The Best Laid Plans (10 page)

“Dr. Huntley was looking for you earlier this morning.”

Tessa growled and set her phone down. “I hate this game, but I can’t stop playing it until it makes me. I refuse to pay the ninety-nine cents they want me to pay for another life. Can you imagine if we only charged a dollar to save someone’s life? I wouldn’t be able to afford lunch. I would have to save a life every minute I worked to make a decent living. That would be crazy.”

Tessa’s mind was a very scary place. Emma tried not to encourage her when she went off on these tangents.

“He said he needs to talk to you about the elusive
something
.”

“He probably wants to know where I want him to make dinner reservations.” She picked up her phone and started texting. “What’s the name of that place your sister’s boyfriend runs? You think he would give us a free bottle of wine or something if I say I know you?”

“Hold on a second.” Emma set down the French fry in her hand. “Did you get back together with Ian?”

Tessa shrugged. “He confronted me the other day and told me I was an egotistical brat with a possible personality disorder, but he was in love with me, anyway.”

Emma stared at her, bug-eyed. “And this somehow convinced you that you should get back together with him?”

“He stood up for himself,” she explained. “It was kind of a turn-on. He’s not as wimpy as I thought he was.”

“I will never understand you.” Emma shook her head. “I do agree with his assessment, though. You’re a mess.”

Tessa stole a fry from Emma’s tray. “But you love me, too. I may be a mess, but I am also so darn lovable.”

Scott entered the cafeteria. He waved but took his food to go. Emma wasn’t sure if she felt disappointed or not.

“So what’s new with you and Dr. Delicious?” Her nickname for Scott made Emma think of Charlie. Something told her that was not the nickname he would give the handsome doctor.

“I don’t know. I think I’m going to have to make the first move. I was going to ask him to dinner.”

Tessa’s lips curled up in glee. Whatever dangerous thought had popped into her head should have scared Emma off. “Maybe we could double-date. Me and Ian, you and Scott?”

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the worst idea she’d ever had. “I could get us reservations at Sato’s.”

“What’s Sato’s?” Tessa asked with a scrunched-up nose.

Emma rolled her eyes. “The restaurant you were just asking me about.”

“Oh! We could totally get free wine if you come. So, are you in?”

“I guess. If Scott says yes.”

Tessa went back to her phone. “How do you spell Sato’s?”

Maybe Emma should have thought this through. Unfortunately, it was the best option at this point. A double date wasn’t ideal, but maybe having other people around would loosen Scott up.

The opportunity to ask him out on this date didn’t arrive until Emma’s shift came to an end. Charlie and his partner had brought in a heart attack and once again interrupted the shift change.

Seeing Charlie was the push she needed, though. Going on this date would help her change these feelings she was having for him. It would put everything back on the right track.

Scott was walking out at the same time. With his phone in one hand, he scrolled through some messages.

Emma jogged up beside him. “Boy, work a long shift and then off to the gym. You’re quite impressive.”

Scott startled, then relaxed when he saw who it was. “How did you know I was going to the gym?”

“The bag. The clothes.” She motioned toward the duffel bag hanging from his shoulder. He was dressed in shorts and a University of Minnesota T-shirt.

“Right.” He slipped his phone into his bag and laughed at himself. “Of course.”

Emma’s nerves were getting the best of her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d asked someone out on a date. “Do you go to the gym every day?”

He smiled and, thankfully, seemed just as nervous. “A few times a week.”

“I bet you work up an appetite.”

He gave her a curious look. “I guess...”

Emma took a breath and gave it her best shot. “I know this great place that serves some of the best sushi in town. In fact, Tessa and Ian were thinking about checking it out the next time we all have the same day off. Would you be interested in joining us?”

The grin on his face was broad and promising. “Are you asking me out on a date, Nurse Everhart?”

She had been so proud of herself for getting the invitation out of her mouth that she hadn’t noticed Charlie standing next to his ambulance a few feet away. They walked past him and Emma could feel his eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. She shouldn’t feel guilty, but she did. The last thing she wanted was to hurt Charlie’s feelings. If Kendall was right about how Charlie felt about her, this was going to do just that.

“I guess I am,” she replied, hoping they were far enough away that Charlie couldn’t hear her.

