Karen D. Badger - Yesterday Once More (16 page)

“Thanks,” she replied. “I think these noodles are cooked enough to drain.”

Kale retrieved a strainer from the cupboard and placed it in the sink. Then he fetched the cheeses from the refrigerator. “Okay, my turn. Drink your wine while I layer the lasagna.” Kale coated the baking pan with a thin layer of no-stick spray, then diligently added layer upon layer of noodles, cheese, and sauce into the pan, topping it off with a final layer of sauce and a layer of shredded cheese.

Andi watched him work. “It looks good, Kale. I can’t wait to taste it.”

Kale slid the pan into the oven and set the timer on the stove. He turned to Andi. “Let’s sit in the living room while this bakes.”

She stepped away from the counter. “Sure. Lead the way.”

Kale led Andi to the living room where they sat on the couch. Andi shifted her weight so she was sitting sideways, facing Kale. She leaned her shoulder against the back of the couch and sipped her wine. “I thought you said the house needed to be cleaned. It looks fine to me,” she said, looking around the living room.

“It needs a good dusting. The rugs need to be vacuumed, and the bathrooms really need to be cleaned. You’re right, it doesn’t need much, but I want it to be clean to minimize any unnecessary exposure to germs for Jordan.”

“Did you decorate this room? It’s very nice,” Andi said.

“No, Jordan did. When her parents died, they left everything to her. Painful memories of them were everywhere, so she refurnished the house. It really helped her to heal.”

“How long ago did she lose her parents?”

“Six years.” His eyes shifted from the wine to Andi’s eyes.

Andi placed her wine glass on the table and traced the side of Kale’s face with her fingertips. “You’re a good friend, Kale Simmons. Jordan is lucky to have you.”

Kale grasped Andi’s hand and turned it upward to kiss the palm. Her eyes closed at his touch. Kale’s desire escalated as he took her face between his hands and kissed her fully on the mouth. Andi wrapped her arms around his neck as their kiss deepened.

Neither of them heard the oven buzzer.

When Kale arrived at the hospital at noon to collect Jordan, she was fully dressed and sitting up in bed, eager to be going home. She hugged Kale affectionately. “Break me out of here. I can’t wait to go home,” she exclaimed.

Kale grinned. “Has Peter released you yet?”

“I’m just about to.”

“Peter, good morning.” Jordan held out her hand. Peter took it gently.

“Good morning to both of you,” he said. “So, Jordan, are you ready to go home?”

“More than ready. Bust me loose, warden!”

Peter laughed. “All right, but not before you understand your parole conditions.” Jordan and Kale chuckled. Peter turned to Kale. “Kale, as her parole officer, I expect you to be sure she follows these rules, understand?”

Kale saluted the doctor. “Yes, sir! I’m really going to enjoy finally having the upper hand over this one.”

Jordan crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the two men. “Enjoy this while you can, ‘cause I’m planning a coup d’état as soon as I’m able.”

Peter grinned. “Of that, I have no doubt. Okay, here are the rules: You need to stay in bed for a few days. Next, you’ll need some help getting in and out of your hover-chair for the first few days after you’re out of bed. The incision looks really good, but for safety’s sake, we don’t want to do anything to aggravate it. That means you’ll need someone there to physically lift you.”

“I can do that,” Kale offered immediately.

Jordan looked at Kale. “Don’t you need to be working on the implant?”

Kale took her hand. “Peter and I have already talked about this. We’re at a stage where the testing can be done from our home. In fact, we’re in the process of moving a few pieces of test equipment to the farm. We can carry out the next week or two of clinical trials there.”

Jordan looked from Kale to Peter. “It seems you two have already planned this whole thing, haven’t you?” She tried to sound firm but failed to suppress her grin.

Peter looked at her over the top of his glasses. “Well, someone’s got to make sure you behave.” He continued. “Finally, I want to see you in my office in a week for a follow-up exam.” Jordan and Kale watched Peter as he signed her chart. He handed a copy of the follow-up items to Kale. Peter slipped his stylus into the breast pocket of his lab coat then held the clipboard close to his chest. “All right then. You’re released.”

