by Rachel Hanna
"I was going to call you today."
"Were you? That would be unusual."
"I am sorry I've been a little distant lately.”
"Oh, have you? I hadn't noticed," she said, dryly. She wouldn't make eye contact.
"I just think that maybe things were moving a little too fast for me…" He was completely lying, of course. He hadn't expected to run into her, and thinking on his feet wasn't one of his strong suits.
"Yeah, I feel pretty much the same way."
She did? That was news to him. Maybe she had already decided to leave the island, and she wasn't as attached to him as he had assumed.
“Okay. So we'll just go back to being friends?"
"I think it's better if we just go back to being coworkers.”
“Right. Okay. If that's what you want."
"I think that's what you want, Bennett," she said, looking away and pushing her cart down the aisle. As he watched her leave, he felt like he was going to throw up. He had finally found the right woman for him, and he was letting her go. It just seemed wrong on so many levels.
"You already broke up?" her mother said, shock in her voice. "But I thought everything was going so great?"
"I did too. I haven't ever felt like that about anyone, and it was like a light switch flipped. Everything was going great. We were getting closer, and it really seemed like this was turning into something serious and long-term. I could see a future with Bennett."
"What do you think happened?"
"I really don't know. One day everything was fine, the next day he just wanted to be friends again. I will not beg a man to be with me."
"Of course not. So what are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. I like my job here, and I would like to stay. I never thought I'd hear myself say that."
Her mother laughed. "Me either. I want you to be happy, Danielle. If that job makes you happy, don't let some man take that away from you yet again."
"I just don't know if it's going to be too uncomfortable to continue working here."
"Take it day by day. Don't decide right now. Just let this settle down for a bit and see how you feel. Focus on your patients.”
It was all good advice. She knew her mother was right, but would her heart be able to take seeing Bennett all the time? It wasn't like she could get away from him. He owned the island, and he was extremely involved.
"Well, I’d better go. I have a patient coming in shortly."
"You're going to be okay. Everything happens for a reason."
"Do you really believe that, Mom?"
"I do. I've got the benefit of a few decades more experience than you do, honey. One day you'll look back on all of this and realize it was worth it. It happened for some special reason."
"I sure hope you're right."
Bennett sifted through the resumes that had already come in through the online job system. None of these nurses appealed to him. They didn't have the length of experience that Danielle had, and they all just seemed dull and boring.
Of course, maybe he needed a dull and boring nurse that wouldn't attract his attention at all. Maybe she needed to have a giant wart on the end of her nose so that he wouldn't even look her way. Not that he had been in the habit of dating the other nurses he’d hired. It had only been Danielle because she was the special one.
It had been days since they ran into each other in the grocery store. A part of him wanted to just jump on the golf cart, go straight to her cottage and apologize for the way he’d been acting. He wanted to explain himself. He didn't want her to stay because of him. He wanted her to stay because that's what she wanted to do.
Morty had driven him crazy, trying to get him to tell Danielle the truth. Tell her what he overheard and about the phone call from Richard. Bennett refused, and he swore Morty to secrecy.
Every day, he expected to get a note from Danielle saying that she was giving her notice. As each day passed, he grew more and more surprised that she hadn't said anything. Surely she had missed the deadline to go back to her old job. Why wasn't she leaving?
He didn't know what to do. It felt like a standoff, and he was just waiting for the inevitable shoe to drop. It made no sense that she would stay. Ever since the day she arrived on the island, she had tried to leave. He had forced her hand over and over, literally manipulating her into staying. Begging, pleading, reasoning. At least that's how he felt now.
But now he knew he loved her. He would not force her to stay. So, he would continue doing what he had been doing – waiting. Waiting for her to make the ultimate decision. Waiting for his heart to completely break in half.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Danielle! It's Carla."
She hadn't heard from Carla in a couple of months, so she was quite surprised to hear from her now.
"Hi. What's going on?"
"LaRusse said that he talked to you recently about coming back? Have you made a decision yet?"
"Did he ask you to call me?"
"No. I'm just really anxious to have you back. This woman he hired is terrible. Nobody will listen to her like they did with you. Plus, she's a disorganized mess!"
"That's what I've heard. And no, I haven't decided yet. Things are a little up in the air here."
"Oh. I guess I misunderstood."
"Misunderstood what?"
"Well, as LaRusse was looking to put up an ad for the job in case you decided not to come back, he saw an ad… for Wisteria Island."
"What?"
"Yeah, some guy named Bennett was looking for a new nurse for the island."
"That can't be right. It's probably just the old ad."
"No, it was just put up a few days ago."
Danielle’s stomach twisted into a knot. “Carla, I have to go. I'll call you later, okay?”
She didn't wait for Carla to respond and pressed end on the phone. She ran across the room to her laptop, opened it up and started searching on the nurse jobs website. Sure enough, it didn't take her very long to find the posting.
