Page 4 of Daddy's Little Matchmaker

The older woman put a hand over her chest before falling to the ground.

“Fiona!” Tessica quickly closed the cage and knelt next to her friend.

Fiona hissed in pain, squeezed her eyes shut, and held her chest.

“Oh my god! Hold on, I’ll call for help!” Tessica rushed over to the cordless telephone at the counter and dialed 911.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

Tessica walked back to Fiona’s side as the man on the other end spoke. “I think my friend just had a heart attack. She collapsed holding her chest, and she hasn’t been feeling good all day.”

“Okay, are you with her right now?”

“Yes.”

“Is she awake?”

Tessica put a hand on Fiona’s shoulder. “Fiona? Can you hear me?” Tessica shook Fiona’s shoulder gently before responding to the 911 agent. “She’s not.”

“Can you check to see if she has a pulse?”

Tessica reached a shaky hand out to Fiona’s neck. “I don’t think… wait, yes. Yes, she does, but… barely.”

The 911 agent rattled off their address, and stayed on the phone with Tessica while she waited for the ambulance.

CHAPTER TWO

Connor Doyle stepped into the bathroom, locked the door, and took a deep breath. He needed a couple moments to collect himself before going back out to face his well-meaning friends and family. He much preferred the solitude of his apartment in Juneau. Everyone’s condolences and remembrances of his mother, Fiona, weighed on him.

He stood in front of the mirror. The past nine days had taken their toll. He appeared haggard, even in his best suit. All the white hairs in his red beard made him look as old as he felt. There were big black bags under his eyes. If one of the Littles he played with looked the way he did, he’d put them to bed for a nap, whether they liked it or not. He needed more sleep, but a nap wasn’t an option right now, and even if he had the opportunity to lie down, he doubted sleep would come. His lack of control over this situation had him spiraling.

Generally, he wasn’t a drinker, but he’d been tempted to start off his Sunday with a shot of whisky before coming to the wake. But his mother wouldn’t have approved, and since it washerwake, he abstained. The same could not be said for his sister Hannah who was currently on her third and becoming morose.

Connor turned on the cold water, and had to hold back tears as he watched it slip down the drain. He shook his head, cupped some water in his hands, and splashed it on his face. After blotting his face and beard with the hand towel beside the sink, he squared his shoulders and went back out to endure the family gathering.

He walked down the hall, through the living room full of people, and into the kitchen full of even more people. They’d decided to have the wake at his son’s house, because Michael was the only immediate family member who still lived in Oregon, but the tiny house was cramped.

“Hey, Connor?”

He turned to see Tessica Alvarez standing next to him holding a plate with a turkey sandwich and chips. He’d known her since high school because she was friends with his twin sisters, but they’d never been close. Back then it was because she was three years younger than him. He’d married his high school sweetheart at eighteen when Tessica was still fifteen. But now they were both divorced and in their fifties, and he couldn’t help but notice how well she’d aged compared to a lot of the women he knew. She still had a waistline, her light brown skin didn’t have any visible wrinkles, and her black hair didn’t have any gray in it. Her brown eyes were puffy from crying, but even so, she looked better than he did.

“Hi Tessica, what’s up?”

“Could I talk to you in private for a moment?”

“Sure.” He nodded toward the hall. “We can talk in the master bedroom.”

He led her down the hall, into the bedroom, and shut the door behind them. “If this is about the will, I already told you we’re not reading it until tomorrow, and I don’t know why you’re named in it.”

She gently put a hand on his arm and shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about the will.” She held the plate of food out to him. “You haven’t eaten all day. Why don’t you sit down and eat while I talk?”

He frowned. It had been a long time since he had a wife or anyone else to fuss over him, but it felt nice to be taken care of in this particular moment. He was usually the one who took care of others. He took the plate and sat on the edge of the bed. Eating hadn’t been high on his list of priorities today, but once he put a bite in his mouth, he realized how hungry he was, and ate while she spoke.

Tessica sat on the edge of the bed beside him, keeping a respectable distance. “I wanted to go over what I’ve done over at Fur-ever Friends since your mother… passed.” Her voice cracked, and she had to clear it a couple of times.

He swallowed a bite of sandwich before speaking. “Thank you for your help while we figure out everything. I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Since you’re the executor of her estate, and they’re reading the will tomorrow, I thought you should have a rundown of what’s been going on the past week and a half.”

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