Jordan opened her arms to Peter and hugged him affectionately. “Thank you.”

Peter stood and cleared his throat. “Well, yes... um... just be sure to follow the regime I’ve outlined for you so we can get you back on your feet—literally.”

“I will, I will. Thank you again.”

“You’re welcome. Now get out of here.”

* * *

As Jordan and Kale turned into the driveway, there were a number of vans in front of the barn, and men were unloading equipment. She saw that one truck belonged to a local furnace dealer. She looked at Kale. “What’s going on here?”

“It’s just the crew from the lab,” he replied.

“But there’s a solar furnace truck here as well.”

Kale switched off the ignition and turned to her. “Some of this equipment is pretty sensitive to temperature and humidity. We needed to make some improvements to the barn to make this work. I hired Tom’s crew to install new insulation, wiring, and solar-absorbing wallboard. We needed a new furnace.”

Jordan’s eyebrows shot up high on her forehead. “Something tells me these improvements are as much for your benefit as mine.” She grinned.

Kale chuckled. “Guilty as charged. I have to admit, the old solar heater is a pain in the neck when I’m out there working on the machine. The far end of the barn is a really large area to heat.” He looked once more at the flurry of activity in front of the barn, then back at Jordan. “Okay, let’s get you into the house.” He climbed out of the vehicle and circled around to the passenger side to retrieve Jordan. He lifted her into his arms and carried her to the front door. As they approached the door, it suddenly opened and a smiling Andrea Ellis greeted them.

“Andi!” Jordan was surprised and pleased. “What are you doing here?”

Andi stepped aside to allow Kale and his cargo to enter into the kitchen. “Kale wanted so badly to make sure things were perfect for you when you returned, I finished up what we were unable to complete last night.”

Jordan looked at the blush rising on Kale’s face. He squirmed under the scrutiny. “Ah, let me get you into your bed.” He carried Jordan to her bedroom and gently lowered her to the bed.

Jordan kept her eyes glued to Kale’s face. She couldn’t resist teasing him. “What exactly did you and Andi accomplish last night?”

Kale shoved his hands deep into his back pockets and looked everywhere but at Jordan.

“Kale?” she prompted again, taking a wicked delight in his discomfort.

Finally, he looked at Jordan. “Ah, gee,” he said.

Jordan suddenly felt sorry for Kale as she patted the bed beside her. “Sit,” she commanded. When Kale settled in beside her, she took his hand. “Look at me.” Kale finally allowed his eyes to meet Jordan’s. She smiled broadly. “I’m happy for you. Andi seems really nice. I hope things work out for the two of you.”

Kale looked away. “She likes you. She really wanted to help make your homecoming special.”

“I like her too. I look forward to getting to know her better. I’ll have to thank her for helping you.”

“You’re welcome,” Andi said from the doorway. She walked to the bed and stood beside Kale, her hand on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

Jordan grinned. “Remarkably well, considering I had spinal surgery a day ago. I’m looking forward to being back on my feet and getting on with life.”

“I’m sure you are.” Andi looked at Kale. “Lunch is ready if you’re hungry.”

Jordan’s stomach growled, as if on cue. She chuckled. “I’m famished. A little home-cooked food is going to taste great after that mush they served in the hospital.”

An anticipatory look crossed Andi’s face. “I hope you like quiche and salad.”

Jordan’s eyes grew wide. “Oh, my God! I haven’t had quiche since before Mom and Dad died. I love quiche,” she exclaimed.

Andi smiled broadly. “All right then. We’ll have our own little picnic right here on your bed. Kale?” she said brightly.

Kale was on his feet in an instant. “Lead the way.”

Jordan closed her eyes and smiled.
He’s going to be just fine when I’m gone.

Jordan did her best to stifle a yawn as the trio finished their makeshift picnic. “I’m sorry, guys. I guess I’m more tired than I thought.”