“Then, I accept.”

She should have felt relieved, but as Emma glanced back over her shoulder and caught sight of Charlie slamming the back door of the ambulance shut, all she felt was sorry.

CHAPTER TEN

N
EVER
IN
HIS
life had Charlie wished he was someone else. Not until he witnessed Emma asking Dr. Perfect to dinner. It felt as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to his heart.

He had no idea how to let her go. These feelings he had for her had soaked through his skin. They were ingrained in every cell of his body. This wasn’t some surface crush. Emma and her mad jump-roping skills, sweet-smelling perfume and infectious laugh had hooked him.

Yet he was stuck on the sidelines. A friend, a buddy. The guy you share a couple laughs with but don’t take home to meet your mother. It was a terrible place to be.

He slammed the back doors of the ambulance shut and stalked over to the passenger side, climbing in with a grim expression on his face.

“You want to talk about it?” Serena asked.

“I do
not
want to talk about it, Serena Hayes.” He put on his seat belt. He had no plans to talk about Emma ever again.

Serena pulled out of the hospital parking lot and on to Lake Shore. “Can you at least tell me if you intend to pout for the rest of the shift, or if I’ll get a reprieve from your melancholy at some point?”

Charlie rested his head on his fist and stared out the window. He saw Emma walking by herself to the bus stop in front of the hospital. She wanted to date Dr. Perfect instead of him. He didn’t stand a chance against a well-respected doctor. She must have thought Charlie couldn’t give her the things she wanted.

“This could be permanent,” he replied.

“That answer is unacceptable. There will be no permanent pouting allowed in my bus.”

“Your bus, huh?” Charlie’s eyes shifted her way.

“I drive it,” she answered with a shrug. “That makes it more mine than yours.”

“I guess you’d better put in a request for a new partner when we get back to the station, then.”

Serena blew out a frustrated breath but let him continue to wallow in silence. At the station, she let him know she’d clean up and restock the ambulance on her own. He could take his bad attitude somewhere else and fill out the incident report.

The thought of Emma and Dr. Perfect eating dinner together caused Charlie to lose his appetite. He went to the kitchen to get something to drink instead.

Alvarez was there, taping a wanted poster on the refrigerator. It had a fuzzy cell-phone picture of Jones on it claiming a hundred thousand dollar reward for capturing Phillip Jones, the worst dater in the world.

“He’s going to pound you for this,” Charlie said, opening the fridge and grabbing a bottle of water. “That, or the lieutenant is going to make you clean bathrooms the rest of your career.”

Alvarez was the shift’s resident jokester. It wasn’t that long ago he’d set mousetraps with flour bombs in a bunch of the guys’ lockers. Before that, he’d pranked the B shift by pouring salt in all the sugar containers when they forgot to lock up their stuff. He got reprimanded by the captain that time—only a slap on the wrist—but both incidents were surely still fresh in everyone’s minds.

Alvarez snickered, slipping the rest of his prank flyers under his arm. “Keller won’t be mad when he hears Jones took his date to a fast-food restaurant on their second date. Seriously, this kid needs to be stopped.”

Pete came in as Alvarez went out. “You missed dinner,” he said to Charlie. “We ate as soon as we got back from the call.”

“We got hung up at the hospital,” Charlie explained. They had brought in a guy who had a heart attack while coaching his kid’s Little League team. He had dropped right there on the field.

“How’s the coach?”

“Looks like he’s going to make it. Lucky for him, there was a doctor in the stands.”

“Always remember, there are angels everywhere,” Pete said. “There are also leftovers in the fridge for you and Hayes.” He noticed the wanted picture and shook his head. “Alvarez?”

Charlie nodded. He was about to check out what was for dinner when the shouting began in the common room. Jones had stumbled upon one of the posters and now he was running through the station, tearing the rest of them down faster than Alvarez could put them up.

Alvarez continued to provoke him even though it was clear he was not amused. “You are a menace to the dating world. I am simply trying to protect all the nice women out there who might accidentally accept a date from you.”

Jones ripped the posters into pieces. “For your information, things went very well the other night. I think Kelly and I might be getting kind of serious.”

