Second Chance Christmas, page 16
David eyed her speculatively. “Will you be overseeing my rehab, Jane?”
Her cookie suddenly tasted like sawdust. What did he know?
He sighed and waved his hand again. “I didn’t mean to ambush you like that. Dr. Lech from Duke called me earlier this week. She was looking for references.”
Jane dropped the half-eaten cookie into her lap, rubbing her sweaty palms along her pants.
“Honestly, I was hoping I was just delusional from the pain meds. I mean, I thought we had the kind of relationship that you’d talk to me about this.”
“We do,” she said. “And I would have. Told you, I mean. It just all came up so quickly.” Her head was beginning to pound. “My father-in-law presented the opportunity to me over Thanksgiving. I never agreed to anything. Then he called the other day saying he’d already set up an interview. I’m not even sure I’m going to go.”
“Of course you are going to go,” David said. “It’s a remarkable opportunity.”
Jane slumped against the chair back. She’d hoped that David might talk her out of it.
“Look, Jane, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want you to leave the clinic. You’re one of the most talented therapists I’ve worked with. Your level of devotion for your patients is extraordinary. You have a gift that can’t be taught when it comes to patient care.”
“Yet you think I should go work in a lab?”
“Working for Jennifer Lech would be a feather in any physical therapist’s cap,” David argued. “Go for a year. Eighteen months. You’ll always have a spot to return to in my clinic. Heck, at some point, it will likely be your clinic.” He beamed at her.
“You have no idea how much I appreciate that offer. The thing is, if I go, it would be permanent.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m not moving to advance my career. I’d be moving for Henry.” She swallowed roughly. “So he can spend more time with his grandparents. Scott’s parents want to play a bigger role in his life.”
“Is that what you want?”
“Why does everyone always ask that!” she cried. “I’m a single parent raising a son who needs a male influence in his life. I have to put him first. And as long as we’re talking about keeping things from one another, why didn’t you tell me what Henry actually asked Santa for last year?”
He sucked in a breath. “How did you find out?”
“My son is nothing if not persistent.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “He repeated his request again this year.”
David snorted. “I heard he asked for a puppy.”
Jane sighed in frustration. “He isn’t getting one of those, either.” Although a sudden image of Kringle entered her head. She blinked it away. “Don’t you see? He’s all but begging for a father figure. I can give him that through his grandfather.”
“Or you can give him a puppy and shake off the ghost of your late husband by going out to find a man of your own.”
She flinched. The sudden image of Kringle was back, but this time with a smiling Ryan holding him. Too bad that was an impossible dream.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “The pain is making me irritable, and I can’t seem to keep myself from taking it out on everyone around me.”
“So you’re not hiding. You’re in timeout.”
He gave her a half-grin. “Essentially.” He cocked an eyebrow and offered her another cookie. “I’ll support you whatever decision you make, Jane. And I’m always available as a sounding board.”
“Thank you. I haven’t made a decision one way or another. Now let me get a pillow for that ankle. I don’t like the angle you have it resting at.”
Forty-five minutes and six cookies later—she had not had lunch, after all—and Jane was finally on her way home. Ellen had texted earlier with photos of a proud Henry with his gingerbread house. The photos included some of Henry with a group of several boys and girls. Ellen captioned it “new friends,” adding a bunch of smiley face emojis. She should be grateful to her mother-in-law for introducing Henry to boys and girls who lived in Raleigh. Except she couldn’t suppress the feeling that her son was being dragged away from her.
She shook it off. No one said sharing would be easy. Just ask any kindergartener. Scott would want this. Henry was his son, too. She was doing the right thing.
Then why did it hurt so much?
A dog barked when she reached the corner of her little fenced-in yard. Her stomach did a little somersault at the sight of Kringle jumping up and down at the gate. Because if Kringle was here, Ryan must be, too. Sure enough, he was sitting on the top step of her porch, looking like the rebel he kept pretending to be, with stubble outlining his jaw, blue jeans ripped at the knees and a New York Americans hoodie. His hands dangling between his knees made him appear relaxed, but Jane could feel the tension radiating off of him from where she stood.
“Kringle,” he called to the dog. “Come here.”
She smiled when the little dog quickly responded, jumping up the steps and sitting down beside Ryan. Kringle’s entire body was shaking with excitement, though. Both man and beast seemed to be keyed-up about something. She reached for the latch on the gate, but a voice on the sidewalk behind her halted her.
“Dr. Sheffield.”
She spun around to see Paul Willis standing a few yards away. His nose was swollen, and one of his eyes had a slight purple shadow. His hands were buried in his pockets, and he kept shuffling from side to side. There was certainly a lot of nervous energy in her front yard right at the moment.
“Do you have a minute?” Paul asked.
Ryan bolted off the front step and was sprinting for the gate. Jane held it closed, hoping the idiot wouldn’t try to vault the fence.
Paul took two steps back when he caught sight of Ryan. “I’m not here to make any more trouble.”
Ryan tugged on the gate until Jane glared at him to stop. His expression hardened, but he shoved his hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt.
“As you can see, I have barely a minute, Paul. What can I do for you?” she asked.