Andi collected the dishes and placed them on one of the trays. “Come on, Kale, we need to let Jordan sleep. She needs to heal in order to be ready for the implant.”

Kale had been sitting in Jordan’s hover-chair by the side of the bed enjoying his lunch. At Andi’s suggestion, he handed his empty dishes to her then climbed out of the chair. “Good idea.” While Andi carried the dirty dishes to the kitchen, Kale circled Jordan’s bed and knelt on the opposite side. “Okay, we need to rotate the tires.”

“Rotate the tires? Since when did I become an old jalopy?”

“Since you backfired on us and nearly blew your engine a week ago. Hold on while I roll you onto your side. Peter said he wanted you to change positions frequently to avoid aggravating the incision site.” Kale placed one hand on each side of her hips and physically repositioned her while Jordan assisted by grasping the side of the bed with her hands. He bent her top leg at the knee to improve her balance then pulled the blanket up over her. “Are you comfortable?” he asked.

“Very. Thanks, but you know I could do that by myself.” Jordan yawned again. “Sorry about that.”

Kale kissed her on the head. “No apology necessary. Get some sleep. I’ll wake you for dinner.”

Kale found Andi in the kitchen loading the sonic cleanser. As he entered the room, his breath waged war with his heart for room in his chest as he felt an overwhelming sense of attraction for this young woman. He quickly crossed the room and captured her in his arms.

Andi wrapped her arms around his waist and dropped her head to the side to allow Kale greater access to her neck. “Oh, God… that feels good.”

“Hmm,” Kale murmured as he held her close, enjoying the scent of her freshly-washed hair. “You smell good.”

Andi stiffened at the sound of a door closing in the yard. “Kale... as much as I’m enjoying this, we have a dozen lab workers crawling around the barn. I’d rather not be caught in a compromising position.”

“Damn, you’re right.” He backed away from her to avoid temptation. “I guess I should go give them a hand, huh?”

“I think we should both go give them a hand. The sooner they’re gone, the sooner we’ll be alone.”

Kale frowned. “What about Jordan?”

“We don’t have to be secretive in front of Jordan. I’m not worried about her.”

Kale grinned wickedly. “I like the way you think. Come on.” He took Andi’s hand and led her to the barn.

Andi explored the barn while Kale disbanded the crew. The insulated room was at the far end of the barn, allowing the primary entrance to be isolated from the new room but open to the livestock area. It was here that Kale found Andi after the crew had left.

“There you are,” he said. Andi was stroking the mane of Jordan’s cherished mustang.

“He’s a beautiful horse,” Andi said.

Kale rested his arm on the top of the horse stall and crossed his legs. “Do you ride?”

Andi continued to stroke the animal’s neck. “I did as a child. I haven’t ridden in years. It seems that as we grow older, we allow our priorities to change… oftentimes not for the better,” she commented. She glanced at Kale. “Do you ride?”

Kale threw his head back and laughed. “Me? You’re kidding, right? I grew up in New York City. I’m a city boy to the core. Jordan got me on a horse about a year ago and talked me into riding to the north pasture with her to show me where she’d had her accident.”

“How was it?”

“By the time we reached the old well, my backside hurt so much I was standing in the stirrups. Worst part was I still had to get back to the house. I swore I’d never get back on a horse after that.”

Andi looked at Kale from the corner of her eye. “Are you sure I couldn’t talk you into another ride? A short one?”

Kale looked around nervously.

“Please?” Andi asked sweetly.

Kale put his hands on his hips. “Oh, all right. But only a short ride, and not until it warms up, okay?”

Andi clapped her hands gleefully. “Deal. Okay, let’s make one final check of the equipment and head into the house to start dinner.”

Kale took Andi by the hand and led her toward the room at the opposite end of the barn. He held the door open for her to enter before him. Together, they circled the room and powered down the equipment.

When they reached the far end of the room, Andi approached a large object and reached for a corner of the tarp covering it. “What’s this?”

Kale lunged forward and prevented her from removing the tarp. “It’s nothing. Just a pile of junk.”