“I saw the picture you posted on Instagram. You took her to a
burger
joint,” Alvarez said, throwing the rest of the flyers at Jones. “There is nothing serious about a place that asks if you want fries with that.”

“It wasn’t just some burger joint. It was her favorite burger joint. We went there because she wanted to go there. You know, not all women need to be wined and dined. Some women enjoy the simpler things in life.”

Alvarez snorted. “You’re simple, that’s for sure.”

“At least I don’t stalk other guys’ Instagram accounts. Nice life.”

Everyone on shift had come to see what all the shouting was about. They all oohed and aahed at the comebacks. Charlie was sure this fight was going to come to blows.

“Maybe I did scroll through your pics. I wanted to see for myself that you were telling the truth about having a second date. And maybe I checked a few of them out, but I had to stop. Here’s a little suggestion—don’t post pictures of your chocolate-mocha frappuccinos. Your account looks like it was hacked by a thirteen-year-old girl.”

That was it. The final dig. Jones couldn’t take any more. He got right up in Alvarez’s face. “What is your problem with me, huh? All you ever do is ride me.”

“Take a joke and step back,” Alvarez said with a sneer.

The alarm rang out and everyone started moving except Jones and Alvarez, who continued their standoff.

“Come on, guys. Get moving,” Pete said, giving Alvarez a little push in the right direction. He gave in and started moving but continued his staring contest until he was through the door.

Charlie found Serena organizing the ambulance. He helped her get it ready to go. “You missed another battle of the boneheads,” he informed her as they pulled out onto Armitage Avenue.

She wasn’t too sorry she’d missed it. He told her about the wanted posters and the Instagram insults. She started to laugh so hard she had to wipe her eyes.

“Sounds like the exact same fight my niece had with her friends the other day. Those two are worse than two teenage girls with raging hormones.”

Charlie managed to crack a smile. “Sorry for being a jerk earlier. I promise not to sulk forever.” There were worse problems to have than the woman he liked liking someone else. Crying over that made him no better than Alvarez, Jones and all the teenage girls in the world.

“There’s someone out there for you, Charlie. Stop trying to be something you’re not and worrying if you’re too nice or not nice enough. Be yourself, and if that nurse isn’t into that, it’s her loss. The right woman will appreciate you for you.”

It was good advice, similar to what Becca had told him. They were right. The only love worth having was the one that came from something honest and real. All those women who thought he was too nice and didn’t have a fancy enough job didn’t deserve him, and if that included Emma, so be it.

There had been an explosion in one of the Lincoln Park West condo high-rises. Charlie and Serena parked and prepared for what was to come. Multiple engine companies were on the scene. Captain Andrews from 22 and the other captains made a quick evaluation of how the fire should be handled, then directed the firefighters.

Turned out to be a gas leak that had sparked the explosion. Several of the condominiums were affected by the blast. Lieutenant Keller led Alvarez and Jones inside to search and rescue while the rest of the crew got the hoses hooked up and helped put out the fire.

Another smaller explosion went off, sending glass and brick flying. Captain Andrews radioed the lieutenant to make sure everyone was okay.

Residents were pouring out of the building. Serena and Charlie joined the other paramedics and EMTs on the scene, treating victims as needed. Charlie could hear the captain asking if they could get out on their own. He ordered Keller to clear the floor and leave the area until they had a better handle on things. He wanted to be sure there wouldn’t be any more surprises.

Lieutenant Keller came out, but Jones and Alvarez weren’t with him. Charlie had the urge to run in. Sometimes he hated being on the sidelines. He moved toward the building until the captain shouted for him to get back. A few tense minutes passed with no sign of either of the guys from the station. Eventually, Jones emerged from the smoking building, carrying Alvarez.

Jones placed the wounded firefighter on the gurney. Alvarez needed some oxygen as Charlie and Serena tended to his cuts and burns. He had been too close to the second explosion and had been struck by flying debris. Jones had been the one to free him from beneath a burning beam and carry him to safety.

Serena and Charlie loaded him into the ambulance and headed back to the hospital. Angels were everywhere and Alvarez was going to have to come to terms with the fact that Jones was his.

