“Listen—” He began, but was interrupted by Eileen, who walked in with Giancarlo.
“My dear,” Eileen reached over, nearly shoving Billy out of the way. “What on earth happened?”
Following her were Scott, Pop, and Wallace, bringing up the year. The entire Turlock clan in her hospital room.
“I had an accident.” Wasn’t that obvious?
“Your Harley looks totaled,” Scott said. “Sorry about that.”
Brooke groaned.
“At least she’s not totaled,” Eileen said, straightening and tucking in Brooke’s bed sheets.
“Thanks for coming guys, but we need to let Brooke rest,” Billy protested.
“We brought some flowers,” Wallace came forward with a large vase of yellow mums and put them on her nightstand.
“Thanks,” Brooke said with a forced smile.
“How did this happen?” Giancarlo asked. “And why do you ride a motorcycle?”
“That’s what I’d like to know.” Eileen said, filling her glass with fresh water from the plastic pitcher. “They’re dangerous. I don’t allow my boys to ride them.”
“Right.” The boys answered like a chorus.
Brooke stifled a laugh, and that hurt. She happened to know all three boys had motorcycles they rode occasionally.
“Please, Eileen. You can’t tell grown men what to do.” Pop waved Eileen out of the way, and sat on the edge of Brooke’s bed. “Now I want you to know we’ll take care of everything while you’re recuperating.”
She hadn’t thought about that— exactly how long would she be recuperating? Even though it was her right arm, maybe she could figure out a way to work with her left one. Or one of those dictation programs for any emails she’d have to send out. No, she couldn’t be out of work for weeks. “Uh, you will?”
“We’ll take it from here.” Pop patted her shoulder gently.
She was digesting that information, thinking what an idiot she’d been to risk life and limb for a cool ride, when Billy was at her elbow. “Time for everyone to file out of here.”
Scott and Wallace didn’t need to be asked twice, and Pop and Giancarlo brought up the rear.
Eileen took Pop’s place on the edge of Brooke’s bed. Then she turned to Billy, who was staring at her. “Oh. You don’t mean me, also?”
Billy helped his mother rise from the bed. “Please. I’d like to be alone with Brooke.”
“Fine,” Eileen said. “But I’ll be at the house every day helping out. Don’t worry about a thing, Brooke. I’ll bring all your meals. Believe me, after a while you won’t miss your taste buds. And best of all, it’s healthy. You’ll recuperate faster.”
“All right, Mom.” Billy led her to the door.
Alone with Billy. At last. Too bad everything hurt. She’d come here by way of an ambulance, and she didn’t want to think about the bill. Another thing. Brooke was in a private room. That had to be costing her a great deal, and even though thanks to Billy she had great insurance she’d probably have to dig deeply into savings for her deductible.
“How long do I have to be here and how much is this going to cost me?” Brooke asked.
“Just another day. Don’t worry, I’m paying for everything.”
“No, Billy—”
“I asked them to put you in a private room. Believe me, you don’t want the co-pay for that.”
Billy had just reached her side when the nurse walked in. “Excuse me,” she said to Billy, as if wielding her power like a battle ax, “You’ll have to leave for a few minutes.”
Billy scowled at the nurse as though he was about to protest, but then he turned to Brooke. “I’ll be right back.”
When he’d left, the nurse whose name tag read ‘Renata’ turned to Brooke. “If you want him to stay out I can make it happen.”
“Why would I want that?”
“Well he’s been here all night. He wouldn’t leave, and honestly I’m no baseball fan so I was about to kick him out. Unfortunately Dr. Harrison loves the Sliders.” Renata sighed, overcome with woe apparently.
“Yeah, I’m no baseball fan either.” Brooke squirmed a little as Renata checked her IV line.
“What are you doing with a man like that?”
Brooke wanted to ask if perhaps the kind nurse should have her eyesight checked. But it wasn’t just his looks. It was— him. Jock or not. He was one of the good guys, even if it had taken her the better part of ten years to realize.
