Teacup Novellas 01 - Tea With Emma (4 page)

BOOK: Teacup Novellas 01 - Tea With Emma
9.45Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

“It’s a bad sprain, Dr. Grant, but the x-rays show no broken bones. Just stay off your feet as much as possible and keep that foot elevated.”
The ER physician had wrapped Ian’s right ankle and heel in a figure eight with miles of Ace Bandage.

Now, with his eyes resting on the oversized boot covering his throbbing foot, Ian blew out a frustrated sigh and dropped his head back against the chair. “Splendid.”

With only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the background,
he closed his eyes and tried to figure out how he would prepare for his classes, navigate his way to and from the campus, or manage the simple things like showering and dressing. It was kind of Howard to offer to send help, but the last thing he wanted was some overzealous nurse smothering him day and night.

“Blast those ridiculous girls!” Ian punched the arm of the chair with his fist.

He’d seen them bothering with their bags as Martin arrived and made his introductions. It was bad enough to endure the flight from London with those two constantly twittering behind him. If he had heard one more word about Jane Austen, he would surely have lost his mind.
A few days
in
England
and they fancy themselves experts on the entire life and works of Miss Austen. Typical Yanks.

After arriving at the airport, they seemed to appear everywhere he turned in the terminal.
Hard to miss the two of them. The dark-haired hippy with her long flowing skirt and stupendous floppy hat. The nerve of the woman, trying to tell me off. Absolutely appalling.

And how could you miss the tall one with her all those strawberry curls . . . or were they reddish blonde?
He remembered the wisps of those curls dancing as she walked, glistening in the bright sky-lit terminal. Even through his tirade on the plane, he’d noticed her fair skin with the faintest of freckles sprinkled across a perfect nose.

Ian shook the image from his head disturbed by the thoughts.
Good heavens, what’s the matter with me? Must be the painkillers they gave me at the hospital.
But the imprint of her face continued drifting through his mind . . . her peculiar attempt at a smile after he’d chastised her on the flight.
Were those eyes hazel or were they green? Green. Definitely green. I’ve never seen eyes so vibrant and alive. So . . . sincere?

He felt his facial muscles relax for the first time all day. With a grunt, he rubbed his face.
Women are nothing but trouble, be it here or across the pond. It must be in their Yankee DNA.

Ian grabbed his crutches again and clumsily lifted himself off the chair. He wanted to check out his lodgings. Howard had described Bradford House, the university’s residence for visiting professors, as “comfortable and nicely appointed.” Indeed. He was pleased with his surroundings—the hardwood floors, the expensive leather furniture and works of art. Quite obvious the university took pride in housing guests here. The house, located in prestigious Hyde Park, was built in the late 1800s, according to Howard, but its caregivers had certainly outdone themselves keeping it up to date.

He continued his slow awkward tour of the downstairs, relieved to find the master suite on the first floor. King-size bed. Whirlpool tub in the master bath. An oversized desk beneath a large window in the study. And at the back of the house, a modern kitchen fit for a king and well stocked at that. He grabbed a chilled bottle of water from the refrigerator, snatched a handful of red grapes, and hobbled back to the bedroom.   

An hour later, after a long hot bath, Ian fell into bed. With the BBC on mute on the bedroom’s large flat-screen television, he sunk deeper into the embrace of the soft sheets, finally giving in to his fatigue. Falling into a deep sleep in mere moments, he was surprised when none other than Jane Austen herself showed up. She turned out the light on the bedside lamp and clicked off the remote.
Wait—how did she know how to do that?
She tucked him into bed, much as his mother had done when he was just a lad. And just like Mum, she planted a gentle kiss on his brow. He looked full into her face—a face surrounded by wispy curls of strawberry blonde, adorned with a sprinkling of freckles across a perfect nose, warm green eyes, and smiling lips . . .

Good night, Jane.

Good night, Ian.

 

 

“Nana!”

Maddie flew across the foyer and into the sitting room where her grandmother sat reading. “Oh Nana, we had the most amazing time! You should have come with us! You would have
loved
it!” She knelt beside Rachel Cooper, engulfing her grandmother in an enormous bear hug.

“Oh good heavens, Madeline! You’re about to choke the stuffing out of me, dear.” The slow, careful cadence of her words warmed Maddie’s heart.

“I don’t care! I’ve missed you
so much,
and I have so much to tell you, and I don’t even know where to start and—wait—how are you feeling? Are you okay?” Maddie leaned back, taking in the full sight of her sweet Nana. Her eyes raced over the thick white hair, gathered into an elegant chignon. She searched her grandmother’s ever-smiling eyes, always filled with life and love . . . the gentle wrinkles around her mouth, still lopsided from the paralyzing effects of the stroke. She noticed Nana’s favorite summer shawl draped over her shoulders, a perfect match to her lavender blouse and slacks. The hint of lilacs, her grandmother’s familiar scent, reminded Maddie she was home again where she belonged. “Oh, you look perfectly wonderful!”

“I feel perfectly wonderful, sweetheart. Now, sit. I want to hear everything. But first tell me why you’re so late? I expected you almost three hours ago.”

Maddie fell onto the sofa beside Nana’s chair, kicking off her shoes and tucking her feet beneath her. “I’m sorry. I should have called. Lanie arrived home to a crisis, and—”

“Mercy, what now? That poor child lives in eternal calamity.”

Maddie rubbed her eyes and yawned. “You’re not going to believe this. Alice was supposed to take care of Mr. Darcy. Well, apparently—being the selfish roommate that she is—she neglected to feed the poor cat and he
died
.”

“Oh no. Mr. Darcy is dead?”

