Page 4 of Just A Little Chase

“Which one is he?” Skye asked curiously.

Lauren frowned, realizing that all the other men in the brochure had taken their places, except for Neil. “In the brochure, he was the last guy listed, but his spot is empty.”

Skye patted the arm that Lauren still had linked through hers in a reassuring manner. “I’m sure he’s just making his way through the crowd to the stage.”

Lauren nodded, because that probably was the case.

Her cellphone, which she’d tucked into the pocket of her gown, vibrated. Hoping it wasn’t someone on the Meridian staff texting with a problem she needed to handle, she pulled out the device and was surprised to see a text from her mother instead. She opened it up and read the message.

I know you’re at a work event this evening, but I wanted to let you know that Gramps had a mini stroke this afternoon. It was very mild and he’s already home from the hospital and is doing fine, so there’s no need to call tonight.

Despite her mother’s reassuring words, panic surged through Lauren at the thought of anything happening to her gramps.

“Crap, I need to call home,” Lauren said, her stomach twisting with anxiety as she glanced at Skye. “Apparently, my grandfather had a mini stroke earlier this afternoon. My mom says it was mild and not overly serious, and he’s already home from the hospital, but I need to hear for myself that he’s okay.”

“Of course,” Skye said, giving her an understanding nod as the auctioneer started addressing the crowd around the stage. “Go and call.”

“Hopefully I’ll be back in time to bid on the last guy,” Lauren said, then quickly headed out of the ballroom to find a quiet place to talk.

She decided on the women’s lounge, which was empty—of course, since every female was back in the ballroom ogling the bachelors—and Lauren rang her mother’s cell.

Her mom immediately picked up. “I told you that you didn’t need to call,” she said by way of greeting.

“Of course I’m going to call,” Lauren replied, feeling her throat tighten with worry as she paced the length of the lounge. “How is Gramps? Should I head home? I could probably be there by midnight if I leave within the hour—” She could make the drive from New York City to just outside of Springfield, Massachusetts, in about two and a half hours.

“No,” her mother said in an adamant tone. “There’s no need for you to rush home.”

Lauren exhaled a deep breath, knowing if there was a true medical emergency, her mother wouldn’t hesitate to tell her to come. And since her gramps lived with her parents, she knew he was in good hands and well cared for.

“He’s okay. I promise,” her mother went on in a gentler tone. “He had what’s known as a transient ischemic attack, which is like a mini stroke, but the effects are temporary. They did a CT scan at the hospital and there’s no long-term damage, thank goodness, but they are taking precautions. They put him on dipyridamole. We’re keeping an eye on his blood pressure, and he has an appointment to see his doctor on Monday. If you need any other reassurance that he’s fine, then let me tell you he was as ornery as ever with the nurses.”

That made Lauren smile.

“I don’t like being stuck with needles like a human pin cushion!” her gramps grumbled from somewhere in the background.

“See, I told you.” Her mother sighed, and Lauren could only imagine what a long day she’d had at the hospital. “I wasn’t going to send you a message tonight because I know you’re busy with your big charity event, but I also knew you’d be upset if you found out later.”

“You’re right. So thank you for letting me know.” She sat down in one of the plush velvet chairs. “Can I talk to Gramps real quick?” She just wanted to hear for herself that he was okay.

“Of course.”

Lauren heard the sound of the cellphone being transferred over to her gramps, then he spoke. “Hey, Scouty!” he said in that boisterous voice of his, proving there was nothing frail about this man who’d recently turned eighty-three.

Her heart lightened at the sound of the nickname he’d given her as a toddler, and still used. Scout/Scouty, because growing up she’d always been his little sidekick adventurer. She’d followed him around the small farm where her grandparents once lived, mucking out stalls, riding his tractor, and fishing with him on Sunday afternoons. All the things her frilly sister, Ashley, didn’t want anything to do with.

“How’s my girl?” he asked affectionately.

Her fingers tightened around her cellphone. “I’m good, Gramps. I can’t wait to see you at the wedding next month.” It had been too long since she’d been home and really spent time with the family.

“Me, too,” he said, his voice a bit melancholy. “Your mother says you’re bringing a beau to the wedding. I can’t wait to meet this new man in your life and see if he’s good enough for my girl.”

Lauren wasn’t surprised that her gramps knew about her plus-one, since her mother had received the RSVP card Lauren had sent earlier that week. She’d texted briefly with her mom after it arrived, and managed to avoid giving her any details about the guest she was bringing to the wedding. She’d wanted to see what happened tonight at the bachelor auction, before she shared a name or background information about the man she was “currently dating”.

And speaking of which… Lauren heard the echo of the auctioneer banging his gavel against his podium and awarding some lucky woman a weekend with the bachelor she’d bid on, and apparently won. Lauren had no idea how many men were left standing, but she needed to get back into the ballroom before she lost the opportunity to grab Neil the accountant for her weekend home.

“Gramps, I’m so glad you’re okay,” she said, standing and smoothing a hand down the front of her gown. “I need to get back to the charity event, but I promise to call you tomorrow.”

“Okay, Scouty,” he said. “Love you, girl.”

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