Sizzling (24 page)

* * *

DANI FILED the menus, then turned to face her sister-in-law.
Penny had already spent a couple of hours in the kitchen, overseeing
the prep work for that night's dinner.
"I love a good
reduction," Penny murmured to herself. "If we add a little
more Pinot to the sauce, it should broaden the fruit elements. What
do you think?"
Dani pushed the file drawer closed and
dropped into the chair on the other side of Penny's overflowing
desk.
"I miss working with you."
Penny looked
up and grimaced. "I hate that you're gone. I know I shouldn't
say that. I know you have to go prove yourself out in the world. But
I don't have to like it. By the way, you're only proving yourself to
yourself. The rest of us are already convinced. Okay?"
"I
don't like it, either," Dani admitted. "I mean I'm really
excited, but I've loved working with you."
"I am the
best chef you'll ever know," Penny said, then grinned. "And
the most modest."
"Absolutely."
"You'll
love working with Bernie. He's a sweetie. And kind of cute."
Penny raised and lowered her eyebrows. "He's a little old for
you, but if you like that sort of thing…"
Dani
raised her hands and crossed her index fingers. "No way. He
seems like a perfectly nice man, but, no. I'm totally and completely
finished with romantic relationships. I've heard from the big guy in
the sky and the message couldn't have been more clear."
"Just
because Gary was an ex-priest does not mean God was telling you to
avoid men."
"Okay— so what
was
the
message?"
"Avoid that one. Or not. Maybe God was
trying to tell you that Gary was a sweetie and you should be gentle
with him."
Dani cringed and shook her head. "I don't
think so. I feel bad about walking out on Gary, but trust me, I'm the
wrong woman to deal with the issues a relationship with him would
bring to the table. I don't have the patience."
"I
don't know. There's a romantic element to the whole thing. What if
you're his first time?"
Dani didn't want to go there. As
soon as Gary had confessed his past, the knot in her gut had told her
to start running and she'd listened. It wasn't her proudest moment,
but she didn't have any regrets.
"It's over," she
said. "My budding relationship with Gary and any relationship
with any man, ever. I have lived through a series of disasters. It's
time to let the romance thing go."
"If you say so.
Or you could get into women."
Dani wrinkled her nose. "No
thanks."
"Just checking. You don't have to do that,"
Penny added, pointing at the filing.
"I want to finish
what I started."
"You don't work here anymore. You
have to let it go."
Dani shrugged. "I have. But I
still miss this place, even though I'm totally jazzed about the
job."
"If you're giving up on guys, you'll have time
to devote yourself to your work. Lord knows I did that plenty,"
Penny said.
Dani nodded, then reached for a pen sticking out
from under a stack of paperwork. "I've been thinking about
getting in touch with my dad."
Penny leaned back in her
chair. "That's a big step. Did you find out more about
him?"
Dani shook her head. "I don't even know his
name. I talked to a private investigator, but she told me what I've
already guessed. Without more information, I'm screwed. I need
something to go on. I asked my brothers, but they don't know
anything, either."
"You know what the next step has
to be," Penny said gently.
Dani's stomach tightened. "I'm
not giving Gloria another chance to screw with my life. Once was
enough."
"She's the only one who knows anything.
Just think about it," Penny said. "She's changed. I don't
know why or how. Maybe she hit her head when she fell or maybe the
day nurse really did work a miracle. I just know she's not the same
awful woman you know."
"I don't want to give her the
satisfaction of begging. It means she wins."
"Doesn't
she also win if you spend your whole life wondering?"
Dani
didn't answer— they both already knew Penny was right. But ask
Gloria for help?
"I'll think about it," she said
slowly. "I hate that she still has control over me."
"She
doesn't. Not if you don't let her."

