Page 58 of Love and Other Lost Things

As Mom pulled the car door open and Jane helped Scarlett climb out, Jane couldn’t help but think about how relieved she was to have a little bit of help. Though she’d been living with Matteo for a decade now, she was largely on her own when it came to parenting. Matteo tended to be the fun dad when the mood struck him, and then checked out when there was actual work to be done. If this had happened at home, Matteo would have blamed Jane for not keeping a better eye on Scarlett and complained about all the noise from the crying.

Mom steered Scarlett to a vinyl chair in the hospital waiting room while Jane checked her in at the front desk. The woman there typed some things into the computer in front of her, handed Jane a medical form to fill out, and then asked for Scarlett’s insurance card. Jane hesitated. They had insurance through Matteo’s job at the club. But what if it got back to Matteo that Scarlett had to be rushed to the ER? You never knew how he might react to something like that. He might blame Jane and demand they come home right away.

The front desk woman was looking at Jane expectantly, so she handed over the card. The insurance company usually sent a statement in the mail, but that would probably take weeks. With any luck, they’d be long gone by then. Still, when Jane sat down to fill out the forms, she scribbled the wrong building number and zip code in the address fields. Maybe that would slow down the paperwork. And then she spelled Scarlett’s name with one T and fudged the line for her birthdate, too.

Jane had some experience with long waits at emergency rooms, so she was surprised when the nurse called Scarlett back to an exam room after only about five minutes. Just another way Linden Falls was an entire world away from LA.

“The exam rooms are small, so I’ll wait here,” Mom said, and Jane remembered that Mom had some experience with emergency rooms, too.

Jane and Scarlett followed the nurse through a sliding door and back to an exam room. The nurse got Scarlett situated on an exam table and directed Jane to sit on a chair on the opposite wall while he took Scarlett’s vitals. Then he folded up a gauze square and handed it to Jane in case Scarlett’s head started to bleed again. “The doctor will be in shortly.”

Jane watched him leave. Though he was about her age, Jane didn’t recognize him from high school. Maybe he’d moved here for the job. The hospital appeared to be more modern, the equipment more state-of-the-art, than it had been a decade ago. Back then everything had seemed a little rundown and dingy. So, maybe the hospital was a draw for health professionals now.

And with that thought, Jane nearly jumped out of her chair. Because it was the moment she remembered that?—

“Hello,” came a voice from the doorway. It was extra buoyant in that way that doctors speak to make children feel comfortable. And it was familiar. “You must be Scarlett.”

Jane spun toward the doorway just as Nik’s tall frame filled the room.

“I’m Dr. Andino, but you can call me…” His voice trailed off as his eyes swung from Scarlett to focus on Jane. “Nik.” He finally finished. “You can call me Nik.” He took an audible breath. “And you must be…” His gaze darted to Scarlett and back to Jane. He blinked, rubbing his forehead as if he’d been the one to hit his head. “You must be Scarlett’s mother.”

TWENTY-TWO

Scarlett’s mother.

Nik tried to wrap his mind around the words as a freight train roared in his ears. Jane had a child. And she hadn’t said a word, not even after their conversation at the overlook yesterday. She’d kept it from him, just like she’d kept everything about her life for the past ten years from him. And so much before that, too. It shouldn’t have surprised him anymore. But here he was.

Jane’s wide eyes cut into him as she lunged to her feet and then stood frozen in the center of the room, her mouth open in surprise. “I—Nik. I forgot that…”

She’d forgotten that he worked here. What if she’d remembered? Would she have driven Scarlett twenty miles away to the hospital in Harrisville just to avoid seeing him? To avoid giving up her latest secret?

Nik focused on Jane’s daughter. Her blond, wavy hair hung past her shoulders, blue eyes stared up at him. Scarlett looked?—

Just like Jane. She looked like the girl he knew back when they didn’t keep things from each other. And she looked hurt and scared.

That snapped him out of his stupor. He was the doctor here, and Scarlett was his patient. It didn’t matter who her mother was or what kinds of secrets she’d been hiding. Nik headed to the sink to wash his hands. Then he turned to Scarlett, giving her a reassuring smile. “I heard you had a fall.”

Scarlett nodded, still clutching her arm with the opposite hand. “I hurt my arm and my head.”

“I can see that,” Nik said in a low voice. He reached out a hand to Scarlett. “Is it okay if I take a look?”

Scarlett nodded. Nik took her by the wrist and gently worked it back and forth. “Can you do that on your own?” She flapped her hand in front of her with what looked to be the full range of motion, so next he held out a palm. “Can you press here?”

Scarlett pressed her little fist against the flat of his hand and let out a quiet gasp.

Jane’s shoulder brushed his as she slid closer to her daughter’s side, and Nik did his best to ignore the hum of electricity that kicked on the second she was in his vicinity. He shifted away from her, keeping his attention on Scarlett. “I heard you were going for the chocolate chips.”

Scarlett sniffed and then nodded.

He gave her a crooked smile. “Those are my favorite, too.”

“It was an accident.” Scarlett’s eyes filled with tears. “I didn’t mean to fall.”

“We know you didn’t, honey.” Jane slid an arm around her daughter’s shoulder.

“Can I tell you something?” Nik tilted his head in Scarlett’s direction. “I think your mom’s been keeping secrets.”

Beside him, Jane gasped. “Nik, I really don’t think…”

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