“Go suck a nut, will you?”
“More your thing than mine, yeah?”
Ace’s jaw dropped open. “Did you just make a joke?”
One corner of Angel’s mouth twitched. Ever since Sonya had come back into his life, Angel’s mask had cracked. Before he’d been an automaton. Mr. Poker Face. Now Ace caught fleeting glimpses of emotion. Today he’d seen both humor and pain on Angel’s face. It was the latter that brought him back to what they’d been talking about before Sylvia’s interruption.
“You know,” he said, “I take back what I said earlier. You should take relationship advice from me. As someone who has loved and lost twice in his life, believe me when I say if there is anything, anything you can do to salvage a relationship, you should. Go to Sonya. Now. Today. Talk to her. At least then you won’t be living in limbo and wondering what-if.”
“Preaching to the choir.” Angel glanced at the big, black watch on his wrist. “My plane leaves in three hours. I just stopped by to see Rusty before I go.”
Ace smiled and nudged Angel. “Good for you, man.”
“That remains to be seen.” Angel sighed heavily. “But I have to give it another try. And probably another try after that if she sends me packing this time.” He clapped a hand on Ace’s shoulder. “And speaking of preaching to the choir, ever thought of taking your own advice?”
Ace shrugged. “I believe in happily-ever-afters. I really do. But I don’t think everyone gets one.”
“Not exactly sending me off with visions of white weddings in my head, are you?”
“Sorry.” Ace made a face. “I wasn’t talking about you.”
“Hope not.” For a minute it looked like Angel wanted to say something more on the matter. Then he sighed, saying, “Catch you on the B side,” before turning and striding purposefully down the hallway. Off to try to win the heart of the woman he loved.
“Good luck!” Ace called to his back, crossing his fingers that somehow, someway Sonya could move beyond the pain and betrayal that kept them apart and—
His thoughts cut off when the door beside him swung open. The little brunette nurse stepped through, dragging behind her a plastic cart loaded with all the things needed to sponge down a patient.
“All finished,” she told him cheerfully. “You can go back in now.”
“Thank you, Marcy.” He grinned down at her and knew it for a mistake when he saw her pupils dilate. All too often, the opposite sex confused his friendliness for romantic interest.
“You seem really nice,” she told him, sidling close. “I mean, most guys wouldn’t spend all day in a hospital for a friend.” Her expression seesawed between shy and predatory.
Here it comes, he thought.
“I like nice guys.” She’d lowered her voice so her colleagues at the nurses’ station couldn’t hear. “Do you…uh…do you want to exchange numbers?”
He’d learned long ago not to prevaricate. A woman on the prowl could be willfully dense about such things, especially a woman as attractive at Marcy who was used to men falling at her feet. “If I swung that way, Marcy, I’d totally take you up on your offer.”
“Oh.” She blinked as realization dawned. Then she turned toward Rusty’s door, which she’d left slightly ajar. “Oh!” she said again, this time drawing the word out. “Everything makes sense now.”
Instantly Ace realized his screwup. “No. That’s not…” He shook his head. “I mean, it’s not what you think. Rusty isn’t—”
“Gotcha.” Marcy winked and pantomimed zipping her lips. “Your secret is safe with me.”
She turned and sashayed down the hall. Only after she’d wheeled her cart into another room did Ace pinch the bridge of his nose and indulge in a round of cussing. His colorful self-recriminations came to a sudden halt, however, when a snippet of conversation from inside Rusty’s room reached his ears.
“Mom.” Rusty spoke softly. “I’m glad I have you alone. There’s something I want to tell you.” When Rusty’s voice cracked, Ace leaned closer to the door. He shouldn’t be spying, but…
“What is it, sweetheart?”
“I’m scared, Mom.” Rusty’s throat sounded thick with tears, and Ace’s breath wheezed from his lungs. Surely Rusty wasn’t about to out himself. Was he?
“Scared of what, baby?”
“Scared if I tell you, then you won’t—”
“Oh, Rusty, stop right there.” Ace peeked through the door to see Sylvia sitting on the edge of Rusty’s bed. She looked tiny compared to her son. Tiny and strong as she put her arms around Rusty and pulled him close. “There’s nothing you could say that would ever make me stop loving you. You realize that, right?”
