by Rachel Hanna
"Oh, my gosh! You guys almost gave me a heart attack!"
Everybody laughed and the next couple of hours were spent celebrating Bennett. Danielle had never seen him smile so much, and it made her feel good to have done that for him.
They had catering brought in from the diner, and everybody sat on the sofa, at the table and even out on the deck. It felt good to have a house filled with laughter.
"Thank you so much for doing this. I've never had a birthday party," Bennett said, as they watched the last person leave.
"You've never had a birthday party?" she asked, her eyes wide.
"Never. Once I could afford it, I certainly didn't see a need to throw a party for myself. I'm not that vain."
"I feel so honored to have thrown you your first birthday party. And I was able to surprise you!"
He pulled her into a tight embrace and pressed his lips to the top of her head. "You have definitely surprised me, Danielle Wright."
As the evening wound down, Danielle and Bennett sat on the deck, staring out into the dark ocean, listening to the waves. She loved how he pulled their chairs closer together and held her hand, as if he was afraid she was going to vanish.
She was dozing off when her phone vibrated in her pocket. With her mother being alone in the city, she often worried that something may have happened to her, so she had started answering the phone no matter what number came up.
"I should take this."
Bennett stood up. "No problem. I'll open a bottle of wine."
He walked into the house, sliding the door partially closed behind him.
“Hello?"
"Danielle? It's so good to hear your voice."
It took her a moment to place who she was talking to, but then she realized it was Robert LaRusse, her old boss at the hospital.
“Mr. LaRusse?”
"I've told you a million times to call me Robert. How are you doing?"
"I am doing well," she stammered, still confused as to why he was calling her. She had found out weeks ago that her job had been filled, so there was no reason for him to be calling her now.
"Listen, I won't keep you long. I'm calling to beg you."
“Beg me?"
"Listen, Danielle, you're the best ICU nurse I've ever seen. So quick on your feet, innovative, empathetic with the patients and their families. Your organizational and leadership skills are second to none."
"Well, thank you for the compliments. I'm curious as to why you're calling me?"
"I want you back."
She stood there, her eyes wide as she stared out at the ocean in front of her. "I don't know what to say. I thought you already filled my position?"
He sighed loud enough for her to hear. "We did. It's been a fiasco. I swear, I don't know where this woman was trained, but she's terrible. She can't lead the staff. Everything is so disorganized now."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"I've heard a bit about what you're doing at your new job. I think we can both agree that you were meant for more. There's no way they're paying you what I could, and you can't be professionally fulfilled there."
She laughed under her breath. "You'd be surprised."
“Look, I'm going to text you a number. A salary. I want you to take a look at it and then call me as soon as you’ve decided. I have to do something soon because this woman isn't running things well. I would like to think that I could get you to come back. Richard is gone now, and everybody here misses you. Nobody thinks badly of you, Danielle."
"I'm very flattered, but…" Just as she was about to finish her sentence, a text message from him came through with the salary being offered. Her eyes almost popped out of her head when she realized it was almost double what she had been making.
"From your silence, I take it that you just received my text?"
"But… How can you…"
"I know it's a lot more than you were making, but I went to the board and I fought for you. If we hire somebody else, they won't be making nearly that much. If you come back, we're willing to pay you almost double your previous salary."
She stood there, stunned, staring at her phone screen like it was in another language.
"I… I need some time…"
"I totally understand. You moved your life all the way to an island in South Carolina. It'll take time to get everything moved back here so that you're ready to get started."
"Can I call you later? I'm kind of in the middle of something right now," she said, turning around to make sure that Bennett wasn't behind her.
"Of course. We'll talk soon."
She ended the call, slipped her phone in her pocket and tried to catch her breath. Double her salary? That would be life-changing. She had already made a great salary, but she could save so much for her future and her retirement if she went back.
There was a part of her that longed for the familiarity, but there was a growing part of her that was feeling more at home on Wisteria Island. She didn't know what to do.
"Is everything okay?” Bennett asked, stepping out of the house. For a moment, she wondered if he had overheard any of her conversation.
"Oh, it's fine. It was just an old friend. Are you going to pour me a glass of that wine or what?”
Chapter 15
Bennett sat at his desk, staring at the work stacked up before him. He had done nothing constructive today at all. He just kept replaying the phone call he overheard Danielle having the night before. She had no idea he’d heard the whole thing.
He was so conflicted. She had thrown him the most wonderful birthday party, surprising him and making sure that he felt special. He was having a hard time balancing that with the fact that she seemed to be interested in taking her old job back.
It stirred up emotions that caused him to feel like he would never be enough for any woman. Like no one would ever really love him for who he was, at least not enough to stay.
"Bennett? You have a call on line two,” Naomi said, over the intercom.
"Tell them I'm busy."
"This guy is very determined. He's been calling all morning."
