxes and crumbs or here in the lap of luxury with you waiting on me hand and foot?” He laughed again. “I think you know my answer. But I feel bad. I messed up your vacation.” He gave her a sideways glance. “I messed up your time with Ted.”