Battling the Best Man: A Harmony Falls Novel, Book 2 (Crimson Romance) (8 page)

Mom trudged alongside her.

“How was he when you left?” Kory asked as she slid a hand under her elbow and helped her up the steps.

She sighed again. “He looks good, honey. Real good.”

The rosy outlook was usually something to admire, but through all of this, it grew more and more unnerving. Did she honestly think he looked good? Or was it denial? As a doctor, denial wasn’t something Kory liked to see. Although some people confused it with hope, denial was different; it could be very damaging. She saw it keep patients and their loved ones from their full potential all the time.

But this was her mother and father she was talking about, and it was hard to remain stoic and objective when someone you loved was hurting.

Inside the house, Kory shooed the dogs into the kitchen while Mom settled on the couch. The big silver bowl on the floor was empty, so Kory filled it with water from the tap, and returned it to the center of a ceramic tile square again. All the while she wondered how and when to announce she wasn’t returning to Chicago yet. Maybe in the morning, after Mom’s headache passed.

Movement behind her caused Kory to turn, and when she did, she saw her mother rummaging through an upper cabinet.

“What do you need?” Kory asked, walking to the cabinet. “Go back and lay down. I’ll get it for you.”

“I can get it.”

“I know you can, but I’m here, so you don’t have to.”

“I don’t want to be dependent. Who do you think’s going to take care of me when you’re gone?” Her eyes closed and she froze mid-motion—all except her hand, which was trembling as it rested on the cupboard shelf. “I don’t want to be a burden. I don’t…”

Watching Dad become dependent was taking its toll. Kory pulled her close. “Mom, it’s okay. Everything’s going to be okay.”

As she listened to her mother’s muffled sobs, Kory knew the dam of denial had broken and felt some measure of relief. While she would never be so vague as to proclaim things would be “okay” to a patient’s family, she couldn’t help murmuring that bit of comfort now. Kory badly wanted to believe it herself.

Reaching over her mother’s head, Kory retrieved the bottle of pain reliever. “You’re exhausted. I see it all the time with patient’s families. All this back and forth to the hospital. All this worry keeping you awake. You need to sleep. I can prescribe you something if you want me to.”

Mom shook her head against Kory’s shoulder. “No. That won’t be necessary.” Then she lifted her head and wiped the wet from beneath her eyes. “I’ll make some chamomile tea. I’ll be fine.”

Kory inhaled through her mouth and rolled her eyes until she glimpsed the ceiling. There was never going to be a right time to have this conversation, especially not between now and 10:00
A.M.
tomorrow. Exhaling slowly, she looked her mother dead in the eyes. “I’m going to make sure everything is fine. I’m staying in Harmony Falls for a while. Will agreed to hire me as the medical director of Harmony Elder Care.”

Mom’s mouth opened and closed. Her brows knitted in confusion. “You already have a job in your future.”

“Yeah, but that job isn’t available yet. Even if it was, it wouldn’t help Dad unless you moved to Chicago. And trust me, you could never handle public transportation.”

“No.” Mom stepped back, shaking her head. “You aren’t going to give up everything to stay here and take care of us. What about finishing the fellowship?”

“I’m not giving up anything. I’m delaying it. People take leaves of absence all the time. I talked to Dr. Lunderburn, and he understands. He says he’ll work with me when I’m ready to come back.”

“Your father will be devastated.”

“What kind of daughter would I be if I knew I could help him and I didn’t?” It wasn’t really a rhetorical question. She could’ve stopped there and given her mother time to think, but instead raw emotion welled in her chest, and she wielded the one question that nagged her the most. “Why don’t you want me here, Mom?”

Except for the soft snoring of a dog, there was no sound. Kory held her breath and waited. She couldn’t remember ever fighting with her mother before.

Stress had a way of cracking people.

“I want you here,” Mom whispered, the sound so fierce she was hoarse.

Kory nodded, but didn’t believe the statement was one-hundred-percent true. “You want me here on vacations and holidays. But if I want to stay longer, like now, when I can help, why are you rushing me back?”

“Because you have important work to do.” Her voice grew louder. “Do you know how much we sacrificed to give you everything we never had? Do you care?”

