Always Have, Always Will, page 22
“I don’t know if that’s true. I think it’s more I know we’ll be apart for a little bit, and I want to solidify the sensations in my mind. Then when I recall them, it’s as vivid as possible.”
“As you wish, my love.”
We wiggle out of our clothes and spend the rest of the morning tangled in each other and the soft sheets with the ocean breeze skimming over our bodies.
Even though I tried to bury my head in the sand, Auggie is showering to leave for Ocean Cliff. In an effort to make sure he leaves on time, I’m cleaning up the pile of my clothes and other items he brought from my house.
The envelope from Nana’s attorney catches my eye. I tear it open and sink to the floor as I read the cover letter.
“The aforementioned trustee, Florence Schmidt, pursuant to the terms of the trust dated… has released the corpus free to trust….”
I skim the rest of the letter and realize I will have access to my entire trust once I sign and return the enclosed letter. I’m stunned.
Auggie turns the corner and rushes beside me. “What happened?”
“Nana released my trust.”
He breathes easier. “Did you ask her to release your trust?”
“No, she has always been on my side though. She approved of you when we were ten. It hasn’t changed.”
He kisses the tip of my nose. “Why are you panicking?”
He knows me so well. “Panic is the wrong word. I need to wrap my head around the idea I control my trust now and how to do it right.”
“Do you want me to have Sam or Cash send you a few reputable names? Where have you been investing your distributions since you started getting them?”
“Yes, that would be perfect. I have been doing it myself in low-risk investments. However, my distributions and the corpus are vastly different.”
“I’m sure you have a little time to set up an account.”
“I do. Thank you. As much as I don’t want to urge you to go, you should go or you’ll be late.”
He kisses me and hurries back into the bedroom. Unfortunately, it won’t take long for him to dress. I rise from the floor and prepare some snacks for him to take on this trip. He surrounds me with his arms near the island.
“It’s only a week. We can do this.”
“Call me when you get there.”
“Of course. Have fun with the girls tonight. Don’t overshare,” he mumbles against the nape of my neck. Didn’t know that was a sweet spot.
I giggle, nod, and turn in his arms, sliding my hands up his chest to cup his face. He dips down and seals his mouth over mine. His kisses still feel incredible. When we’re old and gray, I hope our grandchildren are grossed out by our displays of affection.
He pulls back slightly. “I love you, always have.”
“I love you, always will.” I follow him to the door and kiss him again, burning the feel of our kiss into my heart and soul. I watch my emotions play out on his face. I’m sure mine is the same. As the door closes, I realize it never felt like this when we were only friends. Now, we’re more than that, and I can’t believe it will be our daily life very soon.
After wallowing for a few minutes, I gather the clothes and sort them on the bed. I select an outfit for tonight and put the rest away. I commit myself to responding to the illustrator Nicholas connected me with and Mallory for the publishing aspect of my project. Three hours and a snack break later, I amble to the shower and get ready for girls’ night in at Kelly’s.
Kelly and Ellis live a few doors away from Cash and Noelle. I park at Cash’s and walk over to Kelly’s.
As I reach to knock on the door, it swings open. There’s an extremely tall man leaving the house. Kelly comes toward the door quickly.
“Hi, Caroline. This is Christoph. He works with Blackthorne.”
“Pleasure to meet you,” I manage. Not only is he tall, but he is downright gorgeous. His light, piercing eyes are quite striking. I step inside, and I’m greeted by Noelle, Savannah, and Kelsey.
“Hey, girls.”
“Red or white or something else?” Maggie Washington asks from the kitchen.
“White, please.” I approach the island and hug Maggie before she hands me my drink.
“How are you? How are the little ones?”
“Caleb and Corrinne are well.”
“I know I thanked him, but please express my gratitude to Grant when you get home. He called the girls for me when I needed him to.”
“Of course.”
“What about you? How’s work?”