“He’s not a ball player anymore. He owns the Mirassu vineyard in Starlight Hill.”
Renata slipped the blood pressure cuff on Brooke’s good arm and started pumping. “Is that right? Well he’s an odd duck, that one. Wouldn’t let me shut the lights off all night long. I know baseball players have their quirks, but let me just say right now that was a strange one.”
“He wouldn’t let you turn the lights off?” Something inside Brooke’s heart bust open.
“Said you needed the light. Right. I asked him if he was aware that your eyes were closed. You know, athletes are not always the sharpest tool in the shed. But he insisted.”
He insisted. Because he knew how afraid of the dark she’d been, knew she still slept with a nightlight even with his big capable body right next to hers. Might have realized after the accident she didn’t want to wake up in the dark and in strange surroundings.
“Hmmm. Your heart rate is a little higher than earlier. You feeling okay?” She asked as she slipped off the cuff.
Better than ever, actually. Except, of course, for the road burn, scratches and broken arm.
“I love him. Big time.” Had she just said that out loud? From the dumbfounded look on Renata’s face, Brooke had.
So what if the first person she confessed this too was a nurse she might never see again? She was working up to telling the man himself. This was like a running start. A rehearsal. A dry run.
“I don’t know why patients feel like they need to unburden themselves to me. I have that kind of face, I guess. Fine. He’s a good looker. I’ll give you that. Although the hair? Maybe a little too long. Get a haircut every now and then. Even men get split ends. But try telling them that. Anyway, is that kind of man really the settling down type? Now think about it.”
“I’m the one who’s not marriage material.”
“You?” Renata didn’t seem to buy what Brooke was selling.
That was okay, because things had changed. “I wasn’t, but I am now. He loves me and I love him.”
“Well. Maybe the kind of love that can be a little suffocating.”
“Not to me,” Brooke said and for the first time in her life she meant it.
Every relationship had fizzled out in the past, and she’d walked away if a guy got too serious. Often too serious meant wanting her to meet his family, or vice versa. She’d been strangling from the inside out. She’d always thought it had to do with the fact that she wasn’t cut out for long term, not that she’d just never met the right man.
But of all the times to declare her love for the man, this had to be the worst. In a hospital bed, banged up, with a broken arm.
At that moment, he walked through the door.
“Looks who’s back,” the nurse said without enthusiasm. “You’re like a rash.”
“I’m going to go out on a limb and take a guess that you’re not a big sports fan.” Billy said with his amazing smile.
“You guessed right. I’ll leave you two alone,” she said as she fiddled with the IV again. “You should be feeling less pain in a minute or two. Might even sleep some more if someone would let you.”
When she left the room, Billy lifted a shoulder. “Hey, you can’t win `em all.”
“I’m sorry about that. I guess she doesn’t like ball players.”
“Like someone else I used to know,” Billy said as he reached her bedside.
Her heart melted a little bit more. Pretty soon her heart would slide right out of her, nothing but a gooey mess on the ground. “I remember her.
I didn’t really like that girl. She wasn’t just afraid of the dark. She was afraid of letting anyone too close. Especially boys that she shouldn’t like, but somehow did anyway.”
“You liked me?”
She thought maybe she might be blushing because her face felt hot. “C’mon, Billy. Everybody liked you. You’re hard not to like.”
He glanced in the direction of the closed door. “Some people manage just fine.”
She’d give him that. “I need to tell you something.”
He squeezed her good hand. “You were going to let me go first.”
“Oh, right.” She’d waited this long, she could wait a few more minutes.
“I’m sorry. You were right. I pushed you too hard, too fast. I want things to stay the same too. Whatever you want. I just can’t lose you.” He was threading his fingers through hers, and good grief, the soul-catching gaze in his green eyes. Billy, the soul reaper. How could anyone resist him? Certainly not her.
Her hardened heart had barely resisted him ten years ago.
She yanked on his hand pulling him even closer, letting her fingers slide through dark hair. How had this hair ever seemed too long before? It happened to be the perfect length. “You’re not trying to back out on me now, are you?”