Paul looked between Ryan and her. “I wanted to apologize for last night. I don’t remember much about it, but I’m told I was rude. And offensive.”
He added the last part as if he’d been rehearsing from a prepared script. Still, Jane took pity on him. Everyone in town knew what the last year and a half had been like for the guy.
“Apology accepted,” Jane said.
A low growl came from the other side of the fence. She sincerely hoped it was Kringle.
“I deserved it.” Paul gestured to his nose before nodding at Ryan. “No hard feelings, McAlister.”
He turned and began to walk away. The gate rattled next to Jane.
“Paul!” Ryan called after him.
Jane sucked in a breath. She wasn’t sure she could hold Ryan back if he really wanted to get at the other man.
Paul turned. His apprehension was written all over his face. “What?”
“You still got that old muscle car you were always working on?”
“I still tinker with it, yeah.”
“You get it running yet?”
Jane held her breath, wondering what Ryan was up to. Surely, he didn’t intend to provoke the other man?
“Occasionally,” Paul snapped. “Parts for that car aren’t cheap.”
“Don’t I know it,” Ryan said. “I’m working on my father’s old Ford truck, trying to get it running for the Christmas parade.”
Paul’s eyes widened. “The F one hundred?”
“Yeah, that old thing. It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been beneath the hood of a car. I could use some help. You interested?”
Jane’s chest grew tight. Was Ryan doing what she thought he was doing?
Paul seemed equally suspicious. “What’s the catch?”
Ryan shook his head. “No catch. Chet’s shorthanded at the garage, so I’m doing the work myself. My brothers want to help, which means they’ll be in the way. I’d rather have a wingman who knows his way around a car.”
Paul seemed to be considering it. Jane’s heart pounded.
“What time?” he finally asked.
She swallowed a relieved gasp.
“Nine in the morning.”
Paul nodded. “I’ll be there.”
He turned on his heel to leave, and Jane swore his step was a whole lot lighter than when he arrived. She knew hers was. Kringle let out a yip of excitement when Jane pulled open the gate.
“In the house. Both of you,” she ordered to man and dog before charging up the steps.
Kringle scrambled through the front door before Jane had it all the way open, the dog racing in the direction of Henry’s room.
“I wasn’t going to hit him again if that’s what you’re in a snit about,” Ryan said when he closed the door behind him.
Jane dropped her messenger bag onto the dining room table and whirled around, shoving his back against the closed door. And then she kissed him.
“I take it you’re not mad?” he asked when they came up for air.
“No,” she laughed. “I’m stunned. Taken aback. In awe.”
He hiked an eyebrow at her in question.
She slapped his chest. “Don’t play coy with me, Ryan McAlister. What you just did out there was amazing.” She nibbled the stubble along his jaw. “It was kind. It was generous. It was beautiful. It was sweet.”
He cringed at being called sweet as she knew he would, the tough guy.
“So sweet that you deserve a reward.” She reached beneath his hoodie and T-shirt to rub her fingers along the warm skin just above his fly. “And I know just what to give you. Lock the door, McAlister.”
He did as he was told, and she spent the rest of the afternoon showing him just how sweet he was.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“WE’RE NOT GOING to watch the flotilla from the pier with everyone else?”
Ryan shot Jane a side-eyed glance from where he sat in the driver’s seat of her car. “It’s the ‘everyone else’ part of that statement that has me driving us in the opposite direction. Besides, do you really want to run into my mother tonight?”
She shuddered. “Good point.”
Kringle yipped in agreement from the backseat. Ryan steered the car up onto the bluff overlooking the town. He turned down a private road leading toward the water. A large brick mansion stood quietly overlooking the sea.
“This is Dresden House.” Jane sat up a little higher in the passenger seat. “The boats will be in the opposite direction. We won’t be able to see anything from here.”
Ignoring the panic in her voice, he parked beneath the portico leading to the entrance of the centuries-old home Gavin restored during his tenure on Historical Restorations. The sea captain’s mansion was supposed to be sold to the show’s wealthy producer when it was completed. But an It’s a Wonderful Life moment at the eleventh hour turned the tables. Dresden House was now owned by Will Connelly. His wife used it to headquarter her design business. She rented most of the large gathering rooms back to the town or individuals for special events. In fact, Miles and Gavin were set to host their weddings in the home’s great hall on New Year’s Eve.
But this evening, it was unoccupied, except for the standing at the entrance waiting for them.
“There’s more than one way to approach an equation.” He got out of the car and walked around to open Jane’s door for her. “That was your mantra when you were trying to teach me complex math, remember?”
She grinned up at him as he helped her from the car. “I’m surprised you were listening to a word I said back then.”
He pulled her against his body. “I listened to every word you said, Janey.”
A blush stained her cheeks as she shook her head in surprise. Kringle jumped out of the backseat, sliding between them before they could act on the heat sizzling off them again. The dog trotted right up to the caretaker. The man opened the front door wide and let him pass through as if the scraggly mutt owned the place. Placing his hand on Jane’s lower back, Ryan guided her inside.
