Her eyes shot open at the slightly familiar male voice. “Oh, hello. Dr. ..”

  The doctor on the hospital board gave her a smile. “Dr. Samuels.”

  “Yes, of course. I’m sorry I didn’t remember your name. I was introduced to so many people that night, it was hard to remember them all.”

  “Completely understandable. I was just stopping in to grab something to cook for dinner tonight.” He gave her a strained smile. “I’m not trying to be nosy, but is everything okay?”

  Her shoulders slumped and she stared at the ground. “Ever felt like you did everything in your power to protect someone, and it wasn’t enough?”

  “Yes.”

  She jerked her head up to him. “Really?”

  He nodded. “A couple of years ago, I got called in to the hospital for an emergency surgery. A young female had been in a car accident and it caused her aorta to dissect. I did everything in my power to save her life but even my most valiant effort wasn’t enough.”

  “I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”

  “It was. You see, she was my sister.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth. “Dr. Samuels, I had no idea.”

  “It’s not something you bring up when you first meet someone. Kind of a conversation killer, don’t you think?” He smiled, yet she could see that pain lingered in his eyes.

  “How did you survive that?” What she was going through paled in comparison to his tragedy.

  “It took me a long time to get over that night. But I had to come to terms with the fact that despite doing my best, I am still not in control. I believe that God gives us all a specific number of heartbeats, and when that number is up, it’s our time to leave. No matter how hard we fight to control the situation, only One can control life and death. That’s God.”

  “You’re right, Dr. Samuels.” She nodded slowly.

  She’d been trying to control this whole situation instead of trusting. A lot of things could happen between now and the dedication ceremony. Her phone could miraculously start working. Her extortioner might get some Christmas spirit and change his mind. The dedication ceremony might even get cancelled due to this weather.

  She had to stop trying to control this situation and trust that whatever was going to happen, was going to happen for a reason.

  She’d deal with the fallout later.

  “Please, call me John.” He looked out at the parking lot covered in snow. “You really should be getting home. The forecast is calling for freezing rain. I wouldn’t want you to get stranded.”

  Hannah nodded. “I was just waiting on a friend to check out. We are headed straight home.”

  “Good.” He cocked his head. “Forgive me for being so forward, but are you sure there isn’t anything I can do for you? You looked pretty upset when I walked up.”

  “I was upset. But after talking to you, I feel a lot better.”

  A smile grew on his face. “Good. I’m glad I could help.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Anytime you feel like talking, just let me know. I’m a great listener and I make really good coffee.”

  She blinked at the thought of his offer, and then slowly nodded. “That would be nice.”

  He gave her one last smile before he walked across the parking lot to his truck.

  “Did you order a phone?” Carolina appeared with Phoenix.

  “No. I didn’t.”

  Carolina gave her a worried look. “What are you going to do, Hannah?”

  “I’m going to go home. Ella is probably worried about where I am, despite me leaving her a note.”

  The drive home was slow and neither said anything. Phoenix even poked his head in between the seats to rest his head on her shoulder.

  She smiled at the comfort the dog was giving her. Maybe she should get a dog. It was something she’d think about after Christmas.

  Carolina pulled into her driveway and Ella opened the front door.

  “You okay, Hannah?” Carolina asked softly.

  “I will be, Carolina. I will be. Right now. I’m going to go inside, soak in the tub, and then go to sleep. If I’m lucky, I’ll sleep right through until the New Year. Maybe it will be better than this one.”

  She slid out of the car and walked up the steps to her house.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up? I would have taken you to Walmart if you wanted.” Ella frowned as Hannah stepped inside the warmth of her house. “Wait, you don’t have any bags?”

  Hannah stopped and looked at her daughter. “They were out of the one thing I thought I needed. Now I’m going to soak in an Epsom salts bath and lay down. It’s been kind of a trying morning.”

  Chapter 25

  Hannah sat in her chair with her cup of coffee and looked out over the lake.

  As much as she wanted to do something, anything, to avoid the consequences of the extortioner, she could do nothing but wait.

  Waiting.

  It was the hardest thing in the world for Hannah to do.

  Weeks of waiting at doctor appointments to get options for James’ diagnosis and a plan of care.

  Weeks of waiting beside her husband while he received his chemo treatments which would leave him sick and exhausted for days.

  Weeks of waiting by her beloved’s bedside while he struggled to breath and hang on for her and their children.

  She hated waiting.

  Hannah took a sip of her coffee as she remembered James’ last words to her before he took his final breath.

  “I’ve been blessed beyond my wildest dreams because I had you beside me. You are my greatest treasure.”

  After the funeral Hannah still found herself waiting. This time, she was waiting for day to fade into night. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and go to sleep. This went on for months until, finally, her children insisted she visit her family doctor. The doctor confirmed that she was depressed and wanted to start her on antidepressants.

  It was then she realized she still had to live her life. Fortified by that realization, she began by setting her alarm every day and rising with the sun. She forced herself to start accepting lunch invitations from her friends and jumped back into her volunteering at the church. At first she hated it. But she knew she still had to carry on, if not for her, then for her kids.