“Of course I care!”

“All those—those science camps in b-big cities! They didn’t come cheap, Kory Anne!” She was yelling now.

On one hand, it seemed foolish, arguing about science camp, but on the other hand, this was about so much more.

“I didn’t ask for those,” Kory snapped.

She hadn’t asked, but she didn’t fight it either. She had wondered how her parents, a roofer and a librarian on disability after too many seizures could afford to send her, but they’d been so happy about her participation, she’d suppressed the urge to ask.

Mom pressed her lips together and widened her eyes. “You had a gift,” she hissed. “Normal children play ‘hospital’ in their bedrooms with their stuffed animals as patients. You turned Dad’s workshop into an infirmary for birds and small mammals when you were ten. That’s extraordinary, Kory Anne. You asked me if any household chemicals could be used as anesthesia. What were we supposed to do? Ignore that drive in you?”

“No.” Kory softened her voice, trying to calm the anger and confusion stirring inside of her. They’d been through a lot this past week. Emotions were high for everyone. “Mom, I appreciate the opportunities you gave me. I do. I’m just questioning why it was so important for me to be gone every summer. Sometimes if felt like you didn’t want me around.” Kory threw up her hands. “That’s how it feels now, too.”

With her hands pressed together in prayer formation and her hiss turned to plea, Mom looked ready to drop to her knees and beg Kory to leave. “You are better than this place.”

“That’s what you’ve always told me, but you’re here. Dad’s here.”

Mom closed her eyes and shook her head. “You think we want to be here?”

More silence. Kory stared at her mother, trying to make sense of what she was saying. “I thought you liked it here. Your families are here. Where else would you be?”

Mom pressed a hand to her forehead, covering her eyes. “It doesn’t matter anymore.” She gave an inhale and then an exhale. And then her hand dropped to her side. “You call that doctor in Chicago and tell him you made a mistake, and then you call Will Mitchell and tell him to find another doctor. Your father and I will be fine.” She nodded, turned and left the room.

Kory stared dumbfounded at the empty space. She was missing something, a big piece of the puzzle. There was obviously a reason her success mattered more than her presence.

She thought. Hard. Nothing in her childhood filled with overachievement and parental pride stuck out. No stories of her parents falling short of their own goals. Heck, until her father’s stroke, his roofing company was thriving. No hint of a deep dark secret came to mind.

It doesn’t matter anymore
, Mom had said. But what didn’t matter? Kory turned, bracing herself on the countertop, her elbows buckling as emotional exhaustion seeped in. How could she not know the reason behind her parents pushing her away? This was Harmony Falls, where secrets didn’t stand a chance. Was it possible her parents managed to keep one? And if so, did it even matter in the face of everything that happened since Kory had been home?

She wasn’t used to disappointing anyone, let alone her parents. It was a horrible state to be in, and in her sadness she questioned her decision to stay.

• • •

“Then we sell it. With any luck the public offering will force Valley’s hand.”

Will closed his eyes to his mother’s uncompromising words, words he expected to hear. When he opened his eyes, she was scrutinizing him, a calculating gleam in her eye.

“It’s a regrettable course of action, William, but difficult choices must be made. This company didn’t remain in business for years by prioritizing friendships over financial solvency.” Her lips tightened, no doubt stifling a sigh. “If you can’t bring yourself to pull the trigger, then I can. I’ll have the for sale sign posted today.”

“Don’t,” Will said, watching her eyes widen. “There’s another way.” She opened her mouth, but he bulldozed right over her. “I’m hiring Kory Flemming to be the full-time medical director. She’ll be here at 10 to sign papers, and before you panic about cost, she was making peanuts as a fellow, so she accepted peanuts here. She’s cheaper and better than Lance. All she asked is that we re-open to new admissions”—he paused for a quick breath—“including her father. Seems like a win to me.”

His mother’s nostrils flared.

“What’s wrong with maintaining the home if it helps the people in Harmony Falls and it at least breaks even?” he asked.

“Breaking even is not turning a profit. And we are not a charity, William.”

“No, but I was under the impression we had a calling greater than padding our bank accounts. These people, our friends, get injured and old, and they need someplace to go.”