“Just text me when you’re leaving, and I’ll lock up.” With a slight nod of the head, the man disappeared.
Jane moved into the mansion’s grand foyer where the Austrian crystal chandelier sent thousands of pricks of light dancing across the walnut floors. Kringle sniffed the perimeter of the room, conflicted by the twin curved staircases on either side of the foyer. He glanced back at Ryan for guidance.
“They both go to the same place, boy.” He waved the dog up. “Go ahead.”
“When I said there’s more than one way to approach an equation, I meant within the rules,” Jane said. “Please tell me you didn’t bribe that poor guy to get in here?”
Ryan’s laugh echoed off the high ceilings. He gestured for her to follow Kringle up the stairs. “Not him, although I’ll offer him some baseball tickets or something. But I’m now on the hook to Will Connelly for a sky-box opening day.”
It was her turn to laugh. “In that case, job well done. But I’m still not sure how we’ll see anything from here.”
They reached the second-floor landing. “Solve until the end. Isn’t that what you always used to say?”
She spun around to face him, a look of sheer amazement on her face. He leaned in and kissed her soundly.
“We’re not at the end yet, Janey,” he whispered against her mouth. “Not even close.”
Most of him was talking about tonight, but there was a part of him wondering if he meant something else. He quickly quashed it because there was no “something else.” Not for them. He was going back to New York and baseball while she was headed to a tidy life neatly organized for her by her late husband’s parents.
Shaking his ridiculous thoughts away, he steered Jane toward a door at the end of the hallway. He whistled for Kringle. The dog came scampering out of one of the rooms, his tongue lolling, and tail wagging.
“One more flight to go.” He pulled open the door leading to a metal spiral staircase.
She looked at him speculatively before picking up Kringle and climbing the stairs. The move gave Ryan a birds-eye view of her sweet, heart-shaped ass as it swayed up the steps. He stifled a groan. His hands had been all over that ass this afternoon, yet still, his body craved more. He’d been in relationships before, some of them lasting months. But he’d never felt this profound desire to be in another person’s presence day and night. Never this yearning to be connected to another person. Not like he did with Jane.
And he’d be lying if he said it didn’t scare the hell out of him.
Jane glanced back at him once she’d reached the top. “Through here?” She put the dog down and pointed to the door marked “rooftop.”
He took the stairs two at a time, leaving his absurd thoughts behind.
“You’re still the smartest one in the room,” he teased. The chilly night air greeted them when he opened the door for her. “But I’ve learned a little about thinking outside the box. Check it out.”
Kringle sprinted between Ryan’s legs, ready to explore. Jane gasped at the sight that greeted them. Ropes of string lights adorned the rooftop. A table was set for two near the south end, complete with fresh flowers, a cooler bag filled with their dinner, and flickering votive candles. Beside it was a tall outdoor heater, its warmth glowing bright orange.
She glanced back at him over her shoulder, awe making her eyes twinkle in the dusk. He rocked back on his heels, satisfied with his efforts. That look on her face alone guaranteed the caretaker tickets to a week’s worth of games.
Jane wandered over to the edge of the rooftop facing downtown Chances Inlet and the City Pier. The view was perfect as he’d known it would be. She spun around.
“This is unbelievable. A rooftop terrace. It’s the absolute best place to watch the Christmas flotilla.” She clapped her hands together. “I had no idea this was up here.”
Ryan shrugged. “Will likes to spoil his wife from time to time.”
The McAlister brothers were constantly razzing Will about the efforts he went to for his wife. Right now, though, Ryan appreciated his friend’s antics. Especially since it gave him the opportunity to spoil Jane. She dedicated so much of her life to her son, her patients, and her friends. It was about time someone made her the focus. It was about time she walked away from the ghost of her dead husband haunting her. And he was happy to take every opportunity to make her see that.
He walked over to the ice bucket and pulled out a bottle of wine. The caretaker had already taken care of the cork. At this rate, the dude would be going to the playoffs. “Will also likes to keep his private life very private, so no posting to social media from here, please.”
She took the glass of wine he offered. “His secret is safe with me.” She took a sip before smiling her approval. “Can I let you in on another little secret,” she asked. Setting her wine glass on the table, she stepped up close to him as if to whisper something. “I always knew you were smarter than you let on.”
Her unexpected admission made his chest swell. He leaned forward toward her ear.
“I’ll let you in on a little secret, Janey. I had a massive crush on you growing up.”
Her jaw dropped. “What? No way. You never let on. In fact, you were such a little imp that I figured you hated me for torturing you with schoolwork.”
“That was just so you’d think I’d need more tutoring. And also because I was mad that Miles was always dropping in on our sessions. I thought you and he might have had something going on.”
She shook her head with a chuckle. “Miles argues too much.”
Ryan threw back his head and laughed. “There was also that little complication of me being in the eighth grade.” The age gap seemed like an eternity back then, but not now. Hell, his mother had just married a man five years her junior. Age was the least of the reasons they couldn’t be together.
“I thought you were adorable even when you were acting up.”
He groaned. “Just what every guy wants to hear from a woman. She thinks he’s—” he made air quotes with his fingers “adorable.”