He looked confused. “No— wait. What?”
Brooke sighed. “I had it all planned out. I was going to do better than this. For one, I wasn’t going to be in a hospital bed. I didn’t plan on this cast, on my right arm no less. And I probably don’t look as good as I did when I was practicing in the mirror.”
Even more confusion. “What mirror?”
“Never mind.” She shook her head. Ouch. Well, couldn’t lose her nerve now. What if she’d broken more than her arm? What if— she didn’t want to go there. “Here’s the thing. I think you already know this, but I love you like crazy.”
“Yeah?” Wow. Her favorite smile. Full throttle.
“Crazy love. Are you ready for that?” The man deserved fair warning. She wasn’t sure what crazy love would look like, but it would probably involve spending a lot of time together and being a little bit jealous. She’d work on that.
“I want crazy.” He kissed her hand.
“You say that now, but are you sure? My kind of crazy means Fallon can’t clean your house anymore.”
“Actually, that makes sense.”
“So I’ll find something she can do for me at the winery.” Under Brooke’s supervision. Too bad that she didn’t trust ex-girlfriends who had admitted they were jealous. “I know you want to help her.”
“But you come first with me.”
Tears formed in her eyes, making it hard to see his face through the blur. Love had turned her into a first class wimp. “Tell me that you still want to marry me.”
“Any time. Any place. I mean it.”
“I was worried you’d changed your mind.”
“Why? Because you like to challenge gravity every now and then? You think a little thing like that is going to scare me off?”
“No, because I’m a coward at heart. I couldn’t tell you when you needed to hear me say it. But I was on my way to tell you yesterday, when I had the accident.”
“I made my own mistake, Brooke. I shouldn’t have brought up getting married like it was the way to end an argument. If you don’t mind, I’d like to try again.”
She smiled and damned if her face didn’t hurt too. “I think we both need a second chance.”
19
Brooke wasn’t sure how long she’d been asleep when hushed voices woke her up. Hands down, the hospital was the worst place on the face of the earth to get a decent night’s sleep. She couldn’t wait to get home.
“Which does she like best?” A woman asked, sounding oddly like Mom.
“Personally, I like her in red. It is the season.”
Was that – Eileen?
“This is her favorite,” Ivey’s small voice said.
Brooke opened up one eye. She wasn’t dreaming this. Mom, Eileen and Ivey stood just inside her hospital room holding up dresses.
“What’s going on?” Brooke asked. “Is there some discharge dress code I’m not aware of?”
She was scheduled to go home today, both the doctor and the nurse had said. They’d already held her an extra day out of an abundance of caution. Plus, Billy had promised. Her last memory before she’d drifted off to sleep had been of him, just sitting next to her holding her hand.
“Good, you’re awake,” Eileen said moving toward her bedside.
The others followed her. “Do you prefer the red dress or the black one?” Ivey asked. “I said the black one, but it is Christmas time.”
“Can’t I just go home in jeans?” She wasn’t exactly feeling glamorous.
“Believe me, honey, you’re going to want to look your best in a few minutes,” Mom said.
“I brought your make-up,” Ivey said. “Do you want me to help you put it on?”
Considering she was right handed, the answer was obvious. But why did she need to wear make-up? Brooke sat up a little straighter. “All right, what’s going on?”
She caught Eileen, Mom and Ivey exchange a look.
“There might be some photos taken in a few minutes. And I figured you’d want to look your best,” Ivey said.
Brooke’s heart sped up into the stratosphere. She hadn’t asked if anyone else had been involved in the accident. What if there was a press conference? “Was someone else hurt in the accident? I thought it was just me.”
“Oh no, dear. This is good news,” Eileen said. “The best. Just please listen to the women and do as we say.”
“You won’t regret it,” Mom said.
“The shoes!” Eileen said. “I almost forgot.”
“I’ll come with you,” Mom said following Eileen out the door.
For the first time it occurred to Brooke that Mom and Eileen had a lot in common. One loved healthy food, the other one the ground that provided it.