Maggie sighs. “I don’t know. My boss, Clark Easton, informed me today the business is being sold. I don’t know how long I have a job actually.”
Why does that name sound familiar? I dig into my mind but lose focus quickly.
“There’s a fine-dining restaurant and a separate large, special events area, right?” I ask.
“Yes. Enough about my crappy day.”
“Maggie, can you send me your boss’s contact information?”
“Sure, why?”
“Auggie is looking for a location for his restaurant, and he’s trying to keep the information as private as possible.”
“Oh, okay. What about you and Auggie?”
Savannah shouts from the couch. “Nope, come over here before you share anything. Billie isn’t here yet. We want details.”
Reluctantly, I take a seat amid the ladies and start fielding their questions about me and Auggie.
“What did you say at the wedding?” Noelle, who knows part of the story, asks.
“He shared his true feelings after the rehearsal, and I called him on it. I told him if he wasn’t ready to move forward, then I needed space.”
“How did it go?” Kelsey asks.
“Depends on who you ask. I was miserable, but I knew I would be. It took him over a month to come to his senses.”
“And now? Hurry before Billie gets here,” Kelly asks.
I smile. “It’s hard to explain. At first it was nerve-racking worrying about destroying our friendship. Now, I don’t want to be away from him at all. When he was simply my best friend, I didn’t mind when he left. Now, I don’t want him to.”
“I remember the moment I knew Nicholas was it for me,” Kelly states. Her eyes glaze over as if her mind jumped back to that very moment.
“Me too,” Savannah, Noelle, and Maggie agree. All three have a similar look in their eyes as well.
Deep down, I knew Auggie was important to me when I was ten. He was steadfast, calming, and willing to face the headmaster to make sure I wasn’t scared. I knew the second he kissed me after the rehearsal dinner I couldn’t wait any longer to share my whole heart with him despite hiding my feelings for the past few years.
Billie breezes through the front door, ending the inquisition from my boyfriend’s sisters-in-law and friends. Good, I’m not ready to share much more.
“Sorry I’m late. Peter is home from his trip early—”
“Stop, please stop. Don’t want any details about you and my brother,” Maggie bursts out.
We fall into a fit of laughter and move on to safe topics, ones which don’t include Auggie and our sex life at all.
Near nine my phone rings.
“Hi, babe.” I didn’t even check who the caller was. No one else calls me, especially at this time of the day.
“Caroline?”
“Yes.” Fear comes over me.
“This is Collette. Ocean Cliff is on fire. The firefighters pulled Auggie and Melissa out of the building.”
My heart gets stuck in my throat, my hands are shaking, and tears stream down my cheeks. I can’t lose him now.
“Is he okay?”
“I don’t know. He sent Xavier and me out the back and went to search for Sami and Melissa in the dining room. The EMTs whisked him and Melissa away without sharing much information.”
“Which hospital?”
“They took him to Westerly Hospital.”
“Thank you. Please call me back if you get any more information.”
“I will.”
I take a deep breath. “Noelle, I need to talk to Cash right now, please.”
While she dials, I fill everyone in with the few details I have. I overhear Noelle relaying to Cash. Within minutes, decisions are made and most of the Morgans are headed to Pemberton to get to Auggie as quickly as possible.
Chapter Forty Four
August
Driving away from Caroline gets harder each time I have to do it. I consistently remind myself it’s only temporary. In a little over a week, we’ll be together every day. Figuring out my career moves will take a little time, but with her beside me, I can handle anything.
I park at the rental and hurry inside. I set my bag with my laptop on the island and rush out the rear door. I jog to the restaurant and note the staff showed up today. Collette deserves the credit. She has whipped the previous staff into shape and only let go of one employee. It’s impressive. Plus, the dishes she’s adding to the menu will certainly help Gordon during the tourist season.
“Afternoon, Chef,” I call out as I step inside.
“Afternoon, Chef.”