He signed. "Fine. I'll take it." He pressed the button for line two. “This is Bennett. How can I help you?"
"This is Dr. Richard Abernathy."
There was a long pause as Bennett sat there, trying to figure out if he was supposed to recognize the name. "Okay. Have we met?"
"No, but I think you've met my fiancé, Danielle."
Richard. That Richard.
Bennett's stomach twisted into a knot. He’d never wanted to reach through the phone and ring somebody's neck as much as he did right now. This guy even sounded like a jerk.
"Oh, Richard. Why are you calling me?"
"Look, I want to talk man-to-man. I understand you might be dating Danielle."
"And that is none of your business."
"I still care about Danielle. I still love her."
"Well, dude, I don't think she feels the same."
"Probably not. I really screwed up. I’m man enough to admit that."
"I think you might need to call Dr. Phil. You have the wrong number."
"Listen, you can't let her lose her whole career."
"What on earth are you talking about?"
“They've offered her her old job back at double the salary. Even though I know she'll never be with me again, and I don't even work at that hospital anymore, I want to see her do well. I care enough to try to get you to understand that she needs to go back. She needs to go back to her old life. You didn't know her then, but she was a force."
"She's a grown woman. She makes her own decisions. I'm not keeping her here."
"Danielle is looking for love. She's looking for comfort because of what I did. She's on the rebound. You have to know that, man."
"She's not on the rebound. We have something special, and I'm not pushing her to do anything."
"Just think about it. Is she going to look at you one day and be resentful because she lost everything she built?
Double her salary. That's what they're offering her. Can you offer her an opportunity like that?"
Bennett paused for a moment. He could never offer her anything close to the challenge that being an ICU nurse would. He knew that. Danielle knew that. Was he holding her back? Sure, he could match the salary, but would she be fulfilled on Wisteria Island for the rest of her career?
“Again, this is none of your business," Bennett said in a monotone voice.
"You're probably right. Let me just say one more thing. She's the most loyal woman you'll ever meet. She will never leave that island if she’s dating you. You have to decide what's best for her and care enough about her to make sure it happens."
“You mean manipulate the situation?”
"Call it what you will. I wish I had done things differently. I only cared about myself, and then I lost everything. I just want to make sure that Danielle doesn't pay for everything I did."
"Well, too late," Bennett said, hanging up the phone.
Danielle was looking forward to another evening with Bennett. They were supposed to go to dinner over on the mainland, and he was picking her up in half an hour. She couldn't wait to see him, as he was the highlight at the end of each of her days.
She hated to admit that she was looking so forward to it. Part of her felt like she was weak and too vulnerable, but she also felt very stable in this new relationship. There was just something about Bennett that made her feel like a whole different life was possible.
Her phone rang on the counter, almost vibrating its way off the edge where she had it charging. She ran over to catch it on the third ring before it went to voicemail.
"Hello?"
"Hey.”
"Bennett. I was looking out the window to make sure you hadn’t arrived early. I'm all dressed and ready to go!"
He cleared his throat. "Listen, I'm kind of tied up here at the office tonight. I hate to cancel at the last minute, but maybe we can do it another time?"
She immediately felt let down, but things happened. People got stuck at work all the time. It was a little odd that Bennett did, since he had total control over his schedule, but she had been keeping him away from the office a lot more recently. It was likely that his work really was backing up.
"Of course! I totally understand being busy at work. I'll tell you what. I'll go pick up some food from the diner and bring it over. We can have a little picnic at your office!"
"No. Thank you. I just really need to focus so I'm going to eat a snack out of the vending machine and just keep moving forward."
She paused for a moment. "Bennett, is everything all right?"
"Yeah. Totally fine. I'm just really tired."
He said nothing else, and there was just an awkward silence that hung between them. "Well, okay then. I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow?"
"Sure. We'll play it by ear."
Before she could say anything else, he ended the call. Something had been terribly wrong in his voice. She thought for a moment about going to his office anyway, seeing him face-to-face and trying to figure out what was going on. She would not do that. He obviously wanted some space from her for some reason, and it made her nervous. Opening her heart again had been one of the most difficult things she’d ever done in her life. She certainly didn't want to pursue somebody if they weren't interested in her.
Feeling defeated, she went to the kitchen and pulled left over chicken out of the refrigerator. She put a piece on a plate and popped it into the microwave before digging a bag of chips out of the pantry. It wouldn't be the world’s best dinner, but at least she wouldn't starve to death.
"You canceled your date?" Morty asked, standing there with his hands on his hips.
"I didn't know what else to do."
Bennett sat at Morty's kitchen table, a place he often went when he just needed some time to get away from all the other residents. Morty was crazy all by himself, but he was a fun kind of crazy.
"She's a wonderful gal, Bennett. You can't let her go."
"I know that. I am head over heels for her. But I can't get around the fact that I might be keeping her from something big."