Ivey came at Brooke with the mascara wand.
“Put away the wand, and nobody gets hurt.” Brooke said.
“Just let me do this and stop asking questions,” Ivey said with a pout. “I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”
Brooke sucked in a breath. She remembered bits and pieces of her conversations with Billy. He wanted a second chance. He wanted to ask her properly. Could this have anything to do with it? She was beginning to have suspicions.
But why now? In her hospital bed?
But would she argue the point? She wasn’t picky about the location or the proposal. It just had to happen, the sooner the better, so she could say yes. Hell yes. “Put it on, and make sure it doesn’t clump.”
A few minutes later, Brooke sat up on the edge of her bed. Her hair and make-up were done to perfection. She wore her red dress and black stiletto heels and felt a bit like a Christmas card come to life. She tried not to think about how the holidays had never been particularly good to her.
Maybe this year would be different.
Eileen, who had been alternatively staring out the window and pacing the bedroom floor finally waved Brooke over with a smile.
“Brooke, come see this.”
Brooke kicked off the heels and shuffled over to the window, Mom and Ivey flanking her on either side. Several stories below, a smattering of cameras were pointed at a microphone stand. And the man behind that mike was none other than Billy.
He looked heartbreakingly handsome in casual jeans and a Sliders jacket.
Ivey flicked on the TV set and Brooke turned to see Billy on the local channel.
“Do you have an announcement to make?” someone shouted.
“What’s this about, Billy?”
Billy smiled. “Thanks for coming. I have decided to pass on the sports casting offer from Fox Sports with regret. Instead I’ll be coaching the high school baseball team, the Starlight Hills Panthers. The place where I began. And of course, I do own Mirassu vineyards as most of you know. But starting nex
t month the place is under a new name. It’s going to be called Brooke. Brooke’s Wine. That has a nice ring to it.”
Brooke’s heart dropped. She didn’t want the place named after her. Yes, that was kind and generous but what about her marriage proposal? She tried to smile but her eyes grew watery and she leaned a little bit on Mom. “That’s sweet. This is a surprise.”
The press would probably want photos of her and it was a good thing she looked presentable. As long as she could keep the tears in check.
Anyway, there would be plenty of time for a proposal later. She needed to get a grip.
“And guys, I know the media and I haven’t always had the best relationship, but if you could help me out here. You see, my girl doesn’t much like the holidays. I wanted to change that this year.”
Brooke’s knees grew weak. Someone that looked suspiciously like Stephan brought out a giant blown up photo of the one on Stephan’s blog and handed it to Billy.
Written on the photo in large and bright red letters were the words:
“Would the woman in this photo please marry me?”
That’s when Billy looked up as if he’d marked her window and knew her exact location. Smiling, he turned the sign up to her. Cameras clicked and reporters fired out questions. Brooke couldn’t hear any of them over the buzz in her brain.
Mom squeezed her shoulder. Ivey sobbed.
Eileen cried out, “My son is such a romantic.”
“Does this window open?” Brooke asked. First things first. How could she say yes through a closed window? “Ivey, help me open this window. Quick!”
Ivey shoved the window open, but Billy wasn’t standing in front of the mike any longer.
As if he’d anticipated her questions, the TV news camera zoned in on one reporter.
“Ladies and gentlemen, sports fans everywhere: Billy Turlock has entered the hospital building. I’ve sent a runner behind him and I’ll be giving you a play by play. Stand by, please. We’ve all watched Billy’s career, but I think it’s safe to say this is the most important pitch of his life. Will she or won’t she, folks? Aaaaaand he’s on the second floor. Sprinting down the hallway, my runner tells me. Still carrying that huge sign. What do you expect? He’s an athlete. And I’m willing to bet Billy has just thrown one of his famous fast balls tonight. Sailing across the plate at 98 miles an hour straaaaaight into the catcher’s glove.”
THE STARLIGHT HILL COMPLETE COLLECTION: 1-8 Page 40