* * *

LORI STOOD at the end of the hospital corridor and watched the
swinging doors close behind her sister. She sent up a quick prayer
that everything would be all right, then walked back to the waiting
room where she would spend the day anxious for news.
But as
she stepped into the open space, she saw it wasn't the same airy,
empty room it had been an hour before. Now the three sofas and dozen
or so chairs were overflowing with people and supplies.
Penny
looked up and saw her first. She smiled kindly. "We invaded,"
she announced. "I brought plenty to eat because it's going to be
a long day and, hello, hospital food? I don't think so." She
motioned to several coolers stacked along the wall. "Drinks,
salads, entrees, desserts. Sugar seems mandatory at times like these.
How are you holding up?"
Lori felt overwhelmed, but
managed to nod. "I'm good."
Reid walked up and
hugged her. "Did you tell dirty jokes?" he asked.
"I
tried."
It had been his bizarre and yet oddly charming
suggestion to fill the few minutes before Madeline was taken to
surgery.
"Tried?" he repeated. "I gave you
great material."
"I know, but she was already pretty
out of it. She laughed, though."
That was the image Lori
would hold in her mind. Madeline laughing at the lesbian frog
joke.
"So my family is here," he said
unnecessarily.
Lori glanced around. Cal held baby Allison in
his arms. Walker and Elissa unpacked bags filled with paper plates
and glasses. Zoe, Elissa's daughter, lined up several stuffed animals
as if she was going to hold class.
"You didn't have to
ask them to come," she said, surprised by their willingness to
be a part of a very long day.
"I didn't ask them. I told
them I was going to be here with you and they came on their
own."
Her throat tightened. "You're really good to
me," she whispered, staring into his dark eyes. "I want you
to know that I'm incredibly grateful. You went on television and let
those reporters torture you, all so my sister could have a chance.
Now she's getting a new liver and it's all because of you."
He
stroked her cheek. "Don't give me too much credit. A donor might
have been found regardless."
"I don't think so.
You're the best man I know."
He gazed into her eyes.
"Lori, I— "
"Hi, everyone."
Lori
turned and saw a pretty, petite woman walk into the waiting room. She
was in her late twenties, with big eyes and a familiar smile.
"My
sister, Dani," Reid told Lori. "Come say hi."
Dani
had already greeted her brothers, Elissa and Penny. She turned to
Lori.
"Hi. It's great to finally meet you," Dani
said. "I'm sorry it has to be like this, with your sister in
surgery."
"Thanks for coming."
"Not
a problem. We Buchanans hang together." Dani grinned. "Besides,
how could I not want to meet the woman who trapped the infamous Reid
Buchanan?"
Lori felt herself blush. "I didn't
exactly trap him."
"I'm not trapped," Reid
grumbled. "I'm here willingly."
"Uh-huh."
Dani's expression was knowing. "Call it what you want. You're
off the market and hearts are breaking across this great
nation."
Lori didn't know what to say to that. Dani
excused herself and went to take her niece from Cal. Reid wrapped his
arms around Lori.
She let herself relax into his embrace and
felt her tension ease away. Funny how being close to him made her
feel so safe.
"They don't have to stay," she said
quietly. "The operation is going to take all day and maybe into
the night. No one has to stay."
"They know," he
whispered in her ear. "I told them they're free to leave, but
I'm guessing they'll be here for the duration. So you're stuck with
us."
If this was stuck, she was all for it, she thought.
Love welled up inside of her. Love and need and a sense of being very
lucky. But this wasn't the time and these weren't the right
circumstances for her confession. When she knew Madeline had come
through she would tell Reid how she felt about him. She would take
the step of faith and hope for good news. If he didn't love her back,
she would survive. At least she would know. She was done holding back
because she was afraid.
She looked around, then frowned.
"Where's my mom?"
"In the chapel. She wanted to
go pray, but she said she'd be back in a while. Penny showed off some
of the food. If nothing else, that should entice her to come
back."
Lori didn't think anything could make her or her
mother eat today. Despite the distraction the Buchanan clan offered,
part of her mind was focused only on the surgery. How far had they
progressed? Had the donor liver arrived yet? And what about the other
family— the one living with grief instead of hope? How was she
ever to thank them for giving her sister a second chance?
An
hour later, Lori's mother returned to the waiting room. Lori and Reid
introduced her to everyone, then Lori took her aside.
"How
are you doing, Mom?" she asked, noting the older woman's dark
circles under her eyes and the pain bracketing her mouth.
"Just
hanging in there. Everything is in God's hands now. I've prayed until
I've run out of words. In a few minutes, I'll go back and pray some
more."
"That's all we can do," Lori told
her.
Her mother nodded. "I have a good feeling about