Why was Bennett looking for a new nurse? Was he about to fire her? She wasn't going to give him that opportunity. There was no way she was going to let him win.
Chapter 16
Danielle stood on the other side of the door, her knuckles poised over the wood, ready to knock. She stopped for a moment, clutching the piece of paper in her hand as she took another deep breath.
This was a big deal. This was going to mean the end of something she thought would last a long time. This was going to be another failed attempt at starting a new life. Like it or not, some of her hopes and dreams were on the other side of that door, and she was going to be saying goodbye to a lot of them.
Goodbye to Bennett. Goodbye to Wisteria Island. Goodbye to all the residents who had finally accepted her. She loved those people like family.
Steeling herself once again, she knocked on the door.
"Come in, Naomi." Hearing Bennett's voice made her insides twist and turn like one of those scary looking roller coasters at an amusement park.
She slowly opened the door, revealing to Bennett that she was not Naomi.
“Hi."
"Danielle, I didn't know you were coming."
“I never thought I’d be standing here, either."
"Please, have a seat."
She closed the door behind her, wanting privacy for some reason. Slowly, she made her way to the chair across from his desk and sat down. The awkwardness that hung between them was such a stark contrast to the relationship they had been building just a couple of weeks ago.
"So, why are you here?"
Using all the courage she currently had in her body, she slid the piece of paper across the desk. "I'm putting in my notice."
He blew out a breath and nodded his head, but he didn't seem to be very surprised. "I've been expecting this."
"Well, I like to live up to expectations," she said dryly.
"You're the best nurse we've ever had."
"Then do you care to ex
plain why you started running an advertisement for my job before I even quit?”
"I just knew when things broke down between us, you would probably be leaving. I didn't want to be caught with my pants down, so to speak. You know how much the residents depend on medical care."
“So you thought I was so immature that I would quit my job and leave these people in the lurch because you didn't want to date anymore?"
"That's not what I'm saying at all…"
"Look, there's no need to prolong this. I'm giving you two weeks’ notice because that's what I think is the right thing to do. I hope that gives you plenty of time to find someone new."
He sighed. “I haven't even started interviewing anyone. Nobody seems to be the right fit."
"Do you really need two weeks’ notice? Maybe you could borrow a nurse from the doctor’s office on the mainland for a couple of weeks."
"I suppose I could do that. I'm sure you're eager to get back to your life.”
She thought that was a strange thing for him to say, given that she hadn’t mentioned going back to her life. In fact, she had no plans to pick up where she left off. She was still aching for something new, and she would likely go some place where nobody knew her. Start over again. Keep hoping for a new life.
"Great. I'll talk to Jeremy about moving me over to the mainland tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"I've already seen most of my patients this week to make sure that they are set for a while. Gladys is doing well, and Dorothy had a couple of sessions with the psychiatrist. She's doing well on her new medication. There's really nothing else I need to do here, so another nurse should be able to step in temporarily."
"You did such a great job. I'm sorry to see you go."
"Are you really?"
He looked at her with such a sadness on his face that she couldn't place. It felt like there was some piece of the puzzle she was missing, but it was obvious that Bennett would not tell her what it was.
"Danielle, you have no idea how painful this is for me."
"I feel like I don't understand you at all. You have one last chance right now to tell me what's going on. Why are you pushing me away like this?"
He turned and looked out the window, sucked in a breath, and then blew it out before speaking.
"There's nothing I'm hiding. I wish you nothing but the best, Danielle. I’m always here to provide a great reference if you need it.”
She sat there quietly for a moment, staring at him, waiting for him to snap out of it. He didn't. He just looked down at his papers until she finally left the room.
As Danielle walked out of the building and back out onto the sidewalk, her eyes filled with tears. Never did she think she would already miss this place, these people. She had eased into her new life, and she didn't want to let it go. She loved her cottage, the view of the ocean, and the routine of living on Wisteria Island.
But tomorrow was a new day, and it wasn't one she was looking forward to.
Bennett hadn’t slept all night. He couldn't believe he was willingly letting her go, but it still seemed like the right thing to do. When she had asked why he was pushing her away, he had a chance to tell her he overheard the call, but he didn't do it.
As he sat on his deck, drinking a cup of coffee and staring out at the water, he wondered what life was going to be like on the island once Danielle was gone.
Jeremy told him she was leaving this morning and that her bags had already been packed. She had given her keys to Eddie and was headed to the boat the last time he heard. Sounded like she was anxious to get back to her old life and her doubled salary.
As he was getting up to get another cup of coffee, his cell phone rang on the table beside him.
"Bennett Alexander."
“Ah, the infamous Bennett Alexander. I thought I’d never reach you,” a woman said. He didn't recognize her voice, but she didn't sound pleased with him at all.
"And who is this?"