Morty sat down across from him, reached over, and squeezed his hands. "She might be the one. She's worth fighting for."
"If it was about fighting another man, I would do it in a heartbeat. What if I'm keeping her from going back to the hospital and making double her salary?"
“You can easily pay her the same, I’m sure.”
“It’s not just about the money. She loved her job, and I could hear how interested she was when she got that call. She didn’t say no.”
"Then talk to her. Ask her about the phone call."
"I can't put her on the spot like that. She's obviously thinking of going back, and maybe she won't even tell me the truth. Maybe she won't want to hurt my feelings."
"So you're just going to let her go?"
"I don't know what I'm going to do, but I do know that continuing to deepen our relationship is only going to hurt both of us."
"Oh, Bennett, I think you're making a mistake. Sometimes a genuine love only comes once in a lifetime. I don't want to see you let yours go."
"If I love her, and I think I do, letting her go might be the most loving thing I've ever done."
Danielle stood in the doorway of the waiting room, staring out onto the street at everybody walking by. A part of her hoped she would catch a glimpse of Bennett, that he would come into her office and explain why he’d been avoiding her for the last few days.
She had tried to call him one time, but she wasn't a desperate woman. She certainly would not chase anyone. She had been there, done that, and never wanted to do it again.
This was why romance wasn't worth it to her. There weren't these big happy endings like she saw in romantic movies or books. There were no soulmates. Soulmates didn't do this kind of thing to each other.
"Oh, hey, Gladys. I'm so glad to see you today."
She tried to sound excited as Gladys came in for her follow up appointment. Gladys had been trying new medication since they met with the neurologist a few weeks back.
Danielle was eager to see about any progress she’d made, and at least it would give her a great distraction from her personal life.
"You look terrible!" Gladys said. One thing was for sure, she hadn't lost her ability to say whatever was on her mind.
Danielle laughed. "It's been a rough few days. Why don't you come on back?"
Danielle walked back to one of the exam rooms and Gladys followed her, popping herself up onto the examination table. She swung her legs back-and-forth like a little kid as they dangled over the edge.
"What's the matter?"
"Why don't we just talk about your medical situation?"
"I thought we were friends."
Danielle looked at her. "We are friends, Gladys."
"Well, friends tell friends why they look terrible."
Danielle laughed. "Fine. I was dating a guy, and he started pulling away and making excuses for not seeing me. So, I’m really confused and a little sad.”
"You mean Bennett?"
"How did you know that?"
"Everybody knows that!" she said, waving her hand in Danielle’s direction. "We all know about you two kissing on the beach."
Danielle rolled her eyes. "Morty cannot keep a secret."
"Well, I could've told you that."
"Now, tell me about you. How's it going with the new medications?”
"Good. I haven't seen any aliens since I started them. I haven't been getting confused at all."
"That's fantastic, Gladys!"
"Yeah, and I called that niece of mine and set her straight. When we were finished, she was very assured that I am in my right mind."
"I'm so happy for you."
"Listen, I might seem like an old lady who knows nothing, but I've been in love before. You shouldn't let Bennett slip away. Something must be wrong. He's not that kind of man."
"Well, I though
t so too, but it turns out that he is."
She didn't want to believe it, but maybe Bennett was just like all the others that she’d dated in her lifetime. He was interested for a while, and then he just disappeared out of her life. They always let her down in one way or another.
Bennett hated grocery shopping, especially when he knew whatever he was buying was only going to be cooked for one. He missed Danielle with every fiber of his being. Yet he had done everything to avoid her for days. It seemed so childish and immature, but his heart couldn't take looking into her soft brown eyes and making up yet another lie.
He knew he had to be hurting her, but he thought it was for the best in the long run. This morning, when he had put up the new ad for an island nurse, he didn't even want to hit submit. He knew what was coming. She was definitely going to quit, and he couldn't be left in the lurch when she did.
The opportunity at the hospital was just too big. He had done a lot of research, even calling a friend of his who’d worked at that hospital, to find out just what an opportunity it was. He couldn't let her miss out on that. And they were only holding her job for a short period of time.
He didn't want her to go. If he had his wish, she would stay on that island with him forever. They would raise a brood of old people together. What he wanted wasn't what was best for her.
He reached up and got a box of macaroni and cheese. Again, not a very mature thing to eat, but something that was quick and easy for a single man.
He would always be a single man. There was nobody that had wanted to live with him on Wisteria Island except for Danielle. His soulmate. He truly believed that. He would just get older and older until he moved into one of the cottages and started square dancing.
He turned the corner to go down the cereal aisle and ran his cart right into someone else's.
"Oh, sorry about that…" He looked up and locked eyes with Danielle.
"Bennett." She said it in a matter-of-fact way. Gone were the soft features of her face, looking at him on the beach. In place of that was a woman who was harshly looking at him like she wanted to be anywhere but there.