“We’re guessing Alice must have spent most of the last fourteen days at her worthless boyfriend’s apartment. Left poor Mr. Darcy all alone without so much as a morsel. And Nana, you know how much Lanie loved that kitten! She couldn’t stop crying,
I
couldn’t stop crying because
she
was crying—all the while, Alice acting like it wasn’t her fault that he died. Can you believe the audacity?”

Tears pooled in Nana’s tired eyes. “Dear Lanie. I can’t even imagine how upset she must have been.”

“Lanie was devastated. She kicked Alice out, told her to come back tomorrow for her things, then we buried poor Mr. Darcy.”

“She must be heartbroken.”

“Beyond heartbroken, but she wanted some time to herself, so she insisted I come on home. I guess she needs to grieve.”

“Call and check on her first thing in the morning, will you?” Nana unlocked her wheelchair and pressed the lever to drive herself across the room. “Now you stay right there. I’ll go see if Gretchen will make us some tea.”

Maddie stretched out on the sofa. “So, how did it work out with Gretchen? And please don’t tell me you’re going to hire her permanently and kick me out.” Maddie reached out to grasp her grandmother’s hand as she rolled by.

“Gretchen is a sweetheart. But you’re my Maddie. Need I say more?” Nana winked and rolled out of the room.

“Tea . . .” Maddie sat up, the entrepreneurial fires reigniting. “Nana, wait up! There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

 

 

Lanie pulled the last tissue from her box of Kleenex and blew her nose. The male voice from the speaker on her laptop beckoned.

“Lanie, I’m so sorry. It’s killing me to hear you cry like this.”

She wiped her nose again, thankful Jeff couldn’t actually see her in this state. Granted, he’d never actually
seen
her at all. At least not in person. They’d been cyber-friends for several months now, but had never met face-to-face. Video-chatting via Skype was their usual method of communication. But on a night like this, she’d opted against the video, simply talking through the audio version.

“I just can’t seem to stop the tears, y’know? And yet I’m so angry, I could just BITE somebody!” she growled, holding back another sob.

“Totally understandable. A helpless little kitten, left all alone? I mean, who
does
something like that? What was she thinking? Where did you find this roommate anyway—the heartless store?”

“Not funny. Actually, she found me. Before my previous roommate Selena graduated, she told Alice about the apartment. They had some classes together or something. So Selena all but promised her she could move in with me once she moved out. I guess I should have checked her out better, but it was just so much easier than having to post ads for a new roommate or put the word out.”

Jeff blew out a long sigh. “So you didn’t notice the she-devil horns when she first showed up?”

Lanie wiped the remains of her mascara from her eyes. “No, she seemed fine. A little distant, but that’s actually not a bad thing for a roommate. I wasn’t looking for a gal-pal, just someone to help pay the rent. Guess I should have been a little more selective.”

“I’d say that’s a slight understatement, wouldn’t you?”

“No kidding.” She could hear the tapping on his keyboard when he answered.

“Are you busy? I’m sorry, I’ve taken up way too much of your time.” She sat up, trying not to be hurt by his obvious distraction.

“No, not at all, Lanie. I just had something I needed to order. I’m done. Sorry about that.”

She rubbed her face, suddenly exhausted. “Well, I probably need to get to bed. It’s after 2:00 here. I’ve got to get up in a few hours to go to work. I haven’t even unpacked yet.”

“Don’t go. Besides, it’s only midnight here in California. We’ve got worlds of time.”

She could hear something pouring over ice through the speaker. “Yeah, well, you can’t exactly
give
me those two hours between us. What’s that you’re drinking?”

“I’d give you those two hours if I could, though. Just so you know. And it’s Dr. Pepper, since you asked. I had a craving.”

“Mmm. I haven’t had a Dr. Pepper since we left for England, and the fridge is bare. Could you bring one over?”

“Wish I could. But mostly I wish I could give you a hug right now.”

Lanie closed her eyes, trying to imagine how that would feel. This stranger she’d never met, so kind. So understanding of her broken heart. Oh, to be able to feel his arms around her . . . right here, right now.

“That would be nice, Jeff.”

She heard him inhale a deep breath, then slowly let it out. “Someday, Lanie. Someday.”

“G’night, Jeff.”

“G’night, Lanie.”

 

Chapter 3

 

I
an tightened the belt of his robe before opening the heavy front door
.
As he maneuvered the crutches to propel himself through the door, the heat and humidity swallowed him whole.
So this is autumn in
Texas
. Ghastly hot. And to think school starts Monday. Feels more like summer holiday.

He spotted the folded newspaper on the sidewalk near the street and started toward it. The wide porch gracing the front of the house sat atop ten broad steps. For a moment, he contemplated forgetting it. As he’d told Howard, he could read the
London Times
online, but he much preferred to hold a newspaper in his own hands. He liked the smell of the ink and the rustle of the pages. He also wanted to be more cognizant of his Austin surroundings by a daily browsing of the local paper. Determined, he reached for the handrail and slowly hopped down on his good foot, one step at a time using only one crutch.

“There now. That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He limped up the brick path, leaning heavily on the crutch. Looking around, he noticed the houses were all quite old but in excellent shape. A canopy of trees covered the narrow street. An American flag snapped in the warm breeze at the house next door. Ian might have smiled at the Rockwellesque feel of it all, but he wasn’t in the mood. It was too hot. Besides, yesterday’s angst still gnawed at him. Grasping the crutch with one hand, he leaned over to grab the paper.

BOOK: Teacup Novellas 01 - Tea With Emma
9.45Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

Hard To Love by Ross, Sabrina
Talk of the Town by Lisa Wingate
Rush by Eve Silver
Marked by Passion by Kate Perry
When the Black Roses Grow by Angela Christina Archer
Chasers of the Wind by Alexey Pehov