"This is Danielle's mother."
Now he was really confused. What on earth would Danielle's mother want with him?
"I think you might be looking for Danielle. She should have her cell phone with her…"
"No, I'm looking for you. I want to know what kind of man could break my daughter’s heart like this knowing what she's already been through?"
"I'm not following."
"You broke up with her, didn't you?"
"I think it was more of a mutual thing."
"You gave her job away right from under her!"
"Look, ma'am, you may not know that she's going to take her old job back at double the salary."
"No, she's not! They offered it to her, but she turned it down weeks ago."
"What?"
"She turned it down. And you still broke her heart and put an ad up for her job before she even gave notice. What kind of jerk are you?"
He sat there frozen, his heart pounding, unable to draw a breath. "A big one, apparently."
"What?"
"Look, I hate to rush you off the phone, but there's something I have to do!" he said, ending the call and running around the side of his house.
When he got out to the sidewalk, he saw Morty walking his dog."Where are you going with your pants on fire?"
"I have to find Danielle! I misunderstood. She wasn't going to take that job. She turned it down, and I didn't know!"
He ran straight down the sidewalk toward the dock, with Morty calling behind him. "Run faster!"
The island wasn't that big, but right now it seemed like there were five-hundred miles between them. He didn't know how to get there any faster than his legs were currently carrying him.
As he ran, residents followed him like in that scene from Forrest Gump. They weren't quick, but they were coming out in force. Then he saw Morty with his little dog riding in the golf cart as fast as he could down the center of the street.
"Get on!" he said as he pulled up next to Bennett.
Bennett jumped inside without saying a word, just pointing toward the dock.
Morty was driving like a racecar driver, and he was terrified they were going to flip over at any moment. When they finally rounded the corner, he saw Danielle's boat pulling away from the dock.
"Wait! Wait!" he yelled, waving his arms like a lunatic.
Danielle was looking the other direction and couldn't hear him over the boat motor.
"Jeremy! Stop the boat!”
Finally, Jeremy saw him and turned off the boat, squinting his eyes as he looked toward the shore. Bennett turned around to see at least thirty residents standing there with him, obviously showing moral support. Everybody from Gladys to Dorothy Monroe to Frank were standing there helping him wave, trying to get Danielle's attention.
Jeremy started the motor and moved back toward the dock.
"What's up, boss?"
Danielle finally turned around and realized what was happening. She looked dumbfounded as all the residents were waving their hands at her and yelling.
"I need to talk to Danielle."
"Bennett, I have nothing to say. Why are you doing this?"
"Please. Just two minutes of your time."
Jeremy looked at her, and she finally nodded her head. He helped her out of the boat and onto the dock. Bennett turned around and looked at the crowd. "Give us a little space, guys."
They backed up a few feet, and Bennett looked back at Danielle.
"What's going on?"
"I didn't know."
"You didn't know what?"
"I didn't know that you didn't take the job."
She stared at him. "How did you even know about the job?"
“I overheard your phone call."
“What? Why didn't you just tell me that?"
“I was trying to decide what to do about it when Richard called me."
Her jaw clenched. "Richard called you? What did he say?"
"He said that if I kept you from taking that job, I was going to ruin your life. All I really want f
or you is a great life, Danielle. So I thought if I gave you up, I was actually showing how much I care about you."
"So you overheard my call, talked to Richard on the phone and then put a job posting up all without telling me?"
"When you put it that way, it sounds ridiculous, but I thought I was doing the right thing."
"I don't get it. Then why run all the way over here on the dock and stop me from leaving if you thought I was going onto my new improved life?"
"Because your mom called me."
Her eyes almost popped out of her head. "My mom? Why is all of this going on behind my back?"
"She called to yell at me because she said I broke your heart. Then she told me you weren't taking that job."
"Well, she was right about both of those things."
"So where were you going?"
"I don't know. I was going to go rent a hotel room and look for a new job in a different state. I had no plans to go back to that hospital, no matter how much they paid me. I didn't want to leave Wisteria Island.”
"You didn't?"
"No. This place grew on me a long time ago. I thought we were building something which gave me another reason to stay."
"Is there any chance we can still build something?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "Can you promise not to keep things from me and always tell me the truth?"
"Yes, I can. I will never make that mistake again."
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the job offer. I was never really considering it, so I didn’t think I needed to bring it up.”
“I shouldn’t have been eavesdropping on your conversation, so there’s nothing for you to apologize for, Danielle.”
"I have to know I can trust you, Bennett. I've already been with a man who kept things from me."
He reached down and took both of her hands in his. "I promise you can trust me. I have about thirty-something people over here who will hit me on the head with canes and walkers and scooters if I ever do anything to hurt you."
She laughed. "Then can I please have my job back?"
"You can have whatever you want because I love you, Danielle Wright. Turns out you’re my Miss Wright.”