She scoffed. “They can go to Rileyville. I want it sold.”

He wasn’t exactly surprised by her rejection, but the lack of compassion shocked him. She was a ruthless business woman, but even she had to see the problematic position they’d be in if they closed the only nursing home and didn’t replace it with something equally as valuable.

Come to think of it, maybe there was more to her harsh perspective than the simple sale of real estate, but what more Will didn’t know, and he didn’t have time to analyze it. He pushed the thought from his mind and went for something he hoped would tip the scale in his favor. “Justin supports me.” And Justin could do no wrong.

“Of course he supports you. Alice and Kory are friends.”

“He supports me as someone who would like to be mayor of this town. He recognizes the benefit of having a nursing home within the borough boundaries. Mother, if the CFO of this company supports me, why can’t you?”

She stared at him until he fidgeted.

He’d been Chief Operating Officer for six years. In that time, he’d butted heads with his mother once or twice a year. It was never a pleasant experience, and it usually ended with him on the losing end. But her heart attack changed things. He’d picked up the slack while she was recuperating, and she’d never reclaimed full power. Maybe he was crazy, but he hoped that slight edge would help him here.

“Two months, William,” she said, pointing one bony finger in his direction. “If you haven’t at least broken even in two months, then I’ll post the ‘for sale’ sign myself.” He bit back a premature smile. “And another thing, no new funds. Not a penny. Do you understand?”

Will nodded. “I understand.”

Two months.
He only hoped Kory was as good as she claimed to be.

• • •

Two hours later, Will paced in front of his desk, glancing at the clock above the door every few steps.
Ten-oh-two.
Hardly late enough to declare her a no show, but late enough to make him wonder. If she didn’t show, he’d be screwed, and the nursing home would be up for sale.

Kory hadn’t looked convinced when she made the proposition. With time to dwell on it, she was bound to see it as desperate and dangerous. She’d probably realized the choice job with the flashy title in Chicago wouldn’t wait and her replacements were probably already circling the position like sharks in bloody water. Maybe she was on her way back right now to stake her claim.

The desk phone buzzed, and he jumped, reaching out to hit a button. Georgiana’s voice echoed in his quiet office. “Dr. Flemming called.”

His heart hardened.

“She waited for the doctor to round on her father, so she’s running a bit late. Do you want me to reschedule her so you can get out of here by noon?”

Slowly, his heart started beating again. “No, thank you, but you can go. Enjoy your day.”

He hit the button on the phone, ending the call, and then picked up the stereo remote, washing the room in the comforting strains of “Je crois entendre encore.” Will’s head dropped to the back of his chair, and he closed his eyes. Kory was actually going to go through with it. She was going to take the job.

For the first time in days, Will felt like he’d made progress.

An hour later, Kory walked into his office, casually dressed in knee-length khaki shorts and a lightweight denim shirt. Still, she looked ready to take over the world. Her shoulders were back. Her chin was lifted. And determination carved hard lines all over her face.

“Let’s get this over with,” she said.

Okay, so he hadn’t expected her to cover him in kisses of joy—although he may have dreamed of it—but he also didn’t expect the hint of animosity in her voice. Was it directed at him? If it was, her hostility was misplaced. He didn’t force her into this position. She came to him.

He stood. “We don’t have to rush this.”

“My father has days before insurance stops covering his hospital stay. Social workers are badgering my mother with nursing home options, none of which include Harmony Elder Care. I need this to be official, so the admissions ban can be lifted, and I can do something productive beside letting the dogs out twice a day.” Her gaze flitted around his desk. “What and where do I sign?”

Now was not the time to notice how the light played on her hair as it rested against her blush cheeks. Nor was it the time to admire the perfect symmetry of her glossy lips. So he pretended he hadn’t done either, despite the quickening of his pulse.

Will slid a collection of papers forward. “Tabs mark where you should sign.”

She looked behind her, stepped sideways, and then sat in an armchair, pulling the documents off his desk and settling them in her lap. “I’ll read them first.”

His lips hitched. “You should.”

She eyed him from beneath her long bangs. “Why? Did you slip something in here?”