* * *

C
HARLIE
SLEPT
THE
MAJORITY
of his next day off. The last shift had taken a lot out of him. Between the drama at the station and Emma’s clear preference for Dr. Perfect, there wasn’t any more room in his life for craziness. Thanks to Jones’s big rescue, even the probie was getting more respect than the paramedics.

It was a Saturday, but Charlie had no real desire to go out and be social. His plan was to watch some movies on Netflix and order a pizza, things he could do alone from the comfort of his home. His phone wouldn’t stop ringing, though.

First, it was Kristin. She wanted to know if she could stay with him when they all got to town because her boys and Mandy’s kids wanted to stay together at Charlie’s parents’ house. That meant there wouldn’t be enough beds there, and she was not staying with Mandy. She was very unhappy when Charlie said Becca already had dibs on his couch.

That led to a call from Mandy, begging him to let Kristin stay with him. She offered to let Becca sleep at her house. He didn’t want to make that deal, but said if Becca was cool with it, he’d do whatever it took to keep the peace.

Next up was Becca, wondering why he would give her up to the Brady Bunch. He swore he didn’t want her to stay anywhere but with him, but that there wasn’t enough room for Kristin at their parents’ house and Mandy didn’t want to deal with Kristin any more than anyone else in the family did.

Becca decided to call Mandy and see if she could have all the kids stay at her house, which led to Mandy calling Charlie to hear exactly what Kristin said to him.

“I do not want to be in the middle of this,” he stated firmly.

“Is she really going to hold on to this grudge forever? I threw popcorn at her. I’m pretty sure no one can be seriously injured from being hit by fluffy pieces of popped corn.”

“Can the kids stay with you or what?” Charlie wasn’t going to take sides in this ridiculous fight.

“Fine,” she answered. “They can all crash in the basement.”

Problem solved.

“One last thing. If you love me and your other siblings, apologize to Kristin for abusing her with popcorn and save us all from the torture of you two not getting along.”

She agreed only to think about it. He hung up with Mandy and called Kristin back, letting her know she was safe to stay at their parents’. Then he texted Becca to tell her she was back on his couch.

Feeling confident that he could finally start his movie and not be interrupted, he clicked Play on the remote. He was wrong. His phone rang and without even looking at who it was, he answered and let his frustration show.

“I don’t care who sleeps where or who is mad at who or how popcorn feels when it hits you in the head! I just want to watch my movie in peace. Is that too much to ask?”

“What was that about popcorn?” Emma sounded as caught off guard as he felt.

Charlie smacked himself on the forehead. “Sorry about that. There’s been a little family drama tonight.”

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bother you.” She sniffled as if she had been crying.

“Are you okay, Nightingale?”

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice wavering. Clearly, she was not fine at all.

“What’s wrong? I swear I won’t bite your head off.”

Emma unleashed a tidal wave of issues. Apparently, the bridesmaid dresses she wanted to order could not be delivered by the wedding date. The string quartet they’d hired had backed out this morning, claiming they had an unexpected conflict. No one else she called could do anything with only three weeks’ notice. No one at the florist would call her back today and she’d heard a rumor that the bakery they ordered the cake from was possibly going out of business, but again, no one would return her calls.

When all he could hear was soft crying, he tried to talk her down. “Everything is going to work out. Maybe it won’t be exactly the way we planned it, but it will be great. Special K and Groomzilla are going to love it.”

“But
nothing
is working out like I planned! If I stick to the plan, then it’s all supposed to go off without a hitch! I don’t understand what’s happening.”

Charlie looked at the clock. It was a little after seven-thirty. There was only one thing to do. “Hey, do you have any pretty dresses in that closet of yours?”

“What?” she said through her tears.

“Go put on a dress and be ready for me to pick you up in a half hour to do some research.”

“What are you talking about? Where are we going?”

Charlie was already on his feet and headed to his room to find the shirt and tie he’d worn to the last wedding he attended. “Just be ready in half an hour. We don’t want to miss dessert.”

He hung up before she could argue. So much for his quiet night at home. Emma needed some cheering up and to see what weddings were really about. When he first moved downtown, Becca was still here, as well. On the rare Saturday night when neither one of them had anything to do and money was tight, they would do the only thing a cash-strapped twentysomething could do for a good time that didn’t cost a dime. They crashed weddings.