  The day she met Carolina, she went over there to confront her about her mailbox which had been hit by Carolina’s renters. It irritated her that compensation had never been made and, well frankly, she’d gotten some of her gumption back. Or, maybe it was misplaced anger. She wasn’t sure. All she knew is that she expected at least an argument out of Carolina.

  Instead, she encountered genuine remorse. Hannah found herself lingering at Carolina’s house which desperately needed repairs. Hannah had been shocked when Carolina shared her recent divorce and how she’d found out her husband had been cheating.

  Hannah had never met anyone who was such an open book.

  It was refreshing.

  By the time she left Carolina’s, she found herself smiling, something she’d not done in a long while.

  She took another sip of her coffee and shook her head. Carolina was a special person. She was lucky to call her friend.

  “You’re up early.” Gregory walked into the living room and sat in the chair across from her. “I expected you would be sleeping in since we stayed up playing board games last night.”

  Gregory and Shelia had arrived the same day Hannah and Carolina went to Walmart. They wanted to arrive before the weather conditions got worse. Hannah was grateful. With her children back in the house, she could put all her focus on them and Shelia.

  “I’m used to getting up early. I find if I oversleep then I feel like I’ve missed half the day. How did you and Shelia sleep?”

  “I slept wonderfully. I’m assuming Shelia did too because she was still sleeping when I got out of the shower.”

  “Good. Want me to get you a cup of coffee?”

  “I’ll get one in a minute. I wanted to talk to you before the girls got up. It seems like we’ve not had a minute alone.”

  “Okay, honey. What do you want to talk about?” She smiled and gave her full attention to her son.

  “I want to talk about those…letters.” Gregory’s expression grew serious.

  She sighed heavily. This conversation was bound to come. She simply was not ready. Frankly, she’d never be ready to talk about James and this mess with her kids. It was her job to protect them. Lately, she found herself failing that goal on every front.

  “Did you take them to the police?” He studied her.

  “No, I haven’t,” she admitted. She held up her hand. “And before you start lecturing, let me just tell you that I’ve not gotten any more.”

  “Good. Maybe whoever it was got scared and stopped.”

  She doubted the notion, but wasn’t going to tell Gregory that.

  “Ella said she tried to take you to buy a gun.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes.

  “It’s not a bad idea, you know.” Gregory rested his arms on his knees and interlocked his fingers together. “You are alone in this house.”

  “I’ll get a dog before I get a gun.” Hannah crossed her arms over her chest.

  “A dog?” Gregory looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

  “I’ve dog sat Carolina’s dog, Phoenix. I can handle a dog.”

  “Yeah, I heard. You fell and dropped your phone in the lake.”

  She lifted her chin. “But I didn’t lose the dog, did I?”

  A slow grin spread across his face. “No, I suppose you didn’t.”

  “Let’s change the subject, shall we? Is your tux ready to go for tonight’s events?”

  “Yes, it’s ready. Are you nervous about tonight?” Gregory leaned back in the chair and looked out at the lake. The sun was rising and casting its rays across the water making it sparkle like diamonds.

  “A little,” she admitted. “I’m sure it will be a night to remember.” Truth be told, she was a lot nervous. But there was nothing she could do about it now. She just had to wait.

  Chapter 26

  Hannah applied her favorite red lipstick and stood back and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

  “Perfect,” she murmured. The shade matched her dress, which fit perfectly.

  She smiled. James would have loved to see her in it. She swallowed and shoved back her emotional thoughts.

  So much had changed. Not only was James no longer with her, but his reputation was in question.

  Tonight, he would be honored. Was he even who everyone thought he was? Did she even know him at all?

  “Now is not the time for tears, Hannah,” she reminded herself, dabbing at her eyes so her makeup wouldn’t smudge. She walked over to the bed and picked up her faux-fur cape that James had given her when they were on vacation in Iceland.

  “Mom, your friend is here.” Gregory called out from the living room.

  Hannah grabbed her clutch and cape.

  When she stepped into the living room, she did a double take.

  “Carolina, you look stunning.” Hannah smiled at her friend.

  Carolina blushed. “Thank you. It’s been a while since I had an occasion to dress up.” She walked over to Hannah. “Hannah, you look…wow.” She scrambled for the right words.

  “You look like you stepped off a runway.” Carolina finally said.

  “That’s what I’ve been telling her.” Ella came into the living room.

  “And Ella, you look like a model. You’ve got good genes, honey.” Carolina nodded.

  “Thank you.” Ella beamed at Carolina’s compliment.

  “You didn’t have to offer to let me ride with you guys. I could have taken my car.” Carolina looked at Hannah.

  The doorbell rang.

  Hannah grinned and looked at her friend. “I have a surprise for you. And I think that might be it.”

  “A surprise? For me?” Carolina blinked.

  “Yes, why don’t you go answer the door?” Hannah put her hand on the small of Carolina’s back.”

  Carolina gave her a suspicious look as she made her way to the door. Hannah looked at Ella and nodded. Ella pulled out her cell phone and turned on the camera.