this. Madeline deserves a second chance." Tears filled her eyes.
She reached for Lori's hands. "I know I don't deserve one. I
know I hurt you so much, for so long. I'm sorry for that. If you
don't believe anything else about me, believe that."
Lori's
own eyes blurred as she tried not to cry. "Mom, you don't have
to— "
"Yes, I do. I should have said something
a long time ago. I know you're angry with me, Lori, and who can blame
you? I want to blame the alcohol. I want to blame being drunk, but
there's no excuse. I hurt you and you were just a little girl. That's
what breaks my heart. You were a sweet, loving child and I never told
you that. I never said that I loved you. But I did. I do. The only
person I hated was myself. Can you understand that?"
Lori
understood the intent behind the message if not the words themselves.
She nodded slowly.
Her mother sighed. "I was not a happy
drunk. You know that better than anyone. The things I said…"
She shuddered. "If I could go back in time, I would take you in
my arms and let you know how important and special I thought you
were. I still think that. But I'm afraid you believe this is all
because of Madeline. That because I might lose one daughter, I now
want a relationship with you."
Pride and old wounds
battled with the need to move on. In the end, connection won.
Whatever else existed between them, they were family. She reached out
and took her mother's hand.
"I know you've been trying to
connect with me for a while now," she said quietly. "It's
not about Madeline."
"It's not," her mother
insisted, fresh tears trickling down her cheeks. "It's about all
of us. You always talk about your sister being perfect. She was never
that. None of us are. I love you both, so much. I want us to be a
family."
Lori swallowed. "I want that, too,
Mom."
"Really?"
She nodded.
Her
mother brushed away her tears, then glanced around the crowded
waiting area. They had a small corner to themselves and the Buchanans
talked to each other, as if to give them privacy.
"I like
your young man," her mother said. "Oh, dear. That's a
horribly old expression my grandmother would have used."
"I
know what you mean," Lori told her with a grin. "And I
agree. He's very special."
"You should hang on to
him."
"I plan to."
They hugged. Her
mother's embrace was unfamiliar, but Lori was determined it wouldn't
stay that way. Family was too important for them not to connect. All
of them getting along would be a great incentive for Madeline to
recover even more quickly.
Elissa inched toward them. "Are
you two okay?" she asked. "Can I get you anything? Penny
was thinking of serving lunch." She looked at her watch. "Make
that a late breakfast. There's tons of food. I made pie, which now
that I think about it is weird, but Walker loves my pies." She
stopped. "Sorry. I'm babbling. I don't know what to say."
Lori
hadn't spent much time with Elissa, but in that second, she found she
really liked her a lot.
"You don't have to say anything.
Just you taking the time to be here means a lot. Mom and I appreciate
the support." Lori thought for a second. "You know what?
I'd love a slice of pie."
Her mother stared at her. "It's
barely nine in the morning."
"I know, and I want
pie."
Her mother smiled. "I guess I do, too. Is
there whipped cream?"
Elissa laughed. "I'm sure
Penny brought some. She thought of everything."
"Your
daughter is great," Lori said as Elissa sliced pie. "Really
well behaved. At her age I would have been bouncing off the
walls."
"She's always been easy," Elissa told
Lori. "It helps that she's hanging out with Walker. She says
he's the handsome prince in our lives."
Lori saw the
little girl cuddled next to the tall former marine. They seemed lost
in their own world. Then Walker looked up and smiled at Elissa. Lori
felt the residual heat and despite her worry, smiled. Talk about a
couple in love.

* * *

SOMEHOW WORD GOT OUT that there was a party going on in the
waiting room. Several nurses and orderlies joined them. Lori watched
Reid's family embrace her mother, keeping her close, talking to her,
distracting her.
Lori rested her head on Reid's shoulder as
she curled up next to him on one of the sofas. The minutes crawled
by. She could think about something else for a second or two, but
then her mind returned to the operating room as she wondered what was
happening. How many more hours until they knew the surgery was a
success? How much longer after that until Madeline was out of the
woods. If she could—
The doctor walked into the waiting
room. He was tall, still dressed in scrubs. There were stains on the
front of his shirt.
Lori was on her feet in an instant. An
initial burst of joy was followed by confusion. It was too soon. The
surgery was supposed to take all day.
And then she knew. She
didn't even have to look into the doctor's eyes to see the pain
there.
The room disappeared into a buzzing blur. There was
only the sound of her heartbeat and the doctor's drawn face.
"I'm
sorry," he murmured, his voice thick with pain and frustration.
"It was her heart. A complication we didn't expect."
He
kept on talking and talking, but Lori didn't hear anything else. She
didn't have to. Her perfect sister was gone.