The article had said that Alex Vaughn had a daughter, but they hadn’t named her. Lexi hadn’t mentioned her mom when we’d waited at the hospital together. The voicemail had sounded so familiar. And sexy.
Holy shit!
Alex Vaughn was Lexi’s father. I’d spent the entire day with Mr. Smolder’s daughter. I had no idea. My stomach did more flips than Mary Lou Retton in the ’84 Olympics. But unlike the gold medalist, it did not stick the landing. It fell flat on its butt.
Unlike me, Mr. Smolder didn’t seem at all surprised to see me. His expression gave nothing away. He seemed totally unaffected by my sudden appearance. I, on the other hand, could barely breathe as he stood and confidently strode over to me.
What was it about this man that just exuded sex appeal? With every step he took it dripped off of him. I could practically hear the drops hitting the floor. It had to be that BDE that Charli had mentioned.
He stopped a foot away from me and he stared down at me with a look in his eyes I’d never seen before. I stood and locked my shaking knees under me, hoping no one would notice the fact that they were jiggling like a bowl of Jell-O sitting on a washing machine.
“Thank you for all you did for Mrs. G and for staying with Lexi.” His appreciation was palpable, the air was thick with it. But it was also thick with whatever pheromone he was putting out and the combination was making it difficult for me to breathe. “I honestly can’t thank you enough. You have no idea what it meant to me.”
I was just beginning to compose myself and trying to form a sentence when I heard a noise behind me. I turned to see Mrs. Garrett being rolled in by a nurse. Relief washed over me. Her coloring was still a little sallow, but she looked ten times better than she had the last time I’d seen her.
“Sadie! What a lovely surprise.”
I smiled and took a step back so that I was standing against the wall as the nurse wheeled her past me and stopped next to her bed. Lexi reached up and grasped my hand as the nurse helped Mrs. Garrett into the bed.
I could sense her nervousness as she squeezed her tiny fingers around mine, so I bent down and whispered, “Do you think your Gigi is going to like the balloons I brought her?”
Lexi looked up and her eyes widened as if she hadn’t even noticed I was carrying them.
She nodded and a whisper of a smile lifted on her face.
“Which one is your favorite?”
Her eyes narrowed and she pointed up. “The pink one.”
“That’s my favorite, too.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Mrs. Garrett was now settled into her bed and the nurse was wheeling the chair back our way. I stood, keeping my back to the wall to give her plenty of space.
When the nurse left, Mrs. Garrett held her hand out to me. I stepped up to her bedside, leaving the balloons against the wall.
“How are you feeling?” I asked as she took my hand in hers.
I knew it was a ridiculous question to ask. She was in the hospital and had suffered a near-fatal heart attack. She probably wasn’t feeling great. But I didn’t know what else to ask.
“I’m okay. Just glad they caught the clot when they did.”
“The clot?”
Mrs. Garrett nodded and explained that they found a blood clot in her leg that could have been fatal if gone untreated. The heart attack may have actually saved her life.
“Wow. Well, I’m just so glad you’re okay.”
“Because of you, I am. The doctors said that your quick action saved my life.”
“I did what anyone would have.”
She smiled and looked past me. “Thank you for my balloons. They are beautiful. Did you happen to bring any brownies with them?” Her eyes twinkled.
“No, I wasn’t sure what your diet was.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “I don’t think a brownie will kill me.”
“I didn’t want to take a chance.” I grinned and she yawned. I didn’t want to wear her out with visitors. “Well, I just wanted to stop by and check on you. I better get going.”
