But before I could ease out of the water, Jenny broke away from Nico. “Wait. Just . . . wait. We need to talk about this. I don’t want to jump back into—” She laid her hand on his chest. “I have to be clear about our feelings.”
“Didn’t you understand what I just said?” Nico cupped her cheek. “I love you, Jenny. Not as a little sister—not as merely a friend—I love you in a way that makes me do crazy things. I love you in a way that when you glance at me across the room, I want to take you into my arms and kiss you speechless. I want to be with you in every sense of the word, and I never want to lose you. Not again.” He brushed her hair away from her face. “And I hope you feel the same way about me.”
For a long few minutes, she only stared up into his face, and when she spoke, her words were halting, as though she was choosing each one with care. “I’ve been in love with you since I was sixteen years old, Nico. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to look at me the same way I see you. But I never thought that was possible. I didn’t think I was the right kind of woman for you.”
“You’re the only kind of woman for me.” He dipped his head to brush a kiss over her lips. “I’m probably not good enough for you—and I’m sure Kyle will remind me of that in no uncertain terms. But I don’t care. I’m going to work hard to be the man you deserve, even if it takes me the rest of my life . . . if only you’ll let me.”
She blinked up at him, and then a breathtakingly gorgeous smile spread over her face. Framing his face with her hands, she angled her head and lifted up to kiss Nico, which was probably the very answer he was hoping to get.
I’d made it as far as the steps of the pool now, and I glanced longingly at my towel, where it lay on the lounge next to Jenny’s. I really wanted to dry off before I drove home, but I told myself that riding home in a wet bathing suit wasn’t the end of the world. In fact, it would go a long way to keeping me cool once I was back in my stifling hot trailer.
Stepping slowly and carefully, I climbed out of the water. My quick escape was foiled, though, when my bare foot hit the hot pavement. I drew it back and hissed involuntarily, gripping the shiny steel railing as I dipped my singed toes into the water.
Jenny and Nico turned toward me as if they were one person. Nico’s expression was definitely shock, but Jenny simply looked a little rueful.
“I’m sorry, Emma. I guess I kind of forgot you were there.” Looping her hand through Nico’s arm, she glanced up at him. “Nico, this is Emma, the naturopathic doctor at the hospital, who’s become my new best friend here in Harper Springs. Emma, as you’ve probably guessed . . . this is Nico.”
He ducked his head. “Hey. Uh, sorry. I heard you two talking as I came around the house, but then once I saw Jenny, I guess everything and everyone else kind of disappeared.”
I stepped up onto the apron of the pool, careful to keep my feet from touching the pavement as I made my way to the lounge chair and snatched up my towel to wrap around me. “Don’t worry about it.I’msorry for intruding on your—” I pointed from Nico to Jenny and back again. “You know. Your reunion. I was trying to ease out, but I was kind of stuck in the water.”
“No, I’m glad you were here.” Jenny’s face was glowing. “You’ve listened to me boohoo enough about missing Nico and not knowing what had gone wrong with us . . . at least you got to be here when he came back.” She frowned a little, though she didn’t let go of him as she looked into his eyes again. “Wheredidyou go, by the way?”
“Ahhh . . .” Nico ran a hand over his hair. “At first, I just needed to get out of here. I started driving north, I guess with the idea that I’d go to Richmond, confess to your brother, and then take the ass-kicking that was coming to me. But I hadn’t even gotten out of Florida when I got a call about a job.” He grinned. “Turned out one of the feelers I’d put out after I came back from Chicago panned out. A brand-new farm to table restaurant is opening in St. Petersburg, and they wanted me to interview. I almost said no—I almost just kept driving north—but then I figured, why not?” He shrugged. “So I turned around and went to the Gulf. I was very impressed with their ideas, and they were excited about what I bring to the table—pun intended.” He smirked. “The chef they’d been working with initially had been offered a job in New York, where she always wanted to be anyway, so my instant availability was also a plus. I’ve been there ever since, working to help them get ready for the opening—which is next week, by the way.”
“Oh, Nico! I’m so happy for you.” Jenny hugged him, and he spun her around, laughing. “This is what you’ve always wanted, and it’s exactly what you were meant to do. Congratulations.”
“Thanks.” He regarded her steadily. “You were right about that—about me being too afraid to go after what I wanted. And not just in my career, either. I told myself that wanting you was wrong, and wanting to work as a chef in a restaurant was wrong—I let fear stand in my way. No more.”
“You have no idea how glad I am to hear that.” Jenny melted against him, and he linked his hands behind her back.
For a minute, I was afraid that they were going to start making out again, and I’d be stuck standing here awkwardly. But Jenny managed to pull her attention away from Nico long enough to remember my presence.
“Emma, I’m sorry about our afternoon.” She sounded anything but apologetic. “And our plans for tonight. Can I take a raincheck, maybe?”
I laughed, rolling my eyes. “You are sonotsorry, girlfriend, and I don’t blame you one bit.” I reached down for my bag. “I’m going to get out of here before you two get lost in each other’s eyes again. Nico, it was really great to meet you, and I’m so happy that you made the right choice to come back here and tell Jenny how you feel. Jen, I’ll see Monday morning, and believe me, I’m going to wantallthe juicy details.”
My friend’s eyes sparkled. “I promise, you’ll get them.” She tore herself away from Nico and gave me a quick, tight hug. “Thank you so much for understanding, Em. Love you!”
I waved to her over my shoulder. “Love you, too.”
As I drove away, heading back to my lonely little house in the middle of a field, I tried to focus on being happy for Jenny and Nico and not on how empty my own life felt.
7
Deacon
“You know, sometimes I can’t believe my cancer doctor is so freaking hot.” Angela Spencer leaned her pale cheek on her hand and sighed, pretending to look dreamy as she batted her eyelids at me from her bed.
“And that’s why you’re my favorite patient.” I strolled into the room. “Aside from being full of shit, how are you doing today?”
“Hey, do you talk to all of your patients with that mouth?” She pretended to scowl. “And I’m fine. I mean, as fine as anyone with acute lymphocytic leukemia could be, particularly when she is facing the chemo that’s going to wipe out her immune system and leave her vulnerable to all manner of illness and infection. That kind of fine.”
“I understood what you meant.” I crossed my arms and leaned my ass on the corner of the desk that was pushed against the wall. “But at least you have the best digs on the floor in which to go through all the fun and games.”
It was true, too. When I’d set out to make this wing a reality for St. Agnes, one of my goals had been to create a certain atmosphere for patients who were fighting the hardest battles of their lives. I knew that no amount of luxury could take away the suffering, but there were a few small perks that helped, including having a desk in the room with lots of nearby outlets and top-of-the-line wifi with easy connection points. Not everyone wanted to work during treatment, but some did. The room also boasted huge windows with shades that could be withdrawn to offer sunshine and a decent view, or replaced to create total darkness.
These were little things in the grand scheme of life with cancer, but if they helped at all, I counted them as worthwhile.