I pass through the kitchen and check the reservations before falling into the office chair. I’m here because it’s my job. Collette doesn’t need any oversight. I scan the inbox and find nothing pressing. I flip through the mail for the last two days, open the invoices, scan them, and send them to corporate for payment.
Once that’s complete, I head into the kitchen and check on lunch service with Collette.
“How was lunch service?” I ask.
“Fine. No issues to report, boss.” Collette bursts out laughing.
“Stop.”
“I’m only messing with you.”
“Any word on when Joel will be joining you?”
“He finally agreed with his sister and dad about how frequently he needs to travel back to California. They decided on once a quarter, which in my opinion isn’t too bad. He isn’t happy with it. To answer your question, he’ll be here in two weeks. We found a buyer for our house, so rather than fly back, he’s going to wait for escrow to close.”
I shake my head and meander around her kitchen. Xavier and the other staff are doing well. Each station runs smoothly.
Near six, as the dining room fills up, I offer to assist, but Collette shoos me away. I get it. I won’t be here in a week to assist her. She doesn’t need my help either. Dinner service is steady tonight. Steady is better than a roller coaster. If the tables are turned ever hour or so, and there aren’t too many walk-ins, service will be smooth and not hectic.
After the last reservation is served dessert, the staff dutifully cleans the kitchen. The dishwasher is humming. Kirsten and Mikayla have left for the night. Only Melissa, the front of the house manager, Sami, Colette, Xavier, and me remain in the building.
The smoke alarm starts blaring in the kitchen and the dining room.
“Get out the back,” I instruct Collette and Xavier. “I’m going through the dining room for Melissa and Sami.” They turn and exit the rear door of the restaurant. I hurry into the office, put my phone in my pocket, and step into the dining room. Flames are rising along the exterior walls. I hear screams coming from the ladies room.
“Help! Help! I can’t see anything.”
When I open the door, smoke billows out. “Hey, it’s Auggie. I’m coming in. Melissa? Sami?”
“It’s Sami.”
“Sami, you need to cover your airway as best you can and crawl toward the sound of my voice. I’ll keep talking to you.”
“Okay.”
“How was your shift today? Never mind, don’t answer me. Keep following my voice.” As I talk, I feel her hand touch mine. I grab it and slither backward out the bathroom door. Unfortunately, the dining room is now filled with smoke too. With Sami beside me, we crouch and move toward the front of the dining room. The door won’t budge. Thankfully, I hear sirens.
“When was the last time you saw Melissa?”
“She was tidying up before I went into the bathroom.”
“Did she leave?”
“I don’t know.”
“Keep banging on that door, calling for help. I’m going to check the linen storage for Melissa.” I turn on the balls of my feet and move to the left side of the dining room. I scurry as quickly as possible, keeping my mouth and nose covered as best I can. When I reach the door, I find it closed. At least I think it’s the correct door. The smoke is thick and dark. As I reach forward to open it, I feel heat radiating from it. I attempt to call out to Melissa but fail. The last thing I remember is turning back toward the front of the building.
Chapter Forty Five
Caroline
Everything since Colette’s call has been a blur. Now I’m pacing the length of the plane with Auggie’s siblings attempting to talk me off the ledge. Noelle and Savannah decided to stay with the girls in Maine until we have more information.
“Caro, he’s going to be fine.” Billie takes my shaking hand in hers.
I slide it away and keep walking. It isn’t far, but I pace nonetheless. “You don’t know that! I can’t… I don’t want to do this alone. Asking for space was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life, including taking on my mother and yours. Now… I can’t go back to… a life without him.”
“She’s right. Auggie is the scrappiest fighter in this family. He will fight to get back to you,” Sam adds.
“I appreciate what you’re saying, but my head and my heart aren’t on the same page right now. I don’t have enough information to properly form an opinion. You’re right, Sam. He is a fighter, but I don’t even know what we’re up against yet.”