  “I can’t imagine what kind of surprise you could possibly have for me on a night like tonight.” Carolina shook her head and opened the door. She gasped.

  Ella snapped some photos on her phone.

  “Wow, Carolina. You look stunning.” Thomas Harding stood on the other side wearing a dark suit and tie.

  “Thomas. What are you doing here?”

  “Can I come in before answering questions?” He grinned.

  “Sorry, yes.” She stepped back and laughed in spite of herself.

  Thomas stepped inside and closed the door behind him. “I’m here because Hannah called and invited me to James’ dedication ceremony.”

  Carolina spun around and grinned at Hannah. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Hannah went over and hugged her friend. “Because I wanted it to be a surprise.” She wanted Carolina and Thomas to be as happy as she and James, but she didn’t want to embarrass her friend by saying it in front of everyone.

  “Now that Thomas is here, we can leave.” Hannah wrapped her cape tightly around her.

  “You don’t mind if Carolina rides with me do you, Hannah?”

  “Of course not.” Hannah gave Carolina a wink.

  Everyone filed out of the house. Carolina reached for Hannah’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for inviting Thomas.”

  “Of course. I wanted him to see you looking beautiful. Besides, Thomas needs to know what a catch he has in you.” Hannah winked.

  “Thank you, friend.” Carolina beamed. Thomas stepped up and held out his arm. She accepted and let him lead her to his truck.

  “That was sweet, Hannah.” Shelia stepped up to her mother-in-law and gave her a side hug. “Ella told me about Carolina’s divorce and everything she’s been through. She deserves a happy ending.”

  Hannah wrapped her arm around her daughter-in-law. “Yes, she does, honey. Now, let’s get going.”

  They drove carefully to the ceremony. The weather over the last few days had caused a lot of traffic issues. This was the first time Hannah had left the house after her failed attempt at Walmart to get a new phone.

  While the roads were drivable, there were some dangerous spots on the less-traveled areas.

  Gregory had spoken to Albert about the ceremony tonight. He had said due to weather conditions some out-of-town people had to cancel.

  He didn’t say who, and Hannah hadn’t pressed Gregory for answers.

  Secretly she hoped that Fred was one of them.

  All she knew for sure was she was no longer in control of the situation.

  And she never had been.

  Chapter 27

  Hannah’s stomach was in a knot by the time Gregory pulled into the hospital parking lot.

  She spent the last few days praying before she went to bed and asking God for advice. Whatever was going to happen tonight she would face head-on.

  “I’m letting you ladies out at the door so you don’t mess up your heels.” Gregory pulled up to the front door and put his Range Rover in park. He slid out of the driver’s seat and went around to the passenger’s side to open Hannah’s door.

  Hannah smiled and took her son’s hand as she got out of the vehicle. “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  She pulled her cape tighter around her shoulders and stepped toward the front door of the hospital. What if Fred was already inside, waiting to expose James?

  The sliding glass doors slid open and Albert walked out to greet her.

  “Hannah, wow you look great!” He grabbed her hands in his and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  “Thank you, Albert. You make that tux look good.” She forced a smile and tried to focus on the moment.

  He let out a belly laugh. “I had to get a new one. My old one was getting pretty tight around here,” he rubbed his large belly.

  Ella and Shelia stepped up beside Hannah.

  “Albert, you remember my daughter, Ella?” She rested her arm around Ella’s waist.

  “Ella, wow. You have certainly grown since the last time I saw you.” He frowned in thought. “I believe it was your high-school graduation.”

  “I believe so.” She gave him a hug.

  “And this is my daughter-in-law, Shelia.” Hannah pulled her close.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Shelia. I have to say, you all look beautiful.” Albert looked over their shoulder. “And Gregory?”

  Hannah turned around. “He’s parking the car. Here he comes now.”

  Gregory hurried over to them. “I didn’t expect to have trouble finding a parking spot. Sorry for the wait.”

  “Gregory. You look just like your father. How are you doing?” Albert stuck out his hand.

  Gregory smiled at the compliment and shook his hand. “I’m doing really great. Albert, you haven’t changed a bit.”

  Albert laughed and touched his belly. “Just grown a little bit in this area.”

  They all laughed.

  “Let’s get inside before everyone freezes.” Albert let the ladies and Gregory enter before him.

  Hannah was surprised to see they had police standing in full uniform at the elevators waiting for them. Unease clinched around the edges of her heart. Why were they here?

  She looked over at Albert.

  He smiled. “When the police department heard about the dedication ceremony, they insisted on being represented tonight. James was also very generous to the Fallen Officer Foundation.”

  Hannah nodded and released the breath she’d been holding. She smiled at each officer before getting on the elevator.

  Albert was the last to enter the elevator. He reached over and pushed the button. “I think you’ll be really pleased at the turnout. Some people who live out of town called and cancelled due to the weather, but the citizens of Hopeton really turned out.”

  “That’s really amazing, Albert. Thank you for everything you’ve done.” Hannah gave him a grateful smile.

  The elevator dinged and the doors flew open. Missy stood there waiting on them.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12