Cash illuminates the seat belt sign, and I drop into my seat beside Sam. Once we land, we taxi to the private hanger and get into a waiting car. Within fifteen minutes from landing, I rush into the emergency room.
“August Morgan, I need to see August Morgan.” I’m sure I look as hysterical as I feel.
The nurse at reception has suns on her scrubs and a bright smile to go with them despite it being almost tomorrow. Her name tag reads Naomi. “Ma’am, I don’t have a patient by that name.” My hands start shaking, my throat tightens. I grip the counter to prevent myself from falling. Thankfully, Peter rushes up beside me to make sure I don’t.
“My brother August Morgan was brought here from the fire at Ocean Cliff,” Sam calmly and politely says to the nurse.
“We have one male patient from that call who came in as a John Doe because he had no identification. His condition is guarded but stable. I can take two of you back to verify his identity.”
“I’ll go with Caro,” Cash states before the nurse clarifies. I’m sure it should only be family allowed back there.
Naomi escorts Cash and me through a locked set of double doors. As we walk down the hall, my hands start to shake even more. I’m freaking out. I need Auggie. I don’t want to go through the rest of my life without him. I can’t. Naomi points to a room and leaves.
Cash grabs my forearm. “Caro, look at me. She said he was stable.”
“I’m terrified, Cash.”
“I know. Believe it or not, so am I. There’s only one way to move forward. Do you want to go in alone?”
I appreciate his respect for our relationship despite its brevity, at least the romantic aspect. Yes. No. Yes. “Yes, but I need you to make sure I don’t pass out. Let’s go.” I inhale deeply and lower the handle.
There’s a nurse checking the patient’s vital signs. “You can’t be in here.”
I glance at the bed and a small sense of relief passes over me to the extent Auggie is alive. I don’t exactly know what I’m seeing, but the monitors look correct at least with my extensive television medical training.
“He’s my brother,” Cash offers.
“What’s his name and date of birth? Does he have any underlying respiratory conditions like asthma?” Her badge indicates her name is Patricia.
Cash replies and moves closer to the bed. I circle to the far side of the bed and slide my hand in Auggie’s. His skin is pale, and there’s some soot smeared on his face and in his hair.
“Can you give us an update?” Cash asks.
“He’s being treated for smoke inhalation. According to the other victims who the firefighters talked to on scene, your brother sent the kitchen staff out the rear entrance and went for the dining room staff but didn’t get out before the smoke got too heavy. He was unconscious when they brought him in. When he gained consciousness, he kept repeating something in Italian, we think. His agitation increased when no one understood him, so they sedated him to calm him down.”
“If you heard the term, would you recognize it as what he said?” Cash suggests.
“Yes, I was here.”
Cash looks at me expectantly.
I take a deep breath before uttering Auggie’s nickname for me. “Cuore mio.”
“That’s it. What does it mean?”
“It means my heart,” Cash replies.
She sets her hand over her heart. “That’s incredibly romantic. You’re a lucky girl.”
“Yes, I am. When do you expect the sedative to wear off?”
Patricia inputs her password into the terminal and checks the chart. “Within the next thirty minutes or so, he would be due for another dose if his agitation remains. I doubt it’ll be the case since you’re here.”
“Thank you.”
She leaves the room.
“I’m going to tell the others and switch places with someone. Are you going to be okay alone for a few minutes?”
“Yes. Thank you, Cash.”
“It may have taken Auggie longer than it should have to realize it, but you two belong together. You have since you were kids. You have a solid foundation of friendship which is key for any relationship. I have been working to get him to divulge his feelings for at least the last two years. Hell, Noelle thought you were a couple already when you made our dinner.”
He leaves the room, and I drag the chair closer to Auggie’s bed. I would prefer to lie beside him, but I don’t want to disturb any of the wires or tubes. I press my lips to the top of his hand and lower my head carefully onto his thigh. Resisting the urge to uncover him and examine him from head to toe is harder than I